A model for assessing student interaction with educational software

We present a simple model of generative learning that permits us to define four kinds of interactions and a system for tracing and recording how students use educational technology. We believe that this model will maintain a link between interaction and learning, thus providing one method for the assessment of a wide range of educational technology environments. Two results are presented from an evaluation of ConStatS, a program for teaching conceptual understanding of probability and statistics. The results illustrate the kinds of insight into generative learning that a detailed trace method can provide.     

The impact of culture and education on non-verbal neuropsychological measurements: a critical review

Clinical neuropsychology has frequently considered visuospatial and non-verbal tests to be culturally and educationally fair or at least fairer than verbal tests. This paper reviews the cross-cultural differences in performance on visuoperceptual and visuoconstructional ability tasks and analyzes the impact of education and culture on non-verbal neuropsychological measurements. This paper compares: (1) non-verbal test performance among groups with different educational levels, and the same cultural background (inter-education intra-culture comparison); (2) the test performance among groups with the same educational level and different cultural backgrounds (intra-education inter-culture comparisons). Several studies have demonstrated a strong association between educational level and performance on common non-verbal neuropsychological tests. When neuropsychological test performance in different cultural groups is compared, significant differences are evident. Performance on non-verbal tests such as copying figures, drawing maps or listening to tones can be significantly influenced by the individual's culture. Arguments against the use of some current neuropsychological non-verbal instruments, procedures, and norms in the assessment of diverse educational and cultural groups are discussed and possible solutions to this problem are presented.     

Cyberbullying assessment instruments: A systematic review

Although several instruments to assess cyberbullying have been developed, there is nevertheless a lack of knowledge about their psychometric properties. The aim of the present systematic review is to provide a representative overview of the current instruments designed to assess cyberbullying. Further, emphasis will be placed on the structural and psychometric properties of cyberbullying instruments, such as validity and reliability, as well as their conceptual and definitional bases. It will also provide criteria for readers to evaluate and choose instruments according to their own aims. A systematic literature review, limited to publications published prior to October 2010, generated 636 citations. A total of 61 publications fulfilled the delineated selection criteria and were included in the review, resulting in 44 instruments. Following a rater training, relevant information was coded by using a structured coding manual. The raters were the nine authors of this review. Almost half of the instruments included in this review do not use the concept of cyberbullying. The constructs measured by the instruments range from internet harassment behavior to electronic bullying behavior to cyberbullying. Even though many of the authors use other concepts than cyberbullying they claim that their instruments do measure it. For the purpose of this systematic review, we have chosen to categorize them as two different groups, cyberbullying instruments and related instruments. Additionally, most of the included instruments had limited reports of reliability and validity testing. The systematic review reveals a need for investigating the validity and reliability of most of the existing instruments, and resolving the conceptual and definitional fluctuations related to cyberbullying.     

The effects of collaborative practice on statistical problem solving: Benefits and boundaries

In recent years, understanding the effects of collaboration on learning and memory has emerged as a major topic of investigation. Findings from applied educational research and from basic cognitive research demonstrate a complex view of how collaboration affects learning. The present laboratory study bridged these two domains of research to address the question of how collaborative learning affects statistical problem solving. After viewing a lecture, participants completed two statistics tests. They either completed the tests collaboratively and then individually, or completed both tests individually. Results showed an immediate benefit of collaboration, but this benefit did not persist on a subsequent individual test. Repeated practice by those who worked individually increased performance to the level of those who had previously collaborated. These results were qualified by gender as females showed a consistent benefit from prior collaboration on the post-collaborative test, particularly on conceptual problems. Implications for education are discussed.     

初中生化学前科学概念的探查——科学学习心理的研究

本研究采用团体测查及个案访谈的方法,对153名正式学习化学课之前的初三学生进行了化学前概念的探查。研究结果表明,学生对于化学的一些核心概念普遍存在个人的前科学概念认识。其中相异构想尤为突出。在调查的基础上,本研究还分析了学生化学前概念的特点、类型、形成原因,提出了促进初中生化学概念转变的教学策略。     

The Magazine Picture Collage

The magazine picture collage, an occupational therapy evaluation technique, was chosen for use in a pre-placement teaching clinic with second year occupational therapy students. The collage technique was selected because it was suitable for administrating in a group setting; because it was especially congruent with the developmental and educational needs of the students at that precise stage; and because it was one of the few tools of psychosocial occupational therapy with an adequate body of introductory literature to support its further use and development. Subjective evaluation of the magazine picture collage teaching clinic seemed to indicate that the collage fulfilled the goals of the clinic. Goals included increased awareness of nonverbal communication and projection, understanding of manifestations of mental illness, understanding of students' personal values, understanding of real differences and similarities between students and clients, understanding of the therapist leadership role, and assessment of different frames of reference.     

