The influence of formative assessments on student motivation, achievement, and conceptual change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yue

2005-07-01

This study connected research on formative assessment, motivation, and conceptual change. In particular, it examined three research questions: (1) Can formative assessment improve students' motivational beliefs? (2) Can formative assessment improve students' achievement in science and bring about conceptual change? and (3) Are students' science achievement and conceptual change correlated with their motivational beliefs? Formative assessment in this study refers to assessments embedded in an inquiry-based curriculum. To answer those questions, a randomized experiment was conducted. One thousand and two 6th or 7th graders of 12 teachers in 12 different schools in six states participated in the study. The 12 teachers were matched in pairs and randomly assigned to the experimental and control group. The experimental group employed embedded formative assessments while teaching a science curriculum unit and the control group taught the same unit without formative assessments. All the students were given a motivation survey and one or more achievement tests at pre- and posttest. By comparing the experimental and control students' motivation and achievement scores at pretest and posttest, I examined whether the formative assessment treatment affected students' motivation, learning, and conceptual change. By correlating students' posttest motivation, achievement as well as conceptual change scores, I examined whether students' motivation was related to their achievement and conceptual change. Analyses indicated that, the embedded assessments used by the experimental group did not significantly influence students' motivation, achievement, or conceptual change compared to students in the control group. Most motivation beliefs were correlated with students' achievement in a way similar to what has been reported in the literature. They were not correlated with students' conceptual change scores as hypothesized. Teachers, as well as some contextual factors associated with teachers, were extremely influential on students' motivation, achievement, and conceptual change; teacher effects overshadowed the treatment effect. This study revealed many of the challenges and problems teachers, researchers and randomized experiments are likely to encounter. It also highlighted the difficulty and importance of high-fidelity formative assessment implementation. Finally, it suggested that a cognitive approach in studying conceptual change still has great value to further research.

How Do Students of Diverse Achievement Levels Benefit from Peer Assessment?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lan

2011-01-01

Although the potential of peer assessment activities in promoting student learning and fostering student cognitive development has been widely studied and well documented across the world, it is unclear how peer assessment may benefit students of diverse achievement levels. This study examined this issue via a mixed methodology approach that…

Assessment of Metacognitive Knowledge in Students with Special Educational Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Händel, Marion; Lockl, Kathrin; Heydrich, Jana; Weinert, Sabine; Artelt, Cordula

2014-01-01

This study investigated whether and, if so, how metacognitive knowledge can be assessed validly in students with special educational needs in a large-scale assessment like the German National Educational Panel Study. In total, 804 sixth-grade students including both regular school students attending the lowest track of secondary education…

Accounting for the Performance of Students With Disabilities on Statewide Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malmgren, Kimber W.; McLaughlin, Margaret J.; Nolet, Victor

2005-01-01

The current study investigates school-level factors that affect the performance of students with disabilities on statewide assessments. Data were collected as part of a larger study examining the effects of education policy reform on students with disabilities. Statewide assessment data for students with disabilities from 2 school districts within…

Elementary Students as Active Agents in Their Learning: An Empirical Study of the Connections between Assessment Practices and Student Metacognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braund, Heather; DeLuca, Christopher

2018-01-01

This study explored how elementary teachers leveraged and structured student-involved formative assessment to promote metacognition and self-regulation. Research has suggested a connection between formative assessment practices (e.g., self-assessment and peer-assessment) and metacognition. However, this connection has limited empirical support,…

Research and Teaching: Delivery of Summative Assessment Matters for Improving At-Risk Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agboola, Oluwaseun Omowunmi; Hiatt, Anna C.

2017-01-01

Summative assessments are customarily used to evaluate ultimate student outcomes and typically occur less frequently during instruction than formative assessments. Few studies have examined how the use of summative assessments may influence student learning among at-risk groups of students. Summative assessments are typically used to evaluate how…

A comparison of students' self-assessments with faculty evaluations of their communication skills.

PubMed

Lundquist, Lisa M; Shogbon, Angela O; Momary, Kathryn M; Rogers, Hannah K

2013-05-13

To compare students' self-assessment of their communication skills with faculty members' formal evaluation of their skills in a therapeutics course. Over a 3-year period, faculty members evaluated second-year pharmacy students' communication skills as part of a requirement in a therapeutics course. Immediately following an individual oral assessment and again following a group oral assessment, students self-assessed their communication skills using the same rubric the faculty members had used. Students' self-assessments were then compared with faculty members' evaluation of students' communication skills. Four hundred one (97.3%) students consented to participate in this study. Faculty evaluation scores of students for both the individual and group oral assessments were significantly higher than students' self-assessment scores. Students' self-assessment scores of their communication skills increased from the individual to the group oral assessment. Students' self-assessments of communication skills were consistently lower than faculty members' evaluations. Greater use of oral assessments throughout the pharmacy curriculum may help to improve students' confidence in and self-assessment of their communication skills.

The Impact of Assessment for Learning on Students' Achievement in English for Specific Purposes: A Case Study of Pre-Medical Students at Khartoum University: Sudan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Tayib Umar, Abdul Majeed

2018-01-01

This study tries to identify the effect of assessment for learning on a group of Sudanese pre-medical students' performance in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The study also attempts to identify students' perception and attitudes towards this type of assessment. The sample of the study is composed of 53 subjects from the Pre-medical students…

Student Perceptions of Assessment and Student Self-Efficacy in Competence-Based Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Dinther, Mart; Dochy, Filip; Segers, Mien; Braeken, Johan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the interplay between student perceptions of competence-based assessment and student self-efficacy, and how this influences student learning outcomes. Results reveal that student perceptions of the form authenticity aspect and the quality feedback aspect of assessment do predict student…

Implementation of a Formative Assessment Model Incorporating Peer and Self-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orsmond, Paul; Merry, Stephen; Callaghan, Arthur

2004-01-01

This paper reports a study designed to enhance students' ability to implement assessment marking criteria and to develop the role of dialogue in student learning. Pairs or trios of undergraduate biology students were asked to complete a poster on the theme of histology using student/tutor-constructed marking criteria. The study showed: (1)…

Role of cognitive assessment for high school graduates prior to choosing their college major.

PubMed

AlAbdulwahab, Sami S; Kachanathu, Shaji John; AlSaeed, Abdullah Saad

2018-02-01

[Purpose] Academic performance of college students can be impacted by the efficacy of students' ability and teaching methods. It is important to assess the progression of college students' cognitive abilities among different college majors and as they move from junior to senior levels. However, dearth of studies have been examined the role of cognitive ability tests as a tool to determine the aptitude of the perspective students. Therefore, this study assessed cognitive abilities of computer science and ART students. [Subjects and Methods] Participants were 130 college students (70 computer and 60 art students) in their first and final years of study at King Saud University. Cognitive ability was assessed using the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Third Edition. [Results] The cognitive ability of computer science students were statistically better than that of art students and were shown improvement from junior to senior levels, while the cognitive ability of art students did not. [Conclusion] The cognitive ability of computer science college students was superior compared to those in art, indicating the importance of cognitive ability assessment for high school graduates prior to choosing a college major. Cognitive scales should be included as an aptitude assessment tool for decision-makers and prospective students to determine an appropriate career, which might reduce the rate of university drop out.

Using Multiple Assessments to Evaluate Medical Students' Clinical Ability in Psychiatric Clerkships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Peng-Wei; Cheng, Cheng-Chung; Chou, Frank Huang-Chih; Tsang, Hin-Yeung; Chang, Yu-San; Huang, Mei-Feng; Yen, Cheng-Fang

2011-01-01

Background: No single assessment method can successfully evaluate the clinical ability of medical students in psychiatric clerkships; however, few studies have examined the efficacy of multiple assessments, especially in psychiatry. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship among different types of assessments of medical students'…

Quantitative analysis of the rubric as an assessment tool: an empirical study of student peer-group rating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafner, John C.; Hafner, Patti M.

2003-12-01

Although the rubric has emerged as one of the most popular assessment tools in progressive educational programs, there is an unfortunate dearth of information in the literature quantifying the actual effectiveness of the rubric as an assessment tool in the hands of the students. This study focuses on the validity and reliability of the rubric as an assessment tool for student peer-group evaluation in an effort to further explore the use and effectiveness of the rubric. A total of 1577 peer-group ratings using a rubric for an oral presentation was used in this 3-year study involving 107 college biology students. A quantitative analysis of the rubric used in this study shows that it is used consistently by both students and the instructor across the study years. Moreover, the rubric appears to be 'gender neutral' and the students' academic strength has no significant bearing on the way that they employ the rubric. A significant, one-to-one relationship (slope = 1.0) between the instructor's assessment and the students' rating is seen across all years using the rubric. A generalizability study yields estimates of inter-rater reliability of moderate values across all years and allows for the estimation of variance components. Taken together, these data indicate that the general form and evaluative criteria of the rubric are clear and that the rubric is a useful assessment tool for peer-group (and self-) assessment by students. To our knowledge, these data provide the first statistical documentation of the validity and reliability of the rubric for student peer-group assessment.

How Is Formative Assessment Related to Students' Reading Achievement? Findings from PISA 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hongli

2016-01-01

Drawing on the programme for international student assessment 2009 US data-set, this study examines the relationship between formative assessment and students' reading achievement using a structural equation modelling approach. We find that formative assessment is positively related to students' reading achievement directly and indirectly (through…

The interaction of assessment format and sex in assessing the knowledge structure coherence of middle school students' understanding of the concept of force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schleigh, Sharon

This study focuses on the impact of assessment format on the identification of students' ideas surrounding the concept of force and the consistency with which students apply those ideas across contexts. It is in response to the debate in conceptual change literature regarding students' knowledge structure coherence. Empirical studies in this field typically rely on an interview assessment format. The current study examined the potential of a constructed response assessment format as another possible instrument for data collection involving larger sample populations. The current study specifically compared how the two assessment formats (constructed response and interview assessment) assessed 45 students in the ninth grade in a single school in Arizona. The analysis explored possible biases and interactions by sex, order of assessment, and preference for assessment format because the literature suggests that these factors may potentially affect the performance and coding of assessments. Although small differences between the two assessments were found, the differences were not statistically significant overall or for any subgroup. More specifically, there were no apparent significant biases in the two formats with regard to one another and student sex. However it was found that girls are more likely to express multiple-best match meanings than boys in both assessments. This may be an influence in the diversity found in previous studies concerning students' knowledge structures. These findings suggest that the constructed response format could be administered on a larger scale to assist in the identification of factors contributing to the differences in findings across prior studies in this field. Additionally, these results suggest the potential of this constructed response format for helping teachers conduct formative assessments to guide instructional decisions.

Assessment of Student Learning in Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austen, Caryn Kellerhals; And Others

This document, part of a series of papers which describe the assessment of student learning in various aspects of the South Carolina curriculum from prekindergarten through grade 12, focuses on the assessment of student learning in the social studies classroom. It begins with an overview of current curriculum goals in social studies education and…

Comparison of Dental Students' Self-Directed, Faculty, and Software-Based Assessments of Dental Anatomy Wax-Ups: A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Garrett, Pauline H; Faraone, Karen L; Patzelt, Sebastian B M; Keaser, Michael L

2015-12-01

Little is known about self-directed and self-reflective assessment in preclinical dental curricula. The aim of this study was to evaluate a visual dental anatomy teaching tool to train dental students to self-assess their dental anatomy wax carving practical examinations. The students self-assessed two waxing practical examinations (tooth #8 and tooth #19) using high-quality digital images in an assessment tool incorporated into a digital testing program. Student self-assessments were compared to the faculty evaluations and the results of a software-based evaluation tool (E4D Compare). Out of a total 130 first-year dental students at one U.S. dental school, wax-ups from 57 participants were available for this study. The assessment data were submitted to statistical analyses (p<0.05). For tooth #8, the student self-assessments were significantly different from the faculty and software assessments at a 400 micrometer level of tolerance (p=0.036), whereas the faculty assessment was not significantly different from the software assessment at a 300 micrometer level of tolerance (p=0.69). The evaluation of tooth #19 resulted in no significant differences between faculty members (p=0.94) or students (p=0.21) and the software at a level of tolerance of 400 micrometers. This study indicates that students can learn to self-assess their work using self-reflection in conjunction with faculty guidance and that it may be possible to use software-based evaluation tools to assist in faculty calibration and as objective grading tools.

Entering the Minds of Students: A Study in Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oldham, Daniel H.

2010-01-01

Assessing student knowledge is one of the primary functions of accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act. Finding a means of truly assessing student knowledge has become a major focus of most state departments of education. This study compared two different assessment approaches based on the same set of standards as a means of determining…

A Study of the Relationship between Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) and Student Performance on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkeley-Jones, Catherine Spotswood

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) self-ratings and student Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. The study assessed the relationship between LoTi ratings and TAKS scores of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School…

Student self-assessment and its impact on learning - a pilot study.

PubMed

Dearnley, Christine A; Meddings, Fiona S

2007-05-01

Student self-assessment is widely reported to offer numerous advantages to the learner. It is a popular practice for empowering students and the advantages are claimed to incorporate increased dialogue between students and teachers and the development of skills that encompass critical awareness and reflectivity. It is, potentially, a process that may enable health care practitioners to be lifelong learners, equipped with the skills for autonomy in learning and professional practice. As such it might be viewed as an essential element of the curriculum. This paper reports on a study designed to evaluate the implementation of self-assessment among student health care practitioners. The pilot study examined the impact of self-assessment on learning and how the process was perceived by students and staff. Findings indicated that a varied approach had been taken to its implementation, which had significant repercussions in the way in which it was perceived by students. Similarly, there was a varied approach taken by students to the process of self-assessment and this had significant repercussions for its overall value as a learning tool. The outcomes of this study provide a sound rational for maintaining and expanding the practice of student self-assessment and important lessons for the process of doing so.

How students learn to coordinate knowledge of physical and mathematical models in cellular physiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lira, Matthew

This dissertation explores the Knowledge in Pieces (KiP) theory to account for how students learn to coordinate knowledge of mathematical and physical models in biology education. The KiP approach characterizes student knowledge as a fragmented collection of knowledge elements as opposed to stable and theory-like knowledge. This dissertation sought to use this theoretical lens to account for how students understand and learn with mathematical models and representations, such as equations. Cellular physiology provides a quantified discipline that leverages concepts from mathematics, physics, and chemistry to understand cellular functioning. Therefore, this discipline provides an exemplary context for assessing how biology students think and learn with mathematical models. In particular, the resting membrane potential provides an exemplary concept well defined by models of dynamic equilibrium borrowed from physics and chemistry. In brief, membrane potentials, or voltages, "rest" when the electrical and chemical driving forces for permeable ionic species are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. To assess students' understandings of this concept, this dissertation employed three studies: the first study employed the cognitive clinical interview to assess student thinking in the absence and presence of equations. The second study employed an intervention to assess student learning and the affordances of an innovative assessment. The third student employed a human-computer-interaction paradigm to assess how students learn with a novel multi-representational technology. Study 1 revealed that students saw only one influence--the chemical gradient--and that students coordinated knowledge of only this gradient with the related equations. Study 2 revealed that students benefited from learning with the multi-representational technology and that the assessment detected performance gains across both calculation and explanation tasks. Last, Study 3 revealed how students shift from recognizing one influence to recognizing both the chemical and the electrical gradients as responsible for a cell's membrane potential reaching dynamic equilibrium. Together, the studies illustrate that to coordinate knowledge, students need opportunities to reflect upon relations between representations of mathematical and physical models as well as distinguish between physical quantities such as molarities for ions and transmembrane voltages.

Assessing Learning in a Sociology Department: What Do Students Say That They Learn?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandini, Julia; Shostak, Sara; Cunningham, David; Cadge, Wendy

2016-01-01

Assessment plays a central role in evaluating and strengthening student learning in higher education, and sociology departments, in particular, have increasingly become interested in engaging in assessment activities to better understand students' learning. This qualitative study builds on previous research on assessment by asking what students in…

The Role of Goal Orientations in Students' Perceptions of Classroom Assessment in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaur, Amrita; Noman, Mohammad; Awang-Hashim, Rosna

2018-01-01

Students' perception of assessment methods plays a significant role in determining their effort towards learning and their assessment tasks. Similar to the role of goal orientation in predicting students' classroom learning, this study aims to examine how students' goal orientations influence their perception of classroom assessments. Using a…

There is another choice: an exploration of integrating formative assessment in a Chinese high school chemistry classroom through collaborative action research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Xinying; Buck, Gayle A.

2015-09-01

This study explored integrating formative assessment to a Chinese high school chemistry classroom, where the extremely high-stakes testing and Confucian-heritage culture constituted a particular context, through a collaborative action research. One researcher worked with a high school chemistry teacher in China to integrate formative assessment into his teaching with 54 students in one of his classes. Data resources included transcripts from planning sessions, lesson plans, teacher interviews, classroom observations, student work, student interviews and surveys. The findings of this study revealed that as the teacher allowed his original views about students' learning and assessment tasks to be challenged by the students' learning, his teaching practice and understandings of formative assessment were transformed. Students' learning experience was also examined in the formative assessment process. The potentials and challenges of integrating formative assessment in the Chinese high school science classroom are discussed. This study indicated that formative assessment is promising to implement in Chinese high school science classrooms to enhance students' learning and meet the imperative needs for high-stakes exam preparation as well; and writing formative assessment tasks are favorable in this particular socio-cultural context. Further, this study suggested that facilitating in-service science teachers to integrate formative assessment through collaborative action research is a powerful professional development on improving teaching and learning under the highly constraint context.

The assessment of a structured online formative assessment program: a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Online formative assessment continues to be an important area of research and methods which actively engage the learner and provide useful learning outcomes are of particular interest. This study reports on the outcomes of a two year study of medical students using formative assessment tools. Method The study was conducted over two consecutive years using two different strategies for engaging students. The Year 1 strategy involved voluntary use of the formative assessment tool by 129 students. In Year 2, a second cohort of 130 students was encouraged to complete the formative assessment by incorporating summative assessment elements into it. Outcomes from pre and post testing students around the formative assessment intervention were used as measures of learning. To compare improvement scores between the two years a two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) model was fitted to the data. Results The ANOVA model showed that there was a significant difference in improvement scores between students in the two years (mean improvement percentage 19% vs. 38.5%, p < 0.0001). Students were more likely to complete formative assessment items if they had a summative component. In Year 2, the time spent using the formative assessment tool had no impact on student improvement, nor did the number of assessment items completed. Conclusion The online medium is a valuable learning resource, capable of providing timely formative feedback and stimulating student-centered learning. However the production of quality content is a time-consuming task and careful consideration must be given to the strategies employed to ensure its efficacy. Course designers should consider the potential positive impact summative components to formative assessment may have on student engagement and outcomes. PMID:24400883

Use of an Analytical Grading Rubric for Self-Assessment: A Pilot Study for a Periodontal Oral Competency Examination in Predoctoral Dental Education.

PubMed

Satheesh, Keerthana M; Brockmann, Lorraine B; Liu, Ying; Gadbury-Amyot, Cynthia C

2015-12-01

While educators agree that using self-assessment in education is valuable, a major challenge is the poor agreement often found between faculty assessment and student self-assessment. The aim of this study was to determine if use of a predefined grading rubric would improve reliability between faculty and dental student assessment on a periodontal oral competency examination. Faculty members used the grading rubric to assess students' performance on the exam. Immediately after taking the exam, students used the same rubric to self-assess their performance on it. Data were collected from all third- and/or fourth-year students in four classes at one U.S. dental school from 2011 to 2014. Since two of the four classes took the exam in both the third and fourth years, those data were compared to determine if those students' self-assessment skills improved over time. Statistical analyses were performed to determine agreement between the two faculty graders and between the students' and faculty assessments on each criterion in the rubric and the overall grade. Data from the upper and lower performing quartiles of students were sub-analyzed. The results showed that faculty reliability for the overall grades was high (K=0.829) and less so for individual criteria, while student-faculty reliability was weak to moderate for both overall grades (Spearman's rho=0.312) and individual criteria. Students in the upper quartile self-evaluated themselves more harshly than the faculty (p<0.0001), while the lower quartile students overestimated their performance (p=0.0445) compared to faculty evaluation. No significant improvement was found in assessment over time in the students who took the exam in the third and fourth years. This study found only limited support for the hypothesis that a grading rubric used by both faculty and students would increase correspondence between faculty and student assessment and points to a need to reexamine the rubric and instructional strategies to help students improve their ability to self-assess their work.

Team-based assessment of professional behavior in medical students.

PubMed

Raee, Hojat; Amini, Mitra; Momen Nasab, Ameneh; Malek Pour, Abdolrasoul; Jafari, Mohammad Morad

2014-07-01

Self and peer assessment provides important information about the individual's performance and behavior in all aspects of their professional environment work. The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional behavior and performance in medical students in the form of team based assessment. In a cross-sectional study, 100 medical students in the 7(th) year of education were randomly selected and enrolled; for each student five questionnaires were filled out, including one self-assessment, two peer assessments and two residents assessment. The scoring system of the questionnaires was based on seven point Likert scale.  After filling out the questions in the questionnaire, numerical data and written comments provided to the students were collected, analyzed and discussed. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the questionnaires was assessed. A p<0.05 was considered as significant level. Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.83). Interviews revealed that the majority of students and assessors interviewed found the method acceptable. The range of scores was 1-6 (Mean±SD=4.39±0.57) for the residents' assessment, 2-6 (Mean±SD= 4.49±0.53) for peer assessment, and 3-7 (Mean±SD=5.04±0.32) for self-assessment. There was a significant difference between self assessment and other methods of assessment. This study demonstrates that a team-based assessment is an acceptable and feasible method for peer and self-assessment of medical students' learning in a clinical clerkship, and has some advantages over traditional assessment methods. Further studies are needed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses.

General Dissociation Scale and Hypnotizability with African American College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapp, Marty; Hitchcock, Kim

The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of the General Dissociation Scale with African American college students, and provide additional data on how to assess hypnotizability with these students. Two-hundred and two undergraduate African American college students participated in this study. Students completed the HGSHS:A, a measure…

Motivational Beliefs, Student Effort, and Feedback Behaviour in Computer-Based Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timmers, Caroline F.; Braber-van den Broek, Jannie; van den Berg, Stephanie M.

2013-01-01

Feedback can only be effective when students seek feedback and process it. This study examines the relations between students' motivational beliefs, effort invested in a computer-based formative assessment, and feedback behaviour. Feedback behaviour is represented by whether a student seeks feedback and the time a student spends studying the…

Assessing students' performance in software requirements engineering education using scoring rubrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.; Hussain, Azham

2017-10-01

The study investigates how helpful the use of scoring rubrics is, in the performance assessment of software requirements engineering students and whether its use can lead to students' performance improvement in the development of software requirements artifacts and models. Scoring rubrics were used by two instructors to assess the cognitive performance of a student in the design and development of software requirements artifacts. The study results indicate that the use of scoring rubrics is very helpful in objectively assessing the performance of software requirements or software engineering students. Furthermore, the results revealed that the use of scoring rubrics can also produce a good achievement assessments direction showing whether a student is either improving or not in a repeated or iterative assessment. In a nutshell, its use leads to the performance improvement of students. The results provided some insights for further investigation and will be beneficial to researchers, requirements engineers, system designers, developers and project managers.

Providing Formative Feedback From a Summative Computer-aided Assessment

PubMed Central

Sewell, Robert D. E.

2007-01-01

Objectives To examine the effectiveness of providing formative feedback for summative computer-aided assessment. Design Two groups of first-year undergraduate life science students in pharmacy and neuroscience who were studying an e-learning package in a common pharmacology module were presented with a computer-based summative assessment. A sheet with individualized feedback derived from each of the 5 results sections of the assessment was provided to each student. Students were asked via a questionnaire to evaluate the form and method of feedback. Assessment The students were able to reflect on their performance and use the feedback provided to guide their future study or revision. There was no significant difference between the responses from pharmacy and neuroscience students. Students' responses on the questionnaire indicated a generally positive reaction to this form of feedback. Conclusions Findings suggest that additional formative assessment conveyed by this style and method would be appreciated and valued by students. PMID:17533442

Self-assessment differences between genders in a low-stakes objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

PubMed

Madrazo, Lorenzo; Lee, Claire B; McConnell, Meghan; Khamisa, Karima

2018-06-15

Physicians and medical students are generally poor-self assessors. Research suggests that this inaccuracy in self-assessment differs by gender among medical students whereby females underestimate their performance compared to their male counterparts. However, whether this gender difference in self-assessment is observable in low-stakes scenarios remains unclear. Our study's objective was to determine whether self-assessment differed between male and female medical students when compared to peer-assessment in a low-stakes objective structured clinical examination. Thirty-three (15 males, 18 females) third-year students participated in a 5-station mock objective structured clinical examination. Trained fourth-year student examiners scored their performance on a 6-point Likert-type global rating scale. Examinees also scored themselves using the same scale. To examine gender differences in medical students' self-assessment abilities, mean self-assessment global rating scores were compared with peer-assessment global rating scores using an independent samples t test. Overall, female students' self-assessment scores were significantly lower compared to peer-assessment (p < 0.001), whereas no significant difference was found between self- and peer-assessment scores for male examinees (p = 0.228). This study provides further evidence that underestimation in self-assessment among females is observable even in a low-stakes formative objective structured clinical examination facilitated by fellow medical students.

Utilizing Concrete Manipulatives in Contextually Distinct Situations to Assess Middle School Students' Meanings of Force

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozdemir, Gokhan

2017-01-01

Students' alternative conceptions of force are one of the most studied topics, important for both science assessment and instruction. Previous studies often described students' alternative conceptions of force with a small number of well-known frameworks by utilizing interviews and paper-pencil tests in their assessments. This study aims to…

Assessing Special Needs of Students with Hearing Impairment in Jordan and Its Relation to Some Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Zraigat, Ibrahim A.

2013-01-01

The main purpose of the present study was to assess special needs for students with hearing impairment. The sample of the study consisted of 231 students enrolled at schools for deaf children in Jordan, 113 males and 118 females. A special needs scale was developed and used in assessing special needs for students. The reliability and validity of…

An Empirical Study Comparing Curriculum-Embedded Assessment and Traditional Aptitude Measures for Predicting Job-Related Outcomes for Students with Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swisher, Judith D.; Green, Samuel B.

1998-01-01

This study examined whether a curriculum-embedded assessment, the Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES), could be used with students with disabilities to predict job-related outcomes three to five years later. Results with 103 students assessed in seventh and eighth grades suggest that the PAES offers some promise for evaluating student…

Peer Assessment of Oral Presentations: Effects of Student Gender, University Affiliation and Participation in the Development of Assessment Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langan, Mark A.; Wheater, Philip C.; Shaw, Emma M.; Haines, Ben J.; Cullen, Rod W.; Boyle, Jennefer C.; Penney, David; Oldekop, Johan A.; Ashcroft, Carl; Lockey, Les; Preziosi, Richard F.

2005-01-01

Peer assessment provides a useful mechanism to develop many positive qualities in students studying in higher education (HE). Potential influences on peer-awarded marks include student qualities such as gender, HE background (e.g. university affiliation) and participation in the development of the assessment criteria. Many studies that have…

Predicting Students' Academic Achievement: Contributions of Perceptions of Classroom Assessment Tasks and Motivated Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkharusi, Hussain

2016-01-01

Introduction: Students are daily exposed to a variety of assessment tasks in the classroom. It has long been recognized that students' perceptions of the assessment tasks may influence student academic achievement. The present study aimed at predicting academic achievement in mathematics from perceptions of the assessment tasks after controlling…

Achievement in Large-Scale National Numeracy Assessment: An Ecological Study of Motivation and Student, Home, and School Predictors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Andrew J.; Lazendic, Goran

2018-01-01

With the rise of large-scale academic assessment programs around the world, there is a need to better understand the factors predicting students' achievement in these assessment exercises. This investigation into national numeracy assessment drew on ecological and transactional conceptualizing involving student, student/home, and school factors.…

Medical and pharmacy students' perceptions of the grading and assessment practices.

PubMed

Kasanda, C D; Mitonga, K H; Veii, K; Zimba, R F

2013-01-01

Many students at the University of Namibia have frequently complained about ineffective assessment practices used at the institution. On many occasions, these complaints have not been substantiated with evidence of any kind. The purpose of this study was to obtain some empirical evidence that would ascertain undergraduate students' perceptions of the University of Namibia's grading and assessment practices. Using a structured scaled questionnaire, data were obtained from a representative sample of the University's undergraduate students studying for Medical and Pharmacy degrees. The questionnaire items covered matters related to students' experiences of assessment practices, feedback on assessment tasks, reliability and validity of assessment tools used by lecturers, efficacy of processes of administering examinations, perceptions of irregular and unfair assessment practices, impact of assessment regimes on students' cost of studies, motivation, morale, rate of progression in studies and graduation, the degree of compliance with assessment ethics and on academic quality assurance. According to the data reported in this article, the majority of the respondents perceived that the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Namibia applied assessment practices that yielded reliable and valid results. This was the case because most lecturers in the two schools used appropriate assessment tools and provided their students with prompt and informative feedback on the results of assignments, tests and examinations. In addition, most respondents reported that whereas examination procedures used in the two schools were efficient and effective, lecturers graded examination scripts fairly. These and other results are discussed in the article to communicate the message that the assessment procedures used in the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Namibia would promote effective learning and understanding amongst students as they were of high quality.

Do large-scale assessments measure students' ability to integrate scientific knowledge?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hee-Sun

2010-03-01

Large-scale assessments are used as means to diagnose the current status of student achievement in science and compare students across schools, states, and countries. For efficiency, multiple-choice items and dichotomously-scored open-ended items are pervasively used in large-scale assessments such as Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). This study investigated how well these items measure secondary school students' ability to integrate scientific knowledge. This study collected responses of 8400 students to 116 multiple-choice and 84 open-ended items and applied an Item Response Theory analysis based on the Rasch Partial Credit Model. Results indicate that most multiple-choice items and dichotomously-scored open-ended items can be used to determine whether students have normative ideas about science topics, but cannot measure whether students integrate multiple pieces of relevant science ideas. Only when the scoring rubric is redesigned to capture subtle nuances of student open-ended responses, open-ended items become a valid and reliable tool to assess students' knowledge integration ability.

Using Student-Produced Video to Validate Head-to-Toe Assessment Performance.

PubMed

Purpora, Christina; Prion, Susan

2018-03-01

This study explored third-semester baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of the value of using student-produced video as an approach for learning head-to-toe assessment, an essential clinical nursing skill taught in the classroom. A cognitive apprenticeship model guided the study. The researchers developed a 34-item survey. A convenience sample of 72 students enrolled in an applied assessment and nursing fundamentals course at a university in the western United States provided the data. Most students reported a videotaping process that worked, supportive faculty, valuable faculty review of their work, confidence, a sense of performance independence, the ability to identify normal assessment findings, and few barriers to learning. The results suggested that a student-produced video approach to learning head-to-toe assessment was effective. Further, the study demonstrated how to leverage available instructional technology to provide meaningful, personalized instruction and feedback to students about an essential nursing skill. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):154-158.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Student Workload and Assessment: Strategies to Manage Expectations and Inform Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scully, Glennda; Kerr, Rosemary

2014-01-01

This study reports the results of a survey of student study times and perceptions of workload in undergraduate and graduate accounting courses at a large Australian public university. The study was in response to student feedback expressing concerns about workload in courses. The presage factors of student workload and assessment in Biggs' 3P…

Is DNA Alive? A Study of Conceptual Change Through Targeted Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witzig, Stephen B.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Izci, Kemal; Pires, J. Chris

2013-08-01

We are involved in a project to incorporate innovative assessments within a reform-based large-lecture biochemistry course for nonmajors. We not only assessed misconceptions but purposefully changed instruction throughout the semester to confront student ideas. Our research questions targeted student conceptions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) along with understanding in what ways classroom discussions/activities influence student conceptions. Data sources included pre-/post-assessments, semi-structured interviews, and student work on exams/assessments. We found that students held misconceptions about the chemical nature of DNA, with 63 % of students claiming that DNA is alive prior to instruction. The chemical nature of DNA is an important fundamental concept in science fields. We confronted this misconception throughout the semester collecting data from several instructional interventions. Case studies of individual students revealed how various instructional strategies/assessments allowed students to construct and demonstrate the scientifically accepted understanding of the chemical nature of DNA. However, the post-assessment exposed that 40 % of students still held misconceptions about DNA, indicating the persistent nature of this misconception. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed.

Assessing engineering students' demonstration of workplace competencies in experiential learning environments through internships and cooperative work experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laingen, Mark A.

This study investigates the relationships between supervisor assessments and internship students' self-assessments for 15 workplace competencies, demonstrated in an internship or cooperative work environment. The 15 workplace competencies were developed by Iowa State University in collaboration with over 200 constituents comprised of Iowa State University COE alumni, engineering employers, COE faculty, partnering international faculty, and COE students, to provide clear, independent, and assessable measures for the eleven learning outcomes identified in the ABET Criterion 3 (a-k) outcomes. The study investigated workplace competency assessment data collected over ten years, commencing with the fall 2001 internship assessment term and concluding with the fall 2011 assessment term. The study used three separate methodologies to analyze workplace competency assessments in the COE. Part 1 analyzed data across the fifteen workplace competencies, and across ten programs in the College of Engineering, that have been involved with the workplace competency assessment of internship and cooperative students from the beginning of data collection in 2001. Supervisor assessment ratings were compared to internship student self-assessment ratings across the ten-year span from 2001-11using the non-parametric equivalent of the paired t-test; the Wilcoxon singed rank test for paired data. Part 2 of the study investigated the relationship between supervisor and student self-assessment data across assessment terms related to the 2001-05 and 2006-11 ABET accreditation cycles. The third part investigated how data tracking workplace competency strengths and weaknesses and ABET outcomes achievement percentages have changed between the assessment terms across accreditation cycles. Part 3 included an on-line survey sent to program curriculum committee members involved with workplace competency assessment data that investigated how the engineering programs are utilizing this data in support of continuous improvement of the program curricula. Results of the analysis demonstrate how paired supervisor assessment and student self-assessment ratings for assessment of the internship students' demonstration of workplace competencies can be useful in evaluating student demonstration of competency in COE learning outcomes through the experiential learning environment, and support continuous improvement practices for program curriculum development.

The influence of relational formative discourse on students' positional identities in a middle school science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trauth-Nare, Amy

Formative assessment is the process of eliciting students' understanding during instruction in order to make sensitive instructional decisions and provide feedback to enhance students' learning. Research indicates that when used properly, formative assessment can lead to significant learning gains and enhance students' self-efficacy. Drawing on previous research and a framework of relational pedagogy, I studied the positional identities claimed, assigned and negotiated by a middle school science teacher and her students during formative assessment interactions. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyze classroom interactions, teacher debriefings and student interviews. Findings from this study indicated that the teacher normatively positioned herself as authority during formative assessment interactions, yet students were not completely powerless. Through assertions of content knowledge and re-directions of topical focus, students positioned themselves actively and had the capacity to influence the direction and focus of formative assessment. Outside of classroom instruction, the teacher simultaneously positioned herself as both hindered by institutional structures yet actively subverted those structures in both covert and overt ways in the service of meaningful science learning. As indicated from interviews and SPAQ questionnaire responses, many students in this classroom positioned themselves positively in relation to science, the teacher and her methods of assessment, while some felt marginalized. This research has implications for the ways in which formative assessment is used to support teaching and learning in science classrooms. Findings from this study indicate that formative assessment is not simply an instrumental act carried out by teachers, but rather is a relational process that necessarily involves students. As a result, formative assessment should balance authoritative and dialogic discourse as a means for supporting and engaging students as they develop rich conceptions of science while connecting those conceptions to their own experiences.

Using portfolios to assess learning in chemistry: One school's story of evolving assessment practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, Starlin Dawn

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process of implementing an alternative form of assessment in chemistry classrooms. The current reform of science education involves the implementation of varied forms of instruction; it stands to reason that assessment will evolve with the curriculum (Baxter, Shavelson, Goldman & Pine, 1992). In an era for which the exclusive use of multiple-choice and similar tests i.e., fill-in the-blank, matching, and true/false are inappropriate measures of student abilities (Hamm & Adams, 1991), portfolios can offer a suitable alternative assessment, as well as a means for evaluation (Paulson, Paulson & Meyer, 1991). This study was conducted in a small math, science and technology high school and focused on three individual teachers and twelve of their students. The research focused on how teachers defined portfolios and implemented this assessment tool in their classrooms and how students and teachers perceived the use and value of the process. This study employed qualitative methodology using individual interviews, document analyses, and classroom observations. Data sources included documents, transcripts of interviews and fieldnotes. The primary research questions were: How do the teachers define and implement portfolios? How do the teachers' definitions of portfolios change during implementation? What are the students' understandings of portfolios and how they are used and do the students' understandings change? What do teachers and students believe portfolios represent regarding the learning that occurs in the science classroom? and What do the data collected via this study demonstrate about portfolios as a valid means of assessing student progress? The teachers' and students' definitions addressed four of the six components of portfolios identified in the literature. Both groups recognized a defined use, evidence, student and teacher made decisions, and reflection as key portfolio elements. Each group failed to identify the components of a defined goal and teacher student conferences. Portfolios were viewed by the teachers and students as a valuable tool. This value was defined in terms of student self assessment and evaluation, teacher assessment and evaluation, college admission, goal setting, promotion of student organizational skills and recognition of student success.

The Utility of Curriculum-Based Measurement within a Multitiered Framework: Establishing Cut Scores as Predictors of Student Performance on the Alaska Standards-Based Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Legg, David E.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student performance on Reading Curriculum-based Measures (R-CBM) and student performance on the Alaska's standards based assessment (SBA) administered to students in Studied School District (SSD) Grade 3 through Grade 5 students in the Studied School District as required by…

Cognitive abilities of health and art college students a pilot study.

PubMed

AlAbdulwahab, Sami S; Kachanathu, Shaji John; AlKhamees, Abdullah K

2016-05-01

[Purpose] The selection of a college major is a struggle that high school students undergo every year; however, there is a dearth of studies examining the role of cognitive ability tests as a tool for determining the aptitude of prospective students. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess cognitive ability differences among students. [Subjects and Methods] A convenience sample of 60 college students (30 health science and 30 art students) with a mean age of 19 ± 1.6 years, voluntarily participated in this study. Cognitive ability was assessed using the self-administered Cognitive Assessment of Minnesota (CAM) scale under the supervision of a researcher. [Results] The findings indicated that there was a significant cognitive ability difference between health science and art students, especially in the cognitive components of knowledge, calculation, and thinking. However, the difference in the social cognitive component of both the health science and art students was not significant. [Conclusion] The results indicate that the health science students' cognitive abilities were better than those of the art students. This finding implies that it is important for high school graduates to undertake a cognitive ability assessment prior to choosing a subject major. Hence, it is recommended that cognitive scales should be included as an aptitude assessment tool for the decision-makers and prospective students to determine an appropriate career, since it might reduce the percentage of university drop-out ratio.

Effect of Assessment on Co-Operation among Vietnamese College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thanh, Pham Thi Hong

2011-01-01

This research study investigated the behaviour and interactions of university students as they engaged with ill-structured and well-structured assessment tasks. Twenty students participated in a one-semester intensive design study in a course on "Vietnamese traditional culture". The students worked in five-person groups that were…

Chinese Students' Satisfaction of the Study Abroad Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qinggang; Taplin, Ross; Brown, Alistair M.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Building upon McLeod and Wainwright's paradigm for rigorous scientific assessment of study abroad programs, this paper aims to use social learning theory to assess mainland Chinese students' satisfaction of the Chinese Curtin Student Accounting Academic Programme. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of mainland Chinese students enrolled…

A Case Study of the Impact of PBIS at Smith Elementary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halliburton, Amber

2015-01-01

This dissertation was designed to examine and assess the impact of a Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program on student behaviors, academic environment, and the total school environment. The study examined and assessed the impact of PBIS on student suspensions, student attendance, and student interactions. Additionally, this…

The Financial Literacy of Social Work Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kindle, Peter A.

2013-01-01

The financial literacy of social work students has become the focus of curriculum development and research, but no study to date has attempted to assess the financial knowledge possessed by social work students. This study addressed that gap by assessing the level of objective financial knowledge reported by social work student respondents…

Predicting Students' Writing Performance on the NAEP from Student- and State-Level Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mo, Ya; Troia, Gary A.

2017-01-01

This study examines the relationship between students' demographic background and their experiences with writing at school, the alignment between state and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) direct writing assessments, and students' NAEP writing performance. The study utilizes primary data collection via content analysis of writing…

Does attendance at anatomy practical classes correlate with assessment outcome? A retrospective study of a large cohort of undergraduate anatomy students.

