An Empirical Bayes Approach to Mantel-Haenszel DIF Analysis     

Rebecca Zwick  Dorothy T. Thayer  Charles Lewis 《Journal of Educational Measurement》1999,36(1):1-28

We developed an empirical Bayes (EB) enhancement to Mantel-Haenszel (MH) DIF analysis in which we assume that the MH statistics are normally distributed and that the prior distribution of underlying DIF parameters is also normal. We use the posterior distribution of DIF parameters to make inferences about the item's true DIF status and the posterior predictive distribution to predict the item's future observed status. DIF status is expressed in terms of the probabilities associated with each of the five DIF levels defined by the ETS classification system: C–, B–, A, B+, and C+. The EB methods yield more stable DIF estimates than do conventional methods, especially in small samples, which is advantageous in computer-adaptive testing. The EB approach may also convey information about DIF stability in a more useful way by representing the state of knowledge about an item's DIF status as probabilistic.  相似文献   

Plasma Homocysteine,Folate and Vitamin B<Subscript>12</Subscript> levels in senile cataract     

S. K. Sen  P. Pukazhvanthen  Rebecca Abraham 《Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB》2008,23(3):255-257

Elevated plasma Homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for age related (senile) cataract. Certain nutritional deficiencies, in particular Folate, Vitamin B₁₂, Vitamin B₆ relate inversely with Homocysteine level. This study was undertaken to evaluate the plasma level of Vitamin B₁₂, Folate, and Homocysteine of cataract patients and to study the interplay between them. Serum Homocysteine level is significantly increased in cataract patients when compared with control (p< 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the level of Folate as compared with control (p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between Homocysteine vs. Vitamin B₁₂ (p<0.01) and Folate (p<0.01) in the Cataract patients. Our findings suggest that increased plasma Homocysteine level is associated with decreased plasma levels of Folate and VitaminB₁₂ in Cataract patients, which might have a possible role in the root cause of cataract pathogenesis.  相似文献   

Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K–12 Education in the United States: Findings Related to Research and Evaluation     

Shaw  David E.  Becker  Henry J.  Bransford  John D.  Davidson  Jan  Hawkins  Jan  Malcom  Shirley  Molina  Mario  Ride  Sally K.  Sharp  Phillip  Tinker  Robert F.  Vest  Charles  Young  John  Allen  Richard  Bakia  Marianne  Bryson  Rebecca  Chen  C. Samantha  Costello  Caroline M.  Deckel  Garrett M.  Dial  Marjorie R.  Kealey  Edith M.  Lehoczky  Sandor 《Journal of Science Education and Technology》1998,7(2):115-126

The Panel on Educational Technology was organized in April 1995 under the auspices of the President's Committee of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST) to provide advice to the President on matters related to the application of information technologies to K–12 education in the United States. Its findings and recommendations were set forth in March 1997 in the Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K–12 Education in the United States. This report was based on a review of the research literature and on written submissions and oral briefings from a number of academic and industrial researchers, practicing educators, software developers, governmental agencies, and professional and industry organizations involved in various ways with the application of technology to education. Its most important finding is that a large-scale program of rigorous, systematic research on education in general and educational technology in particular will ultimately prove necessary to ensure both the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of technology use within our nation's K–12 schools. Finding that less than 0.1 percent of our nation's expenditures for elementary and secondary education are currently invested to determine which educational techniques actually work, and to find ways to improve them—an extremely low level relative to comparable ratios within the private sector—the Panel recommended that this figure be increased over a period of several years to at least 0.5 percent, and sustained at that level on an ongoing basis. Further, because no one state, municipality, or private firm could hope to capture more than a small fraction of the benefits associated with a significant advance in our understanding of how best to educate K–12 students, the Panel concluded that such funding will have to be provided largely at the federal level in order to avoid a systematic underinvestment (attributable to a classical form of economic externality) relative to the level that would be optimal for the nation as a whole. This paper originally appeared as Section 8 of the report.  相似文献   

Young Children’s Mathematical Learning From Intelligent Characters     

Sandra L. Calvert  Marisa M. Putnam  Naomi R. Aguiar  Rebecca M. Ryan  Charlotte A. Wright  Yi Hui Angella Liu  Evan Barba 《Child development》2020,91(5):1491-1508

Children’s math learning (N = 217; M_age = 4.87 years; 63% European American, 96% college-educated families) from an intelligent character game was examined via social meaningfulness (parasocial relationships [PSRs]) and social contingency (parasocial interactions, e.g., math talk). In three studies (data collected in the DC area: 12/2015–10/2017), children’s parasocial relationships and math talk with the intelligent character predicted quicker, more accurate math responses during virtual game play. Children performed better on a math transfer task with physical objects when exposed to an embodied character (Study 2), and when the character used socially contingent replies, which was mediated by math talk (Study 3). Results suggest that children’s parasocial relationships and parasocial interactions with intelligent characters provide new frontiers for 21st century learning.  相似文献   

Chinese online gamers versus nongamers: A difference in social media use and associated well-being and relational outcomes?     