A Market Response Model for Sales Management Decision Making

Abstract

Sales managers are faced with a variety of decisions that require the evaluation of the probable response of the market to feasible decision alternatives. A conceptual model of market response is presented to offer management a framework for understanding the market response relationships in their selling situation and to provide an operational approach for evaluating the potential effect of decision alternatives. An empirical test illustrates the usefulness of the model and suggests several improvements in market response modeling. Future research directions are identified and important management implications are discussed.     

Item response theory in personality assessment: a demonstration using the MMPI-2 depression scale

Item response theory (IRT) analyses have, over the past 3 decades, added much to our understanding of the relationships among and characteristics of test items, as revealed in examinees response patterns. Assessment instruments used outside the educational context have only infrequently been analyzed using IRT, however. This study demonstrates the relevance of IRT to personality data through analyses of Scale 2 (the Depression Scale) on the revised Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). A rich set of hypotheses regarding the items on this scale, including contrasts among the Harris-Lingoes and Wiener-Harmon subscales and differences in the items measurement characteristics for men and women, are investigated through the IRT analyses.     

Experiments in digital literacy.

Having digital literacy requires more than just the ability to use software or to operate a digital device; it includes a large variety of complex skills such as cognitive, motoric, sociological, and emotional that users need to have in order to use digital environments effectively. A conceptual model that was recently described by the authors suggests that digital literacy comprises five major digital skills: photo-visual skills ("reading" instructions from graphical displays), reproduction skills (utilizing digital reproduction to create new, meaningful materials from preexisting ones), branching skills (constructing knowledge from non-linear, hypertextual navigation), information skills (evaluating the quality and validity of information), and socio-emotional skills (understanding the "rules" that prevail in cyberspace and applying this understanding in online cyberspace communication). The present paper presents results from a performance-based pioneer study that investigated the application of the above digital literacy skills conceptual model among different groups of scholars. Results clearly indicate that the younger participants performed better than the older ones, with photo-visual and branching literacy tasks, whereas the older participants were found to be more literate in reproduction and information literacy tasks. Research results shed light on the cognitive skills that users utilize in performing with digital environments, and provide educators and software developers with helpful guidelines for designing better user-centered digital environments.     

Issues in cognitive-behavioral interventions in academic skill areas 1

In this paper, conceptual and methodological issues within three phases of CBM interventions in academic skills are analyzed: Acquisition, evaluation, and generalization. The goal of such analysis is threefold: To enhance understanding of observed problems, clarify specific conceptual issues, and highlight areas that need more conceptual clarification and more research.     

Evaluation of instructional software: Design considerations and recommendations

The elements of desirable research design for the evaluation of educational technology are discussed with reference to the context of existing research. Sources of internal invalidity, type of compared educational activity, and outcome measures are considered. Finally, recommendations regarding the direction of evaluation research are made. Research designs that take into account the characteristics of the learner, the software, and the teacher preferably within the framework of a model of the learning process should be adopted.     

Adventure Based Counseling: An Innovation in Counseling

Increasingly, Adventure Based Counseling (ABC) is recognized as providing a significant means to help clients. This article describes the outdoor and indoor adventure experience and its relationship to counseling. A conceptual framework of ABC has been developed to provide a better understanding of the process and potential benefits of this approach and to serve as a model for researchers. Counseling theories, educational theories, setting, programming, processing, and transferring client gains to real life are explained as well as the potential psychological, educational, sociological, physical, and spiritual benefits of ABC.     

Measuring Mental Wellbeing Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Instruments

Globally, promoting mental wellbeing among adolescents is of great public health and social significance. However, less is known about advances in measures of mental wellbeing, relevant for use in mental health interventions, which are age-appropriate and acceptable for use among adolescents. Comprehensive assessment includes multiple aspects of mental wellbeing, as well as positive indicators of feeling and functioning. This review used systematic review methods, guided by PRISMA, to identify and assess comprehensive instruments in terms of their content, conceptual relevance for youth, and responsiveness to change. Ryan and Deci’s framework for mental wellbeing, grounded in hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives, was applied to assess the preponderance of feeling and functioning items for each instrument. The review identified 11 instruments that fit specified inclusion criteria. Only four of the scales were developed for adolescents. Though the scales varied in their preponderance of items, all scales encompassed at least one indicator of both feeling and functioning. Findings emphasize the importance of validating adult-developed instruments for youth and ensuring the instrument’s cultural and conceptual relevance within groups of adolescents. As promoting mental wellbeing becomes critical to the field of practice, practitioners need access to relevant and acceptable measures.     