PubMed

Gonsalvez, David G; Ovens, Matthew; Ivanusic, Jason

2015-12-23

Anatomy in medical curricula is typically taught via pedagogy consisting of didactic lectures combined with a practical component. The practical component often includes traditional cadaveric dissection classes and/or workshops utilizing anatomical models, carefully prosected cadaveric material and radiology. The primary aim of this study was to determine if there is an association between attendance at practical classes in anatomy and student assessment outcomes. A secondary aim was to determine if student assessment outcomes were better when students preferentially attended workshops or prosection style practical classes. We retrospectively examined practical attendance records and assessment outcomes from a single large anatomy subject (approx. 450 students) to identify how attendance at anatomy practical classes correlates with assessment outcome. Students who scored above the median mark for each assessment attended significantly more practical classes than students who scored below the median assessment mark (Mann Whitney; p < 0.001), and students who attended more than half the practical classes had significantly higher scores on assessments than students that attended less than half the practical classes (Mann Whitney; P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between attendance at practical classes and outcomes for each assessment (Spearman's correlation; p < 0.01). There was no difference in assessment outcomes for students who preferentially attended more dissection compared to prosection style classes and vice versa (Mann Whitney; p > 0.05). Our findings show there is an association between student attendance at practical classes and performance on anatomy assessment.

Team Objective Structured Bedside Assessment (TOSBA) as formative assessment in undergraduate Obstetrics and Gynaecology: a cohort study.

PubMed

Deane, Richard P; Joyce, Pauline; Murphy, Deirdre J

2015-10-09

Team Objective Structured Bedside Assessment (TOSBA) is a learning approach in which a team of medical students undertake a set of structured clinical tasks with real patients in order to reach a diagnosis and formulate a management plan and receive immediate feedback on their performance from a facilitator. TOSBA was introduced as formative assessment to an 8-week undergraduate teaching programme in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) in 2013/14. Each student completed 5 TOSBA sessions during the rotation. The aim of the study was to evaluate TOSBA as a teaching method to provide formative assessment for medical students during their clinical rotation. The research questions were: Does TOSBA improve clinical, communication and/or reasoning skills? Does TOSBA provide quality feedback? A prospective cohort study was conducted over a full academic year (2013/14). The study used 2 methods to evaluate TOSBA as a teaching method to provide formative assessment: (1) an online survey of TOSBA at the end of the rotation and (2) a comparison of the student performance in TOSBA with their performance in the final summative examination. During the 2013/14 academic year, 157 students completed the O&G programme and the final summative examination . Each student completed the required 5 TOSBA tasks. The response rate to the student survey was 68 % (n = 107/157). Students reported that TOSBA was a beneficial learning experience with a positive impact on clinical, communication and reasoning skills. Students rated the quality of feedback provided by TOSBA as high. Students identified the observation of the performance and feedback of other students within their TOSBA team as key features. High achieving students performed well in both TOSBA and summative assessments. The majority of students who performed poorly in TOSBA subsequently passed the summative assessments (n = 20/21, 95 %). Conversely, the majority of students who failed the summative assessments had satisfactory scores in TOSBA (n = 6/7, 86 %). TOSBA has a positive impact on the clinical, communication and reasoning skills of medical students through the provision of high-quality feedback. The use of structured pre-defined tasks, the observation of the performance and feedback of other students and the use of real patients are key elements of TOSBA. Avoiding student complacency and providing accurate feedback from TOSBA are on-going challenges.

The Longitudinal Assessment Study (LAS): Eighteen Year Follow-Up. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Christopher M.

Premised on the view that students with more years of Montessori education (MEY) would possess to a higher degree those qualities emphasized in the Montessori environment and that Montessori students would be as successful as students more traditionally educated, this report presents the final assessment for the Longitudinal Assessment Study,…

A Model for Making Decisions about Ethical Dilemmas in Student Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Robert L.; Liu, Jin; Burgess, Yin

2017-01-01

In this mixed-methods study we investigated the development of a generalized ethics decision-making model that can be applied in considering ethical dilemmas related to student assessment. For the study, we developed five scenarios that describe ethical dilemmas associated with student assessment. Survey participants (i.e., educators) completed an…

Leveraging Disciplinary Practices to Support Students' Active Participation in Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowie, Bronwen; Moreland, Judy

2015-01-01

Studies of disciplinary work have converged with studies of classrooms to highlight the social and cultural nature of disciplinary knowledge and practices, and of classroom learning and assessment. For students to become discerning and autonomous/authoring learners, classroom assessment needs to ensure students experience what it means to exercise…

Students' Perceptions of E-Assessment at Saudi Electronic University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsadoon, Hamadah

2017-01-01

This study explored students' perceptions of E-assessment at Saudi Electronic University. The university recently implemented this mode of assessment in the learning management system it uses. Therefore it is important to examine the students' perceptions of this mode at the university level. The results were encouraging. Students had positive…

Students' Preferences in Undergraduate Mathematics Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iannone, P.; Simpson, A.

2015-01-01

Existing research into students' preferences for assessment methods has been developed from a restricted sample: in particular, the voice of students in the 'hard-pure sciences' has rarely been heard. We conducted a mixed method study to explore mathematics students' preferences of assessment methods. In contrast to the message from the general…

Hong Kong Tertiary Students' Conceptions of Assessment of Academic Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Zhenlin; Brown, Gavin T. L.

2014-01-01

Students' beliefs, attitudes, experiences and responses towards assessment reflect the ecology of their specific context. The study examines Hong Kong tertiary students' conceptions of assessment using focus group interviews and the content analysis technique. Using six focus groups, 26 Hong Kong university students were interviewed. Hong Kong…

Impact of an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Simulation Laboratory Experience on Pharmacy Student Confidence and Knowledge.

PubMed

Maxwell, Whitney D; Mohorn, Phillip L; Haney, Jason S; Phillips, Cynthia M; Lu, Z Kevin; Clark, Kimberly; Corboy, Alex; Ragucci, Kelly R

2016-10-25

Objective. To assess the impact of an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) simulation on pharmacy student confidence and knowledge. Design. Third-year pharmacy students participated in a simulation experience that consisted of team roles training, high-fidelity ACLS simulations, and debriefing. Students completed a pre/postsimulation confidence and knowledge assessment. Assessment. Overall, student knowledge assessment scores and student confidence scores improved significantly. Student confidence and knowledge changes from baseline were not significantly correlated. Conversely, a significant, weak positive correlation between presimulation studying and both presimulation confidence and presimulation knowledge was discovered. Conclusions. Overall, student confidence and knowledge assessment scores in ACLS significantly improved from baseline; however, student confidence and knowledge were not significantly correlated.

Weaving together peer assessment, audios and medical vignettes in teaching medical terms.

PubMed

Allibaih, Mohammad; Khan, Lateef M

2015-12-06

The current study aims at exploring the possibility of aligning peer assessment, audiovisuals, and medical case-report extracts (vignettes) in medical terminology teaching. In addition, the study wishes to highlight the effectiveness of audio materials and medical history vignettes in preventing medical students' comprehension, listening, writing, and pronunciation errors. The study also aims at reflecting the medical students' attitudes towards the teaching and learning process. The study involved 161 medical students who received an intensive medical terminology course through audio and medical history extracts. Peer assessment and formative assessment platforms were applied through fake quizzes in a pre- and post-test manner. An 18-item survey was distributed amongst students to investigate their attitudes and feedback towards the teaching and learning process. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using the SPSS software. The students did better in the posttests than on the pretests for both the quizzes of audios and medical vignettes showing a t-test of -12.09 and -13.60 respectively. Moreover, out of the 133 students, 120 students (90.22%) responded to the survey questions. The students gave positive attitudes towards the application of audios and vignettes in the teaching and learning of medical terminology and towards the learning process. The current study revealed that the teaching and learning of medical terminology have more room for the application of advanced technologies, effective assessment platforms, and active learning strategies in higher education. It also highlights that students are capable of carrying more responsibilities of assessment, feedback, and e-learning.

The Role of Document Captions in Student Portfolios as a Link between Teacher and Student Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Karen S.; Vavrus, Linda G.

A follow-up study to Stanford University's Teacher Assessment Project (TAP) investigated captioning as a means of making sense of portfolios and explored how the captioning process might provide a way to use student portfolios to link student assessment and teacher assessment. Each of four teachers (three third grade and one fourth grade) from the…

Exploring Formative Assessment as a Tool for Learning: Students' Experiences of Different Methods of Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weurlander, Maria; Soderberg, Magnus; Scheja, Max; Hult, Hakan; Wernerson, Annika

2012-01-01

This study aims to provide a greater insight into how formative assessments are experienced and understood by students. Two different formative assessment methods, an individual, written assessment and an oral group assessment, were components of a pathology course within a medical curriculum. In a cohort of 70 students, written accounts were…

Development and validation of a professionalism assessment scale for medical students

PubMed Central

Klemenc-Ketis, Zalika; Vrecko, Helena

2014-01-01

Objectives To develop and validate a scale for the assess-ment of professionalism in medical students based on students' perceptions of and attitudes towards professional-ism in medicine. Methods This was a mixed methods study with under-graduate medical students. Two focus groups were carried out with 12 students, followed by a transcript analysis (grounded theory method with open coding). Then, a 3-round Delphi with 20 family medicine experts was carried out. A psychometric assessment of the scale was performed with a group of 449 students. The items of the Professional-ism Assessment Scale could be answered on a five-point Likert scale. Results After the focus groups, the first version of the PAS consisted of 56 items and after the Delphi study, 30 items remained. The final sample for quantitative study consisted of 122 students (27.2% response rate). There were 95 (77.9%) female students in the sample. The mean age of the sample was 22.1 ± 2.1 years. After the principal component analysis, we removed 8 items and produced the final version of the PAS (22 items). The Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.88. Factor analysis revealed three factors: empathy and humanism, professional relationships and development and responsibility. Conclusions The new Professionalism Assessment Scale proved to be valid and reliable. It can be used for the assessment of professionalism in undergraduate medical students. PMID:25382090

Study of the Factors Affecting the Mathematics Achievement of Turkish Students According to Data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güzeller, Cem Oktay; Eser, Mehmet Taha; Aksu, Gökhan

2016-01-01

This study attempts to determine the factors affecting the mathematics achievement of students in Turkey based on data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2012 and the correct classification ratio of the established model. The study used mathematics achievement as a dependent variable while sex, having a study room, preparation…

Assessing medical students' performance in core competencies using multiple admission programs for colleges and universities: from the perspective of multi-source feedback.

PubMed

Fang, Ji-Tseng; Ko, Yu-Shien; Chien, Chu-Chun; Yu, Kuang-Hui

2013-01-01

Since 1994, Taiwanese medical universities have employed the multiple application method comprising "recommendations and screening" and "admission application." The purpose of this study is to examine whether medical students admitted using different admission programs gave different performances. To evaluate the six core competencies for medical students proposed by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), this study employed various assessment tools, including student opinion feedback, multi-source feedback (MSF), course grades, and examination results.MSF contains self-assessment scale, peer assessment scale, nursing staff assessment scale, visiting staff assessment scale, and chief resident assessment scale. In the subscales, the CronbachÊs alpha were higher than 0.90, indicating good reliability. Research participants consisted of 182 students from the School of Medicine at Chang Gung University. Regarding studentsÊ average grade for the medical ethics course, the performance of students who were enrolled through school recommendations exceeded that of students who were enrolled through the National College University Entrance Examination (NCUEE) p = 0.011), and all considered "teamwork" as the most important. Different entry pipelines of students in the "communication," "work attitude," "medical knowledge," and "teamwork" assessment scales showed no significant difference. The improvement rate of the students who were enrolled through the school recommendations was better than that of the students who were enrolled through the N CUEE in the "professional skills," "medical core competencies," "communication," and "teamwork" projects of self-assessment and peer assessment scales. However, the students who were enrolled through the NCUEE were better in the "professional skills," "medical core competencies," "communication," and "teamwork" projects of the visiting staff assessment scale and the chief resident assessment scale. Collectively, the performance of the students enrolled through recommendations was slightly better than that of the students enrolled through the NCUEE, although statistical significance was found in certain parts of the grades only.

Factors Influencing the Acquisition of Employability Skills by Students of Selected Technical Secondary School in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dania, Jovinia; Bakar, Ab Rahim; Mohamed, Shamsiah

2014-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to assess the acquisition of employability skills by vocational students in Malaysia. A total of 214 students participated in the study. We used the SCANS instrument to assess vocational students' employability skills. The overall mean of vocational secondary students' employability skills was 3.81 (SD = 0.34).…

The Lived Faculty Experience with Formalized Assessment Initiatives: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leary, Thomas D., IV.

2017-01-01

Institutions of higher education both value and need student assessment data. Faculty, as seen in numerous studies, however, have generally negatively received the formalization and reporting of student assessments to gather this assessment data. If we could better understand faculty experiences and perceptions of student assessment data within…

Using Automated Assessment Feedback to Enhance the Quality of Student Learning in Universities: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biggam, John

There are many different ways of providing university students with feedback on their assessment performance, ranging from written checklists and handwritten commentaries to individual verbal feedback. Regardless of whether the feedback is summative or formative in nature, it is widely recognized that providing consistent, meaningful written feedback to students on assessment performance is not a simple task, particularly where a module is delivered by a team of staff. Typical student complaints about such feedback include: inconsistency of comment between lecturers; illegible handwriting; difficulty in relating feedback to assessment criteria; and vague remarks. For staff themselves, there is the problem that written comments, to be of any benefit to students, are immensely time-consuming. This paper illustrates, through a case study, the enormous benefits of Automated Assessment Feedback for staff and students. A clear strategy on how to develop an automated assessment feedback system, using the simplest of technologies, is provided.

[Tobacco smoking and self-assessment of health status among students from High School of Country Economy in Kutno--preliminary study].

PubMed

Adamek, Renata; Kurzepa-Hasan, Edyta; Pietrzak, Anna; Zysnarska, Monika; Jagielska, Joanna

2008-01-01

Tobacco smoking is still actual and common problem, which affects both students' high schools and their professors. In this study results are presented among students from one private schools in Poland, when students are educated in the following directions: geodesy, Europe science, pedagogy, computer science and nursing. The aim of the study was to assess prevalence of tobacco smoking among students and the awareness of health consequences. It is also decided to check which variables determinate self-assessment of health status of students and what motives of tobacco smoking are. Tobacco smoking was declared by 39% of students, 81.9% of them smoked regular and 18.1% - occasional. The biggest group of tobacco smoking students was noticed in geodesy - 35.4% students and nursing - 29%. Nearly 44% had opinion that tobacco smoking become addicted (22.9% students from nursing, 31.4% from geodesy, 8.6% from Europe science and 143% from pedagogy). Almost 36% students, in their opinion, become addicted to nicotine, over 32% students smoked because of relaxing effects of smoking, 129% smoked for company, The biggest group of surveyed group assess their health status as a good (56.3%) and very good (42%), one person as a very bad - 125%. There are statistical significant dependence between health status and gender, age, study, year of study and place of residence.

Formative Assessment in EFL Writing: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Icy

2011-01-01

In second-language writing, assessment has traditionally focused on the written products and how well (or badly) students perform in writing. Teachers dominate the assessment process as testers, while students remain passive testees. Assessment is something teachers "do to" rather than '"with" students, mainly for…

Nursing students' perceptions of using the Clinical Education Assessment tool AssCE and their overall perceptions of the clinical learning environment - A cross-sectional correlational study.

PubMed

Engström, Maria; Löfmark, Anna; Vae, Karen Johanne Ugland; Mårtensson, Gunilla

2017-04-01

Clinical education is a vital part of nursing students' learning; the importance of assessment tools and feedback in stimulating student learning has been stressed, but this needs to be studied in more detail. To examine relationships between nursing students' perceptions of using an Assessment tool in Clinical Education (AssCE) during their mid-course discussion and final assessment, the content discussed during these meetings between the student, preceptor and nurse teacher and the students' overall perception of the clinical learning environment. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. A convenience sample of 110 nursing students from one Norwegian university college with two campuses. Data were collected with self-developed questionnaires and analysed using logistic regression with SPSS and the PROCESS macro for mediation analysis. There was a positive relationship between nursing students' perceptions of using the assessment tool AssCE and their overall perception of the clinical learning environment. This relationship was, in turn, mediated by the content discussed during the formative mid-course discussion and summative final assessment. Our conclusion is that the assessment tool AssCE supported students' clinical learning and that this relationship, in turn, was mediated by the degree to which the conversation during the assessment meeting focused on the student's knowledge, skills and professional judgement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Military Medical Leadership in Uniformed Medical Students: Creating a New Assessment Instrument Using the Delphi Method

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-17

healthcare management and have not focused on assessing leadership among student physicians. A systematic review of 80 Delphi method studies by...medical students ( Research Question 1), to create a leadership assessment instrument based on those important components ( Research Question 2), and... research question 2 (RQ2) saw the creation of a three page assessment instrument to assess medical leadership in student physicians. Based on critical

Everyday classroom assessment practices in science classrooms in Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez, María del Carmen; Jakobsson, Anders

2014-12-01

The focus of this study is to examine to what extent and in what ways science teachers practice assessment during classroom interactions in everyday activities in an upper-secondary school in Sweden. We are science teachers working now with a larger research project on assessment in science education that seeks to examine teachers' assessment practices in the upper-secondary school. Framing questions include: are teachers performing an integrated assessment of students' skills as the national curriculum mandates? If so, what do the instructional discourses look like in those situations and what are students' experiences regarding their agency on learning and assessment? We emphasize the social, cultural and historic character of assessment and sustain a situated character of learning instead of the notion that learning is "stored inside the head". Teacher led lessons in three science classrooms were video-recorded and analyzed by combining ethnographic and discourse methods of analysis. Both methods are appropriate to the theoretical foundation of our approach on learning and can give some answers to questions about how individuals interact socially, how their experience is passed on to next generations through language and how language use may reveal cultural changes in the studied context. Making the study of action in a classroom the focal point of sociocultural analysis supports the examination of assessment processes and identification of the social roles in which teachers and students are immersed. Such an approach requires observations of how teachers act in authentic teaching situations when they interact with their students in classroom making possible to observe negotiation processes, agencies when both teachers and students are involved in every-day activities. Our study showed that teachers mostly ignored students' questions and that students solved their own problems by helping each other. Teachers did not provide opportunities for students to discuss or argue scientific issues as the national science curriculum stipulates. We found that traditional assessment methods, such as tests, examinations and assignments were the most common methods used to assess and grade students' learning. Different aspects of knowledge stipulated in the national Swedish curriculum, such as lifelong learning, stimulation to students' creativity, curiosity as well as their wish to explore and convert new ideas into action, and find solutions to problems, were restricted by teachers' discourses. The observed teachers' learning and assessment practices constrain students' agency leading to students' silence consequently hindering students' development.

Initiating Self-Assessment Strategies in Novice Physiotherapy Students: A Method Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Catherine

2013-01-01

Student self- and peer-assessment strategies ideally are instigated early in programmes for health professionals. This study presents an innovative method of stimulating critical evaluation of clinical skills learned in the practical class setting for first year physiotherapy students. Twice in the semester (beginning and end) students assessed…

Benefits and Drawbacks of Computer-Based Assessment and Feedback Systems: Student and Educator Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debuse, Justin C. W.; Lawley, Meredith

2016-01-01

Providing students with high quality feedback is important and can be achieved using computer-based systems. While student and educator perspectives of such systems have been investigated, a comprehensive multidisciplinary study has not yet been undertaken. This study examines student and educator perspectives of a computer-based assessment and…

Using Visualisation Software to Improve Student Approaches to HE Online Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, David; Qayyum, M. Aslm; Hard, Natascha

2017-01-01

Studying via the Internet using information tools is a common activity for students in higher education. With students accessing their subject material via the Internet, studies have shown that students have difficulty understanding the complete purpose of an assessment which leads to poor information search practices. The selection of relevant…

Iranian University Students' Experiences of and Attitudes Towards Alternatives in Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadeghi, Karim; Abolfazli Khonbi, Zainab

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of assessment type (self vs. peer vs. teacher) on university students' academic achievement and students' attitudes toward them. In the main study, 82 undergraduate English-as-a-Foreign-Language students in four classes at three universities in Iran were randomly assigned into one of self-, peer- and…

Biometric and Intelligent Self-Assessment of Student Progress System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaklauskas, A.; Zavadskas, E. K.; Pruskus, V.; Vlasenko, A.; Seniut, M.; Kaklauskas, G.; Matuliauskaite, A.; Gribniak, V.

2010-01-01

All distance learning participants (students, professors, instructors, mentors, tutors and the rest) would like to know how well the students have assimilated the study materials being taught. The analysis and assessment of the knowledge students have acquired over a semester are an integral part of the independent studies process at the most…

A Longitudinal, Quantitative Study of Student Attitudes towards Audio Feedback for Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkes, Mitchell; Fletcher, Peter

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of a three-year longitudinal study investigating the experiences of postgraduate level students who were provided with audio feedback for their assessment. Results indicated that students positively received audio feedback. Overall, students indicated a preference for audio feedback over written feedback. No…

The Degree of Employment of Faculty Members for Assessment Standards Defined by the American Educational Organizations in Assessing Student Learning at the University of Najran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabil, Raafat; Abduh, Yahya Bani

2017-01-01

This study investigates the faculty members' employment of assessment standards defined by the American educational organizations (NCME, AFT and NEA) to assessing student learning at the University of Najran from the students' point of view. To achieve the objective of the study, the questionnaire which consisted of 38 items distributed to seven…

The Impact of Web-Based Assessment and Practice on Students' Mathematics Learning Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Diem M.; Hsieh, Yi-Chuan; Allen, G. Donald

2006-01-01

This study investigates the effects of web-based assessment and practice on improving middle school students' mathematics learning attitudes. With the use of an experimental design and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, the study compared and contrasted the attitude achievement of students, who used the web-based assessment and…

Add+VantageMR® Assessments: A Case Study of Teacher and Student Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briand, Cathy

2013-01-01

This case study analyzes the effect of the Add+VantageMRRTM (AVMR) program on a teacher's pedagogy and on her students' progress in mathematics. AVMR, a professional development program in early mathematics, trains teachers to assess their students' progress and apply those insights to their teaching pedagogy. The AVMR assessment uses a…

Designing a Culturally Appropriate Format of Formative Peer Assessment for Asian Students: The Case of Vietnamese Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thanh, Pham Thi Hong; Gillies, Robyn

2010-01-01

Peer assessment has recently been widely recommended in Vietnamese classrooms. However, there are argumentative opinions about this assessment because it has many conflicts with the learning culture of Vietnamese students. To date, there has not been any study addressing this issue. The present study investigated how Vietnamese students…

Design of Tasks for Online Assessment That Supports Understanding of Students' Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yerushalmy, Michal; Nagari-Haddif, Galit; Olsher, Shai

2017-01-01

In the present study, we ask whether and how online assessment can inform teaching about students' understanding of advanced concepts. Our main goal is to illustrate how we study design of tasks that support reliable online formative assessment by automatically analyzing the objects and relations that characterize the students' submissions. We aim…

Integrating Assessment Matrices in Feedback Loops to Promote Research Skill Development in Postgraduate Research Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venning, Jackie; Buisman-Pijlman, Femke

2013-01-01

Assessment tasks can focus student efforts in what they choose to study. This paper describes the development and initial application of an assessment matrix to support student learning in postgraduate research studies at the University of Adelaide. Students and supervisors in the multi-disciplinary Master programmes also benefit from the clear…

The impact of programmatic assessment on student learning: theory versus practice.

PubMed

Heeneman, Sylvia; Oudkerk Pool, Andrea; Schuwirth, Lambert W T; van der Vleuten, Cees P M; Driessen, Erik W

2015-05-01

It is widely acknowledged that assessment can affect student learning. In recent years, attention has been called to 'programmatic assessment', which is intended to optimise both learning functions and decision functions at the programme level of assessment, rather than according to individual methods of assessment. Although the concept is attractive, little research into its intended effects on students and their learning has been conducted. This study investigated the elements of programmatic assessment that students perceived as supporting or inhibiting learning, and the factors that influenced the active construction of their learning. The study was conducted in a graduate-entry medical school that implemented programmatic assessment. Thus, all assessment information, feedback and reflective activities were combined into a comprehensive, holistic programme of assessment. We used a qualitative approach and interviewed students (n = 17) in the pre-clinical phase of the programme about their perceptions of programmatic assessment and learning approaches. Data were scrutinised using theory-based thematic analysis. Elements from the comprehensive programme of assessment, such as feedback, portfolios, assessments and assignments, were found to have both supporting and inhibiting effects on learning. These supporting and inhibiting elements influenced students' construction of learning. Findings showed that: (i) students perceived formative assessment as summative; (ii) programmatic assessment was an important trigger for learning, and (iii) the portfolio's reflective activities were appreciated for their generation of knowledge, the lessons drawn from feedback, and the opportunities for follow-up. Some students, however, were less appreciative of reflective activities. For these students, the elements perceived as inhibiting seemed to dominate the learning response. The active participation of learners in their own learning is possible when learning is supported by programmatic assessment. Certain features of the comprehensive programme of assessment were found to influence student learning, and this influence can either support or inhibit students' learning responses. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Peer Assessment of Clinical Skills and Professional Behaviors among Undergraduate Athletic Training Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelmann, Jeanine E.

2016-01-01

Context: Peer assessment is widely used in medical education as a formative evaluation and preparatory tool for students. Athletic training students learn similar knowledge, skills, and affective traits as medical students. Peer assessment has been widely studied with beneficial results in medical education, yet athletic training education has…

An Empirical Model of Culture of Assessment in Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuller, Matther B.; Lane, Forrest C.

2017-01-01

Student affairs, like all arms of academe, has taken up the mantle of assessing college student learning and development in their unique programs and experiences. Yet, cultures of assessment in student affairs organizations are rarely examined empirically. This study provides results from an exploratory factor analysis of data gathered using the…

Assessing the Relationship between Campus Programs, Student Self-Efficacy, Stress, and Substance Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiRamio, David; Payne, Ruthanna

2007-01-01

Student life educators continue searching for ways to assess campus programs. This is an exploratory study for an alternative assessment approach based on a hypothesized relationship between participation in campus activities, student self-efficacy, and student dispositions toward aspects of mental health and substance abuse. Focusing on the…

No More Excuses: New Research on Assessing Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sireci, Stephen G.

2009-01-01

The articles in this special issue of the "Journal of Applied Testing Technology" represent significant steps forward in the area of evaluating the validity of methods for assessing the educational achievement of students with disabilities. The studies address some of the most difficult student groups to assess--students with learning…

Self-, Peer-, and Teacher-Assessment: An Investigation into Iranian EFL Students' Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abolfazli Khonbi, Zainab; Sadeghi, Karim

2013-01-01

Student-directed teaching and assessment techniques are gradually dominating educational systems almost all over the world. This study investigated a cohort of male and female Iranian EFL students' attitudes toward self-, peer-, and teacher-assessment experiences. Sixty three students at Urmia University and Tabriz Islamic Azad University, in the…

A systematic review of clinical assessment for undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Wu, Xi Vivien; Enskär, Karin; Lee, Cindy Ching Siang; Wang, Wenru

2015-02-01

Consolidated clinical practicum prepares pre-registration nursing students to function as beginning practitioners. The clinical competencies of final-year nursing students provide a key indication of professional standards of practice and patient safety. Thus, clinical assessment of nursing students is a crucial issue for educators and administrators. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the clinical competency assessment for undergraduate nursing students. PubMed, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and EBSCO were systematically searched from January 2000 to December 2013. The systematic review was in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Published quantitative and qualitative studies that examined clinical assessment practices and tools used in clinical nursing education were retrieved. Quality assessment, data extraction, and analysis were completed on all included studies. This review screened 2073 titles, abstracts and full-text records, resulting in 33 included studies. Two reviewers assessed the quality of the included studies. Fourteen quantitative and qualitative studies were identified for this evaluation. The evidence was ordered into emergent themes; the overarching themes were current practices in clinical assessment, issues of learning and assessment, development of assessment tools, and reliability and validity of assessment tools. There is a need to develop a holistic clinical assessment tool with reasonable level of validity and reliability. Clinical assessment is a robust activity and requires collaboration between clinical partners and academia to enhance the clinical experiences of students, the professional development of preceptors, and the clinical credibility of academics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incorporating Formative Assessment in Iranian EFL Writing: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naghdipour, Bakhtiar

2017-01-01

Undergraduate students' experience of assessment in universities is usually of summative assessment which provides only limited information to help students improve their performance. By contrast, formative assessment is informative and forward-looking, possessing the leverage to inform students of their day-to-day progress and inform teachers of…

Attitude Changes of Undergraduate University Students in General Education Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Mark W.; Teisl, Mario F.; Criner, George K.; Tisher, Sharon; Smith, Stewart; Hunter, Malcolm L.; Norton, Stephen A.; Jellison, Jody; Alyokhin, Andrei; Gallandt, Eric; Haggard, Sandra; Bicknell, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

Assessing learning outcomes in general education is increasingly important to accrediting bodies. A fertile area of assessment is measuring changes in student attitudes/values in response to general education. University of Maine faculty experimented with such an attitude assessment. In this study, the authors assessed changes in students'…

Policymakers' Views of Student Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonnell, Lorraine M.

The gap between policymaker enthusiasm for the uses of student assessment and expert caution is analyzed by examining new forms of student assessment as an education policy strategy. The study is based on interviews with 34 national and state policymakers and focuses on their differing expectations of what assessment policy can accomplish and how…

Assessment Policy and Practices: Test Accommodations for Students without Disabilities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Pei-Ying

2013-01-01

This study investigated accommodations for students without disabilities in order to fill critical gaps in both knowledge and practices in fields of special education and educational assessments. In Ontario, students at different grade levels were assessed by the provincial assessments developed by the Education Quality and Accountability Office…

"No Fun Games": Engagement Effects of Two Gameful Assessment Prototypes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerreiro, Meg; Nordengren, Chase

2018-01-01

Assessments with features of games propose to address student motivation deficits common in traditional assessments. This study examines the impact of two "gameful assessment" prototypes on student engagement and teacher perceptions among 391 Grades 3-7 students and 14 teachers in one Midwestern and one Northwestern school. Using mixed…

The Effects of Performance-Based Assessment Criteria on Student Performance and Self-Assessment Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fastre, Greet Mia Jos; van der Klink, Marcel R.; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J. G.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based…

A Multi-Faceted Formative Assessment Approach: Better Recognising the Learning Needs of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, James O.

2010-01-01

Students are increasingly subject to a series of learning pressures that prevent effective engagement in assessment. Thus, the aim of this study was to create a multi-faceted formative assessment approach that better enabled students to engage in the assessment process. A formative assessment approach, consisting of six key initiatives, is…

A Case Study of Students' Perceptions of Peer Assessment in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mok, Jane

2011-01-01

Since 2001, the Education Bureau (EDB) in Hong Kong has been promoting a shift from traditional assessment of learning to assessment for learning, where classroom-based assessment is linked to teaching and learning, with students taking an active role in the assessment process. In particular, secondary school students are encouraged to assess…

Assessing Students' Performance by Measured Patterns of Perceived Strengths: Does Preference Make a Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urda, Julie; Ramocki, Stephen P.

2015-01-01

This paper is an empirical field study of whether college students' preferences for assessment type correspond to their performance in assessment that tests that particular strength. For example, if students say they prefer assessment that tests their creativity, do they actually perform better on assessment tasks requiring the use of…

Enabling performance skills: Assessment in engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrone, Jenny Kristina

Current reform in engineering education is part of a national trend emphasizing student learning as well as accountability in instruction. Assessing student performance to demonstrate accountability has become a necessity in academia. In newly adopted criterion proposed by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), undergraduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in outcomes considered essential for graduating engineers. The case study was designed as a formative evaluation of freshman engineering students to assess the perceived effectiveness of performance skills in a design laboratory environment. The mixed methodology used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess students' performance skills and congruency among the respondents, based on individual, team, and faculty perceptions of team effectiveness in three ABET areas: Communications Skills. Design Skills, and Teamwork. The findings of the research were used to address future use of the assessment tool and process. The results of the study found statistically significant differences in perceptions of Teamwork Skills (p < .05). When groups composed of students and professors were compared, professors were less likely to perceive student's teaming skills as effective. The study indicated the need to: (1) improve non-technical performance skills, such as teamwork, among freshman engineering students; (2) incorporate feedback into the learning process; (3) strengthen the assessment process with a follow-up plan that specifically targets performance skill deficiencies, and (4) integrate the assessment instrument and practice with ongoing curriculum development. The findings generated by this study provides engineering departments engaged in assessment activity, opportunity to reflect, refine, and develop their programs as it continues. It also extends research on ABET competencies of engineering students in an under-investigated topic of factors correlated with team processes, behavior, and student learning.

Assessment of Social Media Utilization and Study Habit of Students of Tertiary Institutions in Katsina State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olutola, Adekunle Thomas; Olatoye, Olufunke Omotoke; Olatoye, Rafiu Ademola

2016-01-01

This study investigated assessment of social media utilization and study habits of students of tertiary institutions in Katsina State. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study. Three hundred and eighty-one (381) students' of tertiary institutions in Katsina State were randomly selected for the study. Researchers'-designed…

Adopting a blended learning approach to teaching evidence based medicine: a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is a core unit delivered across many medical schools. Few studies have investigated the most effective method of teaching a course in EBM to medical students. The objective of this study was to identify whether a blended-learning approach to teaching EBM is more effective a didactic-based approach at increasing medical student competency in EBM. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted consisting of a controlled trial and focus groups with second year graduate medical students. Students received the EBM course delivered using either a didactic approach (DID) to learning EBM or a blended-learning approach (BL). Student competency in EBM was assessed using the Berlin tool and a criterion-based assessment task, with student perceptions on the interventions assessed qualitatively. Results A total of 61 students (85.9%) participated in the study. Competency in EBM did not differ between the groups when assessed using the Berlin tool (p = 0.29). Students using the BL approach performed significantly better in one of the criterion-based assessment tasks (p = 0.01) and reported significantly higher self-perceived competence in critical appraisal skills. Qualitative analysis identified that students had a preference for the EBM course to be delivered using the BL approach. Conclusions Implementing a blended-learning approach to EBM teaching promotes greater student appreciation of EBM principles within the clinical setting. Integrating a variety of teaching modalities and approaches can increase student self-confidence and assist in bridging the gap between the theory and practice of EBM. PMID:24341502

Students' Perceptions about Evaluation and Assessment in Higher Education: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Struyven, Katrien; Dochy, Filip; Janssens, Steven

2005-01-01

In educational contexts, understanding the student's learning must take account of the student's construction of reality. Reality as experienced by the student has an important additional value. This assumption also applies to a student's perception of evaluation and assessment. Students' study behaviour is not only determined by the examination…

Student Life Balance: Myth or Reality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doble, Niharika; Supriya, M. V.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Student life stress, student family conflict and student life balance are issues that are scarcely researched. This paper aims to develop a scale for assessing the concept of student life balance. Design/methodology/approach: The study evaluated a 54-item scale for assessing the construct. The data are obtained from 612 Indian students.…

Assessment of Understanding: Student Teachers' Preparation, Implementation and Reflection of a Lesson Plan for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhler, Martin Vogt

2018-06-01

Research finds that student teachers often fail to make observable instructional goals, without which a secure bridge between instruction and assessment is precluded. This is one reason that recent reports state that teacher education needs to become better at helping student teachers to develop their thinking about and skills in assessing pupils' learning. Currently in Europe, the Lesson Study method and the Content Representation tool, which both have a specific focus on assessment, have started to address this problem. This article describes and discusses an intervention in which Lesson Study was used in combination with Content Representation in student teachers' field practice. Empirical materials from one group of student teachers were analyzed to illustrate how the student teachers worked with assessment during the planning of a lesson, how they implemented it in a research lesson, and how they used the gathered observations to make claims about assessment aims. The findings suggest that the student teachers placed greater emphasis on assessment through the intervention. However, it is also found that more attention should have been dedicated to the planning phase and that the group did not manage to keep a research focus throughout the Lesson Study process. This suggests that it properly would be beneficial with several planning sessions prior to the research lesson, as well as having an expert teacher leading the Lesson Study.

Assessment of Understanding: Student Teachers' Preparation, Implementation and Reflection of a Lesson Plan for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhler, Martin Vogt

2017-05-01

Research finds that student teachers often fail to make observable instructional goals, without which a secure bridge between instruction and assessment is precluded. This is one reason that recent reports state that teacher education needs to become better at helping student teachers to develop their thinking about and skills in assessing pupils' learning. Currently in Europe, the Lesson Study method and the Content Representation tool, which both have a specific focus on assessment, have started to address this problem. This article describes and discusses an intervention in which Lesson Study was used in combination with Content Representation in student teachers' field practice. Empirical materials from one group of student teachers were analyzed to illustrate how the student teachers worked with assessment during the planning of a lesson, how they implemented it in a research lesson, and how they used the gathered observations to make claims about assessment aims. The findings suggest that the student teachers placed greater emphasis on assessment through the intervention. However, it is also found that more attention should have been dedicated to the planning phase and that the group did not manage to keep a research focus throughout the Lesson Study process. This suggests that it properly would be beneficial with several planning sessions prior to the research lesson, as well as having an expert teacher leading the Lesson Study.

Development and validation of a Clinical Assessment Tool for Nursing Education (CAT-NE).

PubMed

Skúladóttir, Hafdís; Svavarsdóttir, Margrét Hrönn

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to develop a valid assessment tool to guide clinical education and evaluate students' performance in clinical nursing education. The development of the Clinical Assessment Tool for Nursing Education (CAT-NE) was based on the theory of nursing as professional caring and the Bologna learning outcomes. Benson and Clark's four steps of instrument development and validation guided the development and assessment of the tool. A mixed-methods approach with individual structured cognitive interviewing and quantitative assessments was used to validate the tool. Supervisory teachers, a pedagogical consultant, clinical expert teachers, clinical teachers, and nursing students at the University of Akureyri in Iceland participated in the process. This assessment tool is valid to assess the clinical performance of nursing students; it consists of rubrics that list the criteria for the students' expected performance. According to the students and their clinical teachers, the assessment tool clarified learning objectives, enhanced the focus of the assessment process, and made evaluation more objective. Training clinical teachers on how to assess students' performances in clinical studies and use the tool enhanced the quality of clinical assessment in nursing education. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Think Pair Share with Formative Assessment for Junior High School Student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradana, O. R. Y.; Sujadi, I.; Pramudya, I.

2017-09-01

Geometry is a science related to abstract thinking ability so that not many students are able to understand this material well. In this case, the learning model plays a crucial role in improving student achievement. This means that a less precise learning model will cause difficulties for students. Therefore, this study provides a quantitative explanation of the Think Pair Share learning model combined with the formative assessment. This study aims to test the Think Pair Share with the formative assessment on junior high school students. This research uses a quantitative approach of Pretest-Posttest in control group and experiment group. ANOVA test and Scheffe test used to analyse the effectiveness this learning. Findings in this study are student achievement on the material geometry with Think Pair Share using formative assessment has increased significantly. This happens probably because this learning makes students become more active during learning. Hope in the future, Think Pair Share with formative assessment be a useful learning for teachers and this learning applied by the teacher around the world especially on the material geometry.

Embedding assessment in a simulation skills training program for medical and midwifery students: A pre- and post-intervention evaluation.

PubMed

Kumar, Arunaz; Nestel, Debra; East, Christine; Hay, Margaret; Lichtwark, Irene; McLelland, Gayle; Bentley, Deidre; Hall, Helen; Fernando, Shavi; Hobson, Sebastian; Larmour, Luke; Dekoninck, Philip; Wallace, Euan M

2018-02-01

Simulation-based programs are increasingly being used to teach obstetrics and gynaecology examinations, but it is difficult to establish student learning acquired through them. Assessment may test student learning but its role in learning itself is rarely recognised. We undertook this study to assess medical and midwifery student learning through a simulation program using a pre-test and post-test design and also to evaluate use of assessment as a method of learning. The interprofessional simulation education program consisted of a brief pre-reading document, a lecture, a video demonstration and a hands-on workshop. Over a 24-month period, 405 medical and 104 midwifery students participated in the study and were assessed before and after the program. Numerical data were analysed using paired t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Students' perceptions of the role of assessment in learning were qualitatively analysed. The post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test (P < 0.001) with improvements in scores in both medical and midwifery groups. Students described the benefit of assessment on learning in preparation of the assessment, reinforcement of learning occurring during assessment and reflection on performance cementing previous learning as a post-assessment effect. Both medical and midwifery students demonstrated a significant improvement in their test scores and for most students the examination process itself was a positive learning experience. © 2017 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Weaving together peer assessment, audios and medical vignettes in teaching medical terms

PubMed Central

Khan, Lateef M.

