Predicting item difficulty of science national curriculum tests: the case of key stage 2 assessments     

Yasmine H. El Masri  Steve Ferrara  Peter W. Foltz  Jo-Anne Baird 《Curriculum Journal》2017,28(1):59-82

Predicting item difficulty is highly important in education for both teachers and item writers. Despite identifying a large number of explanatory variables, predicting item difficulty remains a challenge in educational assessment with empirical attempts rarely exceeding 25% of variance explained.

This paper analyses 216 science items of key stage 2 tests which are national sampling assessments administered to 11 year olds in England. Potential predictors (topic, subtopic, concept, question type, nature of stimulus, depth of knowledge and linguistic variables) were considered in the analysis. Coding frameworks employed in similar studies were adapted and employed by two coders to independently rate items. Linguistic demands were gauged using a computational linguistic facility. The stepwise regression models predicted 23% of the variance with extended constructed questions and photos being the main predictors of item difficulty.

While a substantial part of unexplained variance could be attributed to the unpredictable interaction of variables, we argue that progress in this area requires improvement in the theories and the methods employed. Future research needs to be centred on improving coding frameworks as well as developing systematic training protocols for coders. These technical advances would pave the way to improved task design and reduced development costs of assessments.  相似文献   

Communicating comparative findings from meta-analysis in educational research: some examples and suggestions     

Steve Higgins  Maria Katsipataki 《International Journal of Research & Method in Education》2016,39(3):237-254

ABSTRACT

This article reviews some of the strengths and limitations of the comparative use of meta-analysis findings, using examples from the Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning ‘Toolkit’ which summarizes a range of educational approaches to improve pupil attainment in schools. This comparative use of quantitative findings has similar characteristics to umbrella reviews which provide a succinct but applicable summary of the current state of evidence to inform practice or policy. Meta-analysis helps to identify which approaches have, on average, made the most difference to tested learning outcomes, in terms of effect size. We suggest that any comparative inferences made between meta-analyses should be treated cautiously, but taken seriously. Additionally, we present alternative ways of interpreting effect sizes, security ratings and cost-estimates to make research findings accessible, whilst retaining appropriate accuracy which is discussed using the ‘Toolkit’ as an example. We conclude by arguing that we should consider the available information not as ‘what works’, but ‘what has worked’ to understand its value and limits in terms of supporting the development of research-based practice.  相似文献   

Parameter Recovery in the Graded Response Model Using MULTILOG     

Steve P. Reise  Jiayuan Yu 《Journal of Educational Measurement》1990,27(2):133-144

The graded response model can be used to describe test-taking behavior when item responses are classified into ordered categories. In this study, parameter recovery in the graded response model was investigated using the MULTILOG computer program under default conditions. Based on items having five response categories, 36 simulated data sets were generated that varied on true θ distribution, true item discrimination distribution, and calibration sample size. The findings suggest, first, the correlations between the true and estimated parameters were consistently greater than 0.85 with sample sizes of at least 500. Second, the root mean square error differences between true and estimated parameters were comparable with results from binary data parameter recovery studies. Of special note was the finding that the calibration sample size had little influence on the recovery of the true ability parameter but did influence item-parameter recovery. Therefore, it appeared that item-parameter estimation error, due to small calibration samples, did not result in poor person-parameter estimation. It was concluded that at least 500 examinees are needed to achieve an adequate calibration under the graded model.  相似文献   

Integrating History of Science in Science Education through Historical Microworlds to Promote Conceptual Change   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Steve Masson  Jesús Vázquez-Abad 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》2006,15(3-4):257-268

This paper proposes a new way to integrate history of science in science education to promote conceptual change by introducing the notion of historical microworld, which is a computer-based interactive learning environment respecting historic conceptions. In this definition, “interactive” means that the user can act upon the virtual environment by changing some parameters to see what ensues. “Environment respecting historic conceptions” means that the “world” has been programmed to respect the conceptions of past scientists or philosophers. Three historical microworlds in the field of mechanics are presented in this article: an Aristotelian microworld respecting Aristotle’s conceptions about movement, a Buridanian microworld respecting the theory of impetus and, finally, a Newtonian microworld respecting Galileo’s conceptions and Newton’s laws of movement.  相似文献   

The bright and dark side of writing motivation: Effects of explicit instruction and peer assistance     

Fien de Smedt  Steve Graham  Hilde Van Keer 《The Journal of educational research》2019,112(2):152-167

The authors investigated the impact of explicit instruction and peer-assisted writing on students' writing motivation and self-efficacy for writing. Eleven teachers and their 206 fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in a 2 (explicit instruction vs. writing opportunities without explicit instruction) × 2 (peer-assisted writing vs. writing individually) experimental intervention study with a pretest-posttest design. The four experimental conditions were compared with a business-as-usual (BAU) condition. The five-week interventions were implemented in authentic classes by regular class teachers, who received a prior professional development training. Multilevel analyses showed that students who wrote with a peer were more autonomously motivated at posttest than BAU students. Additionally, BAU students and students receiving explicit instruction were more controlled motivated than students who were offered ample writing opportunities while practicing individually. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed in view of realizing a bright pathway towards autonomous writing motivation.  相似文献   

Using organized distractions in microteaching with pre-service science teachers     

J. Steve Oliver 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》1993,4(3):77-78

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Escape-from-fear performance as affected by handling method and an additional CS-shock treatment     

Dorothy E. McAllister  Wallace R. McAllister  Steve R. Hampton  Michael T. Scoles 《Learning & behavior》1980,8(3):417-423

Experiment 1 demonstrated that hurdle-jumping, escape-from-fear (EFF) performance was affected deleteriously when the handling of the rats was by the tail rather than the body and was facilitated by the administration, just prior to EFF training, of one additional CS-shock pairing along with the opportunity to jump the hurdle. Additional experiments elucidated the basis for the effect of these two variables. Experiment 2 indicated that tail handling degraded performance by decreasing reinforcement. In Experiment 3, the facilitatory effect of the extra CS-shock treatment was found to result from the occurrence of a response at the termination of the pairing and not from the CS-shock pairing per se.  相似文献   

Profiles in partnership: Finding strength in collaborative leadership     

Steve Ballard  Patricia N. Long 《About Campus》2004,9(5):16-22

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AIDS contaminates world's blood     

Connor S 《New scientist (1971)》1984,104(1431):5

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How do tutors use data to support their students?     

Steve Walker  Tom Olney  Carlton Wood  Anactoria Clarke  Moira Dunworth 《Open Learning》2019,34(1):118-133

ABSTRACT

Despite widespread enthusiasm, evidence of the effectiveness of learning analytics remains mixed. One possible explanation for this is that insufficient attention has been paid to the contexts in which it is introduced. We report here on a small-scale study into the prior use of data and communications technologies by tutors, who comprise a key user group in The Open University’s tuition model. Tutors interviewed reported using a complex set of data sources and information tools, and creating local/personal tools and methods for keeping track of students and their interactions with them.  相似文献