Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

University Study In Australia: Persistence, Completion And Beyond, Julie Mcmillan

LSAY Briefing Reports

The data for this Briefing were collected from two LSAY cohorts: the Year 9 class of 1995 and the Year 9 class of 1998. Information on the education and labour market activities of these groups has been collected annually. The findings reported here follow the experiences of university entrants from these groups up to age 23. The findings are discussed in further detail in three recent LSAY research reports on the first year experience (Hillman, 2005), university completion (Marks, 2007) and unmet demand (Marks, 2005). Earlier LSAY research, based upon previous groups of young people followed over longer periods of …

Constructing A Described Achievement Scale For The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Julian Fraillon

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This paper presents a draft described civic and citizenship cognitive achievement scale based on the International Civics and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) field trial cognitive test items and student achievement data. The paper briefly outlines the process of generating the described scale before presenting and examining the substance of the scale. The scale is based on data from the 80 test items used in the ICCS field trial that have been included in the ICCS main survey test instrument. The described scale comprises four discrete described achievement levels that are further articulated by examples of achievement. Key aspects of the …

Questionnaire Construct Validation In The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

International studies tend to use student, teacher or school questionnaires for the collection of contextual data on student or teacher characteristics, background, activities and the school's learning environment. Furthermore, student measures of values, attitudes and behavioural intentions are also frequently viewed as important learning outcomes, in particular in the context of studies of civic and citizenship education. Data obtained from these instruments become frequently important predictors of student performance or are treated as learning outcome variables of interest. Therefore, the scaling of questionnaire items to obtain measures of students', teachers' and principals' perceptions and attitudes should ideally be subject of …

Alternative Scaling Models And Dependencies In Pisa, Greg Macaskill

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

This paper examines trends between PISA 2003 and PISA 2006 for the reading and mathematics scales for the OECD countries using both the standard one parameter (1PL) model that has been used in published OECD reports, and a generalised partial credit model, as implemented in ACER ConQuest, which estimates optimal values for each possible score on an item.

University Research Management - Developing Research In New Institutions, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Vet Pathways Taken By School Leavers, David D. Curtis

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the vocational education and training (VET) pathways pursued by young people since leaving school. It investigates the characteristics of those who pursue VET, their persistence in those programs, and the labour force and related outcomes that they experience following their VET participation. The investigation uses data collected as part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program. It is based on survey data collected annually since 1995 from young people who were in Year 9 at school at that time (the Y95 cohort). Their progress through school, into any postschool education they had undertaken by 2001 …

What Do Teachers Know, Think And Intend To Do About Adhd?, Julie Kos

School and system improvement

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder affecting approximately 5% of primary school-aged children. The disorder is characterised by severe difficulties in one or more of three areas; inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Considering that primary school teachers are often the first to notice behavioural difficulties in children, it is surprising that relatively little research has been undertaken with teachers. The limited research that has been conducted on teachers’ knowledge has shown that knowledge scores range from 50 to 70%, and most attitudinal research has merely assessed knowledge. There is also a dearth of research assessing teachers’ classroom management of …

Supporting New Teachers In Victorian Schools : Making The Teacher Registration Process An Opportunity For Professional Learning, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson, Jenny Wilkinson

Initial Teacher education

The VIT Standards and Professional Learning Project was seen to be leading to improvements in teaching practice across schools and playing a major role in reinforcing and/or establishing a culture of professional collaboration and professional learning in schools. That is likely to lead to improved student outcomes. The role of the school leadership is clearly very important in this as in any other major innovation. Principals and mentors were very positive about the program, and consistently reported higher levels of satisfaction with its implementation than did the Provisionally Registered Teachers. Primary teachers were in general more positive than secondary teachers. …

2007-2008 Profile, Morehead State University. Institutional Research & Analysis.

Office of Institutional Research & Analysis Publication Archive

2007-2008 issue of Profile Magazine.

Impact Of University Rankings: Global Excellence Vs. Local Engagement, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

Globalisation is helping to create a ‘single world market’ in higher education (Marginson, 2006). A feature of this process is the emergence of global university rankings which have taken the practice of accountability, quality assurance and benchmarking to a worldwide level. Today, the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times QS Ranking of World Universities are used by governments and HEIs as a measurement of competitiveness and reputation. An internationalist strategy is imperative not only for governments, but also globally-facing and regionally-focused HEIs. No one is immune. Many HEIs are using rankings to help define targets …

A Longitudinal Study Of Growth In Literacy And Numeracy In The Primary School Years, Marion Meiers

Monitoring Learning

This paper reports on a seven-year longitudinal study. In 1998 an extensive investigation of the nature of growth in literacy and numeracy across the years of primary school was established at ACER as a national longitudinal study. It was intended that scales of developing literacy and numeracy achievement would be developed within this study, making it possible to show growth from the first year at school until the end of primary school.