2015-01-01

Objectives The current study aims at exploring the possibility of aligning peer assessment, audiovisuals, and medical case-report extracts (vignettes) in medical terminology teaching. In addition, the study wishes to highlight the effectiveness of audio materials and medical history vignettes in preventing medical students' comprehension, listening, writing, and pronunciation errors. The study also aims at reflecting the medical students' attitudes towards the teaching and learning process. Methods The study involved 161 medical students who received an intensive medical terminology course through audio and medical history extracts. Peer assessment and formative assessment platforms were applied through fake quizzes in a pre- and post-test manner. An 18-item survey was distributed amongst students to investigate their attitudes and feedback towards the teaching and learning process. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using the SPSS software. Results The students did better in the posttests than on the pretests for both the quizzes of audios and medical vignettes showing a t-test of -12.09 and -13.60 respectively. Moreover, out of the 133 students, 120 students (90.22%) responded to the survey questions. The students gave positive attitudes towards the application of audios and vignettes in the teaching and learning of medical terminology and towards the learning process. Conclusions The current study revealed that the teaching and learning of medical terminology have more room for the application of advanced technologies, effective assessment platforms, and active learning strategies in higher education. It also highlights that students are capable of carrying more responsibilities of assessment, feedback, and e-learning. PMID:26637986

Use of fictional medical television in health sciences education: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hoffman, Beth L; Hoffman, Robert; Wessel, Charles B; Shensa, Ariel; Woods, Michelle S; Primack, Brian A

2018-03-01

While medical television programs are popular among health profession trainees, it is not clear to what extent these programs affect their knowledge, perceptions, and/or behaviors. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of research evaluating associations between program exposure and outcomes. We conducted systematic literature searches in Pubmed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Selected studies were required to be scholarly research, involve exposure to fictionalized medical television programming by health professional students, and assess associations between exposure and outcomes. Studies were classified according to quality and factors related to population, exposure, and outcomes. Of 3541 studies identified, 13 met selection criteria. Six studies involved undergraduate medical students, one involved nursing students, two involved both medical and nursing students, two involved medical residents, one involved medical students, residents and attending physicians, and one involved graduate epidemiology students. Mean study quality according to the MERSQI was 8.27. The most commonly assessed television programs were ER and Grey's Anatomy (six each). Five studies assessed regular viewing habits, and found that fictional medical programs are popular among students and that students recall health topics from episodes. The eight studies that assessed the association with outcomes when using clips as educational tools reported high satisfaction and increased knowledge of the presented health topics. While relatively few published studies have explored influences of fictional medical television on health professional students, those conducted suggest that students often view these television programs independently and that integration of this programming into medical education is feasible and acceptable.

Impact of self-assessment by students on their learning.

PubMed

Sharma, Rajeev; Jain, Amit; Gupta, Naveenta; Garg, Sonia; Batta, Meenal; Dhir, Shashi Kant

2016-01-01

Tutor assessment is sometimes also considered as an exercise of power by the assessor over assesses. Student self-assessment is the process by which the students gather information about and reflect on their own learning and is considered to be a very important component of learning. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the impact of self-assessment by undergraduate medical students on their subsequent academic performance. The secondary objective was to obtain the perception of students and faculty about self-assessment as a tool for enhanced learning. The study was based on the evaluation of two theory tests consisting of both essay type and short answer questions, administered to students of the 1(st) year MBBS (n = 89). They self-assessed their performance after 3 days of the first test followed by marking of faculty and feedback. Then, a nonidentical theory test on the same topic with the same difficulty level was conducted after 7 days and assessed by the teachers. The feedback about the perception of students and faculty about this intervention was obtained. Significant improvement in the academic performance after the process of self-assessment was observed (P < 0.001). There was a significantly positive correlation between student and teacher marking (r = 0.79). Both students and faculty perceived it to be helpful for developing self-directed learning skills. Self-assessment can increase the interest and motivation level of students for the subjects leading to enhanced learning and better academic performance, helping them in development of critical skills for analysis of their own work.

The effects of performance-based assessment criteria on student performance and self-assessment skills

PubMed Central

van der Klink, Marcel R.; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J. G.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based assessment criteria, describing what students should do, for the task at hand. The performance-based group is compared to a competence-based assessment group in which students receive a preset list of competence-based assessment criteria, describing what students should be able to do. The test phase revealed that the performance-based group outperformed the competence-based group on test task performance. In addition, higher performance of the performance-based group was reached with lower reported mental effort during training, indicating a higher instructional efficiency for novice students. PMID:20054648

Chemistry Students' Assessment of Their Teachers' Effectiveness in Secondary Schools in Benue State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aduloju, M. O.; Obinne, A. D. E.

2015-01-01

This study examined the assessment of chemistry teachers' effectiveness by chemistry students. A survey research design was used. Two hundred students were sampled for the study from Benue State. The result showed that students agreed that their teachers cover a large part of the syllabus before the examination. Findings also revealed that there…

Assessing College Student-Athletes' Life Stress: Initial Measurement Development and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Frank Jing-Horng; Hsu, Ya-Wen; Chan, Yuan-Shuo; Cheen, Jang-Rong; Kao, Kuei-Tsu

2012-01-01

College student-athletes have unique life stress that warrants close attention. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid measurement assessing college student-athletes' life stress. In Study 1, a focus group discussion and Delphi method produced a questionnaire draft, termed the College Student-Athletes' Life Stress Scale. In…

A Randomized Controlled Study of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in Kindergarten through Grade 12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornell, Dewey G.; Allen, Korrie; Fan, Xitao

2012-01-01

This randomized controlled study examined disciplinary outcomes for 201 students who made threats of violence at school. The students attended 40 schools randomly assigned to use the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines or follow a business-as-usual disciplinary approach in a control group. Logistic regression analyses found, after…

Enhancing Student Experiences Abroad: The Potential of Dynamic Assessment to Develop Student Interculturality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harsch, Claudia; Poehner, Matthew E.

2016-01-01

Educational institutions are acknowledging the requirements of a globalized world on students' mobility, interculturality, and language skills by offering study-abroad programmes. These need to be accompanied by procedures to assess student needs prior to and during their time abroad as well as upon their return. In the exploratory study reported…

Assessing progression of clinical reasoning through virtual patients: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Forsberg, Elenita; Ziegert, Kristina; Hult, Håkan; Fors, Uno

2016-01-01

To avoid test-driven learning, there have been discussions regarding the use of more formative assessments in health care education to promote students' deep learning. Feedback is important in formative assessment, but many students ignore it; therefore, interventions should be introduced which stimulate them to reflect on the new knowledge. The aim for this study was to explore if Virtual Patient (VP)-based formative assessments, in connection with self-evaluations, had an impact on postgraduate pediatric nursing students' development of clinical reasoning abilities. Students' self-evaluations served as the basis for measuring progress. Data was analysed using deductive content analysis. The findings showed a clear progression of the clinical reasoning ability of the students. After the first assessment, the students described feelings of uncertainty and that their knowledge gaps were exposed. At the mid-course assessment the awareness of improved clinical reasoning was obvious and the students were more certain of knowing how to solve the VP cases. In the final assessment, self-efficacy was expressed. VP-based assessments, in connection with self-evaluations, early in the education resulted in a gain of students' own identification of the concept of clinical reasoning, awareness of what to focus on during clinical practice and visualised expected clinical competence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collaborative Inquiry: A Strategy for Assessing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI2) for English Learner Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vineyard, Lynn

2010-01-01

This pilot study describes elementary teachers' use of collaborative inquiry as a strategy for assessing Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtI [superscript 2]) in reading for an English Learner student. The design of the study was based on the sociocultural theory that assessment practices shape teachers' understanding of students and of…

Self-Evaluated Effects of Web-Based Portfolio Assessment System for Various Student Motivation Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-evaluated effects of a web-based portfolio assessment system on various categories of students of motivation. The subjects for this study were the students of two computer classes in a Junior High School. The experimental group used the web-based portfolio assessment system whereas the control…

Achievement Levels of Middle School Students in the Standardized Science and Technology Exam and Formative Assessment Probes: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulunuz, Nermin; Bulunuz, Mizrap; Karagoz, Funda; Tavsanli, Omer Faruk

2016-01-01

The present study has two aims. Firstly, it aims to determine eighth grade students' conceptual understanding of floating and sinking through formative assessment probes. Secondly, it aims to determine whether or not there is a significant difference between students' performance in formative assessment probes and their achievement in the…

Students' Assessment and Self-assessment of Nursing Clinical Faculty Competencies: Important Feedback in Clinical Education?

PubMed

Lovrić, Robert; Prlić, Nada; Zec, Davor; Pušeljić, Silvija; Žvanut, Boštjan

2015-01-01

The students' assessment of clinical faculty competencies and the faculty members' self-assessment can provide important information about nursing clinical education. The aim of this study was to identify the differences between the students' assessment of the clinical faculty member's competencies and the faculty member's self-assessment. These differences can reveal interesting insights relevant for improving clinical practice.

College Student Unions: What Professionals Are Doing to Assess Learning Outcomes for Student Program Board Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Toole-Curran, Janette J.

2015-01-01

The descriptive survey employed in this study explored current assessment practices of learning outcomes, including the resources used and the learning outcomes assessed for student programming board leaders. The researcher collected data through document review and phone interviews. She interviewed 21 student activities and union advisors who are…

Teachers' Assessment of ESL Students in Mainstream Classes: Challenges, Strategies, and Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Liying; Milnes, Terry

2008-01-01

Given the increasing numbers of ESL students in Canadian classrooms, this study investigated how teachers of mainstream classes assess the written work of ESL students and whether they use different assessment strategies for ESL versus non-ESL students. Interviews were conducted with seven mainstream teachers from a private high school in Ontario.…

Using Indirect vs. Direct Measures in the Summative Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luce, Christine; Kirnan, Jean P.

2016-01-01

Contradictory results have been reported regarding the accuracy of various methods used to assess student learning in higher education. The current study examined student learning outcomes across a multi-section and mult-iinstructor psychology research course with both indirect and direct assessments in a sample of 67 undergraduate students. The…

Alcohol assessment among college students using wireless mobile technology.

PubMed

Bernhardt, Jay M; Usdan, Stuart; Mays, Darren; Martin, Ryan; Cremeens, Jennifer; Arriola, Kimberly Jacob

2009-09-01

This study used a two-group randomized design to assess the validity of measuring self-reported alcohol consumption among college students using the Handheld Assisted Network Diary (HAND), a daily diary assessment administered using wireless mobile devices. A convenience sample of college students was recruited at a large, public university in the southeastern United States and randomized into two groups. A randomly assigned group of 86 students completed the daily HAND assessment during the 30-day study and a Timeline Followback (TLFB) at 30-day follow-up. A randomly assigned group of 82 students completed the paper-and-pencil Daily Social Diary (DSD) over the same study period. Data from the daily HAND assessment were compared with the TLFB completed at follow-up by participants who completed the HAND using 95% limits of agreement analysis. Furthermore, individual growth models were used to examine differences between the HAND and DSD by comparing the total drinks, drinking days, and drinks per drinking day captured by the two assessments over the study period. Results suggest that the HAND captured similar levels of alcohol use compared with the TLFB completed at follow-up by the same participants. In addition, comparisons of the two study groups suggest that, controlling for baseline alcohol use and demographics, the HAND assessment captured similar levels of total drinks, drinking days, and drinks per drinking day as the paper-and-pencil DSD. The study findings support the validity of wireless mobile devices as a daily assessment of alcohol use among college students.

Development of performance assessment instrument based contextual learning for measuring students laboratory skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susilaningsih, E.; Khotimah, K.; Nurhayati, S.

2018-04-01

The assessment of laboratory skill in general hasn’t specific guideline in assessment, while the individual assessment of students during a performance and skill in performing laboratory is still not been observed and measured properly. Alternative assessment that can be used to measure student laboratory skill is use performance assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the performance assessment instrument that the result of research can be used to assess basic skills student laboratory. This research was conducted by the Research and Development. The result of the data analysis performance assessment instruments developed feasible to implement and validation result 62.5 with very good categories for observation sheets laboratory skills and all of the components with the very good category. The procedure is the preliminary stages of research and development stages. Preliminary stages are divided in two, namely the field studies and literature studies. The development stages are divided into several parts, namely 1) development of the type instrument, 2) validation by an expert, 3) a limited scale trial, 4) large-scale trials and 5) implementation of the product. The instrument included in the category of effective because 26 from 29 students have very high laboratory skill and high laboratory skill. The research of performance assessment instrument is standard and can be used to assess basic skill student laboratory.

Impact of Portfolio Assessment on Physics Students' Outcomes: Examination of Learning and Attitude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunay, Abdulkadir; Ogan-Bekiroglu, Feral

2014-01-01

In spite of the commendations for the use of portfolio assessment, there is still little evidence indicating that such assessment actually supports and encourages student learning. Hence, this research study aimed to empirically identify the effects of implementation of portfolio assessment on student learning and attitudes. True-experimental…

Mandatory Coursework Assignments Can Be, and Should Be, Eliminated!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haugan, John; Lysebo, Marius; Lauvas, Per

2017-01-01

Formative assessment can serve as a catalyst for increased student effort and student learning. Yet, many engineering degree programmes are dominated by summative assessment and make limited use of formative assessment. The present case study serves as an example on how formative assessment can be used strategically to increase student effort and…

Student Perceptions of Formative Assessment in the Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haroldson, Rachelle Ann

2012-01-01

Research on formative assessment has focused on the ways teachers implement and use formative assessment to check student understanding in order to guide their instruction. This study shifted emphasis away from teachers to look at how students use and perceive formative assessment in the science classroom. Four key strategies of formative…

Variability in Students' Evaluating Processes in Peer Assessment with Calibrated Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, J.; Van Horne, S.; Ward, A. S.; Bettis, E. A., III; Gikonyo, J.

2017-01-01

This study investigated students' evaluating process and their perceptions of peer assessment when they engaged in peer assessment using Calibrated Peer Review. Calibrated Peer Review is a web-based application that facilitates peer assessment of writing. One hundred and thirty-two students in an introductory environmental science course…

Students' Assessment Preferences and Approaches to Learning: Can Formative Assessment Make a Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gijbels, David; Dochy, Filip

2006-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the relationships between hands-on experiences with formative assessment, students' assessment preferences and their approaches to learning. The sample consisted of 108 university first-year Bachelor's students studying criminology. Data were obtained using the "Revised two-factor study…

What Teachers Know and Do about Assessing Students' Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalsky, Tova

2017-01-01

To foster their students' self-regulated learning (SRL), teachers' lesson goals should include not only SRL teaching but also assessment of students' SRL behaviors/processes to verify whether teachers achieved their goals. This article presents a study that sought to examine teachers' knowledge about SRL assessment, actual assessment of SRL in…

Proving or Improving Science Learning? Understanding High School Students' Conceptions of Science Assessment in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Min-Hsien; Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

Classroom assessment is a critical aspect of teaching and learning. In this paper, Taiwanese high school students' conceptions of science assessment and the relationship between their conceptions of science assessment and of science learning were investigated. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. First, 60 students were…

Using Peer Assessment of Fieldwork to Enhance Students' Practical Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Mowafy, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Fieldwork training is a key component of several practical disciplines. In this study, students' peer assessment of fieldwork is explored as a method to improve their practical training. Peer assessment theories are first discussed. A framework for peer assessment of fieldwork is proposed, and the steps taken for preparation of students for this…

Assessment of undergraduate nursing students from an Irish perspective: Decisions and dilemmas?

PubMed

Kennedy, Sara; Chesser-Smyth, Patricia

2017-11-01

Assessment of clinical competence plays a pivotal role in the education of undergraduate nursing students in preparation for registration. The challenges that face preceptors are represented in the international literature yet few studies have focused on the factors that influence the decision-making process by preceptors when students under-perform or appear to be borderline status in relation to clinical practice. This study explored the lived experiences of the preceptors during the assessment process using a phenomenological approach. This was a qualitative study that utilised a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of the preceptors in relation to student assessment of those students who were incompetent and underperformed in clinical practice. Three categories emerged from the findings: First impressions, Emotional turmoil of failing a clinical assessment and competing demands in the workplace. It is proposed that employing a tripartite approach would enhance the assessment process to ensure a more robust and decision-sharing mechanism. This would support decisions that are made in the cases of incompetent or borderline nursing students and increase the objectivity of the competency assessment to ameliorate the emotional turmoil that is experienced by preceptors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disaggregating Assessment to Close the Loop and Improve Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawls, Janita; Hammons, Stacy

2015-01-01

This study examined student learning outcomes for accelerated degree students as compared to conventional undergraduate students, disaggregated by class levels, to develop strategies for then closing the loop with assessment. Using the National Survey of Student Engagement, critical thinking and oral and written communication outcomes were…

Inclusive Assessment at Point-of-Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Neil; Zybutz, Tanya; Rouse, Karl

2012-01-01

Recognising assessment as a driver for learning and a key part of the student learning experience, this case study considers the impact of opening the assessment process to active student engagement as well as placing inclusivity at the heart of the assessment task at point-of-design. This case study presents an approach to assessment that both…

Assessment of Communication Skills of Physical Education and Sport Students in Turkish Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Ali Dursun

2015-01-01

This study assessed the communication skills of the students studying in physical education and sports schools in various universities in Turkey. A total of 1,854 Physical Education and Sports students in five Turkish universities participated in the study. The instrument used to gather information for this study comprised the demographic…

Comparison of differences in performance evaluation of faculty by students with faculty's self-assessment.

PubMed

Azizi, Kourosh; Aghamolaei, Teamur; Parsa, Nader; Dabbaghmanesh, Tahereh

2014-07-01

The present study aimed to compare self-assessment forms of coursework taught in the school of public health at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels and students' evaluation of the performance of the faculty members at these levels. The subjects in this cross-sectional study were the faculty members and students of the School of Public Health and Nutrition, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The data were collected using a socio-demographic information form and evaluation forms of professors prepared by the Educational Development Center (EDC). The faculty members were assessed by the students in undergraduate and graduate classes. Among the study subjects, 23 faculty members filled out the self-assessment forms which were then evaluated by 23 students. Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical 14. Paired t-test was used to compare the students' evaluation of the faculty members' performance and the professors' self-assessment. The mean score of self-assessment of the faculty members who taught undergraduate courses was 289.7±8.3, while that of the students' evaluation was 281.3±16.1; the difference was statistically significant (t=3.56, p=0.001). Besides, the mean score of the self-assessment of the faculty members who taught graduate courses was 269.0±9.7, while that of the students' evaluation was 265.7±14.6 but the difference was not statistically significant (t=1.09, p=0.28). Teaching performance perceptions of the faculty were similar to those of the graduate students as compared to the undergraduate ones. This may reflect better understanding of coursework at this level compared to the undergraduate students. Faculty members may need to adjust teaching methods to improve students' performance and understanding especially in the undergraduate level.

Graders' Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, John B.; Ellis, Arthur K.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of metacognitive reflective assessment instruction on student achievement in mathematics. The study compared the performance of 141 students who practiced reflective assessment strategies with students who did not. A posttest-only control group design was employed, and results…

Team-based assessment of professional behavior in medical students

PubMed Central

RAEE, HOJAT; AMINI, MITRA; MOMEN NASAB, AMENEH; MALEK POUR, ABDOLRASOUL; JAFARI, MOHAMMAD MORAD

2014-01-01

Introduction: Self and peer assessment provides important information about the individual’s performance and behavior in all aspects of their professional environment work. The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional behavior and performance in medical students in the form of team based assessment. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 100 medical students in the 7th year of education were randomly selected and enrolled; for each student five questionnaires were filled out, including one self-assessment, two peer assessments and two residents assessment. The scoring system of the questionnaires was based on seven point Likert scale.  After filling out the questions in the questionnaire, numerical data and written comments provided to the students were collected, analyzed and discussed. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the questionnaires was assessed. A p<0.05 was considered as significant level. Results: Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha 0.83). Interviews revealed that the majority of students and assessors interviewed found the method acceptable. The range of scores was 1-6 (Mean±SD=4.39±0.57) for the residents' assessment, 2-6 (Mean±SD= 4.49±0.53) for peer assessment, and 3-7 (Mean±SD=5.04±0.32) for self-assessment. There was a significant difference between self assessment and other methods of assessment. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a team-based assessment is an acceptable and feasible method for peer and self-assessment of medical students’ learning in a clinical clerkship, and has some advantages over traditional assessment methods. Further studies are needed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses. PMID:25512933

The Role of Digital 3D Scanned Models in Dental Students' Self-Assessments in Preclinical Operative Dentistry.

PubMed

Lee, Cliff; Kobayashi, Hiro; Lee, Samuel R; Ohyama, Hiroe

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine how dental student self-assessment and faculty assessment of operative preparations compared for conventional visual assessment versus assessment of scanned digital 3D models. In 2016, all third-year students in the Class of 2018 (N=35) at Harvard School of Dental Medicine performed preclinical exams of Class II amalgam preparations (C2AP) and Class III composite preparations (C3CP) and completed self-assessment forms; in 2017, all third-year students in the Class of 2019 (N=34) performed the same exams. Afterwards, the prepared typodont teeth were digitally scanned. Students self-assessed their preparations digitally, and four faculty members graded the preparations conventionally and digitally. The results showed that, overall, the students assessed their preparations higher than the faculty assessments. The mean student-faculty gaps for C2AP and C3CP in the conventional assessments were 11% and 5%, respectively. The mean digital student-faculty gap for C2AP and C3CP were 8% and 2%, respectively. In the conventional assessments, preclinical performance was negatively correlated with the student-faculty gap (r=-0.47, p<0.001). The correlations were not statistically significant with the digital assessments (p=0.39, p=0.26). Students in the bottom quartile significantly improved their self-assessment accuracy using digital self-assessments over conventional assessments (C2AP 10% vs. 17% and C3CP 3% vs. 10%, respectively). These results suggest that digital assessments offered a significant learning opportunity for students to critically self-assess themselves in operative preclinical dentistry. The lower performing students benefitted the most, improving their assessment ability to the level of the rest of the class.

Relationship of biomedical science content acquisition performance to students' level of PBL group interaction: are students learning during PBL group?

PubMed

Romito, Laura M; Eckert, George J

2011-05-01

This study assessed biomedical science content acquisition from problem-based learning (PBL) and its relationship to students' level of group interaction. We hypothesized that learning in preparation for exams results primarily from individual study of post-case learning objectives and that outcomes would be unrelated to students' group involvement. During dental curricular years 1 and 2, student-generated biomedical learning issues (LIs) were identified from six randomly chosen PBL cases. Knowledge and application of case concepts were assessed with quizzes based on the identified LIs prior to dissemination of the learning objectives. Students and facilitators were surveyed on students' level of group involvement for the assessed LI topics. Year 1 students had significantly higher assessment scores (p=0.0001). For both student classes, means were significantly higher for the recall item (Q1) than for the application item (Q2). Q1 scores increased along with the student's reported role for Year 1 (p=0.04). However, there was no relationship between the student's reported role and Q1 for Year 2 (p=0.20). There was no relationship between the student's reported role and Q2 for Year 1 (p=0.09) or Year 2 (p=0.19). This suggests that students' level of group involvement on the biomedical learning issues did not significantly impact students' assessment performance.

The effects of formative assessment on student self-regulation, motivational beliefs, and achievement in elementary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Melissa Digennaro

Goals 2000 set forth a bold vision for U.S. students: they would be "first in the world in science and mathematics" by the year 2000. Performance indicators such as the TIMSS-R (1999) and NAEP (2000) reports suggest that U.S. students have not yet reached that goal. This study intended to learn how specific assessment strategies might contribute to improved student performance in science. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of formative assessment with reflection on students' motivational beliefs, self-regulatory skills, and achievement in elementary science. The study aimed to find out whether and how classroom applications of formative assessment during science instruction might influence fifth-grade students' attitudes and self-perceptions about science learning, self-regulatory learning behaviors, and achievement. To explore the effects of the assessment intervention, the study utilized a mixed methods approach involving quantitative and qualitative investigations of treatment and control groups during a four-week intervention period. Quantitative measures included student self-report surveys administered pre- and post-treatment and an end-of-unit science test. Qualitative measures included classroom observations, student interviews (post-treatment), and a teacher interview (post-treatment). Findings indicated that the fifth-grade students in this study had positive attitudes toward science and high levels of self-efficacy for science. Results suggested that these elementary students employed a wide variety of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to support science learning. Findings revealed that these fifth graders believed formative assessment with reflection was beneficial for science learning outcomes. Research results did not show that the formative assessment intervention contributed to significant differences between treatment and control groups. However, the data revealed different levels of academic achievement and self-regulation for students in specific instructional services subgroups (i.e., gifted, regular education, special education, and ESL). For example, high achieving students reported higher levels of self-regulatory learning behavior than other fifth grade students. Findings suggested that elementary science instruction that includes classroom applications of formative assessment with reflection may provide support for science learning and the development of self-regulatory learning behavior. However, widespread implementation of this practice in elementary science classrooms represents significant challenges for today's educators, due to time limitations and increasing accountability pressures in our nation's schools.

Assessment of postgraduate dental students using mini-clinical examination tool in periodontology and implantology

PubMed Central

Rathod, Surekha Ramrao; Kolte, Abhay; Shori, Tony; Kher, Vishal

2017-01-01

Introduction: Mini-clinical examination (mini-CEX) is a new assessment tool that observes the student using a standard rating form. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of the mini-CEX as an assessment and feedback tool in the postgraduate setting in periodontology. Materials and Methods: Eight postgraduate students and two evaluators were included in this study carried out for 4 months during which the students were made to appear for four encounters evaluated on a standardized nine-point Likert scale. Feedback was obtained from the students about this assessment after the fourth encounter. Results: Sixty-three percent of the students felt that mini-CEX is better than the conventional assessment tools. Seventy-five percent of the students felt that this type of mini-CEX assessment helped improve the student–teacher relationship and student–patient relationship. Sixty-three percent of the students were satisfied with this assessment pattern and were willing to face more encounters as it helped them improve their competencies. Seventy-five percent of the students agreed that they felt anxious on being observed while taking cases. Conclusion: The training and assessment of a wide range of procedures make dentistry unique. Good communication skills and counseling can allay patient's fear and anxiety. This structured way of assessment of clinical skills and feedback provides good clinical care and helps improve the quality of the resulting information which would induce confidence, improve clinical competencies, and alleviate the fear of examination among the students. PMID:29491581

Economics within Social Studies: A Comparative Analysis of Student Performance on the 2012 Kansas History-Government Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deplazes, Svetlana P.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the overall level of student achievement on the 2012 Kansas History-Government Assessment in Grades 6, 8, and high school, with major emphasis on the subject area of economics. It explored four specific research questions in order to: (1) determine the level of student knowledge of assessed economic…

Effects of Reflection Category and Reflection Quality on Learning Outcomes during Web-Based Portfolio Assessment Process: A Case Study of High School Students in Computer Application Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chou, Pao-Nan; Chang, Chi-Cheng

2011-01-01

This study examines the effects of reflection category and reflection quality on learning outcomes during Web-based portfolio assessment process. Experimental subjects consist of forty-five eight-grade students in a "Computer Application" course. Through the Web-based portfolio assessment system, these students write reflection, and join…

Implementing Peer Assessment in a Post-Secondary (16-18) Physics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chetcuti, Deborah; Cutajar, Catherine

2014-01-01

This study explores the implementation of peer assessment with a group of students studying physics at Advanced level in a post-secondary school in Malta. The study that draws on action research methodology looks at how the views of students regarding peer assessment evolve as they engage with peer assessment. The research involved the actual…

SWDYT: So What Do You Think? Canadian Students' Attitudes about "peerScholar," an Online Peer-Assessment Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collimore, Lisa-Marie; Paré, Dwayne E.; Joordens, Steve

2015-01-01

Middle- and high-school students' attitudes towards online peer-assessment were described and examined in this study. One hundred and eighty-four (184) students answered a 16-item questionnaire about their experiences with an online peer-assessment tool called peerScholar. Overall, students in Canada converged with those in other countries with…

STEMs: A Proposal for Calibrated Classroom Assessments That Increase Student Motivation and Provide Authentic Evaluation of Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murrieta, Hector; Amerson, Gordon

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to validate the development and proposal of what the authors call STEMs (Standards Tests to Evaluate Mastery) and have defined them as calibrated classroom assessments that increase student motivation and provide authentic evaluation of student learning. Theoretical and empirical research on classroom assessment and…

Student Generated Rubrics: An Assessment Model To Help All Students Succeed. Assessment Bookshelf Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsworth, Larry; Christinson, Jan

The assessment model described in this guide was initially developed by a team of fifth-grade teachers who wrote objectives of integrating social studies and language arts. It helps the teacher guide students to create a task-specific rubric that they use to evaluate their own and peers' work. Teachers review the student evaluations, determine the…

Relations between Student Perceptions of Assessment Authenticity, Study Approaches and Learning Outcome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulikers, Judith T. M.; Bastiaens, Theo J.; Kirschner, Paul A.; Kester, Liesbeth

2006-01-01

This article examines the relationships between perceptions of authenticity and alignment on study approach and learning outcome. Senior students of a vocational training program performed an authentic assessment and filled in a questionnaire about the authenticity of various assessment characteristics and the alignment between the assessment and…

The Implications of Programme Assessment Patterns for Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jessop, Tansy; Tomas, Carmen

2017-01-01

Evidence from 73 programmes in 14 U.K universities sheds light on the typical student experience of assessment over a three-year undergraduate degree. A previous small-scale study in three universities characterised programme assessment environments using a similar method. The current study analyses data about assessment patterns using descriptive…

Assessing aspects of creativity in deaf and hearing high school students.

PubMed

Stanzione, Christopher M; Perez, Susan M; Lederberg, Amy R

2013-04-01

To address the paucity of current research on the development of creativity in deaf students, and to extend existing research to adolescents, the present study investigated divergent thinking, a method of assessing creativity, in both deaf and hearing adolescents. We assessed divergent thinking in two domains, figural and verbal, while also adjusting the instructional method in written format, sign language, or spoken English. Deaf students' performance was equal to, or more creative than, hearing students on the figural assessment of divergent thinking, but less creative on the verbal assessment. Additional studies should be conducted to determine whether this was an anomalous finding or one that might contribute to hypotheses yielding effective interventions.

Utilizing Additional Measures of High School Academic Preparation to Support Students in Their Math Self-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fong, Kristen E.; Melguizo, Tatiana

2017-01-01

This study describes student behavior through the actual assessment and placement (A&P) process. It then uses an alternative A&P policy that utilizes an additional measure that assesses prior math preparedness alongside subtest choice. Utilizing data from a community college that allows its' students to choose the assessment subtest used…

Interaction in Group Oral Assessment: A Case Study of Higher- and Lower-Scoring Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Zhengdong

2010-01-01

This article examines the interactional work in which two groups of secondary ESL students engaged to achieve and sustain participation in group oral assessment, which is designed to assess a student's interactive communication skills in a school-based assessment context. The in-depth observation of the ways in which participants co-constructed…

Comparing Student Learning Experiences of In-Text Commentary and Rubric-Articulated Feedback: Strategies for Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordrum, Lene; Evans, Katherine; Gustafsson, Magnus

2013-01-01

This study compares students' experiences of two types of criteria-based assessment: in-text commentary and rubric-articulated feedback, in an assessment design combining the two feedback channels. The main aim is to use students' responses to shed light on how feedback strategies for formative assessment can be optimised. Following action…

The Influence of an Internet-Based Formative Assessment Tool on Primary Grades Students' Number Sense Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polly, Drew; Wang, Chuang; Martin, Christie; Lambert, Richard G.; Pugalee, David K.; Middleton, Catharina Win

2017-01-01

This study examined primary grades students' achievement on number sense tasks administered through an Internet-based formative assessment tool, Assessing Math Concepts Anywhere. Data were analyzed from 2,357 students in teachers' classrooms who had participated in a year-long professional development program on mathematics formative assessment,…

Improving Assessment Methods in University Science Education with Negotiated Self- and Peer-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poon, Wai-Yin; McNaught, Carmel; Lam, Paul; Kwan, H. S.

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether, in the Hong Kong context, self- and peer-assessment promote students' self-reflection and enable students to understand their own strengths and weaknesses better. A three-stage assessment strategy was employed in three Science courses at The Chinese University of Hong Kong: (1) students developing…

Is Learner Self-Assessment Reliable and Valid in a Web-Based Portfolio Environment for High School Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng; Liang, Chaoyun; Chen, Yi-Hui

2013-01-01

This study explored the reliability and validity of Web-based portfolio self-assessment. Participants were 72 senior high school students enrolled in a computer application course. The students created learning portfolios, viewed peers' work, and performed self-assessment on the Web-based portfolio assessment system. The results indicated: 1)…

Development and Evaluation of a Questionnaire to Assess Physical Educators' Knowledge of Student Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmanouilidou, Kyriaki; Derri, Vassiliki; Aggelousis, Nicolaos; Vassiliadou, Olga

2012-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to develop and evaluate an instrument for measuring Greek elementary physical educators' knowledge of student assessment. A multiple-choice questionnaire comprised of items about concepts, methods, tools, and types of student assessment in physical education was designed and tested. The initial 35-item…

Investigating Secondary School Students' Unmediated Peer Assessment Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsivitanidou, Olia E.; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Hovardas, Tasos

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school students' unmediated peer assessment skills. Specifically, 36 seventh graders, without receiving any kind of support, were anonymously assigned to reciprocally assess their peers' science web-portfolios. Additionally, students' attitudes towards and intentions about the use of…

Dynamic Assessment, Potential Giftedness and Mathematics Achievement in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popa, Nicoleta Laura; Pauc, Ramona Loredana

2015-01-01

Dynamic assessment is currently discussed in educational literature as one of the most promising practices in stimulating learning among various groups of students, including gifted and potentially gifted students. The present study investigates effects of dynamic assessment on mathematics achievement among elementary school students, with…

Education Reforms and Innovations to Improve Student Assessment Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAfee, Wade J.

2014-01-01

International assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have exhibited United States students specifically in the fourth and eighth grades, are not performing well when compared to their international peers. Educational stakeholders including…

Faculty Mentors', Graduate Students', and Performance-Based Assessments of Students' Research Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldon, David F.; Maher, Michelle A.; Hurst, Melissa; Timmerman, Briana

2015-01-01

Faculty mentorship is thought to be a linchpin of graduate education in STEM disciplines. This mixed-method study investigates agreement between student mentees' and their faculty mentors' perceptions of the students' developing research knowledge and skills in STEM. We also compare both assessments against independent ratings of the students'…

The Academic Achievement Gap between African American and White Students: An Exploratory Study on Reading Achievement and Intrinsic Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herron-McCoy, La-Monica

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic achievement gap between upper elementary African American and White students. This study sought to assess any relationships between whether academic reading, students attitudes toward reading, and academic intrinsic motivation related to ethnicity. This study also sought to assess whether…

Exploring Factors that Affect the Accessibility of Reading Comprehension Assessments for Students with Disabilities: A Study of Segmented Text. CRESST Report 746

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal; Kao, Jenny C.; Leon, Seth; Sullivan, Lisa; Herman, Joan L.; Pope, Rita; Nambiar, Veena; Mastergeorge, Ann M.

2008-01-01

This study sought to explore factors that affect the accessibility of reading comprehension assessments for students with disabilities. The study consisted of testing students using reading comprehension passages that were broken down into shorter "segments" or "chunks." The results of the segmenting study indicated that: (a)…

Extrinsic Motivation for Large-Scale Assessments: A Case Study of a Student Achievement Program at One Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmett, Joshua; McGee, Dean

2013-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to discover the critical attributes of a student achievement program, known as "Think Gold," implemented at one urban comprehensive high school as part of the improvement process. Student achievement on state assessments improved during the period under study. The study draws upon perspectives on…

Practical session assessments in human anatomy: Weightings and performance.

PubMed

McDonald, Aaron C; Chan, Siew-Pang; Schuijers, Johannes A

2016-07-08

Assessment weighting within a given module can be a motivating factor for students when deciding on their commitment level and time given to study a specific topic. In this study, an analysis of assessment performances of second year anatomy students was performed over four years to determine if (1) students performed better when a higher weighting was given to a set of practical session assessments and (2) whether an improved performance in the practical session assessments had a carry-over effect on other assessment tasks within that anatomy module and/or other anatomy modules that follow. Results showed that increasing the weighting of practical session assessments improved the average mark in that assessment and also improved the percentage of students passing that assessment. Further, it significantly improved performance in the written end-semester examination within the same module and had a carry-over effect on the anatomy module taught in the next teaching period, as students performed better in subsequent practical session assessments as well as subsequent end-semester examinations. It was concluded that the weighting of assessments had significant influences on a student's performance in that, and subsequent, assessments. It is postulated that practical session assessments, designed to develop deep learning skills in anatomy, improved efficacy in student performance in assessments undertaken in that and subsequent anatomy modules when the weighting of these assessments was greater. These deep learning skills were also transferable to other methods of assessing anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 9: 330-336. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Perceptions of clinical years’ medical students and interns towards assessment methods used in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Nahla Khamis; Al-Sharabi, Budoor Mohammed; Al-Asiri, Rasha Abdullah; Alotaibi, Najat Abdullah; Al-Husaini, Wejdan Ibrahim; Al-Khajah, Hussa Adel; Rakkah, Reem Mohammad; Turkistani, Afnan Mohammed

2015-01-01

Objectives: The study was done to determine the perception of clinical years’ medical students and interns about assessment methods used in Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted during the educational year 2012/2013. A multistage stratified random sample method was used to select 600 senior medical students (4th-6th) and interns. Perception of medical students and interns about different assessment formats was inquired using 3 points Likert scale. Results: About two-fifths of participants agreed that assessment methods are comprehensive, reflecting what they taught, and challenging them. MCQs were the commonest (56.8%) preferred written assessment format. OSCE (74.1%) and OSPE (70.6%) were seen as good tools for assessing clinical competencies. Students had good perceptions towards peer assessment, log-book and open book exams. Males preferred peer assessment method more than females, with a statistical significant difference (χ2 = 6.43, p< 0.05). Conclusion: Assessment plan needs further improvements and should be designed prospectively along with learning outcomes, as only about 40 % of participants agreed with assessment items. The current development of the faculty Assessment Unit will provide much help. This will lead to better preparation of medical students for their future responsibility as tomorrow’s doctors. PMID:26430398

Performance assessment instrument to assess the senior high students' psychomotor for the salt hydrolysis material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahadi, Firman, Harry; Yulina, Erlis

2016-02-01

The purposes of this study were to develop a performance assessment instrument for assessing the competence of psychomotor high school students on salt hydrolysis concepts. The design used in this study was the Research & Development which consists of three phases: development, testing and application of instruments. Subjects in this study were high school students in class XI science, which amounts to 93 students. In the development phase, seven validators validated 17 tasks instrument. In the test phase, we divided 19 students into three-part different times to conduct performance test in salt hydrolysis lab work and observed by six raters. The first, the second, and the third groups recpectively consist of five, six, and eight students. In the application phase, two raters observed the performance of 74 students in the salt hydrolysis lab work in several times. The results showed that 16 of 17 tasks of performance assessment instrument developed can be stated to be valid with CVR value of 1,00 and 0,714. While, the rest was not valid with CVR value was 0.429, below the critical value (0.622). In the test phase, reliability value of instrument obtained were 0,951 for the five-student group, 0,806 for the six-student group and 0,743 for the eight-student group. From the interviews, teachers strongly agree with the performance instrument developed. They stated that the instrument was feasible to use for maximum number of students were six in a single observation.

Assessing the Teaching Efficacy Beliefs of Teacher Trainees: A Comparison of Two Institutions of Higher Learning in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matoti, Sheila N.; Junqueira, Karen E.; Odora, Ronald J.

2013-01-01

This study assessed the teaching efficacy beliefs of third-year teacher education students from two different institutions, in three categories: student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. The study used a descriptive survey design. The target population for the study was all third-year students enrolled in five…

Teaching Students How to Integrate and Assess Social Networking Tools in Marketing Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlee, Regina Pefanis; Harich, Katrin R.

2013-01-01

This research is based on two studies that focus on teaching students how to integrate and assess social networking tools in marketing communications. Study 1 examines how students in marketing classes utilize social networking tools and explores their attitudes regarding the use of such tools for marketing communications. Study 2 focuses on an…

Assessment of Socialization and Sports-Socialization Processes of University Students Studying in Different Sports Branches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albayrak, Ahmet Yilmaz; Bayrakdaroglu, Yesim

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to assess the sports and socialization of the students studying in different sports branches in Gumushane University. "Socialization-Sports and Socialization Scale" developed by Sahan was used in this research. A total of 742 students composed of 316 females and 426 males studying in Gumushane University…

Social justice in education: how the function of selection in educational institutions predicts support for (non)egalitarian assessment practices.

PubMed

Autin, Frédérique; Batruch, Anatolia; Butera, Fabrizio

2015-01-01

Educational institutions are considered a keystone for the establishment of a meritocratic society. They supposedly serve two functions: an educational function that promotes learning for all, and a selection function that sorts individuals into different programs, and ultimately social positions, based on individual merit. We study how the function of selection relates to support for assessment practices known to harm vs. benefit lower status students, through the perceived justice principles underlying these practices. We study two assessment practices: normative assessment-focused on ranking and social comparison, known to hinder the success of lower status students-and formative assessment-focused on learning and improvement, known to benefit lower status students. Normative assessment is usually perceived as relying on an equity principle, with rewards being allocated based on merit and should thus appear as positively associated with the function of selection. Formative assessment is usually perceived as relying on corrective justice that aims to ensure equality of outcomes by considering students' needs, which makes it less suitable for the function of selection. A questionnaire measuring these constructs was administered to university students. Results showed that believing that education is intended to select the best students positively predicts support for normative assessment, through increased perception of its reliance on equity, and negatively predicts support for formative assessment, through reduced perception of its ability to establish corrective justice. This study suggests that the belief in the function of selection as inherent to educational institutions can contribute to the reproduction of social inequalities by preventing change from assessment practices known to disadvantage lower-status student, namely normative assessment, to more favorable practices, namely formative assessment, and by promoting matching beliefs in justice principles.

