A History of Social Science Measurement

What are the historic oriains of measurement? What v are the basic requirements for fundamental measurement? What are some common pitfalls to avoid? D o item response models meet these needs?     

A Brief History of Item Theory Response

How did early work of Binet and Thurstone foreshadow item response theory? What connections to work in other areas are not widely recognized? What are current application trends?     

Practical Applications of Student Response Analysis

What standard reports are included in TAP and SPP? What information is provided in item analysis output? How may teachers use the information in their instruction?     

Protecting the Integrity of Cornputerhed Testhg Item Pools

What are the issues and techniques involved in protecting the integrity of item pools in computerized testing? How can item exposure be limited? How do security issues differ in computerized testing and paper-and-pencil testing?     

Screening for Potentially Biased Items in Testing Programs

What statistical methods are being used to identify biased test items? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? What sample sizes are required to use each method? Which methods are most useful to the practitioner?     

Type K and Other Complex Multiple-Choice Items: An Analysis of Research and Item Properties

What is a complex multiple-choice test item? What is the evidence that such items should be avoided?     

Identifying the Causes of DIF in Translated Verbal Items

Translated tests are being used increasingly for assessing the knowledge and skills of individuals who speak different languages. There is little research exploring why translated items sometimes function differently across languages. If the sources of differential item functioning (DIF) across languages could be predicted, it could have important implications on test development, scoring and equating. This study focuses on two questions: “Is DIF related to item type?”, “What are the causes of DIF?” The data were taken from the Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test in Hebrew (source) and Russian (translated). The results indicated that 34% of the items functioned differentially across languages. The analogy items were the most problematic with 65% showing DIF, mostly in favor of the Russian-speaking examinees. The sentence completion items were also a problem (45% D1F). The main reasons for DIF were changes in word difficulty, changes in item format, differences in cultural relevance, and changes in content.     

Learning Outcome Testing Program: Standardized Classroom Testing in West Virginia Through Item Banking, Test Generation, and Curricular Management Software

What conditions stimulated the Learning Outcome Testing Program and what approaches were adopted? What issues need to be addressed in the selection of computer software? What steps should be taken to train teachers to develop item banks and use testing software?     

The Multiple True-False Item Format: A Status Review

How do multiple true-false items differ from other item formats? What does past research indicate about the quality of multiple true-false items? What additional research is needed?     

Illustrating the Utility of Differential Bundle Functioning Analyses to Identify and Interpret Group Differences on Achievement Tests

What is differential bundle functioning and how is this different from differential item functioning? Can test specifications be used to identify and aid in the interpretation of differential bundle functioning? How can differential bundle functioning lead to an improved understanding of why groups perform differently on achievement tests?     

An Investigation of Alternative Methods for Item Mapping in the National Assessment of Educational Progress

What is item mapping and how does it aid test score interpretation? Which item mapping technique produces the most consistent results and most closely matches expert opinion?     

Effects of Item Order and Context on Estimation of NAEP Reading Proficiency

What can be learned about the effects of item order and context on invariance of item parameter estimates? Are common-item equating methods appropriate when measuring trends in educational growth?     

How Is Reliability Related to the Quality of Test Scores? What Is the Effect of Local Dependence on Reliability?

What are the practical implications of small decreases in reliability coefficients? How does increased item local dependence decrease reliability? How does the new format of more “authentic” reading tests affect reliability?     

Trying to Get Ahead of the Curve: Raising and Understanding Current Themes in New Literacies Practices

Abstract

This article addresses the following questions: What impact does using the theoretical framework of new literacies have on understanding language, literacy, and learning practices today as technologies are constantly being developed and used? What is the state of research in this area? What are some new directions the field might take in order to develop in new ways? The conclusion suggests some possibilities for new research questions and positions in relation to new technologies.     

What’s new in computers

Flash memories are not very new. Products based on flash memory have been around for more than 4 years now after the basic technology was introduced in 1988. Although flash-memories were initially thought of as replacements for magnetic storage, this has not happened. Instead, what is new are the different applications in which flash memory is being putting to use. What is flash memory? What are its features ? What are its advantages as compared to conventional memories? Where is it used ? This is what we’ll take a look at in this article. The actual internal structure of flash memory is illustrated at the end of the article.     

Comparing the Incomparable: An Essay on the Importance of Big Assumptions and Scant Evidence

What are we doing when we make a comparison between two groups of people“ How is this comparison complicated when the two groups do not take identical sets of items“ What can be said about the groups if they take no items in common?     

Differences between multiple choice items and constructed response items in the IEA timss surveys

In international large-scale surveys, constructed response (CR) items are increasingly being used and multiple-choice (MC) items are being used less frequently. In this article the two item types will be compared in terms of any differences they have on national mean scores. TIMSS 1995 and TIMSS 1999 data have been used. Are there different effects of the question types for mathematics and science? Does the introduction of open-ended items into the math and science tests affect the math and science achievement results?     

Pupils' mathematical performance in grades 3 and 6. A longitudinal study

The main purpose of this study was to analyse how pupils, differing in achievement levels in mathematics, performed operations with numbers and solved mathematical problems. What strategies did they use in different grades when they performed the operations and solved the problems correctly, and what types of errors were involved when they solved an item incorrectly? What types of errors disappear and what types of errors remain at a later grade? Five groups of pupils, comprising a total number of 900, who have shown different developments in mathematical achievement from grades 3 to 6 have been studied. When the pupils solved items correctly they used the same strategies irrespective of their total results. However, when they made errors they used a number of different strategies. The results of this study implicate that it is very essential that the teaching be individualised and built upon how the pupils think when solving mathematical problems.     

The use of ICT by adults with learning disabilities in day and residential services

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by adults with learning disabilities has been positively promoted over the past decade. More recently, policy statements and guidance from the UK government have underlined the importance of ICT for adults with learning disabilities specifically, as well as for the population in general, through the potential it offers for social inclusion. The aim of the present study was to provide a picture of how ICT is currently being used within one organisation providing specialist services for adults with learning disabilities and more specifically to provide a picture of its use in promoting community participation. Nine day and 14 residential services were visited as part of a qualitative study to answer three main questions: What kinds of computer programs are being used? What are they being used for? Does this differ between day and residential services? Computers and digital cameras were used for a wide range of activities and ‘mainstream’ programs were used more widely than those developed for specific user groups. In day services, ICT was often embedded in wider projects and activities, whilst use in houses was based around leisure interests. In both contexts, ICT was being used to facilitate communication, although this was more linked to within‐service activities, rather than those external to service provision.     

基于语义相关性的关联规则挖掘研究

为了解决传统关联规则挖掘中候选集数量过多,计算时间复杂度过高的问题,提出了基于语义相关性的关联规则挖掘方法.该方法采用本体概念之间的语义相关性描述领域中的复杂关系,通过语义相关度过滤掉领域中相关性较小的候选集,以减少关联规则挖掘中候选集的数量.计算语义相关性时,将本体层次关系看作有向无环图而不是层次树,不仅考虑直接层次关系,还考虑非直接层次关系和其他典型语义关系.实验结果表明,该方法能有效减少候选集数量,提高关联规则挖掘的效率.