Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

A Study Of Conceptual And Language Issues Surrounding Weight, Weightlessness, And Free Fall: Textbook Analysis, Instructional Design, And Assessment, Rex Taibu

Dissertations

Science education is an interdisciplinary field that has developed from and continues to rely on research in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, sociology and history. This clearly reflects that learning and teaching can be studied from multiple perspectives. Despite these wide ranging roots, contemporary science education by and large is not informed by the work of research on linguistics, and in particular, the role of language in mediating conceptual understanding. The term “weight” has multiple meanings in both science and everyday language, and this unfortunately creates inherent difficulties for teaching and learning. The present study addresses a need …

Individual Differences In Digital Badging: Do Learner Characteristics Matter?, Joey R. Fanfarelli, Thomas Rudy Mcdaniel

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Badge use has rapidly expanded in recent years and has benefited a variety of applications. However, a large portion of the research has applied a binary useful or not useful approach to badging. Few studies examine the characteristics of the user and the impact of those characteristics on the effectiveness of the badging system. This study takes preliminary steps toward that cause, examining the effectiveness of a badging system across two web-based university courses in relation to the individual differences of the learners. Individual differences are examined through the lens of Long-Dziuban reactive behavior types and traits. Results revealed differences …

Report On The Concurrent Validity And Inter-Rater Reliability Studies Of Uwezo, Acer

Monitoring Learning

In 2014 ACER through the Centre for Global Education Monitoring (GEM) worked with Results for Development (R4D) to conduct a broad evaluation the testing tools and processes of four citizen-led learning assessments: The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) in India, Beekunko in Mali, Jàngandoo in Senegal, and Uwezo in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. As part of this evaluation ACER designed two small quasi-experimental studies to investigate the concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability of Uwezo.

• The concurrent validity study explored the relationship between performance on Uwezo and performance on EGRA/EGMA (ie instruments that themselves have confirmed validity and reliability).
• The …

A Model Of How Different Biology Experts Explain Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Publications

Constructing explanations is an essential skill for all science learners. The goal of this project was to model the key components of expert explanation of molecular and cellular mechanisms. As such, we asked: What is an appropriate model of the components of explanation used by biology experts to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms? Do explanations made by experts from different biology subdisciplines at a university support the validity of this model? Guided by the modeling framework of R. S. Justi and J. K. Gilbert, the validity of an initial model was tested by asking seven biologists to explain a molecular …

Analysis Of English Language Learner Performance On The Biology Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System: The Impact Of English Proficiency, First Language Characteristics, And Late-Entry Ell Status, Mary A. Mitchell

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzed English language learner (ELL) performance on the June 2012 Biology MCAS, namely on item attributes of domain, cognitive skill, and linguistic complexity. It examined the impact of English proficiency, Latinate first language, first language orthography, and late-entry ELL status. The results indicated that English proficiency was a strong predictor of performance and that ELLs at higher levels of English proficiency overwhelmingly passed. The results further indicated that English proficiency introduced a construct-irrelevant variance on the Biology MCAS and raised validity issues for using this assessment at lower levels of English proficiency. This study also found that ELLs …

Global Technology Experiences For Upper-Division Engineering Students: An Assessment, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung

Faculty Publications

In order for students to thrive in the highly competitive global economy, it is critical for them to develop international perspectives and appreciation. As a result, in 2004, the San Jose State University’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering established a one-million-dollar Global Technology Initiative (GTI) program. The mission of the GTI program is to expand students’ horizons about the opportunities and challenges of a global economy, to expose them to global, environmental, and energy problems in which technology plays a central role, to motivate their learning of global issues and different cultures, and to introduce them to a more …

Researching Mbti Personality Types: Project Management Master’S Degree Students, Thomas G. Henkel, James W. Marion Jr, Debra T. Bourdeau

Publications

The purpose of this research study was twofold: 1) to explore if a university’s Master of Science in Project Management students’ MBTI® personalities differ significantly; 2) to gain a better understanding if the MBTI® personality traits of university students enrolled in a project management degree differ significantly from those MBTI® personalities of the general population. The goodness of fit test was used in order to test the hypotheses that the 177 graduate project management students (observed data) have the same MBTI® distribution as in the general population (expected data). Overall, the present study showed that the student population has 27.18% …

Global Perspectives: Exploring School-Based Brazilian Librarianship Through Institutional Ethnography, M. Johnston, Lucy Santos Green

