Education Commons^™

Reading For The New Era: Assessing Reading In A Digital Environment, Dara Searle, Tom Lumley, Juliette Mendelovits

Dr Tom Lumley

No abstract provided.

Reading For The New Era: Assessing Reading In A Digital Environment, Dara Searle, Tom Lumley, Juliette Mendelovits

Juliette Mendelovits

No abstract provided.

What Information From Pisa Is Useful For Teachers? How Can Pisa Help Our Students To Become More Proficient?, Juliette Mendelovits, Dara Searle, Tom Lumley

Juliette Mendelovits

A frequent objection to large-scale testing programs, both national and international, is that they are used as an instrument of control, rather than as a means of providing information to effect change. Moreover, concerns about large-scale testing often take the form of objection to the specific characteristics of the assessments as being prescriptive and proscriptive, leading to a narrowing of the curriculum and the spectre of 'teaching to the test' to the exclusion of more important educational content. Taking PISA reading literacy as its focus, this paper proposes, on the contrary, that a coherent assessment system is valuable in so …

Effects Of Student Reading Proficiency On Pisa Mathematics Items – A Dif Study Across Countries, Ray Adams, Luc Le

Prof Ray Adams

No abstract provided.

Students In A Digital Age: Some Implications Of Ict For Teaching And Learning, John Ainley, L Enger, Dara Searle

Dr John Ainley

No abstract provided.

Supplementary Analysis Of Teachers Using The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey Data, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Ali Radloff

No abstract provided.

Postgraduate Research Experience 2008 : The Report Of The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Each year, graduates of Australian higher education institutions who have completed a doctoral or research masters degree are invited by their institution and Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) to respond to the Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) about four months after graduation. This report presents the results from the ninth PREQ survey conducted since 1999. The PREQ asks graduates to respond to 28 statements about seven aspects of their research degree. The first 27 statements measure the quality of supervision, the intellectual climate of the department in which the respondent studied, the development of generic skills, the quality of the infrastructure …

Supplementary Analysis Of Teachers Using The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey Data, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Youth Transitions, Justin Brown, Gina Milgate, Jenny Wilkinson, Philip Mckenzie

Jenny Wilkinson

No abstract provided.

The On Track Survey 2008: The Destinations Of School Leavers In Victoria, Sheldon Rothman, Kylie Hillman, Phil Mckenzie, Gary Marks

Dr Sheldon Rothman

No abstract provided.

John Keeves And The Australian Council For Educational Research, Rebecca Leech, John Ainley, Phillip Mckenzie, Patricia Knight, Jenny Barnes, Renee Otmar, Maureen O'Keefe

Dr John Ainley

This book has been produced as a tribute to the work and contributions of ACER's 3rd chief executive. Professor John Keeves on the occasion of his 85th birthday. Professor Keeves has made substantial contributions to key research studies, especially in mathematics and science education. His work laid the foundations for large scale assessments of student learning that are common place today and for better understanding the complex relationships between students home background, school factors and achievement.

Growth In Receptive Vocabulary Among 4 To 8 Year-Olds: Using Growth Modelling With The Lsac K Cohort, Kylie Hillman, Siek Khoo, Clare Ozolins

Kylie Hillman

No abstract provided.

Success Despite The Odds? Outcomes For Low-Performing Students In Australia, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman

Kylie Hillman

No abstract provided.

The On Track Survey 2008: The Destinations Of School Leavers In Victoria, Sheldon Rothman, Kylie Hillman, Phil Mckenzie, Gary Marks

Kylie Hillman

No abstract provided.

Growth In Receptive Vocabulary Among 4 To 8 Year-Olds: Using Growth Modelling With The Lsac K Cohort, Kylie Hillman, Siek Khoo, Clare Ozolins

Clare Ozolins

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Youth Transitions, Justin Brown, Gina Milgate, Jenny Wilkinson, Philip Mckenzie

Gina C Milgate

No abstract provided.

The Analysis Of Measurement Equivalence In International Studies Using The Rasch Model., Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Julian Fraillon

This paper outlines how Rasch modelling can be used for testing assumption about measurement equivalence in international studies. Based on the Rasch model (Rasch, 1960) for dichotomous items and the Partial Credit model for polytomous items (Masters & Wright, 1982), so-called item-by-country interactions can be estimated that provide useful information about the level of measurement invariance in parameter estimates. It should be noted that item-by-country interactions are one form of differential item functioning (DIF) where groups vary in their probability of answering questions even after controlling for their levels of ability (see Hambleton, Swaminathan and Rogers, 1991). Item-by-country interactions can …

The Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study (Iccs) : Design And Concept, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Julian Fraillon

The IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS): Concept and Design - The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. The article describes how the learning context for civic education is explored in the ICCS survey. It outlines the conceptual framework, the design of the study and the assessment instruments for students, teachers and school principals as well as a national context survey collecting data on the national contexts for civic and citizenship education.

Policy Verification Case Studies: School Level Capture Of Teacher Certification And Teacher Development Investments – Cycle 1/Final Report., Julie Kos, Phil Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie

Submitted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to Contractor Strategic Advisory Services (CSAS).

