Education Commons^™

Pisa Problems, Christopher Tienken

Christopher Tienken

Project-Based Chinese As A Foreign Language Instruction: A Teacher Research Approach, Gulbahar Beckett

Gulbahar Beckett

Implementing A Generic School Improvement Framework: Experience Of The National School Improvement Tool In Australian Settings, Elizabeth A. Hartnell-Young, Robert Marshall, Robert Hassell

Robert Marshall

This is a collection of three papers presented at a symposium ‘Implementing a generic school improvement framework: experience of the National School Improvement Tool in Australian settings’ at the 27th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) , Yogyakarta Indonesia, 27 January 2014.

Paper A: Development of a school improvement framework with broad application in different contexts by Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, ACER. School improvement has been a focus of attention in Australia for some time, but the publication of results in international testing such as PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science …

Faculty Attitudes Toward General Education Assessment: A Qualitative Study About Their Motivation, S. K. Macdonald, L. M. Williams, R. A. Lazowski, S. Jeanne Horst, K. E. Barron

S. Jeanne Horst

No abstract provided.

Social Epistemology And The Pragmatics Of Assessment, Kenneth J. Gergen, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román

In the present offering we challenge the presumption that the educational testing of students provides objective information about such students. This presumption largely rests on an empiricist account of science. In light of mounting criticism, however, empiricist foundationalism has given way to a social epistemology. From this standpoint, empirical data are only objective for those who share assumptions and values that are themselves without foundations. Thus, the major questions to be raised about testing are not in terms of whether test results supply the truth about those who are evaluated, but concern the utility of the tests for the full …

Children’S Enjoyment Of Play During School Lunchtime Breaks: An Examination Of Intraday And Interday Reliability, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford, Caroline Finch, Shahid Ullah, Amanda Benson

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Background: Enjoyment and play during school lunchtime are correlated with children’s physical activity. Despite this, there is an absence of studies reporting children’s enjoyment of play during school lunchtime breaks. The purpose of this study was to examine the intraday and interday reliability of children’s enjoyment of school lunchtime play. Methods: Surveys used to assess children’s enjoyment of lunchtime play were distributed to and completed by 197 children (112 males, 85 females), aged 8–12 years attending an elementary school in Victoria, Australia. Children completed the surveys during class before lunch (expected enjoyment) and after lunch (actual enjoyment) for 5 days. …

Rasch Maximum Likelihood Estimation For Theta And W-Scores With Panel Study Of Income Dynamics Woodcock-Johnson Revised Achievement Raw Scores, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román

This appendix explains the estimation of the Rasch maximum likelihood estimated thetas using the raw scores of the Woodcock-Johnson Revised Achievement Measure in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. It is then discussed how to estimate the W-scores from the Rasch maximum likelihood estimated thetas. The W-scores ensure stability in score changes that accounts for item difficulty and person ability for growth modeling.

Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks Within Grounded Theory Studies, Donald Mitchell Jr.

Donald Mitchell Jr., Ph.D.

Assessing The Need For Graduate Global Education Programs In The United States, Krishna Bista, Amany Saleh

Krishna Bista

Global education plays an increasingly important role in enriching students’ learning experiences in US institutions of higher education. Students are connected to the world through global culture, economics, politics, technology and immigration. This paper examines the perceptions of 305 graduate students and alumni concerning the need for global education programs in the United States. Participants shared their views of the importance of global education in understanding today’s economy, culture, and environment, while addressing our future needs and challenges. There were no significant statistical differences between the perceptions of graduate students and alumni or between those of international and American students …

Facilitating Teachers’ Thinking About Pedagogy And Technology With An Online Curriculum Planning Tool, Kirsten R. Butcher, Heather Leary, James Foster, Holly Devaul

Heather Leary, Ph.D.

The current study analyzed the impact of a year-long adoption of an online curriculum planning tool on teachers’ thinking about content and pedagogy, as well as their use of technology in the classroom. The online planning tool was adopted district-wide following professional development training with the purpose of supporting teachers’ development of differentiated, student-centered instruction with digital resources. Structured interviews with high school science teachers were used to determine how teachers’ thinking about key concepts and instruction changed during the course of technology adoption. Verbal protocol analysis was used to code interviews, using comprehension theory and national reform approaches in …

The Development, Validity, And Reliability Of A Psychometric Instrument Measuring Competencies In Student Affairs, Rishi Sriram

Rishi Sriram, Ph.D.

The study of competencies in student affairs began more than 4 decades ago, but no instrument currently exists to measure competencies broadly. This study builds upon previous research by developing an instrument to measure student affairs competencies. Results not only validate the competencies espoused by NASPA and ACPA, but also suggest adding a new competency and dividing some existing competencies into separate ones. Competency strengths, competency weaknesses, and implications for current practice and future research are discussed.

Development Of A School Improvement Framework With Broad Application In Different Contexts, Elizabeth A. Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (Consultant)

School improvement has been a focus of attention in Australia for some time, but the publication of results in international testing such as PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) in recent times has heightened awareness of comparisons between Australian students and their peers in other countries (eg. Thomson, Hillman, Wernert, Schmid, Buckley, and Munene, 2012). This paper describes the National School Improvement Tool (ACER, 2012) developed in Australia to support school and system improvement efforts.

Implementing A Generic School Improvement Framework: Experience Of The National School Improvement Tool In Australian Settings, Elizabeth A. Hartnell-Young, Robert Marshall, Robert Hassell

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young (Consultant)

This is a collection of three papers presented at a symposium ‘Implementing a generic school improvement framework: experience of the National School Improvement Tool in Australian settings’ at the 27th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) , Yogyakarta Indonesia, 27 January 2014.

Paper A: Development of a school improvement framework with broad application in different contexts by Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, ACER. School improvement has been a focus of attention in Australia for some time, but the publication of results in international testing such as PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science …