Leadership, Technology & Human Development: Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Study Of Graded Assessments Between Teaching Modalities In Radiologic Technology, Angela M. Lambert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The research conducted in this study focuses on student learning outcomes for students of Radiologic Technology. A comparison between non-traditional teaching using MOODLE® and traditional lecture delivery as related to written and practical assessment results is the focus. This study is important due to the need for programs of Radiologic Technology to produce competent radiographers upon completion of such programs in order to assure patient care and safety standards are met. The surge in online and non-traditional course delivery methods may jeopardize this necessity. The purpose of this research was to compare the use of non-traditional delivery and traditional delivery …

Black Student Self-Efficacy And The Achievement Gap: A Heterogeneous Grouping Case Study, John Anthony Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This explanatory case study explored the ways in which a heterogeneous grouping modulates academic performance for a group of Black students in an Honors Biology class at Bay City High School (BCHS), a large racially and socioeconomically diverse public high school in suburban Maryland. Data was collected through individual interviews, self-efficacy surveys, multiple observations of student on-task behaviors, student-to-student interactions, student-to-teacher interactions, and other task-related conditions. Seven students and their parents, current teachers, and former teachers provided the data. Thematic-coding of the data as outlined by Creswell (2014) was employed in conjunction with Yin's (2003) methods of analysis. In order …

A Case Study Examining The Restorative Justice Practices Implemented In Three California High Schools, Michael K. Zulfa

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study uses a multiple case study research design to examine the implementation and development of restorative justice (RJ) practices currently adopted by three high schools in California. Interviews were held at each of three participating public high school sites with the principal, an administrator in charge of student discipline, and a school counselor. Documentation, such as office referrals, and archival records were analyzed as part of the data collection process. The participating high schools are all located in California and have enrollments between 1,600 and 2,000 students. Each of the schools adopted RJ programs to address student misbehavior …

Non-Cognitive Abilities And Spanish Regional Differences In Student Performance In Pisa 2009, Ildefonso Mendez, Gema Zamarro, Jose G. Clavel, Collin Hitt

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The goal of this paper is to analyze the role that non-cognitive skills and, in particular, regional differences in those skills, play on the observed differences in 15-year-old student’s academic performance, across Spanish regions, on PISA 2009. Previous research has shown the relevance of differences in student’s personal, family and school characteristics in accounting for academic differences across Spanish regions but it has also found that a sizeable part of the observed differences remained unexplained. We have found that differences in the distribution of certain non-cognitive skills associated to academic performance like focus, perseverance and resilience play a prominent role …

The Intergenerational Transmission Of Noncognitive Skills And Their Effect On Education And Employment Outcomes, Ildefonso Mendez, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

We use information on second-generation migrants to study the existence of a cultural component on the formation process of noncognitive skills and its effect on education and employment outcomes. Our measures of noncognitive skills include: personality traits that children are encouraged to learn and civic capital. Individuals whose cultural heritage places a lower value on child qualities positively associated to the conscientiousness personality factor report lower education, worse occupational status and lower wages on average. Individuals with a higher inherited civic capital declare a higher educational level, but we find no effect of civic capital on adult labor market outcomes.

How Can We Accurately Measure Whether Students Are Gaining Relevant Outcomes In Higher Education?, Tatiana Melguizo, Gema Zamarro, Tatiana Velasco, Fabio Sanchez

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The main objective of this study is to empirically test a number of theory-based models (i.e. fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE), and aggregated residuals (AR)) to measure both, the generic knowledge as well as the degree attainment rates and early labor outcomes, gained by students in different programs and institutions in higher education. There are four main findings: First, the results of the paper confirm the need of using models that address the issue of student selection into programs and institutions in order to avoid biased estimates. Second, our findings provide suggestive evidence in favor of using FE models. …

Comparisons Of Student Perceptions Of Teacher's Performance In The Classroom: Using Parametric Anchoring Vignette Methods For Improving Comparability, Hana Vonkova, Gema Zamarro, Vera Deberg, Collin Hitt

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Self-reports are an indispensable source of information in education research but might be affected by reference group bias if the frame of reference (i.e. implicit standards), used to answer the questions, differs across students. The anchoring vignettes method was introduced, in other areas of social science, precisely to correct for this source of bias. However, studies that make use of this approach in education are rare and more research is needed to study its potential. This paper uses data from PISA 2012 to investigate the use of the parametric model of the anchoring vignettes method to correct for differential implicit …

