Education Commons^™

Quality, Meaningful Educational Experiences: An Autobiographical Study Of Teaching And Learning Algebra 1, Marya Ray

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

This autobiographical study of teaching and learning Algebra 1 was developed to examine classroom experiences through the lens of the researcher and to explore the perceptions of teachers and students involved in the study. The goal was to identify the quality, meaningful educational experiences in the classroom which led to the development of algebraic thinking and self-efficacy among students who previously demonstrated a struggle to learn mathematics. The inspiration for this study was my personal experience as a student, as I also struggled to develop algebraic thinking as a high school student. The school district in which this study was …

Arkansas Parent Pre-Kindergarten Survey 2023, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

The Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas administered a survey to Arkansas parents about their perceptions of their students’ PreKindergarten experiences. The survey, administered in March of 2023, was sent to parents of Kindergarten students currently attending an Arkansas public school, as well as parents of students currently enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten programs housed in Arkansas public schools or enrolled in a Head Start program. A total of 772 parents responded to the survey

A Causal Comparative Study Of The Difference In Percentage Of At-Risk Children Served In New Hampshire Childcare Facilities Based On Facility Type, Danielle R. Higuera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine whether there is a difference in the type of childcare center that at-risk children attend. Scholars have noted the importance and long-term benefits of providing quality early childhood education for at-risk children, but limited research has been conducted on where at-risk children attend childcare. A random sampling method was used to recruit programs from the 689 New Hampshire childcare centers for this study. A questionnaire was administered to determine the percentage of at-risk children that attend each of the five childcare program types: license-exempt, licensed center, licensed family provider, licensed-plus, and …

Analysis Of Early Childhood Education And Learning Outcomes In The Pacific, Dan Cloney, Yung Nietschke, Jeffery Marshall

Early Childhood Education

There is strong evidence supporting early childhood education (ECE) programmes as an effective way to support children to have the best start in life, especially for the most disadvantaged children. When high‐quality programmes are established – where quality is assured, and barriers to participation eliminated – large positive effects are observed that are sustained into adulthood. Indeed, substantial positive returns on public investment in ECE programmes are reported. When low‐quality programmes are taken to scale in the market, however, smaller effects or no effects are observed. This is attributed to failure to get quality right. And when quality is too …

Mapping The Leap: Differences In Quality Improvement In Relation To Assessment Rating Outcomes, Belinda Davis, Rosemary Dunn, Linda J. Harrison, Manjula Waniganayake, Fay Hadley, Rebecca Andrews, Hui Li, Susan Irvine, Lennie Barblett, Maria Hatzigianni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Australia’s National Quality Standard (NQS) outlines the criteria to assess the quality of early childhood services. A four-point rating scale: (i) Exceeding NQS; (ii) Meeting NQS; (iii) Working Toward NQS; and (iv) Significant Improvement Required is applied to services following a regular assessment and rating process. Settings rated as Working Toward are reassessed within 12 months. Most settings achieved a one-step improvement in this Time 2 reassessment, moving to a Meeting rating but some settings made a two-step improvement, moving to an Exceeding rating. The QIP is a key document used by authorities to assess the quality of a …

Improving K-12 Teachers’ Acceptance Of Open Educational Resources By Open Educational Practices: A Mixed Methods Inquiry, Hengtao Tang, Yu-Ju Lin, Yingxiao Qian

Faculty Publications

Teachers in K-12 settings increasingly demand instructional materials beyond textbooks to follow the upward momentum of personalized instruction. Especially during the outbreak of COVID-19, K-12 teachers are forced to quickly adapt to online teaching and thus have more difficulties of delivering personalized instruction in a relatively resource-restraint situation. Open educational resources (OER), allowing teachers to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute high-quality educational resources at no costs, can be a viable option for teachers. However, the acceptance of OER in K-12 education still remains low. Effective strategies are needed to reinforce teacher intention to adopt OER. This research showcased a …

Quality Of Academic Improvement In Indonesia : A Bibliometric Analysis (2015-2020), Merlin Apriliyanti

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research collects and processes related journals with the title of improving academic quality by using publish or perish and vosviewer as a medium of analysis. By using these 2 applications, the author can analyze and conclude the data obtained. The method used in this research is the bibliometric technique, which analyzes the data using keywords as the start of the search and then concludes it into an output that can be used to determine the journal related to the title. The results of this discussion are, during 2015 to 2020 there were many countries, types of scientific works, and …

Ensuring Quality In Classroom Assessments, Shilpi Banerjee

Teacher India

How can teachers make classroom-based assessments more valid, reliable, and fair? Shilpi Banerjee shares some guiding principles to help teachers design quality classroom-based assessments and use their results effectively.