Validating the Assessment for Measuring Indonesian Secondary School Students Performance in Ecology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rachmatullah, A.; Roshayanti, F.; Ha, M.

2017-09-01

The aims of this current study are validating the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Ecology assessment and examining the performance of Indonesian secondary school students on the assessment. A total of 611 Indonesian secondary school students (218 middle school students and 393 high school students) participated in the study. Forty-five items of AAAS assessment in the topic of Interdependence in Ecosystems were divided into two versions which every version has 21 similar items. Linking item method was used as the method to combine those two versions of assessment and further Rasch analyses were utilized to validate the instrument. Independent sample t-test was also run to compare the performance of Indonesian students and American students based on the mean of item difficulty. We found that from the total of 45 items, three items were identified as misfitting items. Later on, we also found that both Indonesian middle and high school students were significantly lower performance with very large and medium effect size compared to American students. We will discuss our findings in the regard of validation issue and the connection to Indonesian student’s science literacy.

Student performance on argumentation task in the Swedish National Assessment in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jönsson, Anders

2016-07-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of content knowledge on students' socio-scientific argumentation in the Swedish National Assessment in biology, chemistry and physics for 12-year-olds. In Sweden, the assessment of socio-scientific argumentation has been a major part of the National Assessment during three consecutive years and this study utilizes data on student performance to investigate (a) the relationship between tasks primarily addressing argumentation and tasks addressing primarily content knowledge as well as (b) students' performance on argumentation tasks, which differ in relation to content, subject, aspect of argumentation and assessment criteria. Findings suggest a strong and positive relationship between content knowledge and students' performance on argumentation tasks. The analysis also provides some hypotheses about the task difficulty of argumentation tasks that may be pursued in future investigations.

Understanding Student Voices about Assessment: Links to Learning and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillan, James H.; Turner, Amanda B.

2014-01-01

This qualitative study examined elementary and middle school students' perceptions of assessment. Individual interviews were conducted with 64 students, with questions focused on their emotional reactions and thinking about classroom and large-scale assessment as related to goal orientation, self-regulation, attributions, and self-efficacy.…

Plants and Photosynthesis: Peer Assessment to Help Students Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Lucy; Winterbottom, Mark

2008-01-01

This study investigates how peer assessment can help students to learn about photosynthesis in a "high attaining," year nine class in a UK 11-18 comprehensive school. There is limited research on how peer assessment can influence the learning of "high attaining students"; most existing research focuses on how formative…

Self-Report Assessment of Executive Functioning in College Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grieve, Adam; Webne-Behrman, Lisa; Couillou, Ryan; Sieben-Schneider, Jill

2014-01-01

This study presents a unique assessment of executive functioning (EF) among postsecondary students with disabilities, with the aim of understanding the extent to which students with different disabilities and in different age groups assess their own difficulties with relevant and educationally-adaptive skills such as planning, initiating, managing…

An Illustration of Diagnostic Classification Modeling in Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jurich, Daniel P.; Bradshaw, Laine P.

2014-01-01

The assessment of higher-education student learning outcomes is an important component in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of academic and general education programs. This study illustrates the application of diagnostic classification models, a burgeoning set of statistical models, in assessing student learning outcomes. To facilitate…

To Assess Students' Attitudes, Skills and Competencies in Mathematical Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lingefjard, Thomas; Holmquist, Mikael

2005-01-01

Peer-to-peer assessment, take-home exams and a mathematical modeling survey were used to monitor and assess students' attitudes, skills and competencies in mathematical modeling. The students were all in a secondary mathematics, teacher education program with a comprehensive amount of mathematics studies behind them. Findings indicate that…

Social Representations of High School Students about Mathematics Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez-Sierra, Gustavo; Valle-Zequeida, María E.; Miranda-Tirado, Marisa; Dolores-Flores, Crisólogo

2016-01-01

The perceptions of students about assessment in mathematics classes have been sparsely investigated. In order to fill this gap, this qualitative study aims to identify the social "representations" (understood as the system of values, ideas, and practices about a social object) of high school students regarding "assessment in…

Online Collaboration for Programming: Assessing Students' Cognitive Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Othman, Mahfudzah; Muhd Zain, Nurzaid

2015-01-01

This study is primarily focused on assessing the students' logical thinking and cognitive levels in an online collaborative environment. The aim is to investigate whether the online collaboration has significant impact to the students' cognitive abilities. The assessment of the logical thinking involved the use of the online Group Assessment…

Medical student use of Facebook to support preparation for anatomy assessments.

PubMed

Pickering, James D; Bickerdike, Suzanne R

2017-06-01

The use of Facebook to support students is an emerging area of educational research. This study explored how a Facebook Page could support Year 2 medical (MBChB) students in preparation for summative anatomy assessments and alleviate test anxiety. Overall, Facebook analytics revealed that in total 49 (19.8% of entire cohort) students posted a comment in preparation for either the first (33 students) or second (34) summative anatomy assessments. 18 students commented in preparation for both. In total, 155 comments were posted, with 83 for the first and 72 for the second. Of the 83 comments, 45 related to checking anatomical information, 30 were requiring assessment information and 8 wanted general course information. For the second assessment this was 52, 14 and 6, respectively. Student perceptions on usage, and impact on learning and assessment preparation were obtained via a five-point Likert-style questionnaire, with 119 students confirming they accessed the Page. Generally, students believed the Page was an effective way to support their learning, and provided information which supported their preparation with increases in perceived confidence and reductions in anxiety. There was no difference between gender, except for males who appeared to be significantly less likely to ask a question as they may be perceived to lack knowledge (P < 0.05). This study suggests that Facebook can play an important role in supporting students in preparation for anatomy assessments. Anat Sci Educ 10: 205-214. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Prior academic background and student performance in assessment in a graduate entry programme.

PubMed

Craig, P L; Gordon, J J; Clark, R M; Langendyk, V

2004-11-01

This study aims to identify whether non-science graduates perform as well as science graduates in Basic and Clinical Sciences (B & CS) assessments during Years 1-3 of a four-year graduate-entry programme at the University of Sydney (the 'USydMP'). Students were grouped into five categories: Health Professions (HP), Biomedical Sciences (BMS), Other Biology (BIOL), Physical Sciences (PHYS) or Non-Science (NONS). We examined the performance rank of students in each of the five groups for single best answer (SBA) and modified essay (MEQ) assessments separately, and also calculated the relative risk of failure in the summative assessments in Years 2 and 3. Students with science-based prior degrees performed better in the SBA assessments. The same occurred initially in the MEQs, but the effect diminished with time. The HP students performed consistently better but converged with other groups over time, particularly in the MEQs. Relative performance by the NONS students improved with time in both assessment formats. Overall, differences between the highest and lowest groups were small and very few students failed to meet the overall standard for the summative assessments. HP and BMS students had the lowest failure rate. NONS students were more likely to fail the assessments in Year 2 and 3, but their pass rates were still high. Female students performed significantly better overall at the end of Year 2 and in Year 3. There were only minor differences between Australian resident and International students. While there are small differences in performance in B & CS early in the programme, these lessen with time. The study results will inform decisions regarding timing of summative assessments, selection policy and for providing additional support to students who need it to minimize their risk of failure. Readers should note that this paper refers to student performance in only one of the four curriculum themes, where health professional and science graduates would be expected to have a significant advantage.

Development Mathematic Assessment to Increase Mathematical Prerequisite Ability on The Student with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive Elementary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robiansyah, S. T. U.; Nanang, F.; Hidayat

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to introduce about mathematic assessment is a process of obtaining data or information about the mastery of a student's mathematical skills as an ingredient in preparing a learning program. With this mathematics assessment can be known obstacles, difficulties and needs of students especially in the field of mathematic, so that the learning program will be in accordance with the potential students because it is tailored to what is required of students. This research study was conducted at elementary school of inclusive precisely at SDN Sukagalih I Bandung City based learning in setting of inclusive education. This research study is motivated by the existence of a first-grade student who has disabilities learning in mathematics, the ability of the mathematical prerequisite mastery of the classification of objects by color. The results of the research can provide a profile picture of student data information, the data obtained from the results of the development of systematic and formal mathematical assessment. After doing the development of mathematics assessment then the teacher gets important related information: 1. process the analysis of students’ learning needs, especially in the field of mathematics, 2. preparing the learning program planning according to student learning needs, 3. Designing procedural of method remedial program.

Issues in the Assessment of Bilingually Educated Students: Expressing Subject Knowledge through L1 and L2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gablasova, Dana

2014-01-01

This article discusses issues related to oral assessment of school knowledge of L2-educated students. In particular, it examines benefits and disadvantages of students being tested in their L1 (their dominant language) and in their L2 (their language of instruction). The study draws on the data from 37 high school students studying in a content…

Assessing the Effects of the "Rocket Math" Program with a Primary Elementary School Student at Risk for School Failure: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Christina R.; Marchand-Martella, Nancy E.; Martella, Ronald C.

2011-01-01

This study assessed the effects of the "Rocket Math" program on the math fluency skills of a first grade student at risk for school failure. The student received instruction in the "Rocket Math" program over 6 months. He was assessed using a pre- and posttest curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and individualized fluency checkouts within the…

Policy and Practice Implications of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000. Report of the International Reading Association PISA Task Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topping, Keith; Valtin, Renate; Roller, Cathy; Brozo, William; Dionisio, M. Lourdes

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a study of comparisons. Subjects, 15-year-old students from 32 participating countries, were compared in their abilities to "use literacy knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges," as assessed on a two-hour, paper-and-pencil test. Students also responded to a…

Prompting All Students to Learn: Examining Dynamic Assessment of Special Needs and Typical Students in a Prekindergarten Inclusive French Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regalla, Michele; Peker, Hilal

2017-01-01

This study examined a teacher's prompting strategies and the use of dynamic assessment (DA) in an inclusive prekindergarten French program. Prior research has shown that DA is an effective method to assess both foreign language learning and first language development for typically developing students and for students with special needs, as well as…

Do girls really experience more anxiety in mathematics?

PubMed

Goetz, Thomas; Bieg, Madeleine; Lüdtke, Oliver; Pekrun, Reinhard; Hall, Nathan C

2013-10-01

Two studies were conducted to examine gender differences in trait (habitual) versus state (momentary) mathematics anxiety in a sample of students (Study 1: N = 584; Study 2: N = 111). For trait math anxiety, the findings of both studies replicated previous research showing that female students report higher levels of anxiety than do male students. However, no gender differences were observed for state anxiety, as assessed using experience-sampling methods while students took a math test (Study 1) and attended math classes (Study 2). The discrepant findings for trait versus state math anxiety were partly accounted for by students' beliefs about their competence in mathematics, with female students reporting lower perceived competence than male students despite having the same average grades in math. Implications for educational practices and the assessment of anxiety are discussed.

Evidence of Middle School Science Assessment Practice from Classroom-Based Portfolios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloser, Matthew; Borko, Hilda; Martinez, Jose Felipe; Stecher, Brian; Luskin, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Assessments are powerful tools for informing teachers and students about where student thinking stands with relation to a learning goal. Yet, few studies provide qualitative analyses of assessment practice across a unit. This study uses a framework of nine dimensions of effective assessment practice in science classrooms to compare more and less…

Contradictory Explorative Assessment. Multimodal Teacher/Student Interaction in Scandinavian Digital Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kjällander, Susanne

2018-01-01

Assessment in the much-discussed digital divide in Scandinavian technologically advanced schools, is the study object of this article. Interaction is studied to understand assessment; and to see how assessment can be didactically designed to recognise students' learning. With a multimodal, design theoretical perspective on learning teachers' and…

Assessment Criteria for Competency-Based Education: A Study in Nursing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fastré, Greet M. J.; van der Klink, Marcel R.; Amsing-Smit, Pauline; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J.

2014-01-01

This study examined the effects of type of assessment criteria (performance-based vs. competency-based), the relevance of assessment criteria (relevant criteria vs. all criteria), and their interaction on secondary vocational education students' performance and assessment skills. Students on three programmes in the domain of nursing and care…

The Use of Rubrics for Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheyney, Donald A.

2010-01-01

Rubrics are a means to communicate the standards or criteria of an assignment and to assess student work formatively or summatively by faculty, peer, and/or self. Given that assessment is a necessary and mandated component of education, this study sought to summarize what is known about rubrics as an assessment tool for student learning. In this…

Teachers' Attitudes toward Assessment of Student Learning and Teacher Assessment Practices in General Educational Institutions: The Case of Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitiashvili, Anastasia

2014-01-01

The aim of this article is to study teachers' attitudes toward assessment of students' learning and their assessment practices in Georgia's general educational institutions. Georgia is a country in the South Caucasus with a population of 4.5 million people, with 2300 general educational institutions and about 559,400 students. The research…

International Students' Satisfaction: Assessing the Determinants of Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asare-Nuamah, Peter

2017-01-01

Studies have shown that students' satisfaction is an important element that should be given much attention by educators in their policymaking. Students' satisfaction has impact on retention and financial capacity of institutions. With the objective of assessing the factors affecting international students' satisfaction, a descriptive research was…

Improving Evaluation of Dental Hygiene Students' Cultural Competence with a Mixed-Methods Approach.

PubMed

Flynn, Priscilla; Sarkarati, Nassim

2018-02-01

Most dental hygiene educational programs include cultural competence education, but may not evaluate student outcomes. The aim of this study was to design and implement a mixed-methods evaluation to measure dental hygiene students' progression toward cultural competence. Two cohorts consisting of consecutive classes in one U.S. dental hygiene program participated in the study. A total of 47 dental hygiene students (100% response rate) completed self-assessments to measure their attitudes and knowledge at three time points between 2014 and 2016. Mean scores were calculated for three domains: Physical Environment, Communication, and Values. Qualitative analysis of the students' cultural diversity papers was also conducted to further evaluate students' knowledge and skills. Bennett's five-level conceptual framework was used to code phrases or sentences to place students in the general categories of ethnocentric or ethno-relative. The quantitative and qualitative results yielded different outcomes for Cohort 1, but not for Cohort 2. The Cohort 1 students assessed themselves statistically significantly lower over time in one of the three measured domains. However, the Cohort 2 students assessed themselves as statistically significantly more culturally competent in all three domains. Qualitative results placed 72% of Cohort 1 students and 83% of Cohort 2 students in the more desirable ethno-relative category. Since quantitative methods consisting of student self-assessments may not adequately measure students' cultural competence, adding qualitative methods to measure skills specific to patient care in this study added a robust dimension to evaluating this complex dental hygiene student competence.

Student Choice and Higher-Order Thinking: Using a Novel Flexible Assessment Regime Combined with Critical Thinking Activities to Encourage the Development of Higher Order Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pretorius, Lynette; van Mourik, Greg P.; Barratt, Catherine

2017-01-01

Flexibility in assessment is usually achieved by giving students choice over the assessment weighting, type or format, the timing, the criteria, or the overall assessment result. This study, however, demonstrates the development of a flexible assessment regime where students were given the choice to invest in within-semester tasks designed to…

Improving Pharmacy Student Communication Outcomes Using Standardized Patients.

PubMed

Gillette, Chris; Rudolph, Michael; Rockich-Winston, Nicole; Stanton, Robert; Anderson, H Glenn

2017-08-01

Objective. To examine whether standardized patient encounters led to an improvement in a student pharmacist-patient communication assessment compared to traditional active-learning activities within a classroom setting. Methods. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with second-year pharmacy students in a drug information and communication skills course. Student patient communication skills were assessed using high-stakes communication assessment. Results. Two hundred and twenty students' data were included. Students were significantly more likely to have higher scores on the communication assessment when they had higher undergraduate GPAs, were female, and taught using standardized patients. Similarly, students were significantly more likely to pass the assessment on the first attempt when they were female and when they were taught using standardized patients. Conclusion. Incorporating standardized patients within a communication course resulted in improved scores as well as first-time pass rates on a communication assessment than when using different methods of active learning.

Developing learning community model with soft skill integration for the building engineering apprenticeship programme in vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutrisno, Dardiri, Ahmad; Sugandi, R. Machmud

2017-09-01

This study aimed to address the procedure, effectiveness, and problems in the implementation of learning model for Building Engineering Apprenticeship Training Programme. This study was carried out through survey method and experiment. The data were collected using questionnaire, test, and assessment sheet. The collected data were examined through description, t-test, and covariance analysis. The results of the study showed that (1) the model's procedure covered preparation course, readiness assessment, assignment distribution, handing over students to apprenticeship instructors, task completion, assisting, field assessment, report writing, and follow-up examination, (2) the Learning Community model could significantly improve students' active learning, but not improve students' hard skills and soft skills, and (3) the problems emerging in the implementation of the model were (1) students' difficulties in finding apprenticeship places and qualified instructors, and asking for relevant tasks, (2) teachers' difficulties in determining relevant tasks and monitoring students, and (3) apprenticeship instructors' difficulties in assigning, monitoring, and assessing students.

Assessing the Emotional Intelligence of Gifted and Talented Adolescent Students in the Kingdom of Bahrain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Hamdan, Najat Sulaiman; Al-Jasim, Fatima Ahmed; Abdulla, Ahmed M.

2017-01-01

This study assessed the differences in the emotional intelligence of gifted adolescent students and talented adolescent students in Bahrain. The sample consisted of 80 gifted adolescent students and 80 talented adolescent students in Grades 9 through 12. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicates that there were significant differences…

Student-Teacher Racial Match and Its Association with Black Student Achievement: An Exploration Using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yarnell, Lisa M.; Bohrnstedt, George W.

2018-01-01

This study examines student-teacher "racial match" for its association with Black student achievement. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to analyze 2013 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 4 Reading Assessment data to examine interactions of teacher race and student race in their associations with…

The Role of the Senior Student Affairs Officer in Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Assessment: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridgeway, Lindsey McKinney

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to examine the role of the senior student affairs officer (SSAO) in promoting assessment practice within the Division of Student Life at Randal University. A qualitative, single-case study research design was employed to conduct this study. The case for this investigation was the Vice President for Student…

Student explanations of their science teachers' assessments, grading practices and how they learn science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Carmen Gomez, María

2018-03-01

The current paper draws on data generated through group interviews with students who were involved in a larger ethnographic research project performed in three science classrooms. The purpose of the study from which this data was generated, was to understand science teachers' assessment practices in an upper-secondary school in Sweden. During group interviews students were asked about their conceptions of what were the assessment priority of teachers, why the students were silent during lecturing and their experiences regarding peer- and self-assessments. The research design and analysis of the findings derives from what students told us about their assessments and learning sciences experiences. Students related that besides the results of the written test, they do not know what else teachers assessed and used to determine their grades. It was also found that students did not participate in the discussion on science because of peer-pressure and a fear of disappointing their peers. Student silence is also linked with student conceptions of science learning and student experiences with methodologies of teaching and learning sciences.

Can podcasts for assessment guidance and feedback promote self-efficacy among undergraduate nursing students? A qualitative study.

PubMed

McSwiggan, Linda C; Campbell, Maureen

2017-02-01

Improving assessment guidance and feedback for students has become an international priority within higher education. Podcasts have been proposed as a tool for enhancing teaching, learning and assessment. However, a stronger theory-based rationale for using podcasts, particularly as a means of facilitating assessment guidance and feedback, is required. To explore students' experiences of using podcasts for assessment guidance and feedback. To consider how these podcasts shaped beliefs about their ability to successfully engage with, and act on, assessment guidance and feedback Design Exploratory qualitative study. Setting Higher education institution in North-East Scotland. Participants Eighteen third year undergraduate nursing students who had utilised podcasts for assessment guidance and feedback within their current programme of study. Participants took part in one of four focus groups, conducted between July and September 2013. Purposive sampling was utilised to recruit participants of different ages, gender, levels of self-assessed information technology skills and levels of academic achievement. Data analysis was guided by the framework approach. Thematic analysis highlighted similarities and differences in terms of students' experiences of using podcasts for assessment guidance and feedback. Further analysis revealed that Self-Efficacy Theory provided deeper theoretical insights into how the content, structure and delivery of podcasts can be shaped to promote more successful engagement with assessment guidance and feedback from students. The structured, logical approach of assessment guidance podcasts appeared to strengthen self-efficacy by providing readily accessible support and by helping students convert intentions into action. Students with high self-efficacy in relation to tasks associated with assessment were more likely to engage with feedback, whereas those with low self-efficacy tended to overlook opportunities to access feedback due to feelings of helplessness and futility. Adopting well-structured podcasts as an educational tool, based around the four major sources of information (performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological and emotional states), has potential to promote self efficacy for individuals, as well as groups of students, in terms of assessment guidance and feedback. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making the grade in a portfolio-based system: student performance and the student perspective.

PubMed

Nowacki, Amy S

2013-01-01

Assessment is such an integral part of the educational system that we rarely reflect on its value and impact. Portfolios have gained in popularity, but much attention has emphasized the end-user and portfolio assessment. Here we focus on the portfolio creator (the student) and examine whether their educational needs are met with such an assessment method. This study aims to investigate how assessment practices influence classroom performance and the learning experience of the student in a graduate education setting. Studied were 33 medical students at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, a program utilizing a portfolio-based system. The students may elect to simultaneously enroll in a Masters program; however, these programs employ traditional letter grades. Thus creating a unique opportunity to assess 25 portfolio only (P) students and 8 portfolio and grade (PG) students concurrently taking a course that counts for both programs. Classroom performance was measured via a comprehensive evaluation where the PG students scored modestly better (median total scores, 72% P vs. 76% PG). Additionally, a survey was conducted to gain insight into student's perspective on how assessment method impacts the learning experience. The students in the PG group (those receiving a grade) reported increased stress but greater affirmation and self-assurance regarding their knowledge and skill mastery. Incorporation of such affirmation remains a challenge for portfolio-based systems and an area for investigation and improvement.

Evaluation of students' perception of their learning environment and approaches to learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Cheng, Ming

2015-04-01

This work presents the results of two case studies designed to assess the various approaches undergraduate and postgraduate students undertake for their education. The first study describes the results and evaluation of an undergraduate course in Water Engineering which aims to develop the fundamental background knowledge of students on introductory practical applications relevant to the practice of water and hydraulic engineering. The study assesses the effectiveness of the course design and learning environment from the perception of students using a questionnaire addressing several aspects that may affect student learning, performance and satisfaction, such as students' motivation, factors to effective learning, and methods of communication and assessment. The second study investigates the effectiveness of supervisory arrangements based on the perceptions of engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students. Effective supervision requires leadership skills that are not taught in the University, yet there is rarely a chance to get feedback, evaluate this process and reflect. Even though the results are very encouraging there are significant lessons to learn in improving ones practice and develop an effective learning environment to student support and guidance. The findings from these studies suggest that students with high level of intrinsic motivation are deep learners and are also top performers in a student-centered learning environment. A supportive teaching environment with a plethora of resources and feedback made available over different platforms that address students need for direct communication and feedback has the potential to improve student satisfaction and their learning experience. Finally, incorporating a multitude of assessment methods is also important in promoting deep learning. These results have deep implications about student learning and can be used to further improve course design and delivery in the future.

Influences of OSCE design on students' diagnostic reasoning.

PubMed

Lafleur, Alexandre; Côté, Luc; Leppink, Jimmie

2015-02-01

Some characteristics of assessments exert a strong influence on how students study. Understanding these pre-assessment learning effects is of key importance to the designing of medical assessments that foster students' reasoning abilities. Perceptions of the task demands of an assessment significantly influence students' cognitive processes. However, why and how certain tasks positively 'drive' learning remain unknown. Medical tasks can be assessed as coherent meaningful whole tasks (e.g. examining a patient based on his complaint to find the diagnosis) or can be divided into simpler part tasks (e.g. demonstrating the physical examination of a pre-specified disease). Comparing the benefits of whole-task and part-task assessments in a randomised controlled experiment could guide the design of 'assessments for learning'. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the knowledge that an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) will contain whole tasks, as opposed to part tasks, increases the use of diagnostic reasoning by medical students when they study for this assessment. In this randomised, controlled, mixed-methods experiment, 40 medical students were randomly paired and filmed while studying together for two imminent physical examination OSCE stations. Each 25-minute study period began with video cues and ended with a questionnaire on cognitive loads. Cues disclosed either a part-task OSCE station (examination of a healthy patient) or a whole-task OSCE station (hypothesis-driven physical examination [HDPE]). In a crossover design, sequences were randomised for both task and content (shoulder or spine). Two blinded and independent authors scored all 40 videos in distinct randomised orders, listening to participants studying freely. Mentioning a diagnosis in association with a sign was scored as a backward association, and the opposite was scored as a forward association; both revealed the use of diagnostic reasoning. Qualitative data were obtained through group interviews. Studying for whole-task OSCE stations resulted in a greater use of diagnostic reasoning. Qualitative data triangulate these findings and show the precedence of cues sourced from the 'student grapevine'. In comparison with 'traditional' part-task OSCEs, whole-task OSCEs like the HDPE increase students' use of diagnostic reasoning during study time. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of critical thinking: a Delphi study.

PubMed

Paul, Sheila A

2014-11-01

Nurse educators are responsible for preparing nurses who critically analyze patient information and provide meaningful interventions in today's complex health care system. By using the Delphi research method, this study, utilized the specialized and experiential knowledge of Certified Nurse Educators. This original Delphi research study asked Certified Nurse Educators how to assess the critical-thinking ability of nursing students in the clinical setting. The results showed that nurse educators need time, during the clinical experience, to accurately assess each individual nursing student. This study demonstrated the need for extended student clinical time, and a variety of clinical learning assessment tools. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dental Hygiene Students' Self-Assessment of Ergonomics Utilizing Photography.

PubMed

Partido, Brian B

2017-10-01

Due to postural demands, dental professionals are at high risk for developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Dental clinicians' lack of ergonomic awareness may impede the clinical application of recommendations to improve their posture. The aim of this study was to determine whether feedback involving photography and self-assessment would improve dental hygiene students' ergonomic scores and accuracy of their ergonomic self-assessments. The study involved a randomized control design and used a convenience sample of all 32 junior-year dental hygiene students enrolled in the autumn 2016 term in The Ohio State University baccalaureate dental hygiene program. Sixteen students were randomly assigned to each of two groups (control and training). At weeks one and four, all participants were photographed and completed ergonomic self-evaluations using the Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI). During weeks two and three, participants in the training group were photographed again and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' pre-training and post-training photographs were given ergonomic scores by three raters. Students' self-assessments in the control group and faculty evaluations of the training group showed significant improvement in scores over time (F(1,60)=4.25, p<0.05). In addition, the accuracy of self-assessment significantly improved for students in the training group (F(1,30)=8.29, p<0.01). In this study, dental hygiene students' self-assessments using photographs resulted in improvements in their ergonomic scores and increased accuracy of their ergonomic self-assessments. Any improvement in ergonomic score or awareness can help reduce the risks for WMSDs, especially among dental clinicians.

Effect of handoff skills training for students during the medicine clerkship: a quasi-randomized study.

PubMed

Reyes, Juan A; Greenberg, Larrie; Amdur, Richard; Gehring, James; Lesky, Linda G

2016-03-01

Continuity is critical for safe patient care and its absence is associated with adverse outcomes. Continuity requires handoffs between physicians, but most published studies of educational interventions to improve handoffs have focused primarily on residents, despite interns expected to being proficient. The AAMC core entrustable activities for graduating medical students includes handoffs as a milestone, but no controlled studies with students have assessed the impact of training in handoff skills. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an educational intervention to improve third-year medical student handoff skills, the durability of learned skills into the fourth year, and the transfer of skills from the simulated setting to the clinical environment. Trained evaluators used standardized patient cases and an observation tool to assess verbal handoff skills immediately post intervention and during the student's fourth-year acting internship. Students were also observed doing real time sign-outs during their acting internship. Evaluators assessed untrained control students using a standardized case and performing a real-time sign-out. Intervention students mean score demonstrated improvement in handoff skills immediately after the workshop (2.6-3.8; p < 0.0001) that persisted into their fourth year acting internship when compared to baseline performance (3.9-3.5; p = 0.06) and to untrained control students (3.5 vs. 2.5; p < 0.001, d = 1.2). Intervention students evaluated in the clinical setting also scored higher than control students when assessed doing real-time handoffs (3.8 vs. 3.3; p = 0.032, d = 0.71). These findings should be useful to others considering introducing handoff teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum in preparation for post-graduate medical training. Trial Registration Number NCT02217241.

Exploring Alignment among Learning Progressions, Teacher-Designed Formative Assessment Tasks, and Student Growth: Results of a Four-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furtak, Erin Marie; Circi, Ruhan; Heredia, Sara C.

2018-01-01

This article describes a 4-year study of experienced high school biology teachers' participation in a five-step professional development experience in which they iteratively studied student ideas with the support of a set of learning progressions, designed formative assessment activities, practiced using those activities with their students,…

The Effect of Classroom Performance Assessment on EFL Students' Basic and Inferential Reading Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Koumy, Abdel Salam Abdel Khalek

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of classroom performance assessment on the EFL students' basic and inferential reading skills. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed in the study. The subjects of the study consisted of 64 first-year secondary school students in Menouf Secondary School for Boys at Menoufya…

The Impact of Students' Working Status on Academic Progress: Assessing the Implications of Policy Change in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katsikas, Elias

2013-01-01

The study examines whether the reduction in the timeframe for the completion of university studies in Greece will affect students of different socio-economic background disproportionally. To this intent, it assesses the influence of the status of students, defined as working and non-working, on the duration of studies but the relevance of other…

Engagement in Science Lessons and Achievement Test Scores of Eighth-Grade Students in Korea: Findings from the TIMSS 2011 Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, J. Daniel; Telese, James A.

2015-01-01

Scientific literacy and student engagement in science are important components of the school curriculum in Korea. In addition, several studies from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments have identified factors associated with the learning outcomes of students in Korea. The purpose of this study was to…

Failing Safely: Increasing Theology and Religious Studies Students' Resilience and Academic Confidence via Risk-Taking in Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornwall, Susannah

2018-01-01

Students increasingly appear anxious, risk-averse, and worried about getting things "wrong." They may appear to lack intellectual curiosity, and be unwilling to engage in independent study. This essay explores how teaching and assessment in theology and religious studies might help students learn to take intellectual risks, and increase…

Secondary Students' Writing Achievement Goals: Assessing the Mediating Effects of Mastery and Performance Goals on Writing Self-Efficacy, Affect, and Writing Achievement

PubMed Central

Yilmaz Soylu, Meryem; Zeleny, Mary G.; Zhao, Ruomeng; Bruning, Roger H.; Dempsey, Michael S.; Kauffman, Douglas F.

2017-01-01

The two studies reported here explored the factor structure of the newly constructed Writing Achievement Goal Scale (WAGS), and examined relationships among secondary students' writing achievement goals, writing self-efficacy, affect for writing, and writing achievement. In the first study, 697 middle school students completed the WAGS. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit for this data with a three-factor model that corresponds with mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance goals. The results of Study 1 were an indication for the researchers to move forward with Study 2, which included 563 high school students. The secondary students completed the WAGS, as well as the Self-efficacy for Writing Scale, and the Liking Writing Scale. Students also self-reported grades for writing and for language arts courses. Approximately 6 weeks later, students completed a statewide writing assessment. We tested a theoretical model representing relationships among Study 2 variables using structural equation modeling including students' responses to the study scales and students' scores on the statewide assessment. Results from Study 2 revealed a good fit between a model depicting proposed relationships among the constructs and the data. Findings are discussed relative to achievement goal theory and writing. PMID:28878707

Assessing clinical competency in the health sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panzarella, Karen Joanne

To test the success of integrated curricula in schools of health sciences, meaningful measurements of student performance are required to assess clinical competency. This research project analyzed a new performance assessment tool, the Integrated Standardized Patient Examination (ISPE), for assessing clinical competency: specifically, to assess Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' clinical competence as the ability to integrate basic science knowledge with clinical communication skills. Thirty-four DPT students performed two ISPE cases, one of a patient who sustained a stroke and the other a patient with a herniated lumbar disc. Cases were portrayed by standardized patients (SPs) in a simulated clinical setting. Each case was scored by an expert evaluator in the exam room and then by one investigator and the students themselves via videotape. The SPs scored each student on an overall encounter rubric. Written feedback was obtained from all participants in the study. Acceptable reliability was demonstrated via inter-rater agreement as well as inter-rater correlations on items that used a dichotomous scale, whereas the items requiring the use of the 4-point rubric were somewhat less reliable. For the entire scale both cases had a significant correlation between the Expert-Investigator pair of raters, for the CVA case r = .547, p < .05 and for the HD case r = .700, p < .01. The SPs scored students higher than the other raters. Students' self-assessments were most closely aligned with the investigator. Effects were apparent due to case. Content validity was gathered in the process of developing cases and patient scenarios that were used in this study. Construct validity was obtained from the survey results analyzed from the experts and students. Future studies should examine the effect of rater training upon the reliability. Criterion or predictive validity could be further studied by comparing students' performances on the ISPE with other independent estimates of students' competence. The unique integration questions of the ISPE were judged to have good content validity from experts and students, suggestive that integration, a most crucial element of clinical competence, while done in the mind of the student, can be practiced, learned and assessed.

Physiotherapy Student Clinical Examinations: The Influence of Subjective Judgments on Observational Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Helen A.

1996-01-01

A study investigated the role of subjective assessment in the evaluation of physiotherapy students in clinical programs. Clinical teachers, visiting lecturers, and students recorded perceptions of daily events and interactions in journals. Analysis suggests that assessors make subjective judgments about students that influence grades, and…

Geography Students Assess Their Learning Using Computer-Marked Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogg, Jim

1997-01-01

Reports on a pilot study designed to assess the potential of computer-marked tests for allowing students to monitor their learning. Students' answers to multiple choice tests were fed into a computer that provided a full analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Students responded favorably to the feedback. (MJP)

An Assessment of Reading Compliance Decisions among Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Amit; Van Hoof, Bert; Pursel, Barton

2013-01-01

Research suggests that reading compliance among undergraduate students is low. This study assesses the factors that influence students' decisions to comply with their assigned course readings using two theoretical underpinnings: students' self-rationing ability of time and construal effects on their decision process. Data collected through focus…

Impact of Computerized Student Information System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San Diego Community Coll. District, CA. Research Office.

A two-part study was conducted by the San Diego Community College District to assess the post-automation impact of the Student Information System (SIS) on the cost of providing student services. The study first determined the service areas most affected by the SIS and then assessed the savings potential of automation by: (1) interviewing personnel…

Adult Students' Perceptions of Automated Writing Assessment Software: Does It Foster Engagement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaGuerre, Joselle L.

2013-01-01

Generally, this descriptive study endeavored to include the voice of adult learners to the scholarly body of research regarding automated writing assessment tools (AWATs). Specifically, the study sought to determine the extent to which students perceive that the AWAT named Criterion fosters learning and if students' opinions differ depending on…

Assessing Student Learning in the Major Field of Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volkwein, J. Fredericks

2010-01-01

Assessing student attainment in the major field of study is increasingly important to employers and accrediting bodies alike. Construction and manufacturing firms do not like engineers who design faulty bridges and airplanes. Marketing firms want to hire students who understand the difference between a niche market and a global market. School…

A Study of Perceptional Typologies on Computer Based Assessment (CBA): Instructor and Student Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jin-Young

2015-01-01

This study explores and describes different viewpoints on Computer Based Assessment (CBA) by using Q methodology to identify perspectives of students and instructors and classify these into perceptional typologies. Thirty undergraduate students taking CBA courses and fifteen instructors adopting CBA into their curriculum at a university in Korea,…

Student Teachers' Views about Assessment and Evaluation Methods in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Mustafa

2011-01-01

This study aimed to find out assessment and evaluation approaches in a Mathematics Teacher Training Department based on the views and experiences of student teachers. The study used a descriptive survey method, with the research sample consisting of 150 third- and fourth-year Primary Mathematics student teachers. Data were collected using a…

Direct assessment as a measure of institutional effectiveness in a dental hygiene distance education program.

PubMed

Olmsted, Jodi L

2014-10-01

This ten-year, longitudinal examination of a dental hygiene distance education (DE) program considered student performance on standard benchmark assessments as direct measures of institutional effectiveness. The aim of the study was to determine if students face-to-face in a classroom with an instructor performed differently from their counterparts in a DE program, taking courses through the alternative delivery system of synchronous interactive television (ITV). This study used students' grade point averages and National Board Dental Hygiene Examination scores to assess the impact of ITV on student learning, filling a crucial gap in current evidence. The study's research population consisted of 189 students who graduated from one dental hygiene program between 1997 and 2006. One hundred percent of the institution's data files for these students were used: 117 students were face-to-face with the instructor, and seventy-two received instruction through the ITV system. The results showed that, from a year-by-year perspective, no statistically significant performance differences were apparent between the two student groups when t-tests were used for data analysis. The DE system examined was considered effective for delivering education if similar performance outcomes were the evaluation criteria used for assessment.

A Review of Solution Chemistry Studies: Insights into Students' Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calyk, Muammer; Ayas, Alipa; Ebenezer, Jazlin V.

2005-01-01

This study has reviewed the last two decades of student conception research in solution chemistry pertaining to aims, methods of exploring students' conception, general knowledge claims, students' conceptions and difficulties, and conceptual change studies. The aims of solution chemistry studies have been to assess students' understanding level of…

Underserved Students Who Earn Credit through Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Have Higher Degree Completion Rates and Shorter Time-to-Degree. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein-Collins, Rebecca

2011-01-01

In 2010, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) released a report on a multi-institutional study on prior learning assessment (PLA) and adult student outcomes. The study examined data from 62,475 adult students at 48 colleges and universities, following the students' academic progress over the course of seven years. The data from…

Student Attainment in Connected Mathematics Curriculum [and] Effects of the Connected Mathematics Project on Student Achievement. What Works Clearinghouse Detailed Study Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2004

2004-01-01

In this study, Ridgway et al. found mixed results, depending on the assessment test used. With the Balanced Assessment (BA) test, positive significant differences were found between the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) students and non-CMP students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The results for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were less favorable…

Student Attainment in Connected Mathematics Curriculum [and] Effects of the Connected Mathematics Project on Student Achievement. What Works Clearinghouse Brief Study Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2004

2004-01-01

In this study, Ridgway et al. found mixed results, depending on the assessment test used. With the Balanced Assessment (BA) test, positive significant differences were found between the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) students and non-CMP students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The results for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were less favorable…

Large-Scale Assessment of Change in Student Achievement: Dutch Primary School Students' Results on Written Division in 1997 and 2004 as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Marja; Robitzsch, Alexander; Treffers, Adri; Koller, Olaf

2009-01-01

This article discusses large-scale assessment of change in student achievement and takes the study by Hickendorff, Heiser, Van Putten, and Verhelst (2009) as an example. This study compared the achievement of students in the Netherlands in 1997 and 2004 on written division problems. Based on this comparison, they claim that there is a performance…

Development of an Electronic Role-Play Assessment Initiative in Bioscience for Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craft, Judy; Ainscough, Louise

2015-01-01

Devising authentic assessments for subjects with large enrolments is a challenge. This study describes an electronic role-play assessment for approximately 600 first-year nursing students to learn and apply pathophysiology (bioscience) concepts to nursing practice. Students used Microsoft Office PowerPoint[R] to prepare electronic role-plays both…

Canonical Correlational Models of Students' Perceptions of Assessment Tasks, Motivational Orientations, and Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkharusi, Hussain

2013-01-01

The present study aims at deriving correlational models of students' perceptions of assessment tasks, motivational orientations, and learning strategies using canonical analyses. Data were collected from 198 Omani tenth grade students. Results showed that high degrees of authenticity and transparency in assessment were associated with positive…

Performance of Students with Visual Impairments on High-Stakes Tests: A Pennsylvania Report Card

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Lynn A.

2012-01-01

Students with disabilities participate in high-stakes assessments to meet NCLB's newer proficiency standards. This study explored performance in reading and math on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), Pennsylvania's grade-level assessment, to provide a foundational baseline on performance and accommodations used by students with…

Outcomes of Synergetic Peer Assessment: First-Year Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgson, Paula; Chan, Kitty; Liu, Justina

2014-01-01

Active participation in learning activities and reviewing assessment activity can facilitate learners engaged in these processes. This case study reports student experiences of the process of peer assessment with teacher guidance in a group project for a first-year nursing course with 153 students. Twenty groups of students were assigned roles in…

The Mechanism of Impact of Summative Assessment on Medical Students' Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cilliers, Francois J.; Schuwirth, Lambert W.; Adendorff, Hanelie J.; Herman, Nicoline; van der Vleuten, Cees P.