Collective Bargaining And District Costs For Teacher Health Insurance: An Examination Of The Data From The Bls And Wisconsin, Robert M. Costrell

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

District costs for teachers’ health insurance are, on average, higher than employer costs for private-sector professionals. How much of this is attributable to collective bargaining? This paper examines the question using data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the state of Wisconsin. In addition, the impact of collective bargaining on employer costs is decomposed into the impact on total premiums and the employer’s share of those premiums. The BLS data show that unionization is associated with higher total premiums, higher employer costs, and lower employee contributions in both the public and private …

Effects Of The Omrit Project On Student And Alumni Participants From Macalester College, Nancy Bostrom

Capstone Collection

As participation in short-term study abroad programs increases, practitioners seek to understand the effects of these programs not just in terms of increasing participation in study abroad, but also with an emphasis on understanding the effects of these programs on student learning. Some research indicates that program design, rather than length, determines a successful experience abroad; however, the literature also reveals concern that there is not enough data to understand the impact of short-term programs on student learning and that much of the available research is too focused on immediate rather than longer lasting effects.

This paper reports on a …

The Influence Of Placement In A Co-Taught Inclusive Classroom On The Academic Achievement Of General Education Students On The 2014 New York State Ela And Mathematics Assessments In Grades 6-8 In A Suburban New York School District, Michael M. St. John

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the influence of placement in a co-taught inclusive classroom on the academic achievement of general education students in Grades 6-8 in a suburban New York school district on the 2014 New York State ELA and Mathematics Assessments. Propensity score matching was utilized to select the sample to provide a balanced sampling technique. The final sample was comprised of 746 students in Grades 6-8 in a suburban New York upper middle class district during the 2013-14 school year. The variables that were included in this study were gender, socioeconomic status, attendance, ethnicity, past academic performance as measured by …

Intentional Depth Of Knowledge And Its Effects On K-12 Student Engagement, John M. Sizemore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This research study attempted to identify the impact that cognitive complexity has on student engagement. The primary research questions asked were: What are the effects of depth of knowledge and learning mode on student engagement? Are there interaction effects among depth of knowledge and learning mode and what impact does the interaction have on student engagement? And, are there any variances in interaction effect by educational level (elementary, middle or high school) for depth of knowledge and learning mode on student engagement? This study attempted to determine if cognitive complexity of learning using depth of knowledge (DOK), and learning mode …

“Meeting Proficiency – Can Elementary Schools, With Subgroup Of Students With Disabilities, Exit Program Improvement After 2014?” “A Study To Determine If Instructional Strategies And/Or Inclusionary Practices, And Principal Support Of These Practices, Contributed To Schools Reaching Safe Harbor, Meeting Ayp Benchmarks Or Exiting Program Improvement In The 2012-2013 School Year.", Carolyn Lindstrom

Dissertations

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which required all students to be proficient in English and Math by 2014. (Congress, 2002), including all subgroups. Students with disabilities were expected to meet the proficiency criteria along with all other subgroups. NCLB also required schools to report assessment scores to reflect the achievement of students as well as demonstrate all students were meeting, or at least making gains to achieve, proficiency. If students did not reach the expected benchmark the school was identified as failing and placed in Program Improvement. (CDE, 2011) Each school year, …

An Evaluation Of Behavioral Skills Training To Teach Assertiveness Skills To College Students, Savannah Warrington, Sadie Lovett

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Assertiveness skills are related to a variety of life factors including stress levels, social relationships, social fears, and anxiety. Previous research has shown that engaging in nonassertive behavior can have negative effects, and assertive behaviors can lead to a healthier life (Eldeeb, Enstar, & Eldosoky, 2014; Elliot & Gramling, 1990; Morgan, 1974; Larijani, Aghajanie, Baheriraei, & Neiestanank, 2010). The purpose of the current research was to determine if behavioral skills training (BST) was effective in teaching assertiveness skills to college students and if the skills would generalize to novel situations. BST is a method for teaching skills that uses instructions, …

Teaching For Diversity And Equity: Scholarship And Practice, Elizabeth Mccormack, Esther Chiang, Jancy Munguia