A Conversation About Rethinking Criteria For Qualitative And Interpretive Research: Quality As Trustworthiness, Melva R. Grant, Yvonna S. Lincoln

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This editorial shares a conversation about qualitative and interpretive research quality between friends. Dr. Yvonna Lincoln, University Distinguished Professor Emerita at Texas A&M University, has been a pioneer in the field of qualitative and interpretive inquiry research. The purpose of this paper is to share Yvonna Lincoln’s contemporary thinking about quality criteria for qualitative and interpretive inquiry research and to make it available to mathematics educators who conduct qualitative research in urban settings.

The Latin-American Laboratory For Assessment Of The Quality Of Education: Measuring And Comparing Educational Quality In Latin America, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Laboratorio Latinoamericano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (Latin-American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education or LLECE) is the network of national systems for the assessment of education quality in Latin America, created in 1994, and coordinated by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC). LLECE’s purpose is to produce data and knowledge that inform educational policy in the region, contribute to capacity building, and serve as a forum for reflection, exchange and generation of new ideas and good practices in education evaluation. LLECE assessments aim to provide information about …

Quality-Focused Interventions In Early Childhood Education And Care (Ecec) In Economically Developing Countries, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

Quality-focused early childhood education and care (ECEC) interventions are aimed at improving the quality of an existing intervention, service or program. These studies are of particular interest in the current global ECEC context as the emphasis on early childhood services shifts from access and participation to quality. Quality encompasses many aspects of an ECEC program, including structural dimensions and process dimensions. Structural dimensions cover infrastructure and resources, training for personnel and adult-child ratios. Process dimensions cover adult-child interactions, and opportunities for play and exploration. The 20 quality-focused interventions in ECEC identified for this review (of a total of 109 studies; …

Online Course Design: A Review Of The Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist, Sally Baldwin, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The evaluation of online courses is an important step in providing quality online courses. There are a variety of national and statewide evaluation tools used to help guide instructors and course designers of online courses (e.g., Quality Matters, OSCQR). This paper discusses a newly released course evaluation instrument from Canvas, the second largest learning management system (LMS) used by higher education institutions in the United States. The characteristics and unique features of the Canvas Course Evaluation Checklist (CCEC) are discussed. The CCEC is also compared to established national and statewide evaluation instruments. This review is helpful for those interested in …

Assessing Quality In Mixed Methods Research: A Case Study Operationalizing The Legitimation Typology, Analay Perez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Quality in mixed methods research (MMR) has been an ongoing topic of discussion over the past two decades. One of the obstacles of assessing quality in a MMR study is developing credible inferences from the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches (Plano Clark & Ivankova, 2016). Some researchers have designed a variety of strategies for assessing quality of a mixed methods study as a whole (Teddlie, & Tashakkori, 2003; Onwuegbuzie & Johnson, 2006; Tashakkori, & Teddlie, 2003), but there is no general consensus among researchers on which methods to use. The aim of this intrinsic, exploratory case study was to …

An Online Course Design Checklist: Development And Users’ Perceptions, Sally J. Baldwin, Yu-Hui Ching

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines users’ perceptions of an online course design checklist. We created the Online Course Design Checklist (OCDC) to help highlight very basic criteria that may improve the quality of online courses. The OCDC highlights criteria that should not be ignored during online course development. It is based on components of established instructional design principles and existing online course design evaluation instruments. To understand course designers’ perception of the OCDC, we surveyed nineteen current and prospective online instructors on their use of it. Participants found the OCDC facilitated online course design by providing criteria to consider before, during, and …

Basic Education: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about the importance, structure, purpose, key issues and outcomes of basic education. It provides a foundation to engage in this topic and apply advice from staff with operational or expert levels of knowledge in education. On successful completion you will be able to be an informed participant in forums related to basic education.

