FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN TEACHER EDUCATION: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIAGNOSTIC LANGUAGE TEST FOR TRAINEE TEACHERS OF GERMAN

ABSTRACT:  This article describes the development and validation of a diagnostic test of German and its integration in a programme of formative assessment during a one-year initial teacher-training course. The test focuses on linguistic aspects that cause difficulty for trainee teachers of German as a foreign language and assesses implicit and explicit grammatical knowledge as well as students' confidence in this knowledge. Administration of the test to 57 German speakers in four groups (first-year undergraduates, fourth-year undergraduates, postgraduate trainees, and native speakers) provided evidence of its reliability and validity.     

A CHANGING EUROPE: CHALLENGES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH

The subject of the 1990 Brussels CHER annual meeting is introduced and analysed in relation to the themes of the papers presented by the various participants. Significantly, the freeing of higher education in eastern Europe from the rigours of Communism, democratic centralism, and command economies have come about while the higher education systems of the West have been strengthening their commitment to the market principle (voluntarily and/or imposed from without). The resulting situation is significant, mutually reinforcing, and ambiguous. It offers great opportunities, both East and West, for the further development of higher education research as a distinct field even while it is accentuating the precariousness of the other so‐called value sciences. Certainly a major opportunity comes from the fact that higher education researchers and their supporting institutions are being increasingly called upon to aid their respective governments in the understanding and the possible application of the higher education strategies and methods of other climes. The meeting has suggested markers for a future research agenda, and it has helped integrate the various methodological and technical perspectives as well as the insights of participants representing both East and West.     

COMPARISON OF PREDICTIVE VALIDITY AND DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF SCREENING MEASURES OF READING SKILLS

Assessment data must be valid for the purpose for which educators use them. Establishing evidence of validity is an ongoing process that must be shared by test developers and test users. This study examined the predictive validity and the diagnostic accuracy of universal screening measures in reading. Scores on three different universal screening tools were compared for nearly 500 second‐ and third‐grade students attending four public schools in a large urban district. Hierarchical regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to examine the criterion‐related validity and diagnostic accuracy of students’ oral reading fluency (ORF), Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) scores, and fall scores from the Measures of Academic Progress for reading (MAP). Results indicated that a combination of all three measures accounted for 65% of the variance in spring MAP scores, whereas a reduced model of ORF and MAP scores predicted 60%. ORF and BAS scores did not meet standards for diagnostic accuracy. Combining the measures improved diagnostic accuracy, depending on how criterion scores were calculated. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

EDUCATION AND THE LIMITS OF REASON: READING DOSTOEVSKY

Philosophers of education have had a longstanding interest in the nature and value of reason. Literature can provide an important source of insight in addressing questions in this area. One writer who is especially helpful in this regard is Fyodor Dostoevsky. In this essay Peter Roberts provides an educational reading of Dostoevsky's highly influential shorter novel, Notes from Underground. This novel was Dostoevsky's critical response to the emerging philosophy of rational egoism. In this close reading of Notes from Underground, Roberts compares rational egoism with neoliberalism, analyzes the experiences of the central character (the Underground Man), and considers the need for harmony in our educational development as reasoning, feeling, and willing beings.     

1976‐1980 RESEARCH PLAN OF THE HUNGARIAN PEDAGOGICAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

The information below is based on the recently published survey of the research projects of the Pedagogical Research Centre for Higher Education in Budapest, for the period 1976‐1980.

This institute is one of the four central educational research institutions in Hungary, the other three being the National Institute of Education, the Educational Research Institute at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Popular Education.     

IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH IN GERONTOLOGY FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN GERIATRICS

Geriatrics, a new medical specialty, is closely linked with scientific research in experimental gerontology, the biology of aging, and social gerontology and gerohygiene. The importance of using gerontological research data and data on relationships between the aged, family, and society is discussed. Emphasis is placed on (1) the development of diseases of the aged, (2) the significance of genetic factors on aging, (3) the relationship between chronological and biological age, and (4) the importance of physiological reactions in the aged to various types of treatment. The significance of international cooperation in the improvement of education and training of medical personnel in geriatrics is also stressed.     

34th MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMITTEE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The 34th meeting of the Council of Europe Committee for Higher Education and Research was held in Strasbourg from 3 to 5 November 1976.

The main points raised in discussions were as follows:

• the current situation and trends in tertiary education;

• the recognition of degrees and diplomas;

• the future existence of the Committee for Higher Education and Research;

• the current situation and trends in university research;

• the teaching of human rights;

• mobility of higher education staff and students;

• the future programme of the Committee.

