Search results for "Achievement test"
showing 10 items of 27 documents
Teacher trainees' experiences of the components of ICT competencies and key factors in ICT competence development in work-based vocational teacher tr…
2022
International journal for research in vocational education and training 9 (2022) 2, S. 146-166
Peer ethnicity and achievement: a meta-analysis into the compositional effect
2010
This study reports a meta-analysis on the effects of ethnic minority share in school on achievement test scores. Best evidence from the studies that have appeared thus far on this topic shows that these compositional effects appear small in general, but may be larger when the ethnic minority group is African Americans in the USA, than when the minority group consists of immigrants. A high share of students from an ethnic minority group seems to affect the achievement from students belonging to the same ethnic group more, than the achievement of students belonging to the ethnic majority or to other ethnic minority groups. Effects of the share of immigrants on test scores of ethnic majority s…
Análisis metodológico del Proyecto PISA como evaluación internacional
2016
En este artículo el objetivo es realizar un análisis global del Proyecto PISA como programa de evaluación internacional. Asimismo, se analizan características metodológicas de los procesos métricos que sustentan los instrumentos que se utilizan en el proyecto: las pruebas de logro y los cuestionarios de contexto. Se identifican las fortalezas y debilidades del proyecto, en diversas áreas, desde el Diseño y validación del proyecto como programa de evaluación internacional, sus usos y modos de comunicación de resultados, hasta las características métricas de sus instrumentos. Se proponen alternativas para optimizar el uso del proyecto en general y en los países involucrados en particular. Se…
Reading comprehension difficulty is often distinct from difficulty in reading fluency and accompanied with problems in motivation and school well-bei…
2019
This paper examined if difficulty in reading comprehension (PISA) is distinct from difficulty in reading fluency and if the distinct types of reading difficulties are differently associated with learning motivation, school burnout, and school enjoyment. The participants were 1324 Finnish ninth graders. Findings suggested that difficulties in reading comprehension are often distinct from difficulties in reading fluency. Three reading difficulty groups were identified: (1) poor readers with both fluency and reading comprehension difficulties (n = 46, 3.5%), (2) slow readers with only fluency difficulties (n = 70, 5.3%), and (3) poor comprehenders with only reading comprehension difficulties (…
The Many Faces of Special Education Within RTI Frameworks in the United States and Finland
2015
Response to intervention (RTI) can be considered an everyday practice in many parts of the United States, whereas, in Finland, only recently has a new framework for support in learning taken shape. Choosing Finland as the comparative partner for this policy paper is justified as its educational system has been widely referenced on the basis of good Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results. The results of the present comparative article showed first, that the U.S. RTI was primarily intended for diagnosing and preventing learning disabilities whereas the Finnish RTI is mainly an administrative structure for support. Second, the U.S. RTI includes clear definitions regardin…
Threats to validity when using open-ended items in international achievement studies : Coding responses to the PISA 2012 problem-solving test in Finl…
2015
Open-ended (OE) items are widely used to gather data on student performance in international achievement studies. However, several factors may threaten validity when using such items. This study examined Finnish coders’ opinions about threats to validity when coding responses to OE items in the PISA 2012 problem-solving test. A total of 6 discussions during 6 coder practice sessions (on 6 OE items) and an interview between 5 coders were audiorecorded and analyzed by means of content analysis, and 3 main threats to validity were found: (1) unclear and complex questions; (2) arbitrary and illogical coding rubrics; and (3) unclear and ambiguous responses. Suggestions are given as to how to res…
How does academic achievement come about: cross-cultural and methodological notes
2001
Abstract This chapter discusses the possible impact of cross-national diversity in academic institutions, in the selection of students, in the importance of national achievement tests, and cross-national differences in the variation of social background factors. It ends with the strengths and limitations of using path modeling in cross-sectional research. It is of particular interest to note whether study behaviors mediate the impact of students’ abilities on college success, or whether students’ abilities mediate the effect of study behaviors on achievement. A secondary concern is the extent to which the same causal model applies equally to different universities in different countries.
The school staff's perception of their ability to teach special educational needs pupils in inclusive settings in Finland
2015
Recent studies have suggested that the professional training received by general educators does not adequately prepare them to properly implement inclusion-based practices. The idea of inclusion in practice has not significantly changed the situation of teaching pupils with special educational needs (SENs) in mainstream classes. This study's primary intent is to examine the factors that identify the school staff's ability to meet the needs of SEN pupils in their daily teaching situations. A total of 187 elementary school teachers, principals and teaching assistants in a Finnish city completed a structured questionnaire that used a self-evaluation method. Two components were generalised acco…
The effect of using a mobile literacy game to improve literacy levels of grade one students in Zambian schools
2014
This intervention study was conducted to document conditions under which a computer based literacy game (GraphoGame™) could enhance literacy skills of first grade students in an African city. The participants were first grade students from Government schools (N = 573). These students were randomly sampled into control (N = 314) and various intervention groups (N = 259). GraphoGame™ was administered on cellphones to students at their schools under supervision. Each student in the study was assessed using a battery of locally developed cognitive tests that measured emergent literacy skills (Orthography test), decoding competence (Spelling test), vocabulary (Picture Vocabulary Test—PVT) and ar…
International Assessment Surveys of Educational Achievement in Developing Countries
2015
This paper reviews the most known international assessment studies that are conducted in the context of poor countries and highlights the lack of empirical evidence on the degree to which the contents of the tests really match countries' curricula. To illustrate, the paper evaluates the sensitivity of an international testing instrument by comparing the responses of students in two consecutive grades on the same battery of tests. Using propensity score matching to control for student and teacher characteristics, the results show that the tests are not grade sensitive, which raises the question of the validity of many empirical works that are based on similar instruments.