Rebecca Dredge  Shuang Chen 《Psychology in the schools》2020,57(9):1457-1474

Little is known about the social media use of online gamers compared with nongamers and whether the two forms of technology use manifest as the cumulative risk for relational and well-being outcomes in adolescents. Self-report data from 320 Chinese secondary school students (12–17 years) was collected for online gaming and social media use frequency, depression, satisfaction with life, and relationship quality with parents, teachers, and classmates. Once the sample was split into nongamers, light gamers, and heavy gamers, results showed that heavy gamers (cut-off at ≥2 or ≥3 h/d) were more depressed, used social media and the Internet more frequently and social media differently, and experienced more negative interactions with parents and classmates compared with nongamers. Significant differences were also found between light gamers and nongamers on certain variables. Findings indicate that heavy gamers are also using other media at heavy levels which places them in a more at-risk group for adverse well-being and relational outcomes.  相似文献   

‘By law,custom or local atmosphere’: Exploring institutional support in school-based contact programmes     

Rebecca Loader  Joanne Hughes  Andrea Furey 《British Educational Research Journal》2020,46(5):1044-1063

Allport’s intergroup contact theory outlines four conditions for effective contact: equal status between participants within the contact situation, cooperation, common goals and institutional support. While the literature indicates that institutional support may be a particularly important condition for effective contact, its role and impact remain under-researched, particularly in studies of contact within real-world contexts. This article seeks to address this gap through a study of institutional support within a school-based contact initiative operating in two countries, Northern Ireland and North Macedonia. Known as ‘shared education’, this promotes inter-school collaboration as a means of fostering contact between pupils from different ethnic or religious backgrounds. Adopting a qualitative approach and using data collected through interviews with staff involved in four shared education projects, this study explores three aspects: the extent to which shared education demonstrates support for contact; the factors that encourage or impede supportive contact norms; and the relationship between the norms of the school and those of other authorities, particularly parents and the community.  相似文献   

Consultant's guide for the use of time‐out in the preschool and elementary classroom     

Heather Sterling Turner  T. Steuart Watson 《Psychology in the schools》1999,36(2):135-148

During school‐based consultation, school psychologists must often help consultees learn how to implement various behavior change strategies. One of the most effective behavior change strategies for preschool and elementary children is time‐out. Although time‐out has been shown to be effective for reducing a variety of problem behaviors, lack of knowledge regarding the parameters and procedures of time‐out has led to its ineffective use in the classroom and low ratings of acceptability by teachers. This article provides information on the time‐out research in hopes of enabling school psychologists to use, and train others to use, time‐out more effectively when indicated by the data from a behavioral or functional assessment. The guide presented here may also serve as a heuristic for those wishing to conduct research on the use of time‐out in the classroom. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  相似文献   

Chicken Club: schools and their relationship with families     

Rebecca Brewer 《Support for Learning》2020,35(1):5-22

Over time, schools have developed systems that include the families of children. Families often sign a home school agreement and attend parent forums or more formal meetings designed to plan provision for children with special educational needs. These endeavours, however, are arguably inadequate when the full influence of the family is properly acknowledged. Research makes clear that the main influencer on the child’s self-efficacy and therefore learning behaviours, is the family. This article reports findings from literature and a case study looking at making the most of the partnership between families and schools in order to meet the learning needs of individual children. It also addresses many barriers that families face in approaching schools and three ways schools in Cornwall, a rural county in South West England, are 'opening out’ their practice. The case study provides evidence of the progress children made in learning as a response to the new school and family partnership.  相似文献   

Self-beliefs in organic chemistry: Evaluation of a reciprocal causation,cross-lagged model     

Rebecca E. Gibbons  Jeffrey R. Raker 《科学教学研究杂志》2019,56(5):598-618

This study is designed to test a reciprocal causation, cross-lagged model of self-concept, self-efficacy, and achievement in a postsecondary STEM course. Both self-efficacy and self-concept are known to be related to achievement; however, there is a need to untangle the relationship between the two constructs as well as their association to achievement across time to best direct future research efforts. To achieve this research interest, a longitudinal measurement strategy was used to measure chemistry self-concept and self-efficacy for learning and performance before and after achievement measures (i.e., two term examinations) in a postsecondary organic chemistry course context. A reciprocal causation, cross-lagged model best fits the data as a representation of the relationships between these three measures over time as compared to autoregressive, performance effects, and self-belief effects models. Significant paths in the reciprocal causation, cross-lagged model include the first self-concept measure to the first achievement measure as well as from the second self-concept measure to the third self-efficacy measure. Relationships from achievement to each subsequent self-belief measure were also significant. This study demonstrates the ability of longitudinal measurements of multiple constructs in postsecondary STEM educational research to collect nuanced information that is overlooked when pre-measure designs of single constructs are used. In the classroom, an initial measure of self-concept can inform instructors of the likelihood of students to succeed on an initial achievement measure, at which point they may choose to implement some of the targeted intervention strategies from literature.  相似文献   

Promoting intercultural friendship among college students     

Elisabeth Gareis  Jeffrey Goldman  Rebecca Merkin 《Journal of International and Intercultural Communication》2019,12(1):1-22

This study assessed the efficacy of a semester-long buddy project in facilitating intercultural friendship development. Results of pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys show significant improvements in knowledge and attitude; correlations between post-project knowledge, attitude, and interest in continued contact; and correlations between interest in continued contact and actual contact in the follow up. The majority of the participants evaluated the project as effective for friendship formation. Of the follow-up respondents, 23% developed friendships with their former buddies. The project serves as an example for assignments with the potential for friendship development, which is essential for optimal intergroup contact.  相似文献