Quality Of Education In Madrasah: Phase 1 – Findings From Pilot Study One., Julie Kos, Dita Nugroho, Petra Lietz

Dr Petra Lietz

Submitted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to Contractor Strategic Advisory Services (CSAS).

Preschool Education In Australia, Andrew Dowling, Kate O’Malley

Policy Briefs

Early childhood education (ECE) in Australia will soon experience a ‘radical makeover.’ In 2008, all Australian governments made a commitment through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) that by 2013, all children in the year before formal schooling will have access to high quality early childhood education programs delivered by degreequalified early childhood teachers, for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks of the year, in public, private and community-based preschools and child care. The purpose of this policy brief is to summarise the current structure of preschool in Australia in contemplation of this major policy shift. This paper describes the …

Blended Spaces, Work-Based Learning And The Notion Of Constructive Alignment : Impacts On Student Engagement, Peter Reaburn, Nona Muldoon, Cheryl Bookallil

Peter Reaburn

Quantity Of Parental Involvement: The Influence Of The Level Of Education Attainment Of Elementary Private School Parents, Deborah Kay Secord

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of the custodial parents' level of educational attainment on the quantity of parental involvement in the areas of assistance with homework, time spent in home activities with the child, communication with teachers, participation in school events, educational discussions with the child, and time volunteered in school. Questionnaires were sent out to the parents of elementary students at two private faith-based institutions. The combined number of participants was 151. The researcher determined that there was no significant influence among these private school parents of the level of educational attainment on the …

Differentiating Thinkfinity Lessons, Roberta Wiener

Cornerstone 1 Reports : Expansion and Enhancements of the Thinkfinity Platform

No abstract provided.

Predictors And Influences Of Graduation Rates In Mississippi Public Schools, Donna Rebekah Holden Chiasson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if possible predictors of graduation rates in Mississippi existed. This study included 10 independent variables and one dependent variable. The independent variables consisted of average daily attendance, algebra I scores, teacher salary, socioeconomic status (as expressed in the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch within a school), eighth grade math MCT scores, eighth grade language MCT scores, the number of teachers with advanced degrees, the school's outcome of Adequate Yearly Progress, school size, and principal leadership style.

The dependent variable was graduation rate. A total of 100 schools were …

The Relationships Of Learning Style Balance And Learning Dimensions To Self-Directed Learning Propensity Among Adult Learners, Sarah Tullos Hutto

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of learning style characteristics to self-directed learning propensity among adult learners. The learning style characteristics investigated were learning style balance as measured by a scoring method developed by Mainemelis, Boyatzis, and Kolb (2002) and learning style dimensions as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The Oddi Continuous Learning Instrument (OCLI) was used to measure self-directed learning propensity. A questionnaire was used to collect descriptive information about the participants for age, gender, years of professional work experience, and graduate degree program in the categories of business, education, health, and …

Mathematics Achievement Of Regular Education Students By Placement In Inclusion And Non-Inclusion Classrooms And Their Principals' Perceptions Of Inclusion, Loretta Rodgers Hartfield

Dissertations

This study examined mathematics achievement of fourth and fifth grade students in Mississippi and principals' perceptions of inclusion.

A sample of 462 students from eight separate elementary schools was selected for this study. Fifteen principals completed the Principal and Inclusion Survey regarding inclusion education. Eight of the 15 principals were interviewed with 10 open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of inclusion.

Data were analyzed using an independent two-tailed t test and Pearson product moment correlation. The independent two-tailed / test was used to determine differences in mathematics achievement for fourth and fifth grade students in inclusion classrooms compared to non-inclusion classrooms …

The Advanced Placement And International Baccalaureate Programs: The Graduates' Perspective, Shannon Saxby Smith

Dissertations

This study was designed to solicit the perspectives of AP and IB graduates who have completed at least one semester of postsecondary education about their experiences while in their respective programs. This study was also conducted to determine whether these IB graduates report that they were better prepared for postsecondary studies than students who participated in the AP program. The researcher was also able to determine whether AP and IB graduates believed they experienced any long-term benefits or detriments by having been in their programs and whether they believed their experiences were worthwhile. Lastly, the researcher was able to determine …

Impact Of Missouri Reading Initiative On Student Achievement: An Administrative Perspective, Timothy E. Jamieson

Dissertations

Reading and critical thinking skills are a source of concern when analyzing student achievement relative to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In Fort Zumwalt, middle school Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores in communication arts have not consistently met NCLB requirements. To address this concern, Fort Zumwalt implemented Missouri Reading Initiative (MRI) as a pilot at North Middle School during the 2007-08 school year. Collaborative researchers collected data derived from student test scores on the 2006-07 and 2007-08 communication arts MAP to assess MRI effectiveness. Quantitatively, this study examined the relationship between implementation of MRI and student achievement on the …

The Impact Of The Instructional Practices Inventory At An Illinois Middle School, Karen Earhart Gauen

Dissertations

This participatory action research study followed a middle school for two academic years to determine if incorporating the Instructional Practices Inventory (IPI) would increase classroom experiences that engaged students in learning and encouraged deeper, higher-order thinking skills. This study also used student standardized test scores, the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP), to determine if there was a relationship between the IPI process and improved test scores. I worked as the IPI coder, researcher, and facilitator for this study. During the research study, I kept field notes and observational data. Utilizing …