The State Of Hispanic Education In Kentucky School Districts, Victor Ballestero, Sam Wright

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

The study was designed to provide information on the state of Hispanic education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The data were obtained from Kentucky school Superintendents or their designees in 175 public school districts through a survey (12 questions) mailed in late spring, 2007. We received responses from 136 Kentucky public school districts for a 77.7% return percent.

Rankings And The Battle For World-Class Excellence: Institutional Strategies And Policy Choices, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

2008 Test Scores Show General Improvement With Room To Grow, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Results of the 2008 Arkansas student assessments were released earlier this summer and revealed that Arkansas students continue to improve with respect to the state standards. On nationally-normed exams, Arkansas students perform at roughly the average level.

Are All State Exams Equal?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Recently, policymakers at the Arkansas Department of Education were pleased to release the results of the 2008 Arkansas Benchmark exams, which indicate more Arkansas students are becoming proficient each year. This is also good news for proponents of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), federal legislation aimed at increasing student achievement through the encouragement of standards-based reform. However, Arkansas, like the other 49 states, sets its own standards for proficient performance. Thus, state by state comparisons of “proficiency” may not be meaningful. With 50 states administering 50 tests to determine whether students are meeting 50 sets of curricular standards, many worry …

Classroom Organizational Structures As Related To Student Achievement In Upper Elementary Grades In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools., Darrell Wayne Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Teacher Variables And Student Achievement Scores In Hamblen County, Tennessee., Anne Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between teacher variables and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) student annual scores in reading and mathematics for students in grades 3 through 8 in Hamblen County, Tennessee. The teacher variables included number of days absent, Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) scores, and years of experience. The population of the study was limited to 3rd- through 8th grade reading and mathematics teachers employed by the Hamblen County school district during the 2006-2007 school year. Raw scores from the 2006-2007 TCAP criterion-referenced assessment were used as …

Learning Differences In E-Commerce I Online Classes In Public Secondary Schools In North Carolina., Pamela S. Pitman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure differences in learning styles in an online E-Commerce I class in public secondary schools in North Carolina. Students' observations and achievements were evaluated by gender, grade level, course of study, online experience, and expected grade. This type of study could identify relationships between the online model and the four areas evaluated. This information may aid designers of online curricula as well as the teachers.

The literature review covered several topics including technology, online learning, gender-based education, learning styles, maturity, and expectations. Each topic was related to the success of students in an …

The Amazon Kindle: Uses In Higher Education, Jeff Merritt, Linda Creason

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

After receiving a grant, the presenters purchased multiple e-book readers, the Amazon Kindle, to test out their different uses in the classroom. They share some of their findings and assess the hardware.

Participation In Science, Mathematics And Technology In Australian Education, John Ainley, Julie Kos, Marina Nicholas

ACER Research Monographs

This report was commissioned to update and extend the Background Data and Analysis component of the report, Australia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future – Advancing Innovation, Science, Technology and Mathematics (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003a) that informed the Main Report (Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education, 2003b). In the five years since the 2003 review, there have been developments in science, technology and mathematics education that have been impacted on by initiatives in policy and practice as well by changes in the context. So that changes in science, technology and mathematics education can be …

Supply, Demand And Approaches To Employment By People With Postgraduate Research Qualifications In Science And Mathematics: Literature Review And Data Analysis, Daniel Edwards, T Fred Smith

Higher education research

This report is the first in a project that investigates the demand for and supply of people with science and mathematics postgraduate qualifications in Australia. This report is divided into two main parts: a literature review and a data analysis. The report uses numerous national data sets to present a picture of the supply, demand and employment dynamics of postgraduates in the natural and physical sciences in Australia. The figures indicate an increasing number of postgraduates are completing studies in these fields. However, compared with other fields of education, supply in the natural and physical sciences is increasing at a …

Enhancing The Engagement Of Distributed Learners, Hamish Coates

Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE)

For much of the twentieth century it was conventional practice to distinguish between ‘on-campus’ and ‘external’ or ‘distance’ forms of higher education. This distinction has blurred both in theory and practice over the last few decades, with an increase in what may be referred to as ‘distributed’ forms of learning and higher education. In Australia and New Zealand today, very few students spend significant amounts of time on campus. According to results from the 2007 Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) around three-quarters (77%) report spending no more than 10 hours per week on campus outside of formal classes. Just …