2010-01-01

It has become axiomatic that assessment impacts powerfully on student learning, but there is a surprising dearth of research on how. This study explored the mechanism of impact of summative assessment on the process of learning of theory in higher education. Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with medical students and analyzed…

Using Assessments to Investigate and Compare the Nature of Learning in Undergraduate Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Momsen, Jennifer; Offerdahl, Erika; Kryjevskaia, Mila; Montplaisir, Lisa; Anderson, Elizabeth; Grosz, Nate

2013-01-01

Assessments and student expectations can drive learning: students selectively study and learn the content and skills they believe critical to passing an exam in a given subject. Evaluating the nature of assessments in undergraduate science education can, therefore, provide substantial insight into student learning. We characterized and compared…

Teacher Compliance and Accuracy in State Assessment of Student Motor Skill Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Tina J.; Hicklin, Lori K.; French, Karen E.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher compliance with state mandated assessment protocols and teacher accuracy in assessing student motor skill performance. Method: Middle school teachers (N = 116) submitted eighth grade student motor skill performance data from 318 physical education classes to a trained monitoring…

The Effects of Portfolio Assessment on Writing of EFL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nezakatgoo, Behzad

2011-01-01

The primary focus of this study was to determine the effect of portfolio assessment on final examination scores of EFL students' writing skill. To determine the impact of portfolio-based writing assessment 40 university students who enrolled in composition course were initially selected and divided randomly into two experimental and control…

A Needs Assessment, Development, and Formative Evaluation of a Health Promotion Smartphone Application for College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Tiffany; Chandler, Laura; Mouttapa, Michele

2015-01-01

Background: Approximately half of college students who completed the National College Health Assessment 2013 indicated a greater need for health-related information. University-based smartphone applications may help students better access this information. Purpose: This study describes the needs assessment, development, and formative evaluation of…

A Comparison of Self versus Tutor Assessment among Hungarian Undergraduate Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kun, András István

2016-01-01

This study analyses the self-assessment behaviour and efficiency of 163 undergraduate business students from Hungary. Using various statistical methods, the results support the hypothesis that high-achieving students are more accurate in their pre- and post-examination self-assessments, and also less likely to overestimate their performance, and,…

Assessment Methodology in Technical Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fogle, Ty; Insabella, Mary

2004-01-01

Columbus State Community College is committed to assessment (measurement) of student achievement of academic outcomes. This process addresses the issues of what each student needs to learn in his or her program of study and if each student is learning what they need to learn. The assessment program at Columbus State Community College has four…

Influence of Strategies-Based Feedback in Students' Oral Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sisquiarco, Angie; Rojas, Santiago Sánchez; Abad, José Vicente

2018-01-01

This article reports on an action research study that assessed the influence of cognitive and metacognitive strategies-based feedback in the oral performance of a group of 6th grade students at a public school in Medellin, Colombia. Researchers analyzed students' oral performance through assessment and self-assessment rubrics, applied inventories…

On-Line vs. Face-to-Face Delivery of Information Technology Courses: Students' Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Hazem; Kirgis, Lauren; Verkamp, Brian; Johnson, Lawrence

2015-01-01

This paper investigates students' assessment of on-line vs face-to-face delivery of lecture-based information technology courses. The study used end-of-course surveys to examine students' ratings of five course quality indicators: Course Organization, Assessment and Grading Procedures, Instructor Performance, Positive Learning Experience, and…

A Chinese EFL Teacher's Classroom Assessment Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xiaoying

2017-01-01

This article reports on a case study of how an experienced EFL teacher assessed her students in her oral English course at a university in China. Data were collected over one semester through document analysis, classroom observation and recording, interviews, and student journals. Analysis revealed that the teacher assessed her students through…

Blogging to Learn: Educational Blogs and U.S. History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manfra, Meghan McGlinn; Gray, George E., Jr.; Lee, John K.

2010-01-01

Social studies teachers assess their students in a number of ways. Among these are formative assessments, authentic assessments, and summative low-level multiple-choice tests. Working with two classrooms of low-achieving U.S. history students, the authors compared student experiences in traditional units to those in units that integrated an…

Assessing Learning in Service-Learning Courses through Critical Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molee, Lenore M.; Henry, Mary E.; Sessa, Valerie I.; McKinney-Prupis, Erin R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe and examine a model for assessing student learning through reflection in service-learning courses. This model utilized a course-embedded process to frame, facilitate, support, and assess students' depth of learning and critical thinking. Student reflection products in two service-learning courses (a…

Examining Student Heuristic Usage in a Hydrogen Bonding Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kathryn; Kim, Thomas

2017-01-01

This study investigates the role of representational competence in student responses to an assessment of hydrogen bonding. The assessment couples the use of a multiple-select item ("Choose all that apply") with an open-ended item to allow for an examination of students' cognitive processes as they relate to the assignment of hydrogen…

Primary School Students' Attitudes towards Computer Based Testing and Assessment in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurdabakan, Irfan; Uzunkavak, Cicek

2012-01-01

This study investigated the attitudes of primary school students towards computer based testing and assessment in terms of different variables. The sample for this research is primary school students attending a computer based testing and assessment application via CITO-OIS. The "Scale on Attitudes towards Computer Based Testing and…

Online system for knowledge assessment enhances students' results on school knowledge test.

PubMed

Kralj, Benjamin; Glazar, Sasa Aleksej

2013-01-01

Variety of online tools were built to help assessing students' performance in school. Many teachers changed their methods of assessment from paper-and-pencil (P&P) to online systems. In this study we analyse the influence that using an online system for knowledge assessment has on students' knowledge. Based on both a literature study and our own research we designed and built an online system for knowledge assessment. The system is evaluated using two groups of primary school teachers and students (N = 686) in Slovenia: an experimental and a control group. Students solved P&P exams on several occasions. The experimental group was allowed to access the system either at school or at home for a limited period during the presentation of a selected school topic. Students in the experimental group were able to solve tasks and compare their own achievements with those of their coevals. A comparison of the P&P school exams results achieved by both groups revealed a positive effect on subject topic comprehension for those with access to the online self-assessment system.

Preservice music teachers' predictions, perceptions, and assessment of students with special needs: the need for training in student assessment.

PubMed

VanWeelden, Kimberly; Whipple, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine preservice teachers' predictions and perceptions of students with special needs' levels of mastery of specific music education concepts and actual grades achieved by these students using alternative assessments and testing accommodations within two subpopulations: students with emotional and/or behavior disorders (EDBD) and students with acute cognitive delays (ACD). The preservice teachers predicted students within the EDBD class would achieve a significantly higher level of mastery of the music concepts than students within the ACD classroom. After the field experience, however, the preservice teachers' perceptions of all students' levels of mastery increased from prediction scores overall. Additionally, preservice teachers were able to execute testing accommodations and implement successful alternative assessments which gave empirical data on the students' levels of mastery of the music education concepts within the curriculum. Implications for music therapists, as consultants in special education, are discussed.

Task Demands in OSCEs Influence Learning Strategies.

PubMed

Lafleur, Alexandre; Laflamme, Jonathan; Leppink, Jimmie; Côté, Luc

2017-01-01

Models on pre-assessment learning effects confirmed that task demands stand out among the factors assessors can modify in an assessment to influence learning. However, little is known about which tasks in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) improve students' cognitive and metacognitive processes. Research is needed to support OSCE designs that benefit students' metacognitive strategies when they are studying, reinforcing a hypothesis-driven approach. With that intent, hypothesis-driven physical examination (HDPE) assessments ask students to elicit and interpret findings of the physical exam to reach a diagnosis ("Examine this patient with a painful shoulder to reach a diagnosis"). When studying for HDPE, students will dedicate more time to hypothesis-driven discussions and practice than when studying for a part-task OSCE ("Perform the shoulder exam"). It is expected that the whole-task nature of HDPE will lead to a hypothesis-oriented use of the learning resources, a frequent use of adjustment strategies, and persistence with learning. In a mixed-methods study, 40 medical students were randomly paired and filmed while studying together for two hypothetical OSCE stations. Each 25-min study period began with video cues asking to study for either a part-task OSCE or an HDPE. In a crossover design, sequences were randomized for OSCEs and contents (shoulder or spine). Time-on-task for discussions or practice were categorized as "hypothesis-driven" or "sequence of signs and maneuvers." Content analysis of focus group interviews summarized students' perception of learning resources, adjustment strategies, and persistence with learning. When studying for HDPE, students allocate significantly more time for hypothesis-driven discussions and practice. Students use resources contrasting diagnoses and report persistence with learning. When studying for part-task OSCEs, time-on-task is reversed, spent on rehearsing a sequence of signs and maneuvers. OSCEs with similar contents but different task demands lead to opposite learning strategies regarding how students manage their study time. Measuring pre-assessment effects from a metacognitive perspective provides empirical evidence to redesign assessments for learning.

A Mixed-Methods Analysis in Assessing Students' Professional Development by Applying an Assessment for Learning Approach.

PubMed

Peeters, Michael J; Vaidya, Varun A

2016-06-25

Objective. To describe an approach for assessing the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) Standard 4.4, which focuses on students' professional development. Methods. This investigation used mixed methods with triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data to assess professional development. Qualitative data came from an electronic developmental portfolio of professionalism and ethics, completed by PharmD students during their didactic studies. Quantitative confirmation came from the Defining Issues Test (DIT)-an assessment of pharmacists' professional development. Results. Qualitatively, students' development reflections described growth through this course series. Quantitatively, the 2015 PharmD class's DIT N2-scores illustrated positive development overall; the lower 50% had a large initial improvement compared to the upper 50%. Subsequently, the 2016 PharmD class confirmed these average initial improvements of students and also showed further substantial development among students thereafter. Conclusion. Applying an assessment for learning approach, triangulation of qualitative and quantitative assessments confirmed that PharmD students developed professionally during this course series.

Instructor and Dental Student Perceptions of Clinical Communication Skills via Structured Assessments.

PubMed

McKenzie, Carly T

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to use structured assessments to assess dental students' clinical communication skills exhibited during patient appointments. Fourth-year dental students (n=55) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham evaluated their own interpersonal skills in a clinical setting utilizing the Four Habits Coding Scheme. An instructor also assessed student-patient clinical communication. These assessments were used to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses in students' clinical communication. Both instructor assessments and student self-assessments pinpointed the following clinical communication skills as effective the most often: patient greeting, avoidance of jargon, and non-verbal behavior. There was also relative agreement between instructor assessments and student self-assessments regarding clinical communication skills that were rated as not effective most frequently: ensuring patient comprehension, identification of patient feelings, and exploration of barriers to treatment. These resulted pointed to strengths and weaknesses in the portion of the curriculum designed to prepare students for effective provider-patient communication. These results may suggest a need for the school's current behavioral science curriculum to better address discussion of potential treatment barriers and patient feelings as well as techniques to ensure patient comprehension.

The science achievement of various subgroups on alternative assessment formats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrenz, Frances; Huffman, Douglas; Welch, Wayne

2001-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the science achievement outcomes for different subgroups of students using different assessment formats. A nationally representative sample of approximately 3,500 ninth grade science students from 13 high schools throughout the United States completed a series of science assessments designed to measure their level of achievement on the national science education standards. All of the schools were using a curriculum designed to meet the standards. The assessments included a multiple-choice test, a written open-ended test, a hands-on lab skills test, and a hands-on full investigation. The results show that the student outcomes on the different assessment formats are more highly correlated for higher achieving students than for lower achieving students. Patterns for different cultural groups also vary by assessment format. There were no differences found for sex. The results support the notion that different assessment formats assess different competencies and that the achievement of students from different subgroups varies by assessment format.

[Teaching performance assessment in Public Health employing three different strategies].

PubMed

Martínez-González, Adrián; Moreno-Altamirano, Laura; Ponce-Rosas, Efrén Raúl; Martínez-Franco, Adrián Israel; Urrutia-Aguilar, María Esther

2011-01-01

The educational system depends upon the quality and performance of their faculty and should therefore be process of continuous improvement. To assess the teaching performance of the Public Health professors, at the Faculty of Medicine, UNAM through three strategies. Justification study. The evaluation was conducted under a mediational model through three strategies: students' opinion assessment, self-assessment and students' academic achievement. We applied descriptive statistics, Student t test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Twenty professors were evaluated from the Public Health department, representing 57% of all them who teach the subject. The professor's performance was highly valued self-assessment compared with assessment of student opinion, was confirmed by statistical analysis the difference was significant. The difference amongst the three evaluation strategies became more evident between self-assessment and the scores obtained by students in their academic achievement. The integration of these three strategies offers a more complete view of the teacher's performance quality. Academic achievement appears to be a more objective strategy for teaching performance assessment than students' opinion and self-assessment.

Reliability and validity of the Safe Routes to school parent and student surveys

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the U.S. National Center for Safe Routes to School's in-class student travel tallies and written parent surveys. Over 65,000 tallies and 374,000 parent surveys have been completed, but no published studies have examined their measurement properties. Methods Students and parents from two Charlotte, NC (USA) elementary schools participated. Tallies were conducted on two consecutive days using a hand-raising protocol; on day two students were also asked to recall the previous days' travel. The recall from day two was compared with day one to assess 24-hour test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing parent-reports of students' travel mode with student-reports of travel mode. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey was assessed by comparing within-parent responses. Reliability and validity were assessed using kappa statistics. Results A total of 542 students participated in the in-class student travel tally reliability assessment and 262 parent-student dyads participated in the validity assessment. Reliability was high for travel to and from school (kappa > 0.8); convergent validity was lower but still high (kappa > 0.75). There were no differences by student grade level. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey (n = 112) ranged from moderate to very high for objective questions on travel mode and travel times (kappa range: 0.62 - 0.97) but was substantially lower for subjective assessments of barriers to walking to school (kappa range: 0.31 - 0.76). Conclusions The student in-class student travel tally exhibited high reliability and validity at all elementary grades. The parent survey had high reliability on questions related to student travel mode, but lower reliability for attitudinal questions identifying barriers to walking to school. Parent survey design should be improved so that responses clearly indicate issues that influence parental decision making in regards to their children's mode of travel to school. PMID:21651794

Putting Raters in Ratees' Shoes: Perspective Taking and Assessment of Creative Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Jiantao; Long, Haiying; Pang, Weiguo

2017-01-01

This study reported 2 experiments that studied the effect of perspective taking on assessment of creative products by using human raters. Forty responses of 2 alternative uses tasks (AUTs) and 15 alien stories generated by 6th-grade students were used as assessment materials. Undergraduate students as the novice raters assessed the products under…

Using an Internally-Developed Tool to Assess Intercultural Competence in Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kartoshkina, Yuliya

2013-01-01

An internally-developed tool was developed to assess the intercultural competence of students taking part in short-term study abroad programs. Four scales were built to assess possible change in students' host culture knowledge, cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural adaptation, and self-assessed foreign language proficiency. Enrollment in a…

National Survey of Accommodations and Alternate Assessments for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cawthon, Stephanie W.

2006-01-01

This paper reports the results of the "National Survey of Accommodations and Alternate Assessments for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in the United States (National Survey)". This study focused on the use of accommodations and alternate assessments in statewide assessments used with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. A…

Evaluating the short-term effects of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students.

PubMed

Lee, Young-Mee; Lee, Young Hee

2014-09-01

Regardless of the growing importance of communication skills as a core clinical competence, few studies have determined the effects of communication skills courses in undergraduate medical curricula in Asian medical schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students. A communication skills course was provided to 111 second-year medical students in a medical college in Korea. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills was evaluated by a questionnaire survey. To examine the improvement in observed communication skills, the students' encounters with standardized patients (SPs) were assessed at the first session and at the final course assessment. A structured checklist, consisting of 25 communication skills items, was used for the assessment. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills increased significantly after completion of the course (p<0.001). The observed communication skills scores also improved significantly at the end of the course; the mean scores of the first SPs encounters was 49.6 (standard deviation [SD], 11.1), and those of cases A and B at the final assessment were 61.5 (SD, 8.4) and 69.6 (SD, 7.8), respectively (F₆₁=269.54, p<0.001). Even a short period of medical communication skills course was beneficial in developing and improving communication skills competency in preclinical medical students. Further studies should be followed to examine whether the acquisition of communication skills during preclinical studies can be sustained into clerkship and actual practice.

Relationships Between the Way Students Are Assessed in Science Classrooms and Science Achievement Across Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Man-Wai; Fung, Karen

2018-04-01

Canadian students experience many different assessments throughout their schooling (O'Connor 2011). There are many benefits to using a variety of assessment types, item formats, and science-based performance tasks in the classroom to measure the many dimensions of science education. Although using a variety of assessments is beneficial, it is unclear exactly what types, format, and tasks are used in Canadian science classrooms. Additionally, since assessments are often administered to help improve student learning, this study identified assessments that may improve student learning as measured using achievement scores on a standardized test. Secondary analyses of the students' and teachers' responses to the questionnaire items asked in the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program were performed. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that both students and teachers identified teacher-developed classroom tests or quizzes as the most common types of assessments used. Although this ranking was similar across the country, statistically significant differences in terms of the assessments that are used in science classrooms among the provinces were also identified. The investigation of which assessment best predicted student achievement scores indicated that minds-on science performance-based tasks significantly explained 4.21% of the variance in student scores. However, mixed results were observed between the student and teacher responses towards tasks that required students to choose their own investigation and design their own experience or investigation. Additionally, teachers that indicated that they conducted more demonstrations of an experiment or investigation resulted in students with lower scores.

Accuracy and reliability of peer assessment of athletic training psychomotor laboratory skills.

PubMed

Marty, Melissa C; Henning, Jolene M; Willse, John T

2010-01-01

Peer assessment is defined as students judging the level or quality of a fellow student's understanding. No researchers have yet demonstrated the accuracy or reliability of peer assessment in athletic training education. To determine the accuracy and reliability of peer assessment of athletic training students' psychomotor skills. Cross-sectional study. Entry-level master's athletic training education program. First-year (n  =  5) and second-year (n  =  8) students. Participants evaluated 10 videos of a peer performing 3 psychomotor skills (middle deltoid manual muscle test, Faber test, and Slocum drawer test) on 2 separate occasions using a valid assessment tool. Accuracy of each peer-assessment score was examined through percentage correct scores. We used a generalizability study to determine how reliable athletic training students were in assessing a peer performing the aforementioned skills. Decision studies using generalizability theory demonstrated how the peer-assessment scores were affected by the number of participants and number of occasions. Participants had a high percentage of correct scores: 96.84% for the middle deltoid manual muscle test, 94.83% for the Faber test, and 97.13% for the Slocum drawer test. They were not able to reliably assess a peer performing any of the psychomotor skills on only 1 occasion. However, the φ increased (exceeding the 0.70 minimal standard) when 2 participants assessed the skill on 3 occasions (φ  =  0.79) for the Faber test, with 1 participant on 2 occasions (φ  =  0.76) for the Slocum drawer test, and with 3 participants on 2 occasions for the middle deltoid manual muscle test (φ  =  0.72). Although students did not detect all errors, they assessed their peers with an average of 96% accuracy. Having only 1 student assess a peer performing certain psychomotor skills was less reliable than having more than 1 student assess those skills on more than 1 occasion. Peer assessment of psychomotor skills could be an important part of the learning process and a tool to supplement instructor assessment.

An international comparison study of pharmacy students' achievement goals and their relationship to assessment type and scores.

PubMed

Alrakaf, Saleh; Anderson, Claire; Coulman, Sion A; John, Dai N; Tordoff, June; Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2015-04-25

To identify pharmacy students' preferred achievement goals in a multi-national undergraduate population, to investigate achievement goal preferences across comparable degree programs, and to identify relationships between achievement goals, academic performance, and assessment type. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to second year students in 4 universities in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Wales. Academic performance was measured using total scores, multiple-choice questions, and written answers (short essay). Four hundred eighty-six second year students participated. Students showed an overall preference for the mastery-approach goal orientation across all sites. The predicted relationships between goal orientation and multiple-choice questions, and written answers scores, were significant. This study is the first of its kind to examine pharmacy students' achievement goals at a multi-national level and to differentiate between assessment type and measures of achievement motivation. Students adopting a mastery-approach goal are more likely to gain high scores in assessments that measure understanding and depth of knowledge.

Assessing secondary science students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium through multiple contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raven, Sara

2015-09-01

Background: Studies have shown that students' knowledge of osmosis and diffusion and the concepts associated with these processes is often inaccurate. This is important to address, as these concepts not only provide the foundation for more advanced topics in biology and chemistry, but are also threaded throughout both state and national science standards. Purpose: In this study, designed to determine the completeness and accuracy of three specific students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium, I sought to address the following question: Using multiple evaluative methods, how can students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium be characterized? Sample: This study focuses on data gathered from three students - Emma, Henry, and Riley - all of whom were gifted/honors ninth-grade biology students at a suburban high school in the southeast United States. Design and Methods: Using various qualitative data analysis techniques, I analyzed multiple sources of data from the three students, including multiple-choice test results, written free-response answers, think-aloud interview responses, and student drawings. Results: Results of the analysis showed that students maintained misconceptions about molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium. The conceptual knowledge students demonstrated differed depending on the assessment method, with the most distinct differences appearing on the multiple-choice versus the free-response questions, and in verbal versus written formats. Conclusions: Multiple levels of assessment may be required to obtain an accurate picture of content knowledge, as free-response and illustrative tasks made it difficult for students to conceal any misconceptions. Using a variety of assessment methods within a section of the curriculum can arguably help to provide a deeper understanding of student knowledge and learning, as well as illuminate misconceptions that may have remained unknown if only one assessment method was used. Furthermore, beyond simply evaluating past learning, multiple assessment methods may aid in student comprehension of key concepts.

The Impact of Assessment for Learning: Benefits and Barriers to Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Natalie M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare growth in student achievement of students in a classroom where the assessment for learning process was either absent from or present in a teacher's practices, and to gather the teacher's and students' perceptions of the benefits and barriers related to growth in student achievement when the…

Student Performance and Success Factors in Learning Business Statistics in Online vs. On-Ground Classes Using a Web-Based Assessment Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shotwell, Mary; Apigian, Charles H.

2015-01-01

This study aimed to quantify the influence of student attributes, coursework resources, and online assessments on student learning in business statistics. Surveys were administered to students at the completion of both online and on-ground classes, covering student perception and utilization of internal and external academic resources, as well as…

Providing Students with Written Feedback on Their Assessment: A Collaborative Self-Study Exploring the Nexus of Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittaway, Sharon; Dowden, Tony

2014-01-01

This article is an account of a collaborative self-study of the process of providing written feedback on assessment to our teacher education students. Our five-year study grew out of concerns that written feedback might not always meet the learning needs of our students. The study was informed by on-going analysis of our reading of the relevant…

Fifth graders' science inquiry abilities: A comparative study of students in hands-on and textbook curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pine, Jerome; Aschbacher, Pamela; Roth, Ellen; Jones, Melanie; McPhee, Cameron; Martin, Catherine; Phelps, Scott; Kyle, Tara; Foley, Brian

2006-05-01

A large number of American elementary school students are now studying science using the hands-on inquiry curricula developed in the 1990s: Insights; Full Option Science System (FOSS); and Science and Technology for Children (STC). A goal of these programs, echoed in the National Science Education Standards, is that children should gain abilities to do scientific inquiry and understanding about scientific inquiry. We have studied the degree to which students can do inquiries by using four hands-on performance assessments, which required one or three class periods. To be fair, the assessments avoided content that is studied in depth in the hands-on programs. For a sample of about 1000 fifth grade students, we compared the performance of students in hands-on curricula with an equal number of students with textbook curricula. The students were from 41 classrooms in nine school districts. The results show little or no curricular effect. There was a strong dependence on students' cognitive ability, as measured with a standard multiple-choice instrument. There was no significant difference between boys and girls. Also, there was no difference on a multiple-choice test, which used items released from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). It is not completely clear whether the lack of difference on the performance assessments was a consequence of the assessments, the curricula, and/or the teaching.

How much is too much assessment? Insight into assessment-driven student learning gains in large-scale undergraduate microbiology courses.

PubMed

Wang, Jack T H; Schembri, Mark A; Hall, Roy A

2013-01-01

Designing and implementing assessment tasks in large-scale undergraduate science courses is a labor-intensive process subject to increasing scrutiny from students and quality assurance authorities alike. Recent pedagogical research has provided conceptual frameworks for teaching introductory undergraduate microbiology, but has yet to define best-practice assessment guidelines. This study assessed the applicability of Biggs' theory of constructive alignment in designing consistent learning objectives, activities, and assessment items that aligned with the American Society for Microbiology's concept-based microbiology curriculum in MICR2000, an introductory microbiology course offered at the University of Queensland, Australia. By improving the internal consistency in assessment criteria and increasing the number of assessment items explicitly aligned to the course learning objectives, the teaching team was able to efficiently provide adequate feedback on numerous assessment tasks throughout the semester, which contributed to improved student performance and learning gains. When comparing the constructively aligned 2011 offering of MICR2000 with its 2010 counterpart, students obtained higher marks in both coursework assignments and examinations as the semester progressed. Students also valued the additional feedback provided, as student rankings for course feedback provision increased in 2011 and assessment and feedback was identified as a key strength of MICR2000. By designing MICR2000 using constructive alignment and iterative assessment tasks that followed a common set of learning outcomes, the teaching team was able to effectively deliver detailed and timely feedback in a large introductory microbiology course. This study serves as a case study for how constructive alignment can be integrated into modern teaching practices for large-scale courses.

Student satisfaction and self-assessment after small group discussion in a medical ethics education program.

PubMed

Joh, Hee-Kyung; Shin, Jwa-Seop

2009-09-01

Small group discussions are useful tools in medical ethics education. We aimed to assess student satisfaction with specific components of a small group discussion and to evaluate student self-assessment of the objectives of education. A structured questionnaire was developed after a literature review and a focus group interview. Components of the small group discussion were categorized by discussion case (self, other), individual activities (self-study, making materials, presentation experience), and group activities (preclass/in-class/postclass/plenary discussion, instructor's comments). The items for student self-assessment were: "To specify ethical issue in actual practice", "To get new knowledge", "To consider doctor's entity", "Empathy to others", "To get multidimensional viewpoint", "Viewpoint change", "To deliver my thought clearly", and "Ability to confront the medical ethics dilemma in the future". After the survey, an in-depth interview was performed to determine the reason behind the students' answers. A total of 121 students responded, for whom overall satisfaction and self-assessment were high. Students reported greater satisfaction with self-case, presentation experience, in-class discussion, and instructor's comments but less satisfaction with self-study before class and postclass discussion. Student self-assessment was highest in the ability to specify an ethical issue and lowest for viewpoint change and self-confidence. After multivariate analysis, higher student self-assessment was associated with greater satisfaction with the small group discussion. To improve the quality of medical ethics education, close investigation and monitoring of each component of the small group discussion and student achievement are essential, as is continuous feedback.

Patient safety competencies in undergraduate nursing students: a rapid evidence assessment.

PubMed

Bianchi, Monica; Bressan, Valentina; Cadorin, Lucia; Pagnucci, Nicola; Tolotti, Angela; Valcarenghi, Dario; Watson, Roger; Bagnasco, Annamaria; Sasso, Loredana

2016-12-01

To identify patient safety competencies, and determine the clinical learning environments that facilitate the development of patient safety competencies in nursing students. Patient safety in nursing education is of key importance for health professional environments, settings and care systems. To be effective, safe nursing practice requires a good integration between increasing knowledge and the different clinical practice settings. Nurse educators have the responsibility to develop effective learning processes and ensure patient safety. Rapid Evidence Assessment. MEDLINE, CINAHL, SCOPUS and ERIC were searched, yielding 500 citations published between 1 January 2004-30 September 2014. Following the Rapid Evidence Assessment process, 17 studies were included in this review. Hawker's (2002) quality assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Undergraduate nursing students need to develop competencies to ensure patient safety. The quality of the pedagogical atmosphere in the clinical setting has an important impact on the students' overall level of competence. Active student engagement in clinical processes stimulates their critical reasoning, improves interpersonal communication and facilitates adequate supervision and feedback. Few studies describe the nursing students' patient safety competencies and exactly what they need to learn. In addition, studies describe only briefly which clinical learning environments facilitate the development of patient safety competencies in nursing students. Further research is needed to identify additional pedagogical strategies and the specific characteristics of the clinical learning environments that encourage the development of nursing students' patient safety competencies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Pharmacy Students' Knowledge Assessment of Naegleria fowleri Infection

PubMed Central

Shakeel, Sadia; Iffat, Wajiha; Khan, Madeeha

2016-01-01

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to August 2015 to assess the knowledge of pharmacy students towards Naegleria fowleri infection. A questionnaire was distributed to senior pharmacy students in different private and public sector universities of Karachi. Descriptive statistics were used to demonstrate students' demographic information and their responses to the questionnaire. Pearson chi-square test was adopted to assess the relationship between independent variables and responses of students. The study revealed that pharmacy students were having adequate awareness of Naegleria fowleri infection and considered it as a serious health issue that necessitates instantaneous steps by the government to prevent the general public from the fatal neurological infection. The students recommended that appropriate methods should be projected in the community from time to time that increases public awareness about the associated risk factors. PMID:26981318

Senior dental students' experience with Cariogram in a pediatric dentistry clinic.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Cesar D; Okunseri, Christopher

2010-02-01

The study objective was to assess predoctoral dental students' experience with a caries risk assessment computer program in the pediatric dentistry clinic at Marquette University School of Dentistry. In 2005, spring semester sophomore dental students (class of 2008) were introduced to the caries risk assessment computer program "Cariogram." The students received a fifty-minute lecture on caries risk assessment and a demonstration on how to use Cariogram in the clinic. After two years of clinical exposure to Cariogram, sixty-six out of eighty senior dental students completed an anonymous eleven-item questionnaire on their experience with the tool. Each item on the questionnaire was scored on a five-point Likert scale with the exception of two questions. Full- and part-time faculty members in the pediatric dentistry clinic were involved in teaching and supervising students in the use of Cariogram for caries risk assessment after their training and calibration. Forty-five percent of the students who participated in the study agreed that Cariogram was easy to understand, and 18 percent disagreed. Thirty-six percent felt that it was easy to apply, and 25 percent reported that it was useful in determining caries preventive procedures. The students reported that 60 percent of full-time and 33 percent of part-time faculty were knowledgeable about Cariogram use. A majority of the students felt that Cariogram was not easy to understand, and eighty-two percent of them reported that they would not be using Cariogram in their private offices. Future studies should explore reasons why students do not feel inclined to use Cariogram as a caries risk assessment tool in their private practices even after being exposed to the tool in dental school.

Making the Grade in a Portfolio-Based System: Student Performance and the Student Perspective

PubMed Central

Nowacki, Amy S.

2013-01-01

Assessment is such an integral part of the educational system that we rarely reflect on its value and impact. Portfolios have gained in popularity, but much attention has emphasized the end-user and portfolio assessment. Here we focus on the portfolio creator (the student) and examine whether their educational needs are met with such an assessment method. This study aims to investigate how assessment practices influence classroom performance and the learning experience of the student in a graduate education setting. Studied were 33 medical students at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, a program utilizing a portfolio-based system. The students may elect to simultaneously enroll in a Masters program; however, these programs employ traditional letter grades. Thus creating a unique opportunity to assess 25 portfolio only (P) students and 8 portfolio and grade (PG) students concurrently taking a course that counts for both programs. Classroom performance was measured via a comprehensive evaluation where the PG students scored modestly better (median total scores, 72% P vs. 76% PG). Additionally, a survey was conducted to gain insight into student’s perspective on how assessment method impacts the learning experience. The students in the PG group (those receiving a grade) reported increased stress but greater affirmation and self-assurance regarding their knowledge and skill mastery. Incorporation of such affirmation remains a challenge for portfolio-based systems and an area for investigation and improvement. PMID:23565103

Towards an Operational Definition of Clinical Competency in Pharmacy

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Objective. To estimate the inter-rater reliability and accuracy of ratings of competence in student pharmacist/patient clinical interactions as depicted in videotaped simulations and to compare expert panelist and typical preceptor ratings of those interactions. Methods. This study used a multifactorial experimental design to estimate inter-rater reliability and accuracy of preceptors’ assessment of student performance in clinical simulations. The study protocol used nine 5-10 minute video vignettes portraying different levels of competency in student performance in simulated clinical interactions. Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) was used to calculate inter-rater reliability and Fisher exact test was used to compare differences in distribution of scores between expert and nonexpert assessments. Results. Preceptors (n=42) across 5 states assessed the simulated performances. Intra-Class Correlation estimates were higher for 3 nonrandomized video simulations compared to the 6 randomized simulations. Preceptors more readily identified high and low student performances compared to satisfactory performances. In nearly two-thirds of the rating opportunities, a higher proportion of expert panelists than preceptors rated the student performance correctly (18 of 27 scenarios). Conclusion. Valid and reliable assessments are critically important because they affect student grades and formative student feedback. Study results indicate the need for pharmacy preceptor training in performance assessment. The process demonstrated in this study can be used to establish minimum preceptor benchmarks for future national training programs. PMID:26089563

The Role of Anonymity in Peer Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lan

2017-01-01

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the impact of anonymity and training (an alternative strategy when anonymity was unattainable) on students' performance and perceptions in formative peer assessment. The training in this study focused on educating students to understand and appreciate formative peer assessment. A sample of 77 students…

Students' Perceptions of Peer Assessment Effectiveness: An Explorative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sridharan, Bhavani; Muttakin, Mohammad Badrul; Mihret, Dessalegn Getie

2018-01-01

Despite increasing demands by stakeholders to instil teamwork skills in accounting graduates, the assessment practices associated with teamwork in the accounting curricula are not yet well developed. This study examined the association between students' perceptions of peer assessment attributes (i.e. anonymity, question relevance and mark…

The Effects of Write Score Formative Assessment on Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Janice M.

2013-01-01

In an "ex post facto" causal-comparative research design, this study investigated the effectiveness of a formative writing assessment program, Write Score, on increasing student writing achievement. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) reading language arts and writing scores from 2012 were utilized for this study. The…

Predictive Power of School Based Assessment Scores on Students' Achievement in Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) in English and Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opara, Ijeoma M.; Onyekuru, Bruno U.; Njoku, Joyce U.

2015-01-01

The study investigated the predictive power of school based assessment scores on students' achievement in Junior Secondary Certificate Examination (JSCE) in English and Mathematics. Two hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance guided the study. The study adopted an ex-post facto research design. A sample of 250 students were randomly drawn…

From the Teacher's Eyes: Facilitating Teachers Noticings on Informal Formative Assessments (IFAS) and Exploring the Challenges to Effective Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sezen-Barrie, Asli; Kelly, Gregory J.

2017-01-01

This study focuses on teachers' use of informal formative assessments (IFAs) aimed at improving students' learning and teachers' recognition of students' learning processes. The study was designed as an explorative case study of four middle school teachers and their students at a charter school in the northeastern U.S.A. The data collected for the…

Putting the Learning in Case Learning? The Effects of Case-Based Approaches on Student Knowledge, Attitudes, and Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krain, Matthew

2016-01-01

This study revisits case learning's effects on student engagement and assesses student learning as a result of the use of case studies and problem-based learning. The author replicates a previous study that used indirect assessment techniques to get at case learning's impact, and then extends the analysis using a pre- and post-test experimental…

An Investigation into the Relationship between On-Line Formative Assessments and Performance of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Cheok Heng; Ke, Keneth; Chatterjee, Bikram

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between attempting online formative assessments and performance of students. The study is motivated by the dearth in research in the area of online formative assessment. The study reports mixed result of such relationship. A relationship was reported between attempting online formative…

Developing a Test for Assessing Elementary Students' Comprehension of Science Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jing-Ru; Chen, Shin-Feng; Tsay, Reuy-Fen; Chou, Ching-Ting; Lin, Sheau-Wen; Kao, Huey-Lien

2012-01-01

This study reports on the process of developing a test to assess students' reading comprehension of scientific materials and on the statistical results of the verification study. A combination of classic test theory and item response theory approaches was used to analyze the assessment data from a verification study. Data analysis indicates the…

Self-reported confidence in prescribing skills correlates poorly with assessed competence in fourth-year medical students.

PubMed

Brinkman, David J; Tichelaar, Jelle; van Agtmael, Michiel A; de Vries, Theo P G M; Richir, Milan C

2015-07-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between students' self-reported confidence and their objectively assessed competence in prescribing. We assessed the competence in several prescribing skills of 403 fourth-year medical students at the VU University Medical Center, the Netherlands, in a formative simulated examination on a 10-point scale (1 = very low; 10 = very high). Afterwards, the students were asked to rate their confidence in performing each of the prescribing skills on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very unsure; 5 = very confident). Their assessments were then compared with their self-confidence ratings. Students' overall prescribing performance was adequate (7.0 ± 0.8), but they lacked confidence in 2 essential prescribing skills. Overall, there was a weak positive correlation (r = 0.2, P < .01, 95%CI 0.1-0.3) between reported confidence and actual competence. Therefore, this study suggests that self-reported confidence is not an accurate measure of prescribing competence, and that students lack insight into their own strengths and weaknesses in prescribing. Future studies should focus on developing validated and reliable instruments so that students can assess their prescribing skills. © 2015, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

A cross-sectional study of chiropractic students' research readiness using the Academic Self-Concept Analysis Scale.

PubMed

Whillier, Stephney; Au, Kent; Feng, Louie; Su, Helen

2017-10-01

The shift toward evidence-based health care has reoriented tertiary clinical education in a way that necessitates and incorporates research. This study assesses the inclination and suitability of chiropractic students for research over a 5-year educational program. Research attributes of chiropractic students were assessed in this cross-sectional study using a validated and modified academic self-concept analysis scale. Students in first and final year were assessed in 4 domains: creativity, motivation, self-regulation, and general intellectual ability. Univariable differences were assessed using Welch 2-sample t tests, and multivariable analysis was carried out with multiple linear regression models. The response rate was 71% (n = 165). First- and fifth-year students scored highly on all 4 domains (80% to 96%). Compared to first-year students, fifth-year students rated themselves significantly lower in 3 of the domains: general intellectual abilities (t[126] = -2.01; p = 0.047), motivation (t[115] = -4.82; p < 0.001), and creativity (t[136] = -3.00; p = 0.003). Research suitability is high in chiropractic students. Both cohorts scored high in all domains despite the disparity between first and fifth years. First-year students outperformed fifth-year students in 3 domains, indicating a potential decline in the inclination to do research over time. However, unaccounted factors, such as the Dunning-Kruger effect, life changes, and "burnout," may have contributed to these differences. Future studies should include questions about stress, fatigue, clinical orientation, and educational environment to inform the interpretation of findings.

Measuring Primary Students' Graph Interpretation Skills Via a Performance Assessment: A case study in instrument development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterman, Karen; Cranston, Kayla A.; Pryor, Marie; Kermish-Allen, Ruth

2015-11-01

This case study was conducted within the context of a place-based education project that was implemented with primary school students in the USA. The authors and participating teachers created a performance assessment of standards-aligned tasks to examine 6-10-year-old students' graph interpretation skills as part of an exploratory research project. Fifty-five students participated in a performance assessment interview at the beginning and end of a place-based investigation. Two forms of the assessment were created and counterbalanced within class at pre and post. In situ scoring was conducted such that responses were scored as correct versus incorrect during the assessment's administration. Criterion validity analysis demonstrated an age-level progression in student scores. Tests of discriminant validity showed that the instrument detected variability in interpretation skills across each of three graph types (line, bar, dot plot). Convergent validity was established by correlating in situ scores with those from the Graph Interpretation Scoring Rubric. Students' proficiency with interpreting different types of graphs matched expectations based on age and the standards-based progression of graphs across primary school grades. The assessment tasks were also effective at detecting pre-post gains in students' interpretation of line graphs and dot plots after the place-based project. The results of the case study are discussed in relation to the common challenges associated with performance assessment. Implications are presented in relation to the need for authentic and performance-based instructional and assessment tasks to respond to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Introducing Twitter as an assessed component of the undergraduate nursing curriculum: case study.

PubMed

Jones, Ray; Kelsey, Janet; Nelmes, Pam; Chinn, Nick; Chinn, Teresa; Proctor-Childs, Tracey

2016-07-01

To ask: (i) is it feasible to include Twitter as an assessed element of the first-year nursing curriculum; (ii) how should it be introduced and assessed; and (iii) do students think it worthwhile and learn anything from its use? Nursing students need to use social media professionally, avoiding pitfalls but using learning opportunities. This case study (2014-2015) comprised: (i) pilot introduction of Digital Professionalism (including Twitter) with second- and third-year students; (ii) introduction and assessment with a first cohort of 450 first-year students. Based on feedback, methods were revised for; (iii) a second cohort of 97. Students received a face-to-face lecture, two webinars, used chat rooms and were asked to create course Twitter accounts and were assessed on their use. Few second and third year students started optional Twitter use whereas nearly all first years used it. Most students (70·1% first, 88·0% second cohort) thought inclusion of Twitter was worthwhile. Changes from first to second cohort included better peer-peer support, more contextualization and more emphasis on nursing communities. More second cohort students learned from Twitter (44·4% vs. 70·8%) and used Twitter recently (43·3% vs. 81·6%). Students gained wider perspectives on nursing, better understanding of social media, 'being student nurses' and topics like health promotion. Students mostly followed not only online nursing communities but also patient organizations. Including Twitter as an assessed element for first-year nursing students was feasible, students think it worthwhile and other nursing schools should consider introducing it in the broader context of Digital Professionalism. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hypertension module: an interactive learning tool in physiology.