Preparing Quality Teachers: Bridging The Gap Between Tertiary Experiences And Classroom Realities, Corinne Green, Michelle J. Eady, Peter J. Andersen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There are many factors that impact student learning, with quality educators being one of the most important elements for student success. Accordingly, the promotion of quality teacher preparation programs has become a priority for tertiary institutions, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. There is a known disparity between tertiary experiences and classroom realities that leave graduate teachers feeling unprepared for the teaching profession. Employing a contextualized learning approach such as situated learning theory in teacher preparation programs can reduce this gap and successfully prepare graduate teachers for the teaching arena. This research project surveyed one cohort (n=154) at the conclusion of a …

Online Course Design In Higher Education: A Review Of National And Statewide Evaluation Instruments, Sally Baldwin, Yu-Hui Ching, Yu-Chang Hsu

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research identifies six online course evaluation instruments used nationally or in statewide systems. We examined the characteristics (i.e., number of standards and criteria) and coded the criteria that guide the design of online courses. We discussed the focus of the instruments and their unique features.

Basic Education: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

This Practitioner level module is designed to ensure that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) staff members who engage with and lead policy dialogue with international and domestic partners are informed about effective strategies for implementing basic education and key priorities in basic education. It is recommended that staff complete the Basic Education: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module. Topics covered by this module include definitions of basic education, how can we develop effective strategies for implementing basic education, key priorities in basic education and basic education post-2015.

Quality Is Key In Early Childhood Education In Australia, Kate Torii, Stacey Fox, Dan Cloney

Early Childhood Education

Early education benefits all children, and can be transformative for the children with the greatest challenges. But not all children in Australia experience a high quality early education. Getting quality right is the key piece of the puzzle needed to deliver the promise of early education. Investing in early learning is a widely accepted approach, backed by extensive evidence, for governments and families to foster children’s development, lay the foundations for future learning and wellbeing, and reduce downstream expenditure on health, welfare and justice. While all children benefit from high quality early learning, research also shows that children experiencing higher …

Evaluation Instruments And Good Practices In Online Education, Sally J. Baldwin, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education offers extensively researched and validated tenets for best practices in higher education. After a review of the literature, twenty-eight evaluation instruments currently used to design and review online courses in higher education institutions were collected and divided into categories, based on geographical reach and the type of institution for which they were developed. This study investigates how evaluation instruments used in higher education assess the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, and what other items are addressed in the evaluation of courses. Findings show that national …

Perceptions Of Quality In Higher Education In Afghanistan: A Case Study Of Shaheed Rabbani Education University, Homayoon Taheryar

Master's Capstone Projects

This study investigates how the concepts of quality and quality assurance (QA) standards are understood in the Afghan higher education system. First, I carried out a literature review of the available literature globally and then reviewed the available literature about Afghanistan’s higher education quality assurance system. Second, I conducted a case study at Shaheed Rabbani Education University (SREU), a public higher education institution in Afghanistan, to explore how academic staff at this university understand the concepts of quality and the QA standards. The study included qualitative interviews with seven key respondents at SREU. The findings from the case study suggest …

Constructing Quality Childcare: Perspectives Of Quality And Their Connection To Belonging, Being And Becoming, C Robinson

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Discourse on quality, within the context of childcare, has moved beyond the level of licensing to consider children’s right to belong. Within Western Australia (WA), there has been a paradigm shift as international research literature on quality childcare has advocated the long- term benefits for individuals and the community when children experience high quality early education and care. This paradigm shift has resulted in new legislation in WA that articulates the components of quality across childcare, as well as the criteria on which centres are assessed. This paper reports the findings of an investigation into the constructs of quality from …

Inspiring Environmentally Responsible Preschool Children Through The Implementation Of The National Quality Framework: Uncovering What Lies Between Theory And Practice, Krista Pollock, Jane D. Warren, Peter J. Andersen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR environmental sustainability (ECEfES) has become significant in the early years, as highlighted by the inclusion of ECEfES in Australia's first and current National Quality Framework (NQF) for early childhood education and care (ECEC). This article reports on the major findings from a case study (Pollock, 2014), which aimed to uncover what lies between theory and practice, as ECEC educators attempt to support young children to become environmentally responsible, through the implementation of the NQF. This article discusses some of the findings from an analysis of the documents central to the NQF as well as semi-structured interviews …

Impact Of A Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis On Mental Health, Quality Of Life, And Social Contacts: A Longitudinal Study, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas E. Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aims The aim was to examine whether a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) diagnosis increases the odds of psychological distress, a worsening in overall quality of life, and a potential reduction in social contacts.