X, Y And Z: Three Decades Of Education, Employment And Social Outcomes Of Australian Youth, Sheldon Rothman, Kylie Hillman

2008 – Touching the Future: Building Skills for Life and Work

This paper focuses on three decades of findings from Australian longitudinal studies of adolescents and their transitions from secondary school to further education and training and the labour force. The presenters examine trends in young people’s participation in the post-compulsory years of school; completion of Year 12; participation in and completion of various forms of further education and training; employment rates and earnings; and leaving home and family formation. The data for this presentation come from a number of longitudinal survey programs, which are part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The oldest cohort comprises young people who were …

An International Perspective On Civic And Citizenship Education: Exploring The Learning Context For Lower Secondary Students, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

2008 – Touching the Future: Building Skills for Life and Work

The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate, in a range of countries, the ways in which young people are prepared and consequently ready and able to undertake their roles as citizens. In pursuit of this purpose, the study will report on student achievement, student activities, value beliefs, behavioural intentions and attitudes related to civic and citizenship education. The collection of contextual data will help to explain variation in these outcome variables. This paper describes how the learning context for civic education is explored in the ICCS survey. It outlines the conceptual framework, the …

Touching The Future : Building Skills For Life And Work (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2008 – Touching the Future: Building Skills for Life and Work

This conference addressed the theme of the skills and dispositions that young people need to participate effectively in work and society and the role of educators to nurture the development of those skills and dispositions.

The conference featured four keynote and 12 concurrent sessions. The full conference proceedings and individual papers, some PowerPoint presentations can be downloaded below. Podcasts of selected sessions are also available from this repository.

Specifying And Assessing Knowledge And Skills For Life, Geoff N. Masters

2008 – Touching the Future: Building Skills for Life and Work

In my presentation to this year’s Research Conference I will be taking as my starting point the proposition that a fundamental purpose of schooling is to provide every student with knowledge and skills to equip them for life beyond school. While acknowledging that schooling has broader purposes, I will argue that there are some fundamental understandings and skills that all students should develop during their school years, and that every student should be expected to demonstrate an acceptable level of these skills and understandings by the time they leave school.

Factors That Are Associated With Students' Standardized Reading Achievement Scores, Cherie Nichole Mothershead

Dissertations

This study examined the factors that are associated with students' standardized reading achievement scores. The participants in this study were obtained from two sources: a national and a regional sample. The national participants were located throughout the United States of America, and the regional participants were from a school district in a southeastern state.

The data for the national sample were provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education, and the regional sample was provided by surveying all fifth grade teachers in a school district from a southeastern state. These two …

Middle-Level Leaders Perceptions Of Accountability, Deena Cousar Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of middle-level principals personal and school accountability, their perceptions of beliefs and competencies that influence improvement in student achievement and accomplishment of accountability, and their perceptions regarding the adequacy of professional development and preparation for middle-level principals that affect their ability to improve student achievement and perform their leadership role in an increased accountability environment. This study specifically examined differences in the perceptions of middle-level principals' accountability based on the socioeconomics of the school, the number of years of administrative experience, and previous middle-school teaching experience.

A Metamorphosis Of Thought: Parent Education Based On Transformative Learning Theory In A Title I-Funded Middle School, Ayanna Lichelle Shivers

Dissertations

Section 1118(e)(2) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 encouraged public schools to conduct and evaluate parent education programs to assist with closing the achievement gap. In an effort to combat the existing problem, the researcher engaged in a mixed-methods study to address four research questions.

A comparative-quantitative study, using the Middle School Parent Perception Survey, was conducted to determine if there were statistically significant differences in perceptions of parents whose children attended Title I funded and non-Title l-funded schools in the following areas—barriers to parent involvement, their ability to assist their children with schoolwork, and the support …

Identifying Preschool Students In Need Of Early Intervention, Cassie Delso Wells

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate a screening instrument targeting identification of preschool students in need of early intervention in order to determine the screening instrument's predictive validity. This study specifically examined the relationship between student scores on the DIALS and student achievement in reading at the end of first grade. All participants in the study were residing on Alaska's North Slope and the majority were Alaska Natives. The remote geographic location of the North Slope along with the ancient traditions of the Inupiat Eskimos, including the Inupiaq language that is still spoken among the residents of the …