The information presented below concentrates on some of the above points.     

不确定性视野下的教育与教育研究

世界的发展和关于世界的知识充满了不确定性。在不确定性视野下,需要对长期追求的普遍性知识和客观规律重新认识,对科学理论的解释和预测功能持审慎态度。对知识的生产和传播方式从方法论上进行反思。无论是宏观层次还是微观层次的教育,都有自身的确定性和不确定性。不确定性视野下的教育研究,坚持主体建构式认识论,关注探索教育实践中具体的因果联系。     

34th MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMITTEE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The 34th meeting of the Council of Europe Committee for Higher Education and Research was held in Strasbourg from 3 to 5 November 1976.

The main points raised in discussions were as follows:

• the current situation and trends in tertiary education;

• the recognition of degrees and diplomas;

• the future existence of the Committee for Higher Education and Research;

• the current situation and trends in university research;

• the teaching of human rights;

• mobility of higher education staff and students;

• the future programme of the Committee.

The information presented below concentrates on some of the above points.     

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY SOURCES OF SUPPORT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN 1990: A POLICY PAPER

The following is an overview of European Community activities in the domains of higher education, research and development, and the furthering of co‐operation between higher education and Industry. A fourth domain presented, the so‐called Jean Monnet Action, Is a Community effort aimed at introducing the European Communities concept into the courses offered in universities throughout the Community. Examples of specific activities are described under each of the four principal rubrics.

     

素质教育评价的策略探究

教育评价对教育的发展具有很强的导向性,全面推进素质教育必须建立相应的评价体系.本文介绍了作者在全国教育科学“十五”规划重点研究课题《西南地区农村中小学教育跨越式发展研究》中对教育评价策略的探究成果.     

THE IMPLICATIONS OF INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Studies on intercultural education undertaken by the Council of Europe have highlighted a gap at the level of higher education between transmitted knowledge and the indispensable information needed by individuals living in the pluricultural contexts of contemporary European societies. A task of higher education is to inculcate in teachers an intercultural perspective both for work in schools and for activities in community contexts and perspectives. The intercultural dimension should not simply address itself to a special category of culturally different students, but rather, should address all students so as to sensitize them to the cultural pluralism which surrounds them and to educate them to successfully master it. Certain disciplines have a privileged status with regard to the transmission of useful information for the education of all citizens living in pluricultural societies: history, geography, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, economics, sociology, and law. Several examples of intercultural education programmes offered by higher education institutions are presented in this study (in Portugal, Canada, and France) as well as reference to activities sponsored by the Higher Education and Research Division of the Council of Europe.     

应用型本科院校学分制下化学实验教学改革模式初探

传统的化学实验教学模式在实验内容、教学方法、培养学生应用能力等方面存在明显不足。在学分制体制下,应用型本科院校必须积极探索化学实验教学改革,以培养符合学校办学定位和促进区域经济社会发展的复合型、应用型人才。     

改革体育教学 促进素质教育发展

体育课程教学对促进素质教育发展，具有其它课程教学所无法比拟的得天独厚的优越条件．但在现实的学校体育教学中并没有真正把这种功能和效果发挥出来．为推动"应试教育"向"素质教育"的转轨，加快素质教育发展．必须对现行体育教学进行改革．     

DETERMINANTS OF RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

As research expenditures have risen and assources of research funding have changed, an increasedemphasis on research performance has developed in U.S.research universities. Although much of the historical debate has centered around the individualattributes of faculty, several recent studies have begunto focus on the effect of program or organizationalfactors as powerful attributes for enhancing suchproductivity. This paper extends the findings of these recentstudies by examining the relationship between academicresearch productivity and institutional factors from themost recent National Research Council data on the nation's research universities and theirprograms in the four broad fields of the biologicalsciences, engineering, the physical sciences andmathematics, and the social and behavioral sciences. Several findings are recommended forinstitutional policymakers.     

基于振动信号的柴油机HUMS研究

本文主要是研究柴油机的健康及运行监测系统（HUMS），并以连杆铜套磨损为例进行分析。利用基于神经网络和小波分析的故障诊断方法进行健康状况的定量识别。实验和仿真结果表明：对于各设定工况，诊断模型可以定量的识别出来，准确率达到100％；对于待定工况，诊断模型也可以给出定量的健康状况描述。从而使操作者能及时地了解柴油机的健康状况，并根据定量的输出结果对相应部件进行维护。