Building Better Communities for Children: Community Implementation and Evaluation of the Australian Early Development Index

Since 2004 the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) has been completed in 54 Australian communities over seven states and territories on more than 30,000 children. A concurrent systematic evaluation of community implementation and use of the AEDI was undertaken that included both a process and impact component. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evaluation findings between 2004 and 2006. Results have shown there are a number of barriers and facilitators for communities in implementing the AEDI, disseminating results, and planning for community actions. The evaluation findings indicate AEDI implementation helps raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development, assists communities to work more collaboratively and to strategically plan actions to work towards improving outcomes for children.     

Investigating the Validity of a Locally Developed Critical Thinking Test

What can be done at the local school level to study the validity of measures of critical thinking? What information other than test scores should be analyzed? What validity can a test have for diagnosis, monitoring achievement, or curriculum reform?     

课堂教学有效性的评估指标

课堂教学有效性的研究是教改的核心和关键，要确保课堂教学的有效性，不仅仅要注意教学形式的改变，更要强调课堂教学本质的葆证。目前，课堂教学三维目标的提出为达到教学的最佳状态指明了方向。同时。教师个体教育品质的提高为教育本质的达成提供了有力的保证。     

课堂教学有效性的评估指标

课堂教学有效性的研究是教改的核心和关键,要确保课堂教学的有效性,不仅仅要注意教学形式的改变,更要强调课堂教学本质的保证。目前,课堂教学三维目标的提出为达到教学的最佳状态指明了方向。同时,教师个体教育品质的提高为教育本质的达成提供了有力的保证。     

一种新的模糊聚类有效性指标的验证

根据(V)cso-new对(V)cso有效性指标的改进思想,对分离度进行了新的定义,并提出了一种新的模糊聚类有效性指标,理论证明和实验分析说明了该有效性指标的可靠性.     

王鹏运早期词事考辨

王鹏运作为"清季四大词人"之首和临桂词派的领军人物,其早期词学活动情况却隐晦不彰,且时见言人人殊.在原有常见材料的基础上,收集王鹏运所遗稿本所收诗词及其词友词作相关材料,对王鹏运早年在京城参加觅句堂唱和、中书词人唱和及在大梁参加诗词唱和的情况进行深入考察,勾勒出一代词人成长的较为明晰的轮廓.     

Discriminant Validity of the Parent and Child Scales of the Parenting Stress Index

The aim of the present study was to further validate the Parental Stress Index (PSI; Abidin, 1990) which claims to measure distinct sources of stress related to the parent and the child. Two hundred and forty five mothers completed the French version of the PSI and other questionnaires including the DAS (Spanier, 1976), the CBCL (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1981) and the BDI (Beck, et al., 1961). A subsample of 218 mothers and their preschoolers were also directly observed during a problem solving task in the laboratory. In general, regression analyses indicated that both parent and child scales contributed significantly and independently to the prediction of marital adjustment, depression, the child's problems as reported by the mother and behaviors observed in the laboratory. As expected, the parent's scale when entered first explained most of the variance for factors related to the mother, such as marital adjustment (29%) and depression (45%), and the child's scale obtained no significant results when entered last. Moreover, the child's scale contributed over and above the parent's scale in predicting the child's difficulties (12%) as reported by the mother, and accounted for all the variance when entered first (31%). Intriguingly, results showed that the child scale significantly predicted mother and child behavior in the laboratory situation, but the parent scale contributed to the explained variance only when entered first. In general, these results suggest that the two main factors of the PSI represent valid and relatively independent sources of information. Considering clinical and research applications, the PSI may be particularly useful in assessing combinations of stressors, which appear to be specifically harmful for the parent-child relationship.     

The Early Development Index and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher‐completed checklist, intended to be a population‐level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the areas for improvement and modifications. The paper aims: (1) to identify the limitations of the EDI as a universal screening tool, particularly with regard to children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD); (2) to alert readers to the potential negative implications of the current EDI for communities and society, and (3) to recommend ways for improvement so that the EDI will become a valid and culturally appropriate screening tool for monitoring early development in CALD children. The ultimate aim is to help build an education system and a society that can respect cultural and individual differences.     

Early Intervention with Medically Fragile Infants: Investigating the Age-at-Start Question

Very few studies have investigated the age at which early intervention should begin. Similarly few studies have examined the effects of early intervention for infants who are medically fragile. The present study responds to these two critical issues by longitudinally comparing groups of infants