Is Measurement Noninvariance a Threat to Inferences Drawn from Randomized Control Trials? Evidence From Empirical and Simulation Studies

Randomized control trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard when evaluating the impact of psychological interventions, educational programs, and other treatments on outcomes of interest. However, few studies consider whether forms of measurement bias like noninvariance might impact estimated treatment effects from RCTs. Such bias may be more likely to occur when survey scales are utilized in studies and evaluations in ways not supported by validation evidence, which occurs in practice. This study consists of simulation and empirical studies examining whether measurement noninvariance impacts treatment effects from RCTs. Simulation study results demonstrate that bias in treatment effect estimates is mild when the noninvariance occurs between subgroups (e.g., male and female participants), but can be quite substantial when being assigned to control or treatment induces the noninvariance. Results from the empirical study show that surveys used in two federally funded evaluations of educational programs were noninvariant across student age groups.     

The statistical recommendations of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual: Effect sizes,confidence intervals,and meta‐analysis

Estimation based on effect sizes, confidence intervals, and meta‐analysis usually provides a more informative analysis of empirical results than does statistical significance testing, which has long been the conventional choice in psychology. The sixth edition of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual now recommends that psychologists should, wherever possible, use estimation and base their interpretation of research results on point and interval estimates. We outline the Manual's recommendations and suggest how they can be put into practice: adopt an estimation framework, starting with the formulation of research aims as ‘How much?’ or ‘To what extent?’ questions. Calculate from your data effect size estimates and confidence intervals to answer those questions, then interpret. Wherever appropriate, use meta‐analysis to integrate evidence over studies. The Manual's recommendations can assist psychologists improve they way they do their statistics and help build a more quantitative and cumulative discipline.     

Inclusion practices with Special Educational Needs students in a Hong Kong secondary school: teachers’ narratives from a school guidance perspective

Schools in Hong Kong are concerned about the growing enrolments of students with special educational needs (SEN) and how these students could be included in school guidance. This study examines teachers’ narratives of the inclusivity of school guidance. The study was qualitative, being a case study of a Hong Kong secondary school. School documents were collected for textual analysis and semi-structured interviews with 13 teachers were conducted, including nine guidance teachers and four other teachers who worked closely with these guidance teachers. Four dimensions for the inclusivity of school guidance were identified: the development of inclusive practices of guidance, the adoption of a proactive approach, the promotion of inclusive discipline, and the clear definition of the partnership between school guidance and professional organization offering specialised services for students with SEN. The study provides insights into contextual influences of Hong Kong education on school guidance and the development of an inclusive approach to guidance.     

游戏促进幼儿自尊的实验研究

本研究设计五种游戏类型,并通过教育现场实验促进幼儿自尊发展。结果表明:1.游戏促进了幼儿自尊的发展。2.不同年龄幼儿获得自尊的典型游戏类型不同,促进幼儿自尊发展的典型游戏:小班为生活游戏、体育游戏,中班为美工游戏、体育游戏,大班为智力游戏和角色游戏。     

一种高效的CD-CAT在线标定新方法：基于熵的信息增益与EM视角

项目增补(Item Replenishing)对认知诊断计算机自适应测验(CD-CAT)题库的维护有着至关重要的作用, 而在线标定是一种重要的项目增补方式。基于数据挖掘中特征选择(Feature Selection)的思路, 提出一种高效的基于熵的信息增益的在线标定方法(记为IGEOCM), 该方法利用被试在新旧题上的作答联合估计新题的Q矩阵和项目参数。研究采用Monte Carlo模拟实验验证所开发新方法的效果, 并同时与已有的在线标定方法SIE、SIE-R-BIC和RMSEA-N进行比较。结果表明：新开发的IGEOCM在各实验条件下均具有较好的项目标定精度和项目估计效率, 且整体上优于已有的SIE等方法; 同时, IGEOCM标定新题所需的时间低于SIE等方法。总之, 研究为CD-CAT题库中项目的增补提供了一种更为高效、准确的方法。     

假设检验思维过程中的启发式策略研究

本研究运用自编的一个关于规则发现的计算机程序研究了大学生问题解决过程中形成假设、设计实验、实施检验三个阶段上的“假设———检验”的思维过程。结果发现,规则差别对规则发现有显著影响,反馈方式在本实验条件下没有主效应,启发式是假设检验过程中的重要思维策略     

贵州省高师本科大学生学业自我效能感与心理健康水平的研究

运用大学生学业自我效能感量表和SCL-90症状自评量表对高师本科大学生进行调查,探讨其学业自我效能感与心理健康水平的关系。结果表明：1、在学习能力自我效能感上,大一至大四学生无年级、性别、专业的显著差异;在学习行为自我效能感上,大三、大四差异显著;2、大四与其他各年级学生在自评症状各因子上存在极显著差异,男女生在自评症状的强迫和偏执两因子上存在显著差异;3、学业自我效能感高的学生与学业自我效能感低的学生在人际关系敏感、抑郁因子上差异显著;4、自我效能感与心理健康水平存在较高相关。     

History of Psychological Testing from the Perspective of Test Developers in Japan1

In this study, the history of psychological testing in Japan is described using the oral history method. Seven test developers discussed the development of Japanese versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale, and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. Three conclusions were identified. First, the motivation for developing the tests shifted from one of personal aspiration to a wider responsibility of specialists' desiring to make social contributions. Second, the test developers shifted from working in small, familiar, collaborative groups to working in groups of specialists conducting well-organized projects. Third, the development of tests has variously been led by researchers, publishers, researcher-and-publisher collaborations, or institutes. In addition, this study identifies contemporary challenges for developing psychological tests, specifically due to insufficient numbers of participants and test developers.     

The (Non)Impact of Differential Test Taker Engagement on Aggregated Scores

Disengaged test taking tends to be most prevalent with low-stakes tests. This has led to questions about the validity of aggregated scores from large-scale international assessments such as PISA and TIMSS, as previous research has found a meaningful correlation between the mean engagement and mean performance of countries. The current study, using data from the computer-based version of the PISA-Based Test for Schools, examined the distortive effects of differential engagement on aggregated school-level scores. The results showed that, although there was considerable differential engagement among schools, the school means were highly stable due to two factors. First, any distortive effects of disengagement in a school were diluted by a high proportion of the students exhibiting no non-effortful behavior. Second, and most interestingly, disengagement produced both positive and negative distortion of individual student scores, which tended to cancel out much of the net distortive effect on the school’s mean.     

结合题目作答时间的计算机化自适应测验选题方法

计算机形式的测验能够记录考生在测验中的题目作答时间（Response Time, RT），作为一种重要的辅助信息来源，RT对于测验开发和管理具有重要的价值，特别是在计算机化自适应测验（Computerized Adaptive Testing, CAT）领域。本文简要介绍了RT在CAT选题方面应用并作以简评，分析了这些技术在实践中的可行性。最后，探讨了当前RT应用于CAT选题存在的问题以及可以进一步开展的研究方向。