Method Longitudinal data were obtained from the 45 and Up Study (baseline 2006–2008; 3.4±0.95 years follow-up time). Fixed effects logistic and negative binomial regression models were fitted on a complete case on outcome sample that did not report T2DM at baseline (N=26 344), adjusted for time-varying confounders. The key exposure was doctor-diagnosed T2DM at follow-up. Outcome variables examined included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, self-rated quality …

Total Diet Score As A Valid Method Of Measuring Diet Quality Among Older Adults, Joanna Russell, Victoria M. Flood, Ali Sadeghpour, Bamini Gopinath, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to determine the accuracy of a diet quality measurement tool, the Total Diet Score (TDS) using two validation methods; firstly the TDS calculated from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was compared to the TDS calculated from weighed food records (WFRs); secondly the TDS was compared to a number of dietary biomarkers. Methods and Study Design: Data were collected from a population based cohort study located in the Blue Mountains region of Sydney, Australia. To compare dietary assessment tools, a sub sample of 75 subjects (aged 63 to 83 years) completed the FFQ and three, …

Using Unannounced Standardised Patients As A Quality Improvement Tool To Improve Primary Care, Heike Schutze, Elizabeth Harris, Mark Fort Harris

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 2nd International Conference on General Practice & Primary Care, 18-19 September 2017, Zurich, Switzerland

Research Briefs: In Search Of Quality: Using Quality Matters To Analyze The Quality Of Massive, Open, Online Courses (Moocs), Georgia Southern University

Research Briefs (2012-2019)

• In Search of Quality: Using Quality Matters to Analyze the Quality of Massive, Open, Online Courses (MOOCs)

Reindexing A Research Repository From The Ground Up: Adding And Evaluating Quality Metadata, Philip Hider, Barney Dalgarno, Sue Bennett, Ying-Hsang Liu, Carole Gerts, Carla Daws, Barbara Spiller, Pru Mitchell, Robert Parkes, Raylee Macaulay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article details the outcomes of the ‘National Learning and Teaching Resource Audit and Classification’ project, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT). The project used a range of methodologies to reorganise the OLT’s Resource Library (http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-library), constructing and selecting an optimal set of metadata elements, along with certain vocabularies for these elements, and then reindexing the content of the Resource Library utilising the new schema and vocabularies. This paper reports on a before-and-after evaluation of the Resource Library’s search performance through an information retrieval experiment based on searches logged by the repository’s content management system. …

Fostering Effective Early Learning: A Review Of The Current International Evidence Considering Quality In Early Childhood Education And Care Programmes - In Delivery, Pedagogy And Child Outcomes, Iram Siraj, Denise Kingston, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Steven J. Howard, Edward Melhuish, Marc De Rosnay, Elisabeth Duursma, Betty Luu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Executive Summary There is a large body of international academic research literature which examines the relationship between (i) early childhood education and care (ECEC) and (ii) children's developmental and learning outcomes. Decades of sustained international research by many different research groups demonstrate that children who attend ECEC are likely to experience better behavioural and learning outcomes than those who do not attend. The research findings are, of course, not always consistent, and are more robust over shorter measurement periods. Nevertheless, major national surveys (e.g. OECD, 2011) and ambitious longitudinal research projects (e.g. the EPPSE study, Sylva et al., 2014) document …

Food Insecurity And Poor Diet Quality Are Associated With Reduced Quality Of Life In Older Adults, Joanna C. Russell, Victoria M. Flood, Heather Yeatman, Jie Jin Wang, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships of food security and diet quality with health related quality of life (HRQoL) in a cohort of older Australians. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a cohort study of community-living individuals aged 49 years and over. A 12-item food security survey, the Short-form 36-item (SF-36) health survey, assessing four physical and four mental domains of HRQoL, and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were completed by 2642 participants. The Total Diet Score (TDS) (maximum score 20) measured diet quality based on food intake from …