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Full-Text Articles in Education

Rethinking Mathematics Assessment: Some Reflections On Solution Dynamics As A Way To Enhance Quality Indicators, Elliott Ostler, Neal Grandgenett, Carol Mitchell Oct 2008

Rethinking Mathematics Assessment: Some Reflections On Solution Dynamics As A Way To Enhance Quality Indicators, Elliott Ostler, Neal Grandgenett, Carol Mitchell

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This paper is intended to offer some reflections on the difficulties associated with the appropriate use of rubric assessment in mathematics at the secondary level, and to provide an overview of an assessment technique, hereafter referred to as solution dynamics, as a way to enhance popular rubric assessment techniques. Two primary aspects of solution dynamics are presented in this manuscript. The first aspect considers how the tasks assigned in mathematics classrooms might be better organized and developed to demonstrate an evolving student understanding of the subject. The second aspect illustrates how revised scoring parameters reduce the potential for scoring inconsistencies …


Quantitative Literacy Across The Curriculum: A Case Study, Benjamin Steele, Semra Kiliç-Bahi Jul 2008

Quantitative Literacy Across The Curriculum: A Case Study, Benjamin Steele, Semra Kiliç-Bahi

Numeracy

We describe a quantitative literacy (QL) program at Colby-Sawyer College, a small, residential, liberal arts college in New Hampshire. This program has grown rapidly from a traditional math curriculum to a college-wide understanding of quantitative literacy and voluntary participation by many faculty members in all departments. More than 80% of the faculty agreed that it would be useful for students to be able to use quantitative skills in their courses, but only 24 % thought students were capable of doing very well in mathematics. Twenty-three faculty members attended a summer workshop, funded by NSF, DUE # 0633133, in which they …


Alternative Assessment: Effects On Students’ Perception And Achievement, Kristen Kopf, Andrew Parker Mar 2008

Alternative Assessment: Effects On Students’ Perception And Achievement, Kristen Kopf, Andrew Parker

Leah A. Nillas

This research investigates the effect of alternative assessment on students’ perception and achievement in six, 9th grade biology classrooms. Students’ perception was determined through the use of a Likert scale questionnaire which compared confidence levels and preference for traditional verses alternative assessment. Achievement was measured according to academic grades from both types of assessment. Our findings indicate a significant student preference for multiple-choice exams as well as greater achievement in traditional assessment methods. The results suggest a further investigation of assessment practices is needed in order to more accurately describe the relationship between assessment strategies, student perception and student achievement.


Measuring Knowledge Of Natural Selection: A Comparison Of The C.I.N.S., An Open-Response Instrument, And An Oral Interview, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld Jan 2008

Measuring Knowledge Of Natural Selection: A Comparison Of The C.I.N.S., An Open-Response Instrument, And An Oral Interview, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Growing recognition of the central importance of fostering an in-depth understanding of natural selection has, surprisingly, failed to stimulate work on the development and rigorous evaluation of instruments that measure knowledge of it. We used three different methodological tools, the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS), a modified version of Bishop and Anderson's (Bishop and Anderson [1990] Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27: 415-427) open-response test that we call the Open Response Instrument (ORI), and an oral interview derived from both instruments, to measure biology majors' understanding of and alternative conceptions about natural selection. We explored how these instruments …


An Appraisal Of The Criticisms Of Educational Research In Recent Years, Sherwin Rodrigues Jan 2008

An Appraisal Of The Criticisms Of Educational Research In Recent Years, Sherwin Rodrigues

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

According to Hodkinson (2001) educational research in the UK has been passing through "a crisis of confidence" in the last decade as a result of several attacks upon its quality. The scope of this paper is to briefly highlight these „attacks‟ on educational research and then focus on one of its primary criticisms for an in-depth analysis. I mainly draw upon the work of Hargreaves (1996), Hammersley (1997) and Hillage, Pearson, Anderson and Tamkin (1998) but allude to other sources as well.