PubMed

Işman, C A; Gülpinar, M A; Kurtel, H; Alican, I; Yeğen, B C

2003-12-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the strong or weak aspects of an interactive study module introduced during the "Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems Subject Committee" in the second year of the medical program. Five study groups consisting of 25 students attended two-hour module sessions for six weeks with the same tutor. According to the module assessment questionnaire, the majority of the students assessed the module as excellent or good. The students reported that they had gained not only in knowledge but also in skills development. The general opinion of the students was that both the organization and the implementation of the module met their expectations. Nearly one-half of the students reported that their expectations with regard to the educational environment and the participation of students were fully met. The major weakness in this new educational trial appears to be assessment of the module.

Assessing Student Perceptions of Positive and Negative Social Interactions in Specific School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zumbrunn, Sharon; Doll, Beth; Dooley, Kadie; LeClair, Courtney; Wimmer, Courtney

2013-01-01

This study explored the use of student-marked school maps, a practitioner-friendly method for assessing student perceptions of positive and negative peer interactions in specific school settings. Two hundred eighty-two third- through fifth-grade students from a Midwestern U.S. elementary school participated. Descriptive analyses were used to…

Research Knowledge Assessment: A Study of MSW Students' Acquisition and Retention of Research Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Secret, Mary; Abell, Melissa L.; Ward, Christopher J.; Charles, Jennifer L. K.; Perkins, Nathan H.

2017-01-01

In response to the need for meaningful data about student learning in research courses, we developed and implemented the Research Knowledge Assessment instrument to measure MSW student acquisition, application, and retention of research knowledge over a 3-year period across the research curriculum. Initial findings indicated that students entered…

Stakes Matter: Student Motivation and the Validity of Student Assessments for Teacher Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutkowski, David; Wild, Justin

2015-01-01

In 2011, Indiana lawmakers established a system to evaluate teachers using existing standardized assessments as an indicator of student learning. In this study we examined one component of Indiana's evaluation system to determine whether student knowledge of the test's consequences is predictive of test performance. Using an experimental design,…

Study, Examinations, and Stress: Blood Pressure Assessments in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Brian M.

2005-01-01

The issue of stress associated with higher education and its impact on markers of student health is explored in three experiments looking at blood pressure levels in college students. All participants were full-time undergraduate students of psychology. In Experiment 1, academic fear of failure, assessed using psychometric testing, was found to be…

The Impact of the Academic Library on Student Success: Connecting the Dots

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorpe, Angie; Lukes, Ria; Bever, Diane J.; He, Yan

2016-01-01

In an age of assessment and accountability, academic libraries feel much pressure to prove their value according to new university measurements of student success. This study describes a methodology for how libraries may examine student interactions with services to assess whether library usage impacts student grade point averages (GPAs) and…

Assessing and Promoting Resilience: An Additional Tool to Address the Increasing Number of College Students with Psychological Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, Michael T.

2012-01-01

This study examined the assessment of resilience in undergraduate college students. Multigroup comparisons of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003) were performed on general population students and students recruited from campus mental health offices offering college counseling, psychiatric-support, and…

Predicting Positive Outcomes for Students with Emotional Disturbance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickerson, Amanda B.; Brosof, Amy M.; Shapiro, Valerie B.

2004-01-01

This longitudinal study assessed changes in skills for students with emotional disturbance (ED) over a one-year time period in a private special education school and examined variables that predicted positive outcomes for these students. At Time 1, teachers rated 84 students with ED using standardized behavior rating scales to assess problem…

Addressing the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Methods Associated with Participation in Student Government Associations: A Qualitative Study of California Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevin, Miles J.

2017-01-01

This document analysis synthesized student learning outcomes (SLOs) and assessment methods from a sample of 36 student government associations in the California Community College system. Student learning outcomes were grouped according to "governance, ethical and civic behavior", and "experiential learning functions." Using…

The Construction and Initial Validation of the "Student Teachers' Efficacy Scale for Teaching Students with Disabilities"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dake; Wang, Qiu; Stegall, Joanna; Losinki, Mickey; Katsiyannis, Antonis

2018-01-01

Although there have been numerous instruments for assessing teacher efficacy in teaching general education students, there is a need to develop and validate an instrument that specifically assesses teachers' efficacy in teaching students with disabilities. This study constructed and evaluated the psychometric properties of the "Student…

Teacher Management of Elementary Classroom Social Dynamics: Associations with Changes in Student Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gest, Scott D.; Madill, Rebecca A.; Zadzora, Kathleen M.; Miller, Aaron M.; Rodkin, Philip C.

2014-01-01

Teachers and students in 54 elementary school classrooms (first, third, and fifth grades) participated in a multi-method longitudinal study of classroom social dynamics. At each of three assessments within a single school year, observers rated teacher-student interaction quality, students completed sociometric assessments and reported on their…

Assessing Student Scientific Expression Using Media: The Media-Enhanced Science Presentation Rubric (MESPR)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mott, Michael S.; Chessin, Debby A.; Sumrall, William J.; Rutherford, Angela S.; Moore, Virginia J.

2011-01-01

The current study evaluated an assessment designed to dually promote student understanding of the experimental method and student ability to include digital and visual qualities in their presentations of scientific experiment results. The rubric, the Media-Enhanced Science Presentation Rubric (MESPR) focuses teacher-student dialogue along the…

Students' Perceptions of Assessment: A Comparative Analysis between Portugal and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Diana; Niklasson, Laila; Flores, Maria Assunção

2017-01-01

This paper aims at investigating students' perceptions about assessment, especially the ways in which it is put into practice. Data were collected through questionnaires in different programmes in Portugal and Sweden. In total, 173 students from Portugal and 72 from Sweden participated in the study. Findings showed that students had similar ideas…

Academic Coping Skills and College Expectations of Learning Disabled High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dietrich, Amy P.; Kelly, Susan M.

This study assessed the level of academic coping skills being employed by 59 college-bound high school students with learning disabilities (LD), assessed the college-related expectations of these students, and compared these skills and expectations with those identified as essential by successful college students with learning disabilities.…

Usability Assessment of Educational Software by Students: Case of "?Pón-Ìm?`" in Osun State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tijani, O. K.

2016-01-01

This study investigated usability of educational software: case of "?pón-Ìm?`" in Osun state, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated influences of gender and school locations on students' assessment of "?pón-Ìm?`" Technology Enhanced Learning System (OTELS) based on selected usability parameters. 701 students were…

Assessing the Generalizable Skills of Post-Secondary Vocational Students. A Validation Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenan, James P.; Smith, Brandon B.

A study examined the feasibility, reliability, and validity of two instruments designed to assess the degree to which postsecondary vocational students possessed those generalizable skills that are believed to be functionally relevant to success in a vocational program. The instruments, a student self-rating and a teacher rating form, contained 81…

An Assessment of Teacher Education Students' Perceptions and Satisfaction of Their Learning Experiences in a Summer Pilot Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Terence; Lewis, Leontye; Munn, Geraldine; Jordon, Earlyn; Charles, Kelly

2010-01-01

This study assessed teacher education students' perceptions and satisfaction of their learning experiences concerning an accelerated summer pilot program. In addition, the study provided information on the impact and teaching effectiveness of the accelerated teacher education summer pilot program on participating students. Results from this study…

Developing and Using a Logic Model for Evaluation and Assessment of University Student Affairs Programming: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Jeff

2009-01-01

This dissertation addresses theory and practice of evaluation and assessment in university student affairs, by applying logic modeling/program theory to a case study. I intend to add knowledge to ongoing dialogue among evaluation scholars and practitioners on student affairs program planning and improvement as integral considerations that serve…

Assessing Student's Level of Scientific Literacy Using Interdisciplinary Scenarios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soobard, Regina; Rannikmae, Miia

2011-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop an instrument for assessing grade 10 and 11 student's levels of scientific literacy in the areas of problem solving and decision making. In concentrating on determining the scientific literacy of gymnasium level students, it was taken as a first; previous international studies like PISA have focused on ninth…

WWC Quick Review of the Report "Evaluation of the Kansas City CDF Freedom Schools[R] Initiative"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2008

2008-01-01

This study examined whether "Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools"[R] improve students' reading assessment scores. The study reported higher gains in reading assessment scores for students who participated in the "CDF Freedom Schools"[R] program than for students who did not participate, evaluating more than 3,000…

A Case Study of Student Assessment Programs in a College of Business Administration at a Southern HBCU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell Haynes, Janel Elizabeth

2013-01-01

The purpose of this mixed method sequential explanatory case study was to describe the relationship of a student outcomes assessment program, as measured by the Peregrine Academic Leveling Course, (ALC), to the academic performance, determined by scores on the Peregrine Common Professional Component (CPC) examination, of students enrolled during…

Using the NCHEC Areas of Responsibility to Assess Service Learning Outcomes in Undergraduate Health Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Nicole

2006-01-01

This study used the areas of responsibility developed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) as a framework for the assessment of Service Learning experiences of undergraduate health education students. In the present study, six Service Learning projects involving 12 students were evaluated using multiple strategies,…

Development of a Health Literacy Assessment for Young Adult College Students: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Raquel

2014-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health literacy assessment tool for young adult college students. Participants: Participants were 144 undergraduate students. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-nine questions were developed, which were based on concepts identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services,…

Assessing Goal Intent and Achievement of University Learning Community Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeffer-Lachs, Carole F.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the goal intent and achievement of university students, during the Fall 2011 semester, at Blue Wave University, a high research activity public institution in the southeast United States. This study merged theories of motivation to measure goal setting and goal attainment to examine if students who chose to…

Development of an Instrument for Assessing Senior High School Students' Preferred and Perceived Laboratory Classroom Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Chien-Hua; Wu, Ying-Tien; Lin, Chung-Yen; Wong, Terrence William; Fu, Hsieh-Hai; Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Chang, Chung-Yen

2014-01-01

This study aimed to develop an instrument, named the inquiry-based laboratory classroom environment instrument (ILEI), for assessing senior high-school science students' preferred and perceived laboratory environment. A total of 262 second-year students, from a senior-high school in Taiwan, were recruited for this study. Four stages were included…

Achievement of Eighth-Grade Students in Korea on the TIMSS 2011 Assessment: Effects of Confidence in Mathematics and Engagement in Mathematics Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, J. Daniel; Telese, James A.

2016-01-01

Research studies have identified several factors related to mathematics achievement of students in Korea. Further, results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments have shown that instructional practices and beliefs about mathematics were significantly associated with mathematics achievement of students in…

Why University Students Don't Read: What Professors Can Do to Increase Compliance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoeft, Mary E.

2012-01-01

This article reports findings from two studies assessing reading compliance among first semester freshmen at a small Midwestern two-year liberal arts university. The first study assessed reading compliance of students enrolled in two sections of First Year Seminar, finding that 46% of students reported that they read assignments, yet only 55% of…

Medical and psychology students' self-assessed communication skills: A pilot study.

PubMed

Tiuraniemi, Juhani; Läärä, Riitta; Kyrö, Tuuli; Lindeman, Sari

2011-05-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how psychology and medical students assess their own competency and skills before and after training, in which role-play was used to teach interpersonal and communication skills. Interpersonal and communication skills were assessed with a semi-structured questionnaire before and after the training. The students of both medicine and psychology estimated their skill levels to be higher after the course. The psychology students estimated their skills for communication, motivating interviewing, empathy and reflection, and change orientation to be better at the end of the course. Medical students estimated their communication skills, motivating interviewing skills, and change orientation skills to be better at the end of the course. Even a short period of training in interpersonal and communication skills can positively affect the self-assessed skills of the medical students. In the future, it would be worthwhile to pay attention to reflective teaching practices in the training of both medical and psychology students. The cognitive and emotional components of these practices help students to develop their own communication skills. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Computer-Assisted Learning on Students' Dental Anatomy Waxing Performance.

PubMed

Kwon, So Ran; Hernández, Marcela; Blanchette, Derek R; Lam, Matthew T; Gratton, David G; Aquilino, Steven A

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of computer-assisted learning on first-year dental students' waxing abilities and self-evaluation skills. Additionally, this study sought to determine how well digital evaluation software performed compared to faculty grading with respect to students' technical scores on a practical competency examination. First-year students at one U.S. dental school were assigned to one of three groups: control (n=40), E4D Compare (n=20), and Sirona prepCheck (n=19). Students in the control group were taught by traditional teaching methodologies, and the technology-assisted groups received both traditional training and supplementary feedback from the corresponding digital system. Five outcomes were measured: visual assessment score, self-evaluation score, and digital assessment scores at 0.25 mm, 0.30 mm, and 0.35 mm tolerance. The scores from visual assessment and self-evaluation were examined for differences among groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Correlation between the visual assessment and digital scores was measured using Pearson and Spearman rank correlation coefficients. At completion of the course, students were asked to complete a survey on the use of these digital technologies. All 79 students in the first-year class participated in the study, for a 100% response rate. The results showed that the visual assessment and self-evaluation scores did not differ among groups (p>0.05). Overall correlations between visual and digital assessment scores were modest though statistically significant (5% level of significance). Analysis of survey responses completed by students in the technology groups showed that profiles for the two groups were similar and not favorable towards digital technology. The study concluded that technology-assisted training did not affect these students' waxing performance or self-evaluation skills and that visual scores given by faculty and digital assessment scores correlated moderately.

Assessment Experiences in the Workplace: A Comparative Study between Clinical Educators' and Their Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trede, Franziska; Mischo-Kelling, Maria; Gasser, Eva Maria; Pulcini, Stefania

2015-01-01

With this paper, we contribute to the complex field of assessment of student learning in work placements. The complexity includes the dual role of clinical educators as mentors and assessors, students as pre-accredited practitioners and the diverse purposes of assessment. A philosophical hermeneutic approach was adopted to explore the perceptions…

Exploring Pre-Service Science Teachers' Pedagogical Capacity for Formative Assessment through Analyses of Student Answers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydeniz, Mehmet; Dogan, Alev

2016-01-01

Background: There has been an increasing emphasis on empowering pre-service and in-service science teachers to attend student reasoning and use formative assessments to guide student learning in recent years. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore pre-service science teachers' pedagogical capacity for formative assessment. Sample: This…

Modeling the Relationship between Perceptions of Assessment Tasks and Classroom Assessment Environment as a Function of Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkharusi, Hussain; Aldhafri, Said; Alnabhani, Hilal; Alkalbani, Muna

2014-01-01

A substantial proportion of the classroom time involves exposing students to a variety of assessment tasks. As students process these tasks, they develop beliefs about the importance, utility, value, and difficulty of the tasks. This study aimed at deriving a model describing the multivariate relationship between students' perceptions of the…

Perceptions of Classroom Assessment Tasks: An Interplay of Gender, Subject Area, and Grade Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkharusi, Hussain Ali; Al-Hosni, Salim

2015-01-01

This study investigates students' perceptions of classroom assessment tasks as a function of gender, subject area, and grade level. Data from 2753 students on Dorman and Knightley's (2006) Perceptions of Assessment Tasks Inventory (PATI) were analyzed in a MANOVA design. Results showed that students tended to hold positive perceptions of their…

Assessment Testing: Analysis and Predictions, Spring-Fall 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Howard L.; Hansson, Claudia J.

During spring and fall 1985, a study was conducted at Cosumnes River College (CRC) to determine how assessment testing scores related to student persistence and performance. The student history files of a random sample of 498 students who had been tested by the CRC Assessment Center during spring and fall 1985 were examined, yielding the following…

A Model for Predicting Student Performance on High-Stakes Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dammann, Matthew Walter

2010-01-01

This research study examined the use of student achievement on reading and math state assessments to predict success on the science state assessment. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to test the prediction for all students in grades 5 and 8 in a mid-Atlantic state. The prediction model developed from the analysis explored the combined…

Exploring the Relationship between Student Grades and Assessment for Learning in Norwegian Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leirhaug, Petter E.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student grades and assessment for learning (AfL) in physical education. In educational literature, the focus on formative assessment has grown dramatically, partly because research indicates that good AfL is one of the most effective instructional tools to drive student learning…

What Is the Basis for Self-Assessment of Comprehension When Reading Mathematical Expository Texts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Österholm, Magnus

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to characterize students' self-assessments when reading mathematical texts, in particular regarding what students use as a basis for evaluations of their own reading comprehension. A total of 91 students read two mathematical texts, and for each text, they performed a self-assessment of their comprehension and…

Students' Perceptions on Self- and Peer-Assessment in Enhancing Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siow, Lee-Fong

2015-01-01

This study reports the effectiveness of self- and peer-assessment in improving students' learning experience. Students in a group of four were required to submit two self-assessments, one after the first submission and the other during the final submission of the assignment. An anonymous assignment was then given to each group for a peer-based…

Friends in the Classroom: A Comparison between Two Methods for the Assessment of Students' Friendship Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pijl, Sip Jan; Koster, Marloes; Hannink, Anne; Stratingh, Anna

2011-01-01

One of the methods used most often to assess students' friendships and friendship networks is the reciprocal nomination method. However, an often heard complaint is that this technique produces rather negative outcomes. This study compares the reciprocal nomination method with another method to assess students' friendships and friendship networks:…

Keeping Student Performance Central: The New York Assessment Collection. Studies on Exhibitions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, David; McDonald, Joseph

This report describes a computer tool used by the state of New York to assess student performance in elementary and secondary grades. Based on the premise that every assessment is a system of interacting elements, the tool examines students on six dimensions: vision, prompt, coaching context, performance, standards, and reflection. Vision, which…

MBBS Student Perceptions about Physiology Subject Teaching and Objective Structured Practical Examination Based Formative Assessment for Improving Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakshmipathy, K.

2015-01-01

The objectives of the present study were to 1) assess student attitudes to physiology, 2) evaluate student opinions about the influence of an objective structured practical examination (OSPE) on competence, and 3) assess the validity and reliability of an indigenously designed feedback questionnaire. A structured questionnaire containing 16 item…

Evaluating the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Process in Undergraduate Parks and Recreation Academic Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Craig M.; Young, Sarah J.; Sturts, Jill R.

2012-01-01

Institutions of higher education are increasingly being held more accountable for assessing student learning both in and out of their classrooms along with reporting results to their stakeholders. The purpose of this study, which examined assessment of student learning outcomes in undergraduate park and recreation academic programs, was two-fold:…

Students' and Teacher's Experiences of the Validity and Reliability of Assessment in a Bioscience Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Räisänen, Milla; Tuononen, Tarja; Postareff, Liisa; Hailikari, Telle; Virtanen, Viivi

2016-01-01

This case study explores the assessment of students' learning outcomes in a second-year lecture course in biosciences. The aim is to deeply explore the teacher's and the students' experiences of the validity and reliability of assessment and to compare those perspectives. The data were collected through stimulated recall interviews. The results…

A Comparison of Student Performance on Discipline-Specific versus Integrated Exams in a Medical School Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Andrew R.; Braun, Mark W.; O'Loughlin, Valerie D.

2013-01-01

Curricular reform is a widespread trend among medical schools. Assessing the impact that pedagogical changes have on students is a vital step in review process. This study examined how a shift from discipline-focused instruction and assessment to integrated instruction and assessment affected student performance in a second-year medical school…

Classroom Assessment Strategies: What Do Students At-Risk and Teachers Perceive as Effective and Useful?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rieg, Sue A.

2007-01-01

With the focus on standardized tests, it appears that we are leaving classroom assessments and students at-risk of school failure behind. This quantitative study investigated the perceptions of junior high school teachers, and students at risk of school failure, on the effectiveness and level of use of various classroom assessments and…

Predicting Pre-Service Teachers' Intention of Implementing Peer Assessment for Low-Achieving Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yim, Su Yon; Cho, Young Hoan

2016-01-01

Despite the benefits of peer assessment, many teachers are not willing to implement it, particularly for low-achieving students. This study used the theory of planned behaviour to predict pre-service teachers' intention to use peer assessment for low-achieving students. A total of 229 pre-service teachers in Singapore participated in the survey…

Study of the Impacts of the Quality Assessment of Undergraduate Education Policy in China: Students' Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shuiyun; Yu, Hui

2014-01-01

This paper analyzes a higher education policy issued in China in 2002: "the Quality Assessment of Undergraduate Education Policy." It examines students' perceptions of the policy impacts and students' roles in the evaluation process by semi-structured interviews and questionnaire surveys. It reveals that the quality assessment in China…

A Framework for Assessing High School Students' Statistical Reasoning.

PubMed

Chan, Shiau Wei; Ismail, Zaleha; Sumintono, Bambang

2016-01-01

Based on a synthesis of literature, earlier studies, analyses and observations on high school students, this study developed an initial framework for assessing students' statistical reasoning about descriptive statistics. Framework descriptors were established across five levels of statistical reasoning and four key constructs. The former consisted of idiosyncratic reasoning, verbal reasoning, transitional reasoning, procedural reasoning, and integrated process reasoning. The latter include describing data, organizing and reducing data, representing data, and analyzing and interpreting data. In contrast to earlier studies, this initial framework formulated a complete and coherent statistical reasoning framework. A statistical reasoning assessment tool was then constructed from this initial framework. The tool was administered to 10 tenth-grade students in a task-based interview. The initial framework was refined, and the statistical reasoning assessment tool was revised. The ten students then participated in the second task-based interview, and the data obtained were used to validate the framework. The findings showed that the students' statistical reasoning levels were consistent across the four constructs, and this result confirmed the framework's cohesion. Developed to contribute to statistics education, this newly developed statistical reasoning framework provides a guide for planning learning goals and designing instruction and assessments.

Grounding formative assessment in high-school chemistry classrooms: Connections between professional development and teacher practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cisterna Alburquerque, Dante Igor

This study describes and analyzes the experiences of two high-school chemistry teachers who participated in a team-based professional development program to learn about and enact formative assessment in their classrooms. The overall purpose of this study is to explain how participation in this professional development influenced both teachers' classroom enactment of formative assessment practices. This study focuses on 1) teachers' participation in the professional development program, 2) teachers' enactment of formative assessment, and 3) factors that enabled or hindered enactment of formative assessment. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and using evidence from teacher lessons, teacher interviews, professional development meetings as data sources, this single embedded case study analyzes how these two teachers who participated in the same learning team and have similar characteristics (i.e., teaching in the same school, teaching the same courses and population of students, and using the same materials) differentially used the professional development learning about formative assessment as mediating tools to improve their classroom instruction. The learning team experience contributed to both teachers' development of a better understanding of formative assessment---especially in recognizing that their current grading and assessment practices were not appropriate to promote student learning---and the co-creation of artifacts to gather evidence of students' ideas. Although both teachers demonstrated understanding about how formative assessment may serve to promote student learning and had a set of tools available to utilize for formative assessment use, they did not enact these tools in the same way. One teacher appropriated formative assessment as mediating tool to verify if the students were following her explanations, and to check if the students were able to provide the correct response. The other teacher used the mediating tool to promote better understanding of students' ideas and her mindset shifted to place more value on the diversity of students' thinking and help them be more aware of their ideas. This study illustrates the complexities of enacting formative assessment practices in particular classrooms because teachers may interpret and use these tools in different ways. Thus, when teachers enacted these mediating tools, their interaction with the activity system's components produced different instructional outcomes and tensions. Similarly, this study describes how the use of artifacts of practice can be a vehicle between professional development and classrooms, especially in early stages of professional development. This study presents implications for professional development and formative assessment research and practice. Professional development needs to support teachers in reflecting on their practice in terms of activity systems, use a solid and research-based understanding of formative assessment, and promote opportunities to teachers to create, enact, and reflect on formative assessment artifacts and tools.

PERCEPTION OF FINAL YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS ABOUT OBJECTIVE STRUCTURED CLINICAL EXAMINATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SURGERY.

PubMed

Gelan, Engida Abebe; Essayas, Reiye; Gebressilase, Kibrom

2015-10-01

Background -Assessment of clinical skills of medical students has a central role in medical education yet the suit- able evaluation methods have persistently debated by educators and students. To assess perceptions of final year medical students about the Organized Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) METHODS AND MATERIALS: A cross sectional study was performed to assess views of final year medical students who had taken the OSCE in the Department of Surgery of Mekelle University College of Health Sciences, as well as other traditional exam formats in other departments in the medical school. Of the 154 students who took the final qualifying exam, 127 (82.5%) responded to the survey. Eighty-four (66%) of the respondents were males. The OSCE was considered as the best assessment method of practical exams by 70 (55.1%) of the respondents, with the conventional long exam next in preference, by 47 (37%) students. For questions addressing the advantages of the OSCE, the average favorability score was between 4.2 - 4.6 out of Likert's type 5-point scale rating. Coverage of common and relevant topics, uniform student assessment, and communication skill assessment were items receiving high favorability scores by a particularly high percentage of students, (96.9%, 95.3% and 70.9% of all students, respectively). Most of the students favored the OSCE compared to conventional exam styles. Though the study should be confirmed. and extended in other settings, we recommend OSCE to be the main exam type for clinical year surgery examinations.

Assessment matters-mentors need support in their role.

PubMed

Bennett, Maggie; McGowan, Brian

In the UK the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards to support learning and assessment in practice state that mentors are responsible and accountable for the assessment of pre-registration nursing students in practice. This study was undertaken to explore mentors' experience of assessing nursing students in practice post implementation of the NMC standards. Five focus groups were conducted with mentors (N=35) who had assessed adult pre-registration nursing students in the previous 12 months. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed to generate categories. Five categories were identified from the data: Changing roles and responsibilities; Exploring the past to understand the present; Just knowing; The odds; Time to mentor. The findings highlighted that mentors were aware of their role and responsibility for the assessment of students in practice. However, many felt this was a new responsibility and role in which they lacked experience. Some existing mentors felt that they may not have had the necessary preparation to effectively assess students in practice and identified their need for support. Given that mentors are expected to be competent assessors of students in practice and protect the public through gate-keeping professional registration, this study suggests that serious consideration should be given to how mentors are prepared and the ongoing support and education they receive in assessment.

Assessment of dental student posture in two seating conditions using RULA methodology - a pilot study.

PubMed

Gandavadi, A; Ramsay, J R E; Burke, F J T

2007-11-24

To assess dental students' posture on two different seats in order to determine if one seat predisposes to a difference in working posture. A between-subject experimental design was selected. The study was undertaken at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry in 2006. Subjects (materials) and methods Sixty second year dental students at the University of Birmingham who were attending their fi rst classes in the phantom head laboratory were randomly selected and allocated to two different seats (30 Bambach Saddle Seats and 30 conventional seats). Students were trained in the use of the seats. After ten weeks, the students were observed, photographs were taken by the researcher and these were assessed using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). The posture of the students was assessed using the RULA. Each student was given a risk score. A Mann Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. The results indicated that the students using the conventional seat recorded significantly higher risk scores (p <0.05) when compared with the students using Bambach Saddle Seat, suggesting an improvement in posture when using the Bambach Saddle Seat. RULA has identified that dental students using a Bambach Saddle Seat were able to maintain an acceptable working posture during simulated dental treatment and this seating may reduce the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Motivating student learning using a formative assessment journey

PubMed Central

Evans, Darrell J R; Zeun, Paul; Stanier, Robert A

2014-01-01

Providing formative assessment opportunities has been recognised as a significant benefit to student learning. The outcome of any formative assessment should be one that ultimately helps improve student learning through familiarising students with the levels of learning required, informing them about gaps in their learning and providing feedback to guide the direction of learning. This article provides an example of how formative assessments can be developed into a formative assessment journey where a number of different assessments can be offered to students during the course of a module of teaching, thus utilising a spaced-education approach. As well as incorporating the specific drivers of formative assessment, we demonstrate how approaches deemed to be stimulating, interactive and entertaining with the aim of maximising enthusiasm and engagement can be incorporated. We provide an example of a mixed approach to evaluating elements of the assessment journey that focuses student reaction, appraisal of qualitative and quantitative feedback from student questionnaires, focus group analysis and teacher observations. Whilst it is not possible to determine a quantifiable effect of the assessment journey on student learning, usage data and student feedback shows that formative assessment can achieve high engagement and positive response to different assessments. Those assessments incorporating an active learning element and a quiz-based approach appear to be particularly popular. A spaced-education format encourages a building block approach to learning that is continuous in nature rather than focussed on an intense period of study prior to summative examinations. PMID:24111930

Online Formative Assessments in a Digital Signal Processing Course: Effects of Feedback Type and Content Difficulty on Students Learning Achievements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrovic, J.; Pale, P.; Jeren, B.

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the effects of using online formative assessments on students' learning achievements. Using a quasi-experimental study design with one control group (no formative assessments available), and two experimental groups receiving feedback in available online formative assessments (knowledge of the correct response--KCR,…

Student Threat Assessment as a Standard School Safety Practice: Results from a Statewide Implementation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornell, Dewey; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Burnette, Anna Grace; Jia, Yuane; Huang, Francis; Konold, Timothy; Datta, Pooja; Malone, Marisa; Meyer, Patrick

2018-01-01

Threat assessment has been widely endorsed as a school safety practice, but there is little research on its implementation. In 2013, Virginia became the first state to mandate student threat assessment in its public schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the statewide implementation of threat assessment and to identify how threat…

Effectively teaching self-assessment: preparing the dental hygiene student to provide quality care.

PubMed

Jackson, Sarah C; Murff, Elizabeth J Tipton

2011-02-01

Literature on self-assessment presents substantial evidence regarding the impact of self-assessment on dental practitioners and quality of care. Related dental hygiene research documents a need to enhance self-assessment curricula; however, no published curriculum module exists to effectively teach self-assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a self-assessment educational module for dental hygiene curricula designed using adult learning principles. This module was implemented with thirty-three dental hygiene students in their junior year using a one-group, pretest-posttest design. Results analyzed using matched pairs Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated the self-assessment module was effective (p<0.01 corresponding to a Bonferroni FWER of 0.20) in improving some aspects of the students' perceptions and voluntary clinical application of self-assessment. No statistically significant relationship was found between the students' perceptions and their application of self-assessment using Pearson's correlation. The quality of self-assessment comments on the students' daily clinical evaluation forms was also enhanced after module implementation (p<0.05). This change in quality after module implementation was demonstrated by a quantitative analysis using a self-designed rubric and a qualitative thematic analysis of student comments to identify predominant themes. Students also were surveyed to determine which module components were most effective. Findings indicate a self-assessment educational module enhanced these dental hygiene students' self-assessment perceptions and skills.

The effects of brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and homesickness among international students in Malaysia.

PubMed

Saravanan, Coumaravelou; Alias, Alizi; Mohamad, Mardiana

2017-10-01

Students who go to other countries for higher education face various psychological problems, particularly homesickness and depression. The objectives of this study were to: (a) identify differences between students who did and did not receive brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression to reduce homesickness; (b) identify whether brief individual CBT for depression reduces the level of homesickness in students between pre-, post- and follow-up assessment; and (c) compare the scores of students experiencing only homesickness and those experiencing both homesickness and depression. The sample consisted of 520 first-year undergraduate international students. The experimental group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received seven sessions of brief individual CBT for depression to reduce homesickness. The control group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received one session of advice and suggestions. The comparison group contained students who experienced only homesickness and did not receive any interventions. The study used the comparison group to determine if an interaction effect existed between students experiencing only homesickness and students experiencing both homesickness and depression. Students who received brief individual CBT displayed a significant reduction in their homesickness and depression scores compared to the scores of students in the control group. Students who experienced only homesickness exhibited a significant reduction in the scores on homesickness in the post-assessment compared to the control group's post-assessment homesickness scores. The results of this study cannot be generalized as data were collected from three universities in Malaysia. The follow-up assessment was conducted six months after the post-assessment, which also limits generalizability beyond six months. Overall, homesickness is considered a normal reaction. Brief individual CBT for depression is effective in reducing homesickness and depression among international students. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Challenges in assessing college students' conception of duality: the case of infinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babarinsa-Ochiedike, Grace Olutayo

Interpreting students' views of infinity posits a challenge for researchers due to the dynamic nature of the conception. There is diversity and variation among students' process-object perceptions. The fluctuations between students' views however reveal an undeveloped duality conception. This study examined college students' conception of duality in understanding and representing infinity with the intent to design strategies that could guide researchers in categorizing students' views of infinity into different levels. Data for the study were collected from N=238 college students enrolled in Calculus sequence courses (Pre-Calculus, Calculus I through Calculus III) at one of the southwestern universities in the U.S. using self-report questionnaires and semi-structured individual task-based interviews. Data was triangulated using multiple measures analyzed by three independent experts using self-designed coding sheets to assess students' externalization of the duality conception of infinity. Results of this study reveal that college students' experiences in traditional Calculus sequence courses are not supportive of the development of duality conception. On the contrary, it strengthens the singularity perspective on fundamental ideas of mathematics such as infinity. The study also found that coding and assessing college students' conception of duality is a challenging and complex process due to the dynamic nature of the conception that is task-dependent and context-dependent. Practical significance of the study is that it helps to recognize misconceptions and starts addressing them so students will have a more comprehensive view of fundamental mathematical ideas as they progress through the Calculus coursework sequence. The developed duality concept development framework called Action-Process-Object-Duality (APOD) adapted from the APOS theory could guide educators and researchers as they engage in assessing students' conception of duality. The results of this study could serve as a facilitating instrument to further analyze cognitive obstacles in college students' understanding of the infinity concept.

Study of Exclusion and Assessibility of Students with Disabilities in the 1994 Trial State Assessment (TSA) of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stancavage, Fran; And Others

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a survey of national trends in educational achievement, is attempting to expand its inclusion of students with disabilities or limitations that have previously caused them to be excluded from the assessment. The study described was a precursor to the 1996 changes in NAEP inclusion procedures.…

Developing Assessment through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischman, Davida; Wasserman, Kelli

2017-01-01

Lesson study cultivates teachers' capacity for formative assessment by placing student thinking front and center throughout. Lesson study is a form of professional development in which a team of teachers determines a mathematical focus, collaboratively studies student thinking about the topic, designs a lesson about this content, implements the…

The effects of professional development related to classroom assessment on student achievement in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzie, Dawn Danielle

This study investigated the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher participation in a Teacher Quality Research (TQR) project on classroom assessment. The samples for these studies were teachers from underperforming schools who volunteered to take part in a professional development program in classroom assessment. School groups were randomly assigned to the treatment group. For Study 1, teachers in the treatment received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach. Teachers in the control received no professional development. For Study 2, teachers in Treatment 1 received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach and teachers in Treatment 2 received professional development in classroom assessment from a facilitator with one day of training. Teachers in both groups completed a measure of assessment literacy, the Teacher Quality Research Test of Assessment Literacy Skills (TQR_TALS), prior to the beginning and then again at the conclusion of the four month professional development program. A hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher TQR status. Based upon these analyses, the professional development program increased teachers' assessment literacy skills; however, the professional development had no significant impact on students' achievement.

Children's aerobic fitness and academic achievement: a longitudinal examination of students during their fifth and seventh grade years.

PubMed

Wittberg, Richard A; Northrup, Karen L; Cottrell, Lesley A

2012-12-01

We assessed children's potential differences in academic achievement based on aerobic fitness over a 2-year period. The longitudinal study sample included 3 cohorts of students (n = 1725; 50.1% male) enrolled in a West Virginia public school system. Students received baseline fitness and academic assessments as fifth graders and at a 2-year follow-up assessment. We used FitnessGram to assess fitness in aerobic capacity and WESTEST, a criterion-based assessment, for academic performance. Students who stayed in the healthy fitness zone (HFZ) had significantly higher WESTEST scores than did students who stayed in the needs improvement zone (NIZ). Students who moved into or out of the HFZ occasionally had significantly higher WESTEST scores than did students who stayed in the NIZ, but they were rarely significantly lower than those of students who stayed in the HFZ. Students' aerobic capacity is associated with greater academic achievement as defined by standardized test scores. This advantage appears to be maintained over time, especially if the student stays in the HFZ.

Examining the Case for Functional Behavior Assessment as an Evidence-Based Practice for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in General Education Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Terrance M.; Alter, Peter J.

2017-01-01

This article is a review of functional behavior assessment studies in general education setting for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The studies were assessed in accordance with published standards for evidence-based practices. Overall, few studies met criteria for inclusion in this review and even fewer studies included all three…

Does academic assessment system type affect levels of academic stress in medical students? A cross-sectional study from Pakistan.

PubMed

Ali, Madiha; Asim, Hamna; Edhi, Ahmed Iqbal; Hashmi, Muhammad Daniyal; Khan, Muhammad Shahjahan; Naz, Farah; Qaiser, Kanza Noor; Qureshi, Sidra Masud; Zahid, Mohammad Faizan; Jehan, Imtiaz

2015-01-01

Stress among medical students induced by academic pressures is on the rise among the student population in Pakistan and other parts of the world. Our study examined the relationship between two different systems employed to assess academic performance and the levels of stress among students at two different medical schools in Karachi, Pakistan. A sample consisting of 387 medical students enrolled in pre-clinical years was taken from two universities, one employing the semester examination system with grade point average (GPA) scores (a tiered system) and the other employing an annual examination system with only pass/fail grading. A pre-designed, self-administered questionnaire was distributed. Test anxiety levels were assessed by The Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS). Overall stress was evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). There were 82 males and 301 females while four did not respond to the gender question. The mean age of the entire cohort was 19.7 ± 1.0 years. A total of 98 participants were from the pass/fail assessment system while 289 were from the GPA system. There was a higher proportion of females in the GPA system (85% vs. 59%; p < 0.01). Students in the pass/fail assessment system had a lower score on the WTAS (2.4 ± 0.8 vs. 2.8 ± 0.7; p = 0.01) and the PSS (17.0 ± 6.7 vs. 20.3 ± 6.8; p < 0.01), indicating lower levels of test anxiety and overall stress than in students enrolled in the GPA assessment system. More students in the pass/fail system were satisfied with their performance than those in the GPA system. Based on the present study, we suggest governing bodies to revise and employ a uniform assessment system for all the medical colleges to improve student academic performance and at the same time reduce stress levels. Our results indicate that the pass/fail assessment system accomplishes these objectives.

Assessing Children's Homework Performance: Development of Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Informant Rating Scales.

PubMed

Power, Thomas J; Dombrowski, Stefan C; Watkins, Marley W; Mautone, Jennifer A; Eagle, John W

2007-06-01

Efforts to develop interventions to improve homework performance have been impeded by limitations in the measurement of homework performance. This study was conducted to develop rating scales for assessing homework performance among students in elementary and middle school. Items on the scales were intended to assess student strengths as well as deficits in homework performance. The sample included 163 students attending two school districts in the Northeast. Parents completed the 36-item Homework Performance Questionnaire - Parent Scale (HPQ-PS). Teachers completed the 22-item teacher scale (HPQ-TS) for each student for whom the HPQ-PS had been completed. A common factor analysis with principal axis extraction and promax rotation was used to analyze the findings. The results of the factor analysis of the HPQ-PS revealed three salient and meaningful factors: student task orientation/efficiency, student competence, and teacher support. The factor analysis of the HPQ-TS uncovered two salient and substantive factors: student responsibility and student competence. The findings of this study suggest that the HPQ is a promising set of measures for assessing student homework functioning and contextual factors that may influence performance. Directions for future research are presented.

Assessing Children’s Homework Performance: Development of Multi-Dimensional, Multi-Informant Rating Scales

PubMed Central

Power, Thomas J.; Dombrowski, Stefan C.; Watkins, Marley W.; Mautone, Jennifer A.; Eagle, John W.

2007-01-01

Efforts to develop interventions to improve homework performance have been impeded by limitations in the measurement of homework performance. This study was conducted to develop rating scales for assessing homework performance among students in elementary and middle school. Items on the scales were intended to assess student strengths as well as deficits in homework performance. The sample included 163 students attending two school districts in the Northeast. Parents completed the 36-item Homework Performance Questionnaire – Parent Scale (HPQ-PS). Teachers completed the 22-item teacher scale (HPQ-TS) for each student for whom the HPQ-PS had been completed. A common factor analysis with principal axis extraction and promax rotation was used to analyze the findings. The results of the factor analysis of the HPQ-PS revealed three salient and meaningful factors: student task orientation/efficiency, student competence, and teacher support. The factor analysis of the HPQ-TS uncovered two salient and substantive factors: student responsibility and student competence. The findings of this study suggest that the HPQ is a promising set of measures for assessing student homework functioning and contextual factors that may influence performance. Directions for future research are presented. PMID:18516211

Assessing Motor Skill Competency in Elementary School Students: A Three-Year Study.