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

Research has shown that factors such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status can have a significant impact on a student’s ability to complete a college degree. As our classrooms become more culturally and experientially diverse, what can we as faculty do to ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed? There is a growing body of research that identifies issues that low-income, first-generation, underrepresented minority, and international students face and describes tested strategies for helping students overcome them. Our goal in this workshop is share these findings with faculty and empower them to adapt and integrate relevant strategies into …

Workshop: Enhancing Content For Mixed Skill Classrooms, Lesley Skousen

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

The explosion of online learning has provided many unbelievable new options for reaching students and engaging them on a personal level. However, so many options make responsible lesson-planning a daunting task. This presentation will explore the best practices of using online platforms for both native speakers and an international audience. Dr. Skousen draws from her experience working with international students and seven years of online course design, teaching, and consulting in order to present various lesson plans that engage students personally. In addition to discussing the creation of modules to facilitate different learning styles, there will also be a practical …

From The Co-Editors, Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

We continue to work diligently to improve JSESD. One of the largest challenges to the journal remains the solicitation of manuscript submissions. As such, we are asking the journal’s readership to assist us in advertising the journal. If you are familiar with individuals who might be interested in submitting a manuscript, please pass along the JSESD author link provided above. We are especially interested in articles on science education for students with varying types of disabilities and at a full range of grade levels (K-12 and postsecondary).

Beyond Problem-Based Learning: How A Residency Model Improves The Education Of Pre-Service Teachers, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Renée Rice Moran

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt: In 2010, the state of Tennessee embraced the call to overhaul teacher education and required programs to adopt a residency model within K‐12 schools.

Incorporating Online Materials And Digital Learning/Assessing Tools Into Advanced Chinese Newspaper Reading And News Watching, Ying Wang, Lisha Xu

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

This is the report of a year-long blended learning project designed for advanced Chinese newspaper reading and news video watching. In advanced Chinese learning, newspaper reading and news video watching are considered quite challenging for Chinese language learners for their formal style, large and time-sensitive vocabulary, and limited exposure through traditional ways of learning/teaching. To meet these challenges, we incorporated three blended learning components into the traditional language teaching/learning, including: online video news subtitling, the digital exercises and assessment system, and computerized vocabulary-learning modules tailored to the course materials used for two advanced Chinese classes. The project is carried out …

Objects, Omeka, And The "Oops!" Factor: Two Case Studies Of Collection-Based Projects At Wheaton College, Claire Buck, Leah Niederstadt

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

In Spring 2014, Omeka was first used as part of a course assignment at Wheaton College. Students in Professor Leah Niederstadt’s Introduction to Museum Studies were each asked to conduct provenance research on an object from Wheaton’s Permanent Collection. They shared their research using Omeka, an online content management platform. Throughout the semester, students learned new technology, conducted research using primary and secondary sources, and identified images to support the provenance narratives they discovered. Lastly, they presented their research using Omeka. Assessment was conducted at the start and end of the semester to determine the project’s effect on student learning. …

Fitw Module Demos, Jennifer Spohrer, Hannah Weinstein, Rhonda Hughes, Jia Li

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

This session is for representatives from partner colleges on the U. S. Department of Education FIPSE's First in the World grant-funded project to develop a just-in-time, blended approach to mathematics fundamentals support in introductory STEM courses. Partner colleges are Allegheny, Bryn Mawr, Denison, Franklin & Marshall, Grinnell, Lafayette, Mills, Oberlin, Smith, St. Olaf, Vassar, and Wellesley. In this session members from the Bryn Mawr team will demonstrate the prototype modules we have developed using Khan Academy and WeBWorK materials. Our goal is to get feedback on these prototypes, partners envision implementing them to support our target courses (introductory calculus, chemistry …

Teaching Critical Thinking Through Online Writing And Debate, Douglas Harvey

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

Establishing an asynchronous learning environment that fosters critical thinking can be difficult due to the constraints of the format. The value of back-and-forth exchange of ideas and points can be muted by the lag time between posts. Students also tend to view forum posting as an individual writing activity, not the debate or discussion that faculty designed such environments to foster. This presentation will examine an attempt during the spring 2015 semester to employ a scaffold approach that supports moving students from individual blogging to debate in an online course. The course content involves the study of the impact of …

Digital Learning, Blended Courses: Faculty Innovations And Goals For Student Learning At Keuka College, Nicholas Koberstein, Nancy Marksbury, Enid Bryant, Jennie Joiner, Laurel Hester

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

No abstract provided.