On Public Aid to Christian Schools in the United States: A Reformed Christian Perspective

This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the topic of public aid to Christian schools in a Reformed Christian perspective. To do so, I need to clarify a Reformed Christian approach in regard to this topic and then review the studies of the issue in legal and educational aspects in the light of the Reformed perspective. Through reviewing legal and educational discussions, I argue that Christian schools are necessary for people to exercise their religious freedom and make a society more moral and spiritual and thus deserve receiving public aid. Nevertheless, public aid to religious schools needs to be carried out in a careful, restricted way.     

Teaching culturally informed psychological assessment: conceptual issues and demonstrations

Multicultural assessment requires a strong conceptual foundation to address the complex and dynamic nature of culture. I present 3 conceptual issues as well as the demonstrations or exercises that I use to teach these concepts to students in a doctoral program of clinical psychology. The first conceptual issue is that multicultural assessment requires a solid foundation in traditional assessment theory and methods. Second, culturally informed assessors specify and test what about the social and cultural world matters to avoid making inferences based on group labels associated with ethnicity or race. Third, culturally responsive assessors must formulate and test both culture-specific and alternative (impairment or dysfunction) hypotheses, which refers to shifting cultural lenses (Kleinman & Kleinman, 1991). I then review exercises and demonstrations to illustrate these conceptual ideas. My aim is to help instructors guide students of assessment toward integrating a process-oriented way of thinking about culture, one that promotes a critical approach to our understanding of the role of culture in human behavior and its assessment.     

Issues and considerations regarding the use of assessment instruments in the evaluation of competency to stand trial

Since the early 1960s, a number of instruments, reflecting a broad range of assessment methods, have been developed to assist in the evaluation of competency to stand trial. These instruments have taken various forms including checklists, self-report questionnaires, sentence-completion tasks, and interview-based instruments with and without criterion-based scoring. This article reviews these assessment instruments with a specific focus on their contribution to the competency evaluation process. Furthermore, relevant issues and considerations regarding the use of these instruments are outlined, including a comparison of screening versus assessment applications of these instruments, balancing standardized approaches with individualized assessments, the integration of instrumentally derived data with other components of a competency evaluation, and the communication of results to the fact finder. Each of these issues is discussed in relation to specific competency assessment instruments. Overall, we argue that each of the competency assessment instruments developed to date can make a contribution to the competency evaluation process and this article serves to delineate those areas in which these contributions are made.     

Individual differences in children's understanding of inversion and arithmetical skill

Background and aims. In order to develop arithmetic expertise, children must understand arithmetic principles, such as the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, in addition to learning calculation skills. We report two experiments that investigate children's understanding of the principle of inversion and the relationship between their conceptual understanding and arithmetical skills. Sample. A group of 127 children from primary schools took part in the study. The children were from 2 age groups (6–7 and 8–9 years). Methods. Children's accuracy on inverse and control problems in a variety of presentation formats and in canonical and non‐canonical forms was measured. Tests of general arithmetic ability were also administered. Results. Children consistently performed better on inverse than control problems, which indicates that they could make use of the inverse principle. Presentation format affected performance: picture presentation allowed children to apply their conceptual understanding flexibly regardless of the problem type, while word problems restricted their ability to use their conceptual knowledge. Cluster analyses revealed three subgroups with different profiles of conceptual understanding and arithmetical skill. Children in the ‘high ability’ and ‘low ability’ groups showed conceptual understanding that was in‐line with their arithmetical skill, whilst a 3rd group of children had more advanced conceptual understanding than arithmetical skill. Conclusions. The three subgroups may represent different points along a single developmental path or distinct developmental paths. The discovery of the existence of the three groups has important consequences for education. It demonstrates the importance of considering the pattern of individual children's conceptual understanding and problem‐solving skills.     

Curriculum-based measurement: Conceptual underpinnings and integration into problem-solving assessment

This article presents a case study exemplifying the use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in educational decision making. CBM is portrayed as more than just a set of brief fluency tests with strong conceptual ties to three related assessment models, viz., behavioral, ecological, and problem-solving assessment. The key elements of each of these models are delineated. A case study is presented to show how CBM is integrated into problem-solving educational assessment and decision-making practices.     

Psychometric and related deficits in preventive alcohol intervention programming.

The 1991 study by Collins and Cellucci ignores some important research principles needed for sound educational inquiry. Psychometric properties of evaluation instruments cannot be omitted from even field tests of small scale. Selected other omissions need review since other researchers may replicate such errors.