PubMed

Chen, Weiyun; Mason, Steve; Hypnar, Andrew; Bennett, Austin

2016-03-01

This study was to examine how well fourth- and fifth-grade students demonstrated motor skill competency assessed with selected PE Metrics assessment rubrics (2009). Fourth- and fifth-grade students (n = 1,346-1,926) were assessed on their performance of three manipulative skills using the PE Metrics Assessment Rubrics during the pre-intervention year, the post-intervention year 1, and the post-intervention year 3. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, and follow-up comparisons were conducted for data analysis. The results indicated that the post-intervention year 2 cohort performed significantly more competent than the pre-intervention cohort and the post-intervention year 1 cohort on the three manipulative skill assessments. The post-intervention year 1 cohort significantly outperformed the pre-intervention cohort on the soccer dribbling, passing, and receiving and the striking skill assessments, but not on the throwing skill assessment. Although the boys in the three cohorts performed significantly better than the girls on all three skills, the girls showed substantial improvement on the overhand throwing and the soccer skills from baseline to the post-intervention year 1 and the post-intervention year 2. However, the girls, in particular, need to improve striking skill. The CTACH PE was conducive to improving fourth- and fifth-grade students' motor skill competency in the three manipulative skills. This study suggest that PE Metrics assessment rubrics are feasible tools for PE teachers to assess levels of students' demonstration of motor skill competency during a regular PE lesson. Key pointsCATCH PE is an empirically-evidenced quality PE curricular that is conducive to improving students' manipulative skill competency.Boys significantly outperformed than girls in all three manipulative skills.Girls need to improve motor skill competency in striking skill. PE Metrics are feasible assessment rubrics that can be easily used by trained physical education teachers to assess students' manipulative skill competency.

Assessing Classroom Assessment Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson-Beck, Victoria

2011-01-01

Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) are teaching strategies that provide formative assessments of student learning. It has been argued that the use of CATs enhances and improves student learning. Although the various types of CATs have been extensively documented and qualitatively studied, there appears to be little quantitative research…

Examining the influence of formative assessment on conceptual accumulation and conceptual change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Miki K.

This study explored the effect of formative assessment on student achievement in science. Research in science education has shown that students enter science classrooms with previously formed explanatory models of the natural world; these naive "mental models" have a substantial influence on their learning of scientific conceptions. In general, conceptual change describes the pathway from pre-instructional or prior conceptions to a post-instructional or desired conception. Conceptual change involves a fundamental restructuring of a network of concepts rather than fitting new concepts into an existing conceptual network or structure. Research has shown that conceptual change is difficult to promote; for example, students may accumulate multiple conceptions over the course of instruction, including both new misconceptions and more scientifically-sound conceptions. Hellden and Solomon (2004) found that although students tended to evoke the same, less-scientific conceptions over time, they could produce more scientifically-sound conceptions during interviews with appropriate prompting; thus, students undergo conceptual accumulation rather than conceptual change. Students can recall scientifically-sound conceptions they have learned and may use them to reason, but they do so in partnership or hybridization with their less-scientific prior conceptions. Formative assessment, which focuses on providing immediate feedback by acting upon student understanding during the course of instruction, and conceptual change have both been linked to increased student achievement. Formative assessment is an instructional strategy that helps teachers to assess students' current understanding, identify the gap between current understanding and expected understanding, and provide immediate and useful feedback to students on how to close the gap. Formative assessment ranges from formal (e.g. embedded, planned-for interactions between teacher and entire class) to informal (e.g. on-the-fly interactions between teacher and class or student). In this study, the links between formative assessment and conceptual accumulation and conceptual change were explored. Specifically, this study asked: (1) Does formative assessment promote conceptual accumulation, and (2) Does formative assessment promote conceptual change? It was hypothesized that conceptual change-focused formative assessment would foster conceptual change, in addition to supporting conceptual accumulation. It was further hypothesized that all students will show gains in conceptual accumulation as indicated by measures of declarative and procedural knowledge, but that students exposed to conceptual change-focused formative assessment would also show gains in conceptual change as indicated by measures of schematic knowledge or mental models. To research the effect of formative assessment on conceptual accumulation and conceptual change, a small randomized experiment involving 102 middle school students was conducted. In Phase I of the study, 52 6th graders were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group; in Phase II of this study, 50 7th graders were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Both the control and experimental groups in both phases were taught about sinking and floating by the same teacher (the author) with identical curriculum materials and activities. In addition, the experimental group received three sets of embedded formative assessments focused on conceptual change around the topic of why things sink and float during the course of instruction. In Phase I of this study, both groups were kept at the same pace through the entire sequence of investigations. The control condition spent more time on some of the more critical FAST lessons, gathering additional data to support the theories the curriculum expected they would develop at a particular juncture but not receiving structured experiences aimed at addressing misconceptions. In Phase II, students in the control condition spent roughly the same time on each FAST lesson as those in the experimental condition (e.g. they finished the sequence of activities earlier because they did not have class sessions devoted to the RLs inserted at critical junctures) but participated in the formal assessments as a block of activities after they finished the FAST investigations and posttest measures. In other words, in addition to replicating Phase I, Phase II included a Reflective Lesson section for the control group after the end of the experiment proper, followed by a post-posttest. Overall, it was found that embedding conceptual change-focused formative assessments in the FAST curriculum significantly influenced conceptual change. It was also found that all students experienced significant gains in terms of their conceptual accumulation, regardless of exposure to the formative assessments. This study connected two previously isolated but theoretically linked educational frameworks: conceptual change and formative assessment. It was found that formative assessments can be used to promote conceptual change. It was also found that conceptual change is different than conceptual accumulation, in that students who show gains on measures of declarative and procedural knowledge do not necessarily show gains on measures of schematic knowledge. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Does feedback matter? Practice-based learning for medical students after a multi-institutional clinical performance examination.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Malathi; Hauer, Karen E; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Wilkes, Michael; Gesundheit, Neil

2007-09-01

Achieving competence in 'practice-based learning' implies that doctors can accurately self- assess their clinical skills to identify behaviours that need improvement. This study examines the impact of receiving feedback via performance benchmarks on medical students' self-assessment after a clinical performance examination (CPX). The authors developed a practice-based learning exercise at 3 institutions following a required 8-station CPX for medical students at the end of Year 3. Standardised patients (SPs) scored students after each station using checklists developed by experts. Students assessed their own performance immediately after the CPX (Phase 1). One month later, students watched their videotaped performance and reassessed (Phase 2). Some students received performance benchmarks (their scores, plus normative class data) before the video review. Pearson's correlations between self-ratings and SP ratings were calculated for overall performance and specific skill areas (history taking, physical examination, doctor-patient communication) for Phase 1 and Phase 2. The 2 correlations were then compared for each student group (i.e. those who received and those who did not receive feedback). A total of 280 students completed both study phases. Mean CPX scores ranged from 51% to 71% of items correct overall and for each skill area. Phase 1 self-assessment correlated weakly with SP ratings of student performance (r = 0.01-0.16). Without feedback, Phase 2 correlations remained weak (r = 0.13-0.18; n = 109). With feedback, Phase 2 correlations improved significantly (r = 0.26-0.47; n = 171). Low-performing students showed the greatest improvement after receiving feedback. The accuracy of student self-assessment was poor after a CPX, but improved significantly with performance feedback (scores and benchmarks). Videotape review alone (without feedback) did not improve self-assessment accuracy. Practice-based learning exercises that incorporate feedback to medical students hold promise to improve self-assessment skills.

Social networking as a learning tool: nursing students' perception of efficacy.

PubMed

Tower, Marion; Latimer, Sharon; Hewitt, Jayne

2014-06-01

The pedagogical use of social networking technology in education is of growing interest to academics as a potential teaching and learning tool. However, the educational use of social networking sites such as Facebook is still under explored. Nursing students often perceive bioscience subjects as difficult and lack self-efficacy in their ability to be successful. In this case, as the final assessment for a bioscience related subject approached, students became increasingly anxious about their ability to perform in the assessment item. To better support students, a Facebook group was formed. The aim of the study was to examine students' perceptions of the efficacy of using Facebook as a tool to support study. A convenience sample of BN students (n=533 across 3 campuses), enrolled in the subject Medications and Safe Administration, were invited to join. 373 BN students joined the group (70% of the student cohort). A solution-focussed orientation underpinned the management of the group. A descriptive, online survey was administered following release of students' results for the final assessment item to assess students' perceptions of how effective the group had been in helping them learn. The survey contained both quantitative and qualitative questions. Responses were received from 89 students (24%). Survey data were analysed descriptively and qualitative data were analysed thematically by the academic team. Students perceived the group to be an innovative method of study support that guided learning by enhancing self-efficacy in their learning. Students also described how it was useful in promoting peer learning and engaging with academics. Social media platforms such as Facebook have the potential to enhance students' self-efficacy in learning and can support students to develop their learning to a deeper level. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diverse assessment and active student engagement sustain deep learning: A comparative study of outcomes in two parallel introductory biochemistry courses.

PubMed

Bevan, Samantha J; Chan, Cecilia W L; Tanner, Julian A

2014-01-01

Although there is increasing evidence for a relationship between courses that emphasize student engagement and achievement of student deep learning, there is a paucity of quantitative comparative studies in a biochemistry and molecular biology context. Here, we present a pedagogical study in two contrasting parallel biochemistry introductory courses to compare student surface and deep learning. Surface and deep learning were measured quantitatively by a study process questionnaire at the start and end of the semester, and qualitatively by questionnaires and interviews with students. In the traditional lecture/examination based course, there was a dramatic shift to surface learning approaches through the semester. In the course that emphasized student engagement and adopted multiple forms of assessment, a preference for deep learning was sustained with only a small reduction through the semester. Such evidence for the benefits of implementing student engagement and more diverse non-examination based assessment has important implications for the design, delivery, and renewal of introductory courses in biochemistry and molecular biology. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The use of a virtual patient case in an OSCE-based exam--a pilot study.

PubMed

Courteille, O; Bergin, R; Stockeld, D; Ponzer, S; Fors, U

2008-01-01

This study focuses on a skills test based clinical assessment where 118 fourth-year medical students at the four teaching hospitals of Karolinska Institutet participated in the same 12-module OSCE. The goal of one of the twelve examination modules was to assess the students' skills and ability to solve a virtual patient (VP) case (the ISP system), which included medical history taking, lab tests, physical examinations and suggestion of a preliminary diagnosis. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of a VP as a possible tool for assessment of clinical reasoning and problem solving ability among medical students. The feeling of realism of the VP and its possible affective impact on the student's confidence were also investigated. We observed and analysed students' reactions, engagement and performance (activity log files) during their interactive sessions with the simulation. An individual human assistant was provided along with the computer simulation and the videotaped interaction student/assistant was then analysed in detail and related to the students' outcomes. The results indicate possible advantages of using ISP-like systems for assessment. The VP was for instance able to reliably differentiate between students' performances but some weaknesses were also identified, like a confounding influence on students' outcomes by the assistants used. Significant differences, affecting the results, were found between the students in their degree of affective response towards the system as well as the perceived usefulness of assistance. Students need to be trained beforehand in mastering the assessment tool. Rating compliance needs to be targeted before VP-based systems like ISP can be used in exams and if such systems would be used in high-stake exams, the use of human assistants should be limited and scoring rubrics validated (and preferably automated).

Retaining minorities in engineering: Assessment of a program prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Good, Jennifer Marie (Phillips)

Program assessment is an essential part of healthy program development. Assessment should include multiple considerations, dimensions, and outcomes that match the program's objectives. As a newly formed retention program, the Auburn University Minority Engineering Program, designed to help pre-engineering minority students make the transition into their freshman year of university studies, incorporated evaluation and assessment into all three components of the program (the interactive learning laboratory, critical-thinking workshops, and Sunday-evening tutorials) from the program's inception. If students successfully adapted to the university environment and the demands of the pre-engineering course of study, then retention of minority students in the College of Engineering should improve. Data were gathered on the students involved in the various program components. Students who entered the Minority Engineering Program were pre- and posttested on three standardized subtests (critical thinking, mathematics, and science reasoning) of the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency. The first-quarter grade-point averages of the students were also gathered to compare their grades to freshman students in previous quarters within the College of Engineering. Qualitative data were also gathered on this same group of students. An analysis of the data revealed that student achievement is affected by involvement in the Minority Engineering Program. Specifically, the first quarter grade point averages of students involved in the program exceeded those of their peers in earlier years of study prior to the program's existence. In addition, mathematics and science reasoning scores on standardized tests increased pre- to postintervention. Comments collected in journals and files also demonstrated use of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills employed by the students. Recommendations for alterations of the program were made based on the outcome of the program evaluation. Further suggestions for research in minority engineering program development and evaluation were also discussed.

Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems Braille Reading Assessment: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posey, Virginia K.; Henderson, Barbara W.

2012-01-01

Introduction: This exploratory study determined whether transcribing selected test items on an adult life and work skills reading test into braille could maintain the same approximate scale-score range and maintain fitness within the item response theory model as used by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) for developing…

Effect of Group versus Individual Assessments on Coursework among Undergraduates in Tanzania: Implications for Continuous Assessments in Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbalamula, Yazidu Saidi

2018-01-01

The study analyzes students' performance scores in formative assessments depicting the individual and group settings. A case study design was adopted using quantitative approach to extract data of 198 undergraduate students. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics--means and frequencies; spearman correlations, multiple…

Faculty Perception and Use of Learning-Centered Strategies to Assess Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Matthew Lynn

2013-01-01

In this study, the researcher explored collegiate faculty use and perception of learning- centered strategies to assess student performance on various learning tasks. Through this study, the researcher identified the assessment strategies that faculty participants most frequently used, as well as the strategies that they perceived to be most…

Examining Institutional Support for Student Learning Assessment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overton, Doris Anntoinette

2010-01-01

This study examined institutional support for student learning assessment initiatives at accredited four-year historically Black colleges and universities. Three domains and one construct of institutional support for learning assessment were the foci of this two-part study (i.e., organizational and administrative practices and policies, the…

Assessing Student Learning in Gender Inclusive Tertiary Mathematics and Physics Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wistedt, Inger

1998-01-01

The merits and limitations of an alternative assessment method implemented in an inclusive university education program are discussed based on data from a study in which 24 Swedish university students presented mathematics and physics project results. The study shows how an interdisciplinary approach to assessment can promote critical reflection…

Design of formative assessment model for professional behavior using stages of change theory.

PubMed

Hashemi, Akram; Mirzazadeh, Azim; Shirazi, Mandana; Asghari, Fariba

2016-01-01

Background: Professionalism is a core competency of physicians. This study was conducted to design a model for formative assessment of professional commitment in medical students according to stages of change theory. Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected through literature review & focus group interviews in the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2013 and analyzed using content analysis approach. Results: Review of the literature and results of focus group interviews led to design a formative assessment model of professional commitment in three phases, including pre-contemplation, contemplation, and readiness for behavior change that each one has interventional and assessment components. In the second phase of the study, experts' opinion collected in two main categories: the educational environment (factors related to students, students' assessment and educational program); and administrative problems (factors related to subcultures, policymakers or managers and budget). Moreover, there was a section of recommendations for each category related to curriculum, professors, students, assessments, making culture, the staff and reinforcing administrative factors. Conclusion: This type of framework analysis made it possible to develop a conceptual model that could be effective on forming the professional commitment and behavioral change in medical students.

Medical Student Use of Facebook to Support Preparation for Anatomy Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pickering, James D.; Bickerdike, Suzanne R.

2017-01-01

The use of Facebook to support students is an emerging area of educational research. This study explored how a Facebook Page could support Year 2 medical (MBChB) students in preparation for summative anatomy assessments and alleviate test anxiety. Overall, Facebook analytics revealed that in total 49 (19.8% of entire cohort) students posted a…

Enhancing the Learning Achievements and Attitudes of Taiwan Vocational School Students in Accounting with the Dynamic Assessment System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Ju-Ling; Ku, David Tawei; Hung, Su-Huan

2013-01-01

We investigate how the computerized dynamic assessment system improves the learning achievements of vocational high school students studying accounting. Our experiment was conducted under the one-group pretest-posttest design of 34 junior students. The questionnaire results were analyzed to determine student-learning attitudes and reactions toward…

Development and Large-Scale Validation of an Instrument to Assess Arabic-Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad; Summers, Ryan; Said, Ziad; Wang, Shuai; Culbertson, Michael

2015-01-01

This study is part of a large-scale project focused on "Qatari students' Interest in, and Attitudes toward, Science" (QIAS). QIAS aimed to gauge Qatari student attitudes toward science in grades 3-12, examine factors that impact these attitudes, and assess the relationship between student attitudes and prevailing modes of science…

An Evaluation of Behavioral Health Compliance and Microbial Risk Factors on Student Populations within a High-Density Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decker, Jody F.; Slawson, Robin M.

2012-01-01

Objective: The aim of this Canadian study was to assess student behavioral response to disease transmission risk, while identifying high microbial deposition/transmission sites. Participants: A student survey was conducted during October 2009. Methods: The methods included a survey of students to assess use of health services, vaccination…

Does Student Engagement in Self-Assessment Calibrate Their Judgement over Time?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boud, David; Lawson, Romy; Thompson, Darrall G.

2013-01-01

One of the implicit aims of higher education is to enable students to become better judges of their own work. This paper examines whether students who voluntarily engage in self-assessment improve in their capacity to make those judgements. The study utilises data from a web-based marking system that provides students with the opportunity to…

Stress in Medical Students in a Problem-Based Learning Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dagistani, Ahmad; Al Hejaili, Fawwaz; Binsalih, Salih; Al Jahdali, Hamdan; Al Sayyari, Abdulla

2016-01-01

Background: This study aims to assess stress level and its drivers among medical students using a PBL teaching system Method: Higher Education Stress Inventory (HESI,) was used to assess stress among medical students. All students in the College of Medicine were enrolled. Results: The response rate was 99%.The prevalence of stress was 54.7%. The…

Assessment Test Scores of Incoming Students, Fall 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Negron, Maggie; Breindel, Matthew

This assessment of placement test scores in reading, math, and sentence skills from incoming students at College of the Desert (California) shows that students are overwhelmingly underprepared for study at the college. Only 15% of students were prepared in sentence skills, 27% in reading skills, 7% in math skills; only 3% were prepared in all 3…

Short Circuits or Superconductors? Effects of Group Composition on High-Achieving Students' Science Assessment Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Noreen M.; Nemer, Kariane Mari; Zuniga, Stephen

2002-01-01

Studied the effects of group ability composition (homogeneous versus heterogeneous) on group processes and outcomes for high-ability students completing science assessments. Results for 83 high ability students show the quality of group functioning serves as the strongest predictor of high-ability students' performance and explained much of the…

Changing Direction: Assessing Student Thoughts and Feelings about a New Program in Strategic Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frisby, Cynthia M.; Reber, Bryan H.; Cameron, Glen T.

A number of recent studies have examined integration of advertising and public relations, but none reports what students think. Over three semesters, students in an introduction to strategic communication course were asked to assess an integrated public relations and advertising curriculum. Students supported integration and viewed a focus on new…

Prosody as a Tool for Assessing Reading Fluency of Adult ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinambela, Seftirina Evina

2017-01-01

The prosodic features in reading aloud assignment has been associated with the students' decoding skill. The goal of the present study is to determine the reliability of prosody for assessing reading fluency of adult ESL students in Indonesia context. The participants were all Indonesian natives, undergraduate students, adult females and males who…

Assessing Student Perceptions of the Benefits of Discussions in Small-Group, Large-Class, and Online Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamann, Kerstin; Pollock, Philip H.; Wilson, Bruce M.

2012-01-01

A large literature establishes the benefits of discussions for stimulating student engagement and critical thinking skills. However, we know considerably less about the differential effects of various discussion environments on student learning. In this study, we assess student perceptions concerning the benefits of discussions in an upper-level…

Students with Special Needs, Reading Education, and Principals: Bridging the Divide through Instructional Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanzo, Karen; Clayton, Jennifer; Sherman, Whitney

2011-01-01

Principals are held accountable for achievement results of students on state-mandated assessments. Special needs students who struggle with literacy can impact the pass rates on these assessments. This study identifies how reading is taught to special needs students in both self-contained and inclusion settings at the secondary level in one school…

Pilot Test of an Innovative Interprofessional Education Assessment Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmert, Michelle Christine

2011-01-01

The primary goal of this study was to test an innovative way of assessing students' teamwork skills in a controlled environment. Twenty-four second year students from Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) participated in the experimental group and 22 third year students from WesternU participated in the control group. Students in the…

Setting Them up for Success: Assessing a Pre-Research Assignment for First-Year International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avery, Susan

2017-01-01

As the international student population continues to grow, librarians must adjust their instruction to meet the needs of students who are adapting to a new country, culture, and language. This study assesses first-year international students as they engage in the research process through the completion of concept maps that precede database…

Using Extrinsic Motivation to Influence Student Attitude and Behavior toward State Assessments at an Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emmett, Joshua

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to discover the influence of a student achievement program implemented at one large urban high school that employed extrinsic motivation to promote student achievement on state assessments. Using organismic integration theory as the theoretical framework, 19 randomly selected students participated…

The Use of a Performance Assessment for Identifying Gifted Lebanese Students: Is DISCOVER Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarouphim, Ketty M.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of DISCOVER, a performance- based assessment in identifying gifted Lebanese students. The sample consisted of 248 students (121 boys, 127 girls) from Grades 3-5 at two private schools in Beirut, Lebanon. Students were administered DISCOVER and the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices…

Feed-Forward: Students Gaining More from Assessment via Deeper Engagement in Video-Recorded Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Karen; Barry, Shane

2016-01-01

Presentation feedback can be limited in its feed-forward value, as students do not have their actual presentation available for review whilst reflecting upon the feedback. This study reports on students' perceptions of the learning and feed-forward value of an oral presentation assessment. Students self-marked their performance immediately after…

Using Online Peer Assessment in an Instructional Technology and Material Design Course through Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir, Mehmet

2018-01-01

This study was designed to investigate the student teachers perceptions about and benefits and challenges of using Facebook as an online peer assessment tool for the student teachers' works. The study group included 24 student teachers in science education department of a state university located in the southeast region of Turkey. A case study…

Assessment of Student and Faculty Mentor Perceptions of an International Undergraduate Research Program in Physical Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houser, Chris; Cahill, Anthony; Lemmons, Kelly

2014-01-01

In this study, we assess whether students and their faculty mentors in a Research Experience for Undergraduates program have similar perceptions about the relative importance of different outcomes of their study abroad experience. Results of a Q-analysis reveal a significant difference of opinion between the students and the faculty mentors. It is…

Measuring Primary Students' Graph Interpretation Skills via a Performance Assessment: A Case Study in Instrument Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterman, Karen; Cranston, Kayla A.; Pryor, Marie; Kermish-Allen, Ruth

2015-01-01

This case study was conducted within the context of a place-based education project that was implemented with primary school students in the USA. The authors and participating teachers created a performance assessment of standards-aligned tasks to examine 6-10-year-old students' graph interpretation skills as part of an exploratory research…

Development and Implementation of an Electronic Clinical Formative Assessment: Dental Faculty and Student Perspectives.

PubMed

Kirkup, Michele L; Adams, Brooke N; Meadows, Melinda L; Jackson, Richard

2016-06-01

A traditional summative grading structure, used at Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) for more than 30 years, was identified by faculty as outdated for assessing students' clinical performance. In an effort to change the status quo, a feedback-driven assessment was implemented in 2012 to provide a constructive assessment tool acceptable to both faculty and students. Building on the successful non-graded clinical evaluation employed at Baylor College of Dentistry, IUSD implemented a streamlined electronic formative feedback model (FFM) to assess students' daily clinical performance. An important addition to this evaluation tool was the inclusion of routine student self-assessment opportunities. The aim of this study was to determine faculty and student response to the new assessment instrument. Following training sessions, anonymous satisfaction surveys were examined for the three user groups: clinical faculty (60% response rate), third-year (D3) students (72% response rate), and fourth-year (D4) students (57% response rate). In the results, 70% of the responding faculty members preferred the FFM over the summative model; however, 61.8% of the D4 respondents preferred the summative model, reporting insufficient assessment time and low faculty participation. The two groups of students had different responses to the self-assessment component: 70.2% of the D4 respondents appreciated clinical self-assessment compared to 46% of the D3 respondents. Overall, while some components of the FFM assessment were well received, a phased approach to implementation may have facilitated a transition more acceptable to both faculty and students. Improvements are being made in an attempt to increase overall satisfaction.

The use of observational diaries in in-training evaluation: student perceptions.

PubMed

Govaerts, Marjan J B; van der Vleuten, Cees P M; Schuwirth, Lambert W T; Muijtjens, Arno M M

2005-08-01

In health science education clinical clerkships serve the twofold purpose of guiding student learning and assessment of performance. Evidently, both formative and summative assessment procedures are needed in clerkship assessment. In-training evaluation (ITE) has the potential to serve both assessment functions. Implementation of effective ITE, however, has been shown to be problematic, partly because integration of assessment functions may have negative consequences for teaching and learning. This study investigates student perceptions of the impact of an integrated assessment approach, seeking to refine criteria for effective ITE. In the curriculum of Maastricht Midwifery School (MMS), clerkship assessment is based on ITE serving both assessment functions. The ITE model is based on principles of extensive work sampling, and frequent documentation of performance. A focus group technique was used to explore student perceptions on the impact of the ITE approach on student learning and supervisor teaching behaviour, and on the usefulness of information for decision making. Results indicate that the assessment approach is effective in guidance of student learning. Furthermore, students consider the frequent performance documentation essential in clerkship grading. Acceptance and effectivity of ITE requires a learning environment which is safe and respectful. Transparency of assessment processes is the key to success. Suggestions for improvement focus on variation in evaluation formats, improvement of feedback (narrative, complete) and student involvement in assessment. ITE can fulfill both its formative and summative purposes when some crucial conditions are taken into account. Careful training of both supervisors and students in the use of ITE for student learning and performance measurement is essential.

Standardized patient assessment of medical student empathy: ethnicity and gender effects in a multi-institutional study.

PubMed

Berg, Katherine; Blatt, Benjamin; Lopreiato, Joseph; Jung, Julianna; Schaeffer, Arielle; Heil, Daniel; Owens, Tamara; Carter-Nolan, Pamela L; Berg, Dale; Veloski, Jon; Darby, Elizabeth; Hojat, Mohammadreza

2015-01-01

To examine, primarily, the effects of ethnicity and gender, which could introduce bias into scoring, on standardized patient (SP) assessments of medical students and, secondarily, to examine medical students' self-reported empathy for ethnicity and gender effects so as to compare self-perception with the perceptions of SPs. Participants were 577 students from four medical schools in 2012: 373 (65%) were white, 79 (14%) black/African American, and 125 (22%) Asian/Pacific Islander. These students were assessed by 84 SPs: 62 (74%) were white and 22 (26%) were black/African American. SPs completed the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) and the Global Ratings of Empathy tool. Students completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and two Interpersonal Reactivity Index subscales. The investigators used 2,882 student-SP encounters in their analyses. Analyses of SPs' assessments of students' empathy indicated significant interaction effects of gender and ethnicity. Female students, regardless of ethnicity, obtained significantly higher mean JSPPPE scores than men. Female black/African American, female white, and female Asian/Pacific Islander students scored significantly higher on the JSPPPE than their respective male counterparts. Male black/African American students obtained the lowest SP assessment scores of empathy regardless of SP ethnicity. Black/African American students obtained the highest mean scores on self-reported empathy. The significant interaction effects of ethnicity and gender in clinical encounters, plus the inconsistencies observed between SPs' assessments of students' empathy and students' self-reported empathy, raise questions about possible ethnicity and gender biases in the SPs' assessments of medical students' clinical skills.

Performance Assessment as a Diagnostic Tool for Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruit, Patricia; Oostdam, Ron; van den Berg, Ed; Schuitema, Jaap

2018-04-01

Information on students' development of science skills is essential for teachers to evaluate and improve their own education, as well as to provide adequate support and feedback to the learning process of individual students. The present study explores and discusses the use of performance assessments as a diagnostic tool for formative assessment to inform teachers and guide instruction of science skills in primary education. Three performance assessments were administered to more than 400 students in grades 5 and 6 of primary education. Students performed small experiments using real materials while following the different steps of the empirical cycle. The mutual relationship between the three performance assessments is examined to provide evidence for the value of performance assessments as useful tools for formative evaluation. Differences in response patterns are discussed, and the diagnostic value of performance assessments is illustrated with examples of individual student performances. Findings show that the performance assessments were difficult for grades 5 and 6 students but that much individual variation exists regarding the different steps of the empirical cycle. Evaluation of scores as well as a more substantive analysis of students' responses provided insight into typical errors that students make. It is concluded that performance assessments can be used as a diagnostic tool for monitoring students' skill performance as well as to support teachers in evaluating and improving their science lessons.

Evaluation of Formative Computer-Based Assessment by Cell Biology Students with Differing Entry Qualifications and Ethnicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bax, Christopher; Baggott, Glenn; Howey, Ellen; Pellet-Many, Carolyn; Rayne, Richard; Neonaki, Maria; Bax, Bridget E.; White, Christopher Branford

2006-01-01

This study was carried out to examine students' responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents' ethnicity and…

Student Perceptions of the Fairness of Grading Procedures: A Multilevel Investigation of the Role of the Academic Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burger, Roland

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of assessment method (essays vs. examinations) and instruction method (seminars vs. lectures) on student perceptions of the fairness of the assessment process. Department-specific combinations of these factors give a unique profile to the assessment process and to the way students interact with…

A Simulated Peer-Assessment Approach to Improving Student Performance in Chemical Calculations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Fraser J.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the utility of using simulated, rather than real, student solutions to problems within a peer-assessment setting and whether this approach can be used as a means of improving performance in chemical calculations. The study involved a small cohort of students, of two levels, who carried out a simulated peer-assessment as a…

An Action Research Study of High School English Language Arts, Intensive Reading, and Formative Assessment Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Karen P.

2017-01-01

Formative assessment has been identified as an effective pedagogical practice in the field of education, where teachers and students engage daily in an interactive process to gather evidence of the students' proficiency of a specific learning goal. The evidence collected by the teacher and a student during the formative assessment process allows…

Students' Reception of Peer Assessment of Group-Work Contributions: Problematics in Terms of Race and Gender Emerging from a South African Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thondhlana, Gladman; Belluigi, Dina Zoe

2017-01-01

Participatory assessment is increasingly employed in higher education worldwide as a formative mechanism to support students' active learning. But do students in an increasingly relationally diverse environment perceive that peer assessment of individuals' contributions to group-work tasks enhances their learning? Recognising the impact of…

Value Chain, Stakeholders Analysis and Technology: A Holistic and Integrated Approach for Determining the Cumulative Added Value of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben Khudair, Saud Abdullah; Abdalla, Abdalla Khidir

2016-01-01

The research problem addressed in this study focused on the students' assessment issue. Although the assessment of student learning should form part of the curriculum of school programs, many educational institutions do not make student assessment part of their teaching and learning routines. A holistic and integrated framework, which encompasses…

The Effect of Computer Models as Formative Assessment on Student Understanding of the Nature of Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mihwa; Liu, Xiufeng; Smith, Erica; Waight, Noemi

2017-01-01

This study reports the effect of computer models as formative assessment on high school students' understanding of the nature of models. Nine high school teachers integrated computer models and associated formative assessments into their yearlong high school chemistry course. A pre-test and post-test of students' understanding of the nature of…

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Emotional Skills Assessment Process (ESAP) with College Students in Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teliz Triujeque, Rosalia

2009-01-01

The major purpose of the study was to determine the construct validity of the Spanish version of the Emotional Skills Assessment Process (ESAP) in a targeted population of agriculture college students in Mexico. The ESAP is a self assessment approach that helps students to identify and understand emotional intelligence skills relevant for…

Pre-Primary Education and Long-Term Education Performance: Evidence from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pholphirul, Piriya

2017-01-01

Several research papers have assessed the long-term benefits of pre-primary education in terms of academic performance and labor market outcomes. This study analyzes data obtained from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to estimate the effects of preschool enrollment of Thai students on producing long-term benefits in their…

Engaging Oral Health Students in Learning Basic Science Through Assessment That Weaves in Personal Experience.

PubMed

Leadbeatter, Delyse; Gao, Jinlong

2018-04-01

Learning basic science forms an essential foundation for oral health therapy and dentistry, but frequently students perceive it as difficult, dry, and disconnected from clinical practice. This perception is encouraged by assessment methods that reward fact memorization, such as objective examinations. This study evaluated use of a learner-centered assessment portfolio designed to increase student engagement with basic science in an oral health therapy program at the University of Sydney, Australia. The aim of this qualitative study based on focus groups was to investigate students' engagement with basic science courses following introduction of the portfolio. Three assessments were conducted in three subsequent semesters: one based on students' interest in everyday phenomena (one student, for example, explored why she had red hair); the second focussed on scientific evidence and understanding of systemic diseases; and the third explored relations between oral and general health. Students were encouraged to begin with issues from their personal experience or patient care, to focus on what they were curious about, and to ask questions they really cared about. Each student prepared a written report and gave an oral presentation to the entire cohort. After the portfolios were completed, the authors held focus groups with two cohorts of students (N=21) in 2016 and analyzed the results using Zepke's framework for student engagement research. The results showed that the students successfully interweaved personal experience into their studies and that it provided significant motivation for learning. The students described their learning in terms of connection to themselves, their peer community, and their profession. Many additional benefits were identified, from increased student engagement in all courses to appreciation of the relevance of basic science. The findings should encourage dental and allied dental educators to reconsider the effects of assessments and seek integrative methods to help students engage in meaningful knowledge production and understand that what they are learning goes beyond acquisition of scientific facts.

Modeling Instruction in AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belcher, Nathan Tillman

This action research study used data from multiple assessments in Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism to determine the viability of Modeling Instruction as a pedagogy for students in AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. Modeling Instruction is a guided-inquiry approach to teaching science in which students progress through the Modeling Cycle to develop a fully-constructed model for a scientific concept. AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism are calculus-based physics courses, approximately equivalent to first-year calculus-based physics courses at the collegiate level. Using a one-group pretest-posttest design, students were assessed in Mechanics using the Force Concept Inventory, Mechanics Baseline Test, and 2015 AP Physics C: Mechanics Practice Exam. With the same design, students were assessed in Electricity and Magnetism on the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment, Electricity and Magnetism Conceptual Assessment, and 2015 AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Practice Exam. In a one-shot case study design, student scores were collected from the 2017 AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism Exams. Students performed moderately well on the assessments in Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism, demonstrating that Modeling Instruction is a viable pedagogy in AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism.

Studying for Success: Diaries of Students' Study Behaviours

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomes, Jennifer L.; Wasylkiw, Louise; Mockler, Brittany

2011-01-01

The current study examined students' study behaviours using a diary methodology. Given the limitations of previous investigations, participants were asked to complete daily study diaries for 10 days prior to a course test to assess students' actual study behaviours. Results showed that students engaged in a diverse set of behaviours with only some…

How Much Is Too Much Assessment? Insight into Assessment-Driven Student Learning Gains in Large-Scale Undergraduate Microbiology Courses

PubMed Central

Wang, Jack T. H.; Schembri, Mark A.; Hall, Roy A.

2013-01-01

Designing and implementing assessment tasks in large-scale undergraduate science courses is a labor-intensive process subject to increasing scrutiny from students and quality assurance authorities alike. Recent pedagogical research has provided conceptual frameworks for teaching introductory undergraduate microbiology, but has yet to define best-practice assessment guidelines. This study assessed the applicability of Biggs’ theory of constructive alignment in designing consistent learning objectives, activities, and assessment items that aligned with the American Society for Microbiology’s concept-based microbiology curriculum in MICR2000, an introductory microbiology course offered at the University of Queensland, Australia. By improving the internal consistency in assessment criteria and increasing the number of assessment items explicitly aligned to the course learning objectives, the teaching team was able to efficiently provide adequate feedback on numerous assessment tasks throughout the semester, which contributed to improved student performance and learning gains. When comparing the constructively aligned 2011 offering of MICR2000 with its 2010 counterpart, students obtained higher marks in both coursework assignments and examinations as the semester progressed. Students also valued the additional feedback provided, as student rankings for course feedback provision increased in 2011 and assessment and feedback was identified as a key strength of MICR2000. By designing MICR2000 using constructive alignment and iterative assessment tasks that followed a common set of learning outcomes, the teaching team was able to effectively deliver detailed and timely feedback in a large introductory microbiology course. This study serves as a case study for how constructive alignment can be integrated into modern teaching practices for large-scale courses. PMID:23858350

Student-to-Student Confirmation in the College Classroom: The Development and Validation of the Student-to-Student Confirmation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaBelle, Sara; Johnson, Zac D.

2018-01-01

Three studies were conducted to generate a valid and reliable instrument to measure student-to-student confirmation. Study One (N = 396) sought to establish a factor structure based on previous research. Study Two (N = 396) sought to confirm this factor structure and assess criterion-related validity. Study Three (N = 283) sought to assess…

Alternate Assessment Use with Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Analysis of Portfolio, Checklists, and Out-of-Level Test Formats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cawthon, Stephanie W.; Wurtz, Keith A.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present findings on alternate assessments for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH). Drawn from the results of the "Second National Survey of Assessments and Accommodations for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing," this study investigated three alternate assessment formats: portfolio, checklists, and…

Assessed perceptions of female materials science and engineering graduates on academic advising, student support services and retention strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington, Renita Linette

Females currently undertaking STEM-related programs can benefit from knowing about how other females who had been in a similar position as them were able to persevere through the challenges of higher education with the help of advisement and student support services that aim to increasing student retention. While there have been a depth of studies on the development of academic advising, there have been limited studies on this development with respect to the needs of specific marginalized groups. This is the gap in literature that is addressed by this study. The outcomes observed in this study can potentially benefit female students at the institution where the study was conducted. This study focused on the group of female students who were able to successfully complete their STEM-related degrees. A significant difference was found between tutoring and learning support, F = 4.65, sd = .78 and a sig. level = .004. A strong negative relationship existed between the ages of the graduates and assessed academic advisement. A perfect positive relationship existed between the age of the graduates and assessed course concierge service scores; and between the age of the graduates and assessed career services and counseling scores. A moderate negative relationship existed between the age of the graduates and assessed curriculum/degree planning database scores, the age of the graduates and assessed academic and program advisement scores and the age of the graduates and assessed tutorial and learning support services scores. A weak negative relationship existed between the age of the graduates and assessed retention scores.

Assessment accommodations on tests of academic achievement for students who are deaf or hard of hearing: a qualitative meta-analysis of the research literature.

PubMed

Cawthon, Stephanie; Leppo, Rachel

2013-01-01

The authors conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of the research on assessment accommodations for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. There were 16 identified studies that analyzed the impact of factors related to student performance on academic assessments across different educational settings, content areas, and types of assessment accommodations. The meta-analysis found that the results of analyses of group effects of accommodated versus unaccommodated test formats are often not significant, test-level factors exist that can affect how students perceive the assessments, and differences exist in how test items function across different conditions. Student-level factors, including educational context and academic proficiency, influence accommodations' role in assessment processes. The results of this analysis highlight the complexity of and intersections between student-level factors, test-level factors, and larger policy contexts. Findings are discussed within the context of larger changes in academic assessment, including computer-based administration and high-stakes testing.

A correlation study of social network usage among health care students.

PubMed

Suit, Louise; Winkler, Patricia; Campbell, Linda; Pennington, Karen; Szutenbach, Mary Pat; Haight, Robert; Roybal, Deborah; McCollum, Marianne

2015-04-01

Due to anecdotal concerns about adequacy of health professions students' communication skills, health professions faculty at a private university formed an interprofessional research team. The study was designed to explore whether the use of social networking services (SNS) influenced health care students' written and oral communication skills. One hundred thirty-two students participated in the study. Communication skills were assessed by using assignments from a health care ethics course required of all students. Use of SNS was measured with an information technology questionnaire. Contrary to expected findings, this exploratory correlation study found no meaningful relationship between the frequency of SNS usage and oral and written communication skills in health professions students. Future studies of SNS would benefit from a younger and more homogeneous study population to assess the use of SNS for learning versus leisure. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

A Comparative Study of Current Theories and Practices in Assessing Students' Achievements at Primary and Secondary Level. Final Report. IBE Document Series, Number 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macintosh, Henry G.

A study was conducted to examine and compare, in 10 selected countries, the interaction between current conceptions and theories of assessment and assessment practices. Of particular interest was the nature of changing practice and theory in assessing the learning achievements of students in elementary and secondary education, as well as the…

Using Formative Assessment to Facilitate Learner Self-Regulation: A Case Study of Assessment Practices and Student Perceptions in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jing Jing, Ma

2017-01-01

One of the key aims of formative assessment in higher education is to enable students to become self-regulated learners (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). Based on Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick's (2006) framework, this exploratory study investigates which formative assessment practices proposed by them were used by one college EFL writing teacher to…

Satisfaction with School among Gifted Israeli Students Studying in Various Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vidergor, Hava; Reiter, Shunit

2008-01-01

The study was aimed at assessing gifted students' satisfaction with school. The research sample comprised 229 Israeli elementary and junior high school gifted students, studying in separate classrooms, pullout programmes and pullout programme dropouts, and 140 regular students studying at the same schools. Satisfaction was measured using a…

Generalizability Theory Applied to Reading Assessments for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tindal, Gerald; Yovanoff, Paul; Geller, Josh P.

2010-01-01

Students with significant disabilities must participate in large-scale assessments, often using an alternate assessment judged against alternate achievement standards. The development and administration of this type of assessment must necessarily balance meaningful participation with accurate measurement. In this study, generalizability theory is…

Is Teacher Assessment Reliable or Valid for High School Students under a Web-Based Portfolio Environment?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng; Wu, Bing-Hong

2012-01-01

This study explored the reliability and validity of teacher assessment under a Web-based portfolio assessment environment (or Web-based teacher portfolio assessment). Participants were 72 eleventh graders taking the "Computer Application" course. The students perform portfolio creation, inspection, self- and peer-assessment using the Web-based…

Assessing Student Work at Disciplinary Crossroads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansilla, Veronica Boix

2005-01-01

Undergraduate programs across the nation are increasingly offering interdisciplinary study programs as markers of their commitment to educate individuals for the demands of contemporary life. Yet, as students engage in interdisciplinary learning projects, an unaddressed question looms large: how to adequately assess student interdisciplinary work.…

Student Success Survey: Supporting Academic Success for At-Risk Nursing Students Through Early Intervention.

PubMed

McLain, Rhonda M; Fifolt, Matthew; Dawson, Martha A; Su, Wei; Milligan, Gary; Davis, Sandra; Hites, Lisle

Diversity in the nursing workforce has a positive impact on the quality of care provided to minority patients. Although the number of students from diverse backgrounds entering nursing programs has increased, the attrition rate of these students remains high. This study assessed the construct validity of a self-assessment tool that can be used by faculty advisors to determine individual academic needs of students.

Comparison of the medical students' perceived self-efficacy and the evaluation of the observers and patients.

PubMed

Ammentorp, Jette; Thomsen, Janus Laust; Jarbøl, Dorte Ejg; Holst, René; Øvrehus, Anne Lindebo Holm; Kofoed, Poul-Erik

2013-04-08

The accuracy of self-assessment has been questioned in studies comparing physicians' self-assessments to observed assessments; however, none of these studies used self-efficacy as a method for self-assessment. The aim of the study was to investigate how medical students' perceived self-efficacy of specific communication skills corresponds to the evaluation of simulated patients and observers. All of the medical students who signed up for an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) were included. As a part of the OSCE, the student performance in the "parent-physician interaction" was evaluated by a simulated patient and an observer at one of the stations. After the examination the students were asked to assess their self-efficacy according to the same specific communication skills. The Calgary Cambridge Observation Guide formed the basis for the outcome measures used in the questionnaires. A total of 12 items was rated on a Likert scale from 1-5 (strongly disagree to strongly agree). We used extended Rasch models for comparisons between the groups of responses of the questionnaires. Comparisons of groups were conducted on dichotomized responses. Eighty-four students participated in the examination, 87% (73/84) of whom responded to the questionnaire. The response rate for the simulated patients and the observers was 100%. Significantly more items were scored in the highest categories (4 and 5) by the observers and simulated patients compared to the students (observers versus students: -0.23; SE:0.112; p=0.002 and patients versus students:0.177; SE:0.109; p=0.037). When analysing the items individually, a statistically significant difference only existed for two items. This study showed that students scored their communication skills lower compared to observers or simulated patients. The differences were driven by only 2 of 12 items. The results in this study indicate that self-efficacy based on the Calgary Cambridge Observation guide seems to be a reliable tool.

Student science achievement and the integration of Indigenous knowledge on standardized tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupuis, Juliann; Abrams, Eleanor

2017-09-01

In this article, we examine how American Indian students in Montana performed on standardized state science assessments when a small number of test items based upon traditional science knowledge from a cultural curriculum, "Indian Education for All", were included. Montana is the first state in the US to mandate the use of a culturally relevant curriculum in all schools and to incorporate this curriculum into a portion of the standardized assessment items. This study compares White and American Indian student test scores on these particular test items to determine how White and American Indian students perform on culturally relevant test items compared to traditional standard science test items. The connections between student achievement on adapted culturally relevant science test items versus traditional items brings valuable insights to the fields of science education, research on student assessments, and Indigenous studies.

Student threat assessment as a standard school safety practice: Results from a statewide implementation study.

PubMed

Cornell, Dewey; Maeng, Jennifer L; Burnette, Anna Grace; Jia, Yuane; Huang, Francis; Konold, Timothy; Datta, Pooja; Malone, Marisa; Meyer, Patrick

2018-06-01

Threat assessment has been widely endorsed as a school safety practice, but there is little research on its implementation. In 2013, Virginia became the first state to mandate student threat assessment in its public schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the statewide implementation of threat assessment and to identify how threat assessment teams distinguish serious from nonserious threats. The sample consisted of 1,865 threat assessment cases reported by 785 elementary, middle, and high schools. Students ranged from pre-K to Grade 12, including 74.4% male, 34.6% receiving special education services, 51.2% White, 30.2% Black, 6.8% Hispanic, and 2.7% Asian. Survey data were collected from school-based teams to measure student demographics, threat characteristics, and assessment results. Logistic regression indicated that threat assessment teams were more likely to identify a threat as serious if it was made by a student above the elementary grades (odds ratio 0.57; 95% lower and upper bound 0.42-0.78), a student receiving special education services (1.27; 1.00-1.60), involved battery (1.61; 1.20-2.15), homicide (1.40; 1.07-1.82), or weapon possession (4.41; 2.80-6.96), or targeted an administrator (3.55; 1.73-7.30). Student race and gender were not significantly associated with a serious threat determination. The odds ratio that a student would attempt to carry out a threat classified as serious was 12.48 (5.15-30.22). These results provide new information on the nature and prevalence of threats in schools using threat assessment that can guide further work to develop this emerging school safety practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

A cross-sectional study of chiropractic students' research readiness using the Academic Self-Concept Analysis Scale

PubMed Central

Whillier, Stephney; Au, Kent; Feng, Louie; Su, Helen

2017-01-01

Objective: The shift toward evidence-based health care has reoriented tertiary clinical education in a way that necessitates and incorporates research. This study assesses the inclination and suitability of chiropractic students for research over a 5-year educational program. Methods: Research attributes of chiropractic students were assessed in this cross-sectional study using a validated and modified academic self-concept analysis scale. Students in first and final year were assessed in 4 domains: creativity, motivation, self-regulation, and general intellectual ability. Univariable differences were assessed using Welch 2-sample t tests, and multivariable analysis was carried out with multiple linear regression models. Results: The response rate was 71% (n = 165). First- and fifth-year students scored highly on all 4 domains (80% to 96%). Compared to first-year students, fifth-year students rated themselves significantly lower in 3 of the domains: general intellectual abilities (t[126] = −2.01; p = 0.047), motivation (t[115] = −4.82; p < 0.001), and creativity (t[136] = −3.00; p = 0.003). Conclusion: Research suitability is high in chiropractic students. Both cohorts scored high in all domains despite the disparity between first and fifth years. First-year students outperformed fifth-year students in 3 domains, indicating a potential decline in the inclination to do research over time. However, unaccounted factors, such as the Dunning-Kruger effect, life changes, and “burnout,” may have contributed to these differences. Future studies should include questions about stress, fatigue, clinical orientation, and educational environment to inform the interpretation of findings. PMID:28768108

An assessment of psychological stress and symptomatology for didactic phase physician assistant students.

PubMed

Childers, William A; May, Ryan K; Ball, Natalie

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of psychological stress experienced by didactic phase, physician assistant (PA) students. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) survey was administered to 81 students in 2011 during the first two didactic phase semesters at two PA programs. Using ANOVA and t-tests, several variables were analyzed for significance. The SCL-90-R results portray that a significant proportion of the students from both programs reported elevated levels of stress during the first and second semester of the didactic year. Although several significant levels were noted throughout this study, it is not known how these scores from PA students would compare to other medical and/or nonmedical graduate students. Additional studies of stress from both medical and nonmedical graduate students would be beneficial for comparison to PA students.

Quality of Life of Medical Students in China: A Study Using the WHOQOL-BREF

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yang; Qu, Bo; Lun, Shisi; Wang, Dongbo; Guo, Ying; Liu, Jie

2012-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) of medical students during their medical education and explore the influencing factors of the QOL of students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2011. The study population was composed of 1686 medical students in years 1 to 5 at China Medical University. The Chinese version of WHOQOL-BREF instrument was used to assess the QOL of medical students. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed by Cronbach’s α coefficient and factor analysis respectively. The relationships between QOL and the factors including gender, academic year level, and specialty were examined using t-test or one-way ANOVA followed by Student-Newman–Keuls test. Statistic analysis was performed by SPSS 13.0. Results The overall Cronbach’s α coefficient of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was 0.731. The confirmatory factor analysis provided an acceptable fit to a four-factor model in the medical student sample. The scores of different academic years were significantly different in the psychological health and social relations domains (p<0.05). Third year students had the lowest scores in psychological health and social relations domains. The scores of different specialties had significant differences in psychological health and social relations domains (p<0.05). Students from clinical medicine had the highest scores. Gender, interest in the area of study, confidence in career development, hometown location, and physical exercise were significantly associated with the quality of life of students in some domains (p<0.05). Conclusions The WHOQOL-BREF was reliable and valid in the assessment of the QOL of Chinese medical students. In order to cope with the influencing factors of the QOL, medical schools should carry out curriculum innovation and give the necessary support for medical students, especially for 3rd year students. PMID:23209595

Using portfolios for clinical practice learning and assessment: the pre-registration nursing student's perspective.

PubMed

McMullan, Miriam

2008-10-01

Portfolios have been introduced to help to integrate theory and practice and thereby address the issue of the theory-practice divide. Although there has been much theoretical discussion about portfolio use in clinical placements, few studies have focused on the students' perceptions regarding their use. To obtain adult branch pre-registration nursing students' perspectives on using portfolios for their clinical practice learning and assessment, postal questionnaires were sent to 253 diploma of nursing students with a reminder to all students three weeks later. The response rate was 69% (174/253). This paper reports on the qualitative findings of the study, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Although students stated that portfolios helped them in their development of self-awareness and independent learning, they indicated that portfolios do not sufficiently address the assessment of their clinical skills and the integration of theory and practice. They considered that portfolios could be greatly improved in three areas, namely in the conflict between using portfolios for both assessment and learning, the amount of support and guidance students feel they receive with their portfolio use and the portfolio design.

Simulation in undergraduate paediatrics: a cluster-randomised trial.

PubMed

Morrissey, Benita; Jacob, Hannah; Harnik, Erika; Mackay, Kate; Moreiras, John

2016-10-01

Medical students lack confidence in recognising, assessing and managing unwell patients, particularly children. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a 1-day novel paediatric simulation course on medical students' ability to recognise and assess sick children, and to evaluate medical students' views on the use of simulation in child health teaching. We conducted a cluster-randomised trial with a mixed-methods design. Students were cluster randomised into the intervention (simulation) group or control group (standard paediatric attachment). Students in the intervention group attended a 1-day simulation course during the last week of their attachment. The primary outcome measure was students' self-reported ability and confidence in recognising, assessing and managing sick children. There were 61 students in the study: 32 in the intervention group and 29 in the control group. Self-assessed confidence in recognising, assessing and managing a sick child was higher after the simulation course, compared with controls (p < 0.001). Six key themes were identified, including: increased confidence in emergency situations; the value of learning through participation in 'real-life' realistic scenarios in a safe environment; and an appreciation of the importance of human factors. Students found the simulation useful and wanted it offered to all undergraduates during child health attachments. A 1-day simulation course improves medical students' confidence in assessing and managing unwell children, and is highly valued by students. It could be used to complement undergraduate teaching on the management of sick children. Further studies are needed to evaluate its impact on real-life clinical performance and confidence over time. Students lack confidence in managing unwell patients, particularly children. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effectiveness of health education and behavioral intervention for tobacco de-addiction among degree students: A clinical trial

PubMed Central

Reddy, Uday Kumar; Siyo, Rasool Karim Nizaro; Ul Haque, Mohamed Abrar; Basavaraja, Harsha; Acharya, Bailore Lakshmikantha Guruprasanna; Divakar, Darshan Devang

2015-01-01

Background: Objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of tobacco use among the degree students of Oxford institutions in Bangalore city, offer a tobacco cessation intervention for tobacco users among the degree students, and assess the effectiveness of intervention by comparing with the control group. Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted to assess the prevalence of tobacco use and the effectiveness of tobacco cessation behavioral intervention offered to degree students of Oxford institutions in Bangalore city. Then were randomly selected and divided into 55 students in the study group (group A) and 60 students in the control group (group B). Results: The effect of intervention of tobacco cessation in group A showed an increase of 29.1% students who stopped using tobacco completely after intervention compared to 15% in group B, and the highest reduction of 21.8% change was noticed in the students using one to five tobacco products per day and the least reduction in percentage (1.8%) change was noticed in the students using one tobacco product per day. Conclusion: Findings from the present study suggest that the intervention has suggestive significance on tobacco intervention. PMID:26942124

Connected Classroom Technology Facilitates Multiple Components of Formative Assessment Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirley, Melissa L.; Irving, Karen E.

2015-02-01

Formative assessment has been demonstrated to result in increased student achievement across a variety of educational contexts. When using formative assessment strategies, teachers engage students in instructional tasks that allow the teacher to uncover levels of student understanding so that the teacher may change instruction accordingly. Tools that support the implementation of formative assessment strategies are therefore likely to enhance student achievement. Connected classroom technologies (CCTs) include a family of devices that show promise in facilitating formative assessment. By promoting the use of interactive student tasks and providing both teachers and students with rapid and accurate data on student learning, CCT can provide teachers with necessary evidence for making instructional decisions about subsequent lessons. In this study, the experiences of four middle and high school science teachers in their first year of implementing the TI-Navigator™ system, a specific type of CCT, are used to characterize the ways in which CCT supports the goals of effective formative assessment. We present excerpts of participant interviews to demonstrate the alignment of CCT with several main phases of the formative assessment process. CCT was found to support implementation of a variety of instructional tasks that generate evidence of student learning for the teacher. The rapid aggregation and display of student learning evidence provided teachers with robust data on which to base subsequent instructional decisions.

Relationship between the TCAP and the Pearson Benchmark Assessment in Elementary Students' Reading and Math Performance in a Northeastern Tennessee School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dugger-Roberts, Cherith A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a relationship between the TCAP test and Pearson Benchmark assessment in elementary students' reading and language arts and math performance in a northeastern Tennessee school district. This study involved 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. The study focused on the following…

Reliability and validity of the Safe Routes to school parent and student surveys.

PubMed

McDonald, Noreen C; Dwelley, Amanda E; Combs, Tabitha S; Evenson, Kelly R; Winters, Richard H

2011-06-08

The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the U.S. National Center for Safe Routes to School's in-class student travel tallies and written parent surveys. Over 65,000 tallies and 374,000 parent surveys have been completed, but no published studies have examined their measurement properties. Students and parents from two Charlotte, NC (USA) elementary schools participated. Tallies were conducted on two consecutive days using a hand-raising protocol; on day two students were also asked to recall the previous days' travel. The recall from day two was compared with day one to assess 24-hour test-retest reliability. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing parent-reports of students' travel mode with student-reports of travel mode. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey was assessed by comparing within-parent responses. Reliability and validity were assessed using kappa statistics. A total of 542 students participated in the in-class student travel tally reliability assessment and 262 parent-student dyads participated in the validity assessment. Reliability was high for travel to and from school (kappa > 0.8); convergent validity was lower but still high (kappa > 0.75). There were no differences by student grade level. Two-week test-retest reliability of the parent survey (n=112) ranged from moderate to very high for objective questions on travel mode and travel times (kappa range: 0.62-0.97) but was substantially lower for subjective assessments of barriers to walking to school (kappa range: 0.31-0.76). The student in-class student travel tally exhibited high reliability and validity at all elementary grades. The parent survey had high reliability on questions related to student travel mode, but lower reliability for attitudinal questions identifying barriers to walking to school. Parent survey design should be improved so that responses clearly indicate issues that influence parental decision making in regards to their children's mode of travel to school. © 2011 McDonald et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Psychological stress and burnout in medical students: a five-year prospective longitudinal study.

PubMed

Guthrie, E; Black, D; Bagalkote, H; Shaw, C; Campbell, M; Creed, F

1998-05-01

The aim of this study was to assess psychological morbidity and symptoms of burnout in medical students during their undergraduate training, and to identify baseline factors that predict psychological morbidity in students in the final year of the course. It was a 5-year prospective longitudinal cohort study. Students were assessed in years 1, 4 and 5 of their medical undergraduate training by means of the GHQ-12 and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. 172 (84.3%), 157 (77.0%) and 155 (75.9%) students out of an original group of 204 completed assessments in years 1, 4 and 5, respectively. 18 students were above threshold on the GHQ-12 on all three occasions, 25 on two occasions and 43 on one occasion; 69 students were never a 'case'. Students who were cases on two or more occasions were more likely to find the medical course stressful during the first year, but not subsequent years. There was no significant difference between the percentages of men and women who scored as cases on the GHQ-12 in any of the years. The best predictor of psychological morbidity in the final year of the course was the GHQ-12 score in year 1. This study suggests that a small group of students repeatedly experience psychological distress during their medical training.

How do gender and anxiety affect students' self-assessment and actual performance on a high-stakes clinical skills examination?

PubMed

Colbert-Getz, Jorie M; Fleishman, Carol; Jung, Julianna; Shilkofski, Nicole

2013-01-01

Research suggests that medical students are not accurate in self-assessment, but it is not clear whether students over- or underestimate their skills or how certain characteristics correlate with accuracy in self-assessment. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of gender and anxiety on accuracy of students' self-assessment and on actual performance in the context of a high-stakes assessment. Prior to their fourth year of medical school, two classes of medical students at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine completed a required clinical skills exam in fall 2010 and 2011, respectively. Two hundred two students rated their anxiety in anticipation of the exam and predicted their overall scores in the history taking and physical examination performance domains. A self-assessment deviation score was calculated by subtracting each student's predicted score from his or her score as rated by standardized patients. When students self-assessed their data gathering performance, there was a weak negative correlation between their predicted scores and their actual scores on the examination. Additionally, there was an interaction effect of anxiety and gender on both self-assessment deviation scores and actual performance. Specifically, females with high anxiety were more accurate in self-assessment and achieved higher actual scores compared with males with high anxiety. No differences by gender emerged for students with moderate or low anxiety. Educators should take into account not only gender but also the role of emotion, in this case anxiety, when planning interventions to help improve accuracy of students' self-assessment.

Evaluating a standardised clinical assessment tool for pre-registration midwifery students: A cross-sectional survey of midwifery students and midwives in Australia.

PubMed

Morrow, Jane; Biggs, Laura; Stelfox, Sara; Phillips, Diane; McKellar, Lois; McLachlan, Helen

2016-02-01

Assessment of clinical competence is a core component of midwifery education. Clinical assessment tools have been developed to help increase consistency and overcome subjectivity of assessment. The study had two main aims. The first was to explore midwifery students and educators/clinical midwives' views and experiences of a common clinical assessment tool used for all preregistration midwifery programmes in Victoria and the University of South Australia. The second was to assess the need for changes to the tool to align with developments in clinical practice and evidence-based care. A cross-sectional, web-based survey including Likert-type scales and open-ended questions was utilised. Students enrolled in all four entry pathways to midwifery at seven Victorian and one South Australian university and educators/clinical midwives across both states. One hundred and ninety-one midwifery students' and 86 educators/clinical midwives responded. Overall, students and educators/clinical midwives were positive about the Clinical Assessment Tool with over 90% reporting that it covered the necessary midwifery skills. Students and educators/clinical midwives reported high levels of satisfaction with the content of the learning tools. Only 4% of educators/clinical midwives and 6% of students rated the Clinical Assessment Tool as poor overall. Changes to some learning tools were necessary in order to reflect recent practice and evidence. A common clinical assessment tool for evaluating midwifery students' clinical practice may facilitate the provision of consistent, reliable and objective assessment of student skills and competency. Copyright © 2015 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of self and peer performance assessment on iodometric titration experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahadi; Siswaningsih, W.; Kusumaningtyas, H.

2018-05-01

This study aims to describe the process in developing of reliable and valid assessment to measure students’ performance on iodometric titration and the effect of the self and peer assessment on students’ performance. The self and peer-instrument provides valuable feedback for the student performance improvement. The developed assessment contains rubric and task for facilitating self and peer assessment. The participants are 24 students at the second-grade student in certain vocational high school in Bandung. The participants divided into two groups. The first 12 students involved in the validity test of the developed assessment, while the remain 12 students participated for the reliability test. The content validity was evaluated based on the judgment experts. Test result of content validity based on judgment expert show that the developed performance assessment instrument categorized as valid on each task with the realibity classified as very good. Analysis of the impact of the self and peer assessment implementation showed that the peer instrument supported the self assessment.

A comparative analysis of multiple-choice and student performance-task assessment in the high school biology classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cushing, Patrick Ryan

This study compared the performance of high school students on laboratory assessments. Thirty-four high school students who were enrolled in the second semester of a regular biology class or had completed the biology course the previous semester participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to examinations of two formats, performance-task and traditional multiple-choice, from two content areas, using a compound light microscope and diffusion. Students were directed to think-aloud as they performed the assessments. Additional verbal data were obtained during interviews following the assessment. The tape-recorded narrative data were analyzed for type and diversity of knowledge and skill categories, and percentage of in-depth processing demonstrated. While overall mean scores on the assessments were low, elicited statements provided additional insight into student cognition. Results indicated that a greater diversity of knowledge and skill categories was elicited by the two microscope assessments and by the two performance-task assessments. In addition, statements demonstrating in-depth processing were coded most frequently in narratives elicited during clinical interviews following the diffusion performance-task assessment. This study calls for individual teachers to design authentic assessment practices and apply them to daily classroom routines. Authentic assessment should be an integral part of the learning process and not merely an end result. In addition, teachers are encouraged to explicitly identify and model, through think-aloud methods, desired cognitive behaviors in the classroom.

Is subjective hyperhidrosis assessment sufficient enough? prevalence of hyperhidrosis among young Polish adults.

PubMed

Stefaniak, Tomasz; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof A; Proczko-Markuszewska, Monika; Idestal, Anette; Royton, Anders; Abi-Khalil, Christian

2013-10-01

The aim of this work was to assess the prevalence of palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis among young Polish adults. Additionally, this work aimed at comparing the subjective and objective (gravimetric) method of hyperhidrosis assessment. Healthy medical students, volunteering to take part in this study, were included. The participants filled out a questionnaire assessing the occurrence and subjective intensity of hyperhidrosis in different areas of the body. Additionally, the students were subjected to gravimetric assessment in four localizations: the face, palms, axillae and abdomino-lumbar area. Two hundred and fifty-three students (102 males and 151 females, mean age 24.3 ± 3.21 years) were included in the study. Forty-two (16.7%) participants declared that they suffer from hyperhidrosis. Out of the 42 students declaring any type of hyperhidrosis, only 20 (47.6%) exceeded the gravimetric reference values. From among the students that exceeded the normative values for palmar hyperhidrosis, only 10 (55.6%) were aware of their hyperhidrosis. In the group of students that exceeded the normative values for axillary hyperhidrosis, 16 (39%) were aware of their hyperhidrosis. Subjectively declared hyperhidrosis incidence may significantly exceed the real-life occurrence of this disease. Basing studies solely on data gathered from questionnaires, may lead to false results. It is imperative, when assessing patients suffering from hyperhidrosis, to use both objective and subjective methods of evaluation. © 2013 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Assessing the Effect of Web-Based Learning Tools on Student Understanding of Stoichiometry Using Knowledge Space Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arasasingham, Ramesh D.; Taagepera, Mare; Potter, Frank; Martorell, Ingrid; Lonjers, Stacy

2005-01-01

Student achievement in web-based learning tools is assessed by using in-class examination, pretests, and posttests. The study reveals that using mastering chemistry web software in large-scale instruction provides an overall benefit to introductory chemistry students.

Assessing Manual and Online Course Registration in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oladunjoye, Patrick; Omemu, Felix

2013-01-01

The study is aimed at assessing the perceptions of male and female students on manual and online course registration systems in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. One research question was formulated to guide the study. A questionnaire containing 20 items on assessing the perceptions of students on manual and online course registration was drawn.…

Intellectually Gifted Students with Possible Characteristics of ASD: A Multiple Case Study of Psycho-Educational Assessment Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burger-Veltmeijer, Agnes E. J.; Minnaert, Alexander E. M. G.; Van den Bosch, Els J.

2016-01-01

The Strengths and Weaknesses Heuristic (S&W Heuristic) was constructed in order to reduce biased assessments of students with (suspicion of) Intellectual Giftedness in co-occurrence with Autism Spectrum Disorder (IG + ASD) and to establish a well-founded interconnection between assessment data and intervention indications. The current study is…

Implementing a Portfolio Assessment System for Chapter 1 Program Improvement: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leitner, David; Trevisan, Mike

This paper presents findings of a case study that documented the implementation of a portfolio assessment system in response to mandated program improvement and assessed its impact on teacher and student behaviors. The sample included elementary and middle school teachers and students from three Chapter 1 schools in a rural California school…

Students' Perception of Frequent Assessments and Its Relation to Motivation and Grades in a Statistics Course: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaessen, Bram E.; van den Beemt, Antoine; van de Watering, Gerard; van Meeuwen, Ludo W.; Lemmens, Lex; den Brok, Perry

2017-01-01

This pilot study measures university students' perceptions of graded frequent assessments in an obligatory statistics course using a novel questionnaire. Relations between perceptions of frequent assessments, intrinsic motivation and grades were also investigated. A factor analysis of the questionnaire revealed four factors, which were labelled…

Are They Living What They Learn?: Assessing Knowledge and Attitude Change in Introductory Politics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Pamela; Tankersley, Holley; Ye, Min

2012-01-01

Many assessment studies are devoted to discovering whether student knowledge increases after successful completion of a specific course; fewer studies attempt to examine whether students undergo a change in their values and attitudes as a result of that coursework. Given the continuing emphasis on assessment and the fulfillment of core curriculum…

The Relationship between Studying Music and Mathematics Performance on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prokop, Kristie L.

2011-01-01

On assessments such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999) and Program for International Assessment (PISA) ("PISA 2006 Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World", 2007) students in the United States have not been performing as well in mathematics as students in other countries. In…

Assessment of College Students' Knowledge and Attitudes toward Solid Waste Management in North Central Zone of Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dung, Mohammed Dauda; Makilik, Mangut; Ozoji, Bernadette Ebele

2017-01-01

This study focused on assessment of colleges of education students' knowledge and attitudes toward solid waste management in the North Central zone of Nigeria. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted. A students' knowledge and attitudes toward solid waste management questionnaire were used to collect data from 1,800 students. The findings…

Assessing Elearning Teaching Quality of Faculty Members in Teachers' College at King Saud University: Students Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussein, Hisham Barakat

2012-01-01

This paper examines students' perspectives about assessing Elearning teaching quality for faculty members in teachers' college at King Saud University. The sample of the study includes all enrolled students in Teachers' College during the academic year of 2009-2010, which they were (2282) students. Two questions are stated to be answered: (a) what…

The Influence of Student and School Variables on Student Performance on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge in Grade 8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Maria A.

2011-01-01

This study examined the strength and the direction of the relationships between student (i.e., socioeconomic status, attendance, and gender) and school variables (i.e., formative assessment usage and ASI classification) found in the extant literature to influence student achievement in language arts and mathematics. Analyses were conducted using…

Assessment of Metacognitive Knowledge among Science Students, a Case Study of Two Bilingual and Two NNS Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Gadacha

2007-01-01

This investigation aims to assess awareness of genre and writing skills among science students via an abstract writing task, with recall and follow-up protocols to monitor the students, and to characterize the relationship between the abstract and the base article. Abstract writing involves specific data selection techniques of activities involved…

Quantitative Skills as a Graduate Learning Outcome of University Science Degree Programmes: Student Performance Explored through the "Planned-Enacted-Experienced" Curriculum Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2016-01-01

Application of mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning, typically referred to as quantitative skills, is essential for university bioscience students. First, this study developed an assessment task intended to gauge graduating students' quantitative skills. The Quantitative Skills Assessment of Science Students (QSASS) was the result,…

Impact of Student Calculator Use on the 2013 NAEP Twelfth-Grade Mathematics Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klecker, Beverly M.; Klecker, Richard L.

2014-01-01

This descriptive research study examined 2013 NAEP 12th-grade mathematics scores by students' use of graphing calculators in math classes and the kind of calculator students used during NAEP assessment. NAEP Data Explorer analysis included two questions from Student Factors: How often do you use these different kinds of calculators in math class?…

Test-Taking Skills of High School Students with and without Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewandowski, Lawrence J.; Berger, Cassie; Lovett, Benjamin J.; Gordon, Michael

2016-01-01

This study assessed the test-taking skills of 776 high school students, 35 of whom were diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD). Students completed a computerized battery of timed reading tests as well as scales that assess test anxiety and test-taking perceptions. Students with LD obtained lower scores than the nondisabled group on all of the…

Advancing Evaluation in Community Colleges: A Mixed Methods Case Study of Outcomes-Based Assessment Training in Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Tammy L.

2016-01-01

Many student affairs departments struggle to contribute to an institution's evidence base of student learning. In part, this results from student affairs personnel not having adequate training in how to assess learning outside the classroom. This is a particular challenge for small community colleges, in which individual units (e.g., admissions or…

Assessment of polytechnic students' understanding of basic algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokmin, Nur Azlina Mohamed; Masood, Mona

2015-12-01

It is important for engineering students to excel in algebra. Previous studies show that the algebraic fraction is a subtopic of algebra that was found to be the most challenging for engineering students. This study is done with 191 first semester engineering students who have enrolled in engineering programs in Malaysian polytechnic. The respondents are divided into Group 1 (Distinction) and Group 2 (Credit) based on their Mathematics SPM result. A computer application is developed for this study to assess student information and understanding of the algebraic fraction topic. The result is analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The test results show that there are significant differences between Group 1 and Group 2 and that most of the students scored below the minimum requirement.

Equity for Limited English Proficient Students Regarding Assessment and Effectiveness of Testing Accommodations: A Study of Third Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deysson, Sandra Lynn

2013-01-01

This study focused on the aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) that require the inclusion of all limited English proficient (LEP) students in testing situations, simultaneously making an effort to close the achievement gap. NCLB indicates that each state is to assess students in a language…

Reducing the Effects of Auditory and Visual Distraction on the Math Performances of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kercood, Suneeta; Grskovic, Janice A.

2010-01-01

Two exploratory studies assessed the effects of an intervention on the math problem solving of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the first study, students were assessed on a visual task in a high stimulation classroom analog setting with and without the use of a fine motor activity. Results showed that the fine…

Active Engagement with Assessment and Feedback Can Improve Group-Work Outcomes and Boost Student Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, G. W.

2017-01-01

This study involves evaluation of a novel iterative group-based learning task developed to enable students to actively engage with assessment and feedback in order to improve the quality of their written work. The students were all in the final semester of their final year of study and enrolled on either BSc Zoology or BSc Marine and Freshwater…

Development and Validation of the Teacher and Motivation (TEMO) Scale: A Self-Report Measure Assessing Students' Perceptions of Liked and Disliked Teachers as Motivators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raufelder, Diana; Hoferichter, Frances

2015-01-01

The current study presents a newly developed measurement: the TEMO (Teacher and Motivation) scale, which assesses adolescent students' perception of liked and disliked teachers and the resulting impact on their academic motivation. A total of 1,088 students from secondary schools in Germany participated in this study. To explore the underlying…

Assessing Information Literacy Skills Development in First Year Students: A Multi-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fain, Margaret

2011-01-01

Assessment data from 5 years of a pretest/posttest with first-year students was analyzed using McNemar's test. The results show that revisiting previous assessment data can identify significant changes in information literacy skill development.

A Study of the Impact Educational Setting Has on Academic Proficiency of American Indian Students as Measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hillstrom, Crowley

2013-01-01

The Minnesota Department of Education has collected Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) results on every American Indian student who has taken the tests. This information has been made available so communities and parents can assess how their districts, schools, and students are performing based upon MCA proficiency criteria. Prior to this…

Assessment Accommodations on Tests of Academic Achievement for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis of the Research Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cawthon, Stephanie; Leppo, Rachel

2013-01-01

The authors conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of the research on assessment accommodations for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. There were 16 identified studies that analyzed the impact of factors related to student performance on academic assessments across different educational settings, content areas, and types of assessment…

Gender Effects in Assessment of Economic Knowledge and Understanding: Differences among Undergraduate Business and Economics Students in Germany, Japan, and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brückner, Sebastian; Förster, Manuel; Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia, Olga; Happ, Roland; Walstad, William B.; Yamaoka, Michio; Asano, Tadayoshi

2015-01-01

Gender effects in large-scale assessments have become an increasingly important research area within and across countries. Yet few studies have linked differences in assessment results of male and female students in higher education to construct-relevant features of the target construct. This paper examines gender effects on students' economic…

Chinese Secondary School Students' Conceptions of Assessment and Achievement Emotions: Endorsed Purposes Lead to Positive and Negative Feelings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Junjun; Brown, Gavin T. L.

2018-01-01

Student perceptions of the purposes of assessment have been shown to be significant predictors of self-regulated learning. Their relationship to achievement emotions is less well understood. This paper reports a survey study of Chinese middle and high school students (N = 1,393) self-reported conceptions of the purpose of assessment and their…

If First-Year Students Are Afraid of Public Speaking Assessments What Can Teachers Do to Alleviate Such Anxiety?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Gregory; Crimmins, Gail; Oprescu, Florin

2016-01-01

Public speaking and oral assessments are common in higher education, and they can be a major cause of anxiety and stress for students. This study was designed to measure the student experience of public speaking assessment tasks in a mandatory first-year course at a regional Australian university. The research conducted was an instrumental case…

An analysis of science conceptual knowledge in journals of students with disabilities and normally achieving students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigg, Gail S.

Science education reforms of the last two decades have focused on raising the bar for ALL students which includes students with mild to moderate disabilities. Formative assessment can be used to assess the progress of these students to inquire, understand scientific concepts, reason scientifically, make decisions, and communicate effectively in science. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of science journals as a formative assessment in a guided inquiry unit of study for students with learning disabilities. Two normally achieving students (NA) and five students with learning disabilities (SLD) participated in a study of mammals that utilized journals to record the development of student knowledge through the course of study. Students were interviewed after the lessons were complete using the same prompts required in the journals. Themes were developed from the student writings and their verbal discourse using Grounded Theory. Journals and verbal discourse were rated following the themes of Knowledge Telling (KT) and Knowledge Transformation (KTR). Concept maps were developed for the Pre and Post test lessons (written and verbal discourses) by the raters in an attempt to further explain the knowledge that the students conveyed. The results of this study suggest that SLD are able to demonstrate knowledge about mammals better through verbal discourse than written discourse. While the NA students wrote more and used more technical discourse than did their SLD peers, the conceptual understanding of the topic by the SLD was no less inclusive than their NA peers when accessed verbally. The journals demonstrated limited conceptual growth for the SLD. Further, while lexical density is important to the development of knowledge in science, this study suggests the "conceptual density" may be another important indicator to examine.

Today's Urban University Students: Part 2. A Case Study of Hunter College. Final Report on the Urban University Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davila, Evelyn M.

Characteristics and needs of Hunter College students were studied during 1981-1983. The college's use of institutional research to accommodate an increasingly nontraditional student body was also assessed. Attention was directed to: the student population's ethnicity, income, and employment; students' academic experiences; times of day most…

Vocational Teaching-Learning through the Eyes of Undergraduate Vocational Students in Malta: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Alison

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the teaching qualities of effective lecturers that vocational students desire, students assessment preferences and preferred learning environments. This study gives a voice to higher vocational students as it is important for vocational educators to learn what attracts students to…

Student Teachers' Appraisal of the Importance of Assessment in Teacher Education and Self-Reports on the Development of Assessment Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Christoph; Bodensohn, Rainer

2017-01-01

Competence in assessment has been identified as a key feature in teachers' professional success. However, assessment competence is a complex field, comprising capacity in both summative and formative assessment. Hence, a detailed view on how student teachers perceive assessment is the focus of this study. Based on an official catalogue of…

Students' Presentations: Does the Experience Change Their Views?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sander, Paul; Sanders, Lalage

2005-01-01

Introduction: Research has shown that students do not like student presentations, yet a case can be made for them. This study seeks to understand the effects that presentations have on students. Method: Within an action research framework, two repeated-measures studies were completed, one with students undertaking assessed presentations the other…

Objective Measurements in Assessing a Black Music Course of Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Frederick J.

1990-01-01

A study of 80 eighth grade students investigated whether incorporation of a African-American music program would have special benefits for African-American students, music-experienced students, or high-musical-ability students. African-American students, taught material consistent with their heritage, performed better than whites. It is concluded…

Fostering Students' Preparation and Achievement in Upper Level Mathematics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celik, Mehmet; Shaqlaih, Ali

2017-01-01

This study describes an intervention to address both motivation, student engagement and preparation in upper-level mathematics courses. The effect of the intervention regarding students' achievements is investigated via students' opinions and data analysis from students' assessments. The results of this study show the featured intervention…

Integration of classroom science performance assessment tasks by participants of the Wisconsin Performance Assessment Development Project (WPADP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonnis, Dorothy Ann

The goals of this interpretive study were to examine selected Wisconsin science teachers' perceptions of teaching and learning science, to describe the scope of classroom performance assessment practices, and to gain an understanding of teachers' personal and professional experiences that influenced their belief systems of teaching, learning and assessment. The study was designed to answer the research questions: (1) How does the integration of performance assessment relate to the teachers' views of teaching and learning? (2) How are the selected teachers integrating performance assessment in their teaching? (3) What past personal and professional experiences have influenced teachers' attitudes and beliefs related to their classroom performance assessment practices? Purposeful sampling was used to select seven Wisconsin elementary, middle and high school science teachers who participated in the WPADP initiative from 1993-1995. Data collection methods included a Teaching Practices Inventory (TPI), semi-structured interviews, teacher developed portfolios, portfolio conferences, and classroom observations. Four themes and multiple categories emerged through data analysis to answer the research questions and to describe the results. Several conclusions were drawn from this research. First, science teachers who appeared to effectively integrate performance assessment, demonstrated transformational thinking in their attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning science. In addition, these teachers viewed assessment and instructional practices as interdependent. Third, transformational teachers generally used well defined criteria to judge student work and made it public to the students. Transformational teachers provided students with real-world performance assessment tasks that were also learning events. Furthermore, student task responses informed the transformational teachers about effectiveness of instruction, students' complex thinking skills, quality of assessment instruments, students' creativity, and students' self-assessment skills. Finally, transformational teachers maintained integration of performance assessment practices through sustaining teacher support networks, engaging in professional development programs, and reflecting upon past personal and professional experiences related to teaching, learning and assessment. Salient conflicts overcome or minimized by transformational teachers include the conflict between assessment scoring and grading issues, validity and reliability concerns about the performance assessment tasks used, and the difficulty for teachers to consistently provide public criteria to students before task administration.

Enhancing the Cognitive Complexity in Social Studies Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stobaugh, Rebecca; Tassell, Janet Lynne; Day, Martha M.; Blankenship, Hannah

2011-01-01

Social studies teachers are charged with the task of developing students' understandings as students engage in critical examination of social studies issues and topics. Teachers often use test items from textbooks or instructional resources, or create their own classroom assessments with no specific pedagogical foundation. All too often, these…

Seating Arrangement, Group Composition and Competition-driven Interaction: Effects on Students' Performance in Physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roxas, R. M.; Monterola, C.; Carreon-Monterola, S. L.

2010-07-28

We probe the effect of seating arrangement, group composition and group-based competition on students' performance in Physics using a teaching technique adopted from Mazur's peer instruction method. Ninety eight lectures, involving 2339 students, were conducted across nine learning institutions from February 2006 to June 2009. All the lectures were interspersed with student interaction opportunities (SIO), in which students work in groups to discuss and answer concept tests. Two individual assessments were administered before and after the SIO. The ratio of the post-assessment score to the pre-assessment score and the Hake factor were calculated to establish the improvement in student performance.more » Using actual assessment results and neural network (NN) modeling, an optimal seating arrangement for a class was determined based on student seating location. The NN model also provided a quantifiable method for sectioning students. Lastly, the study revealed that competition-driven interactions increase within-group cooperation and lead to higher improvement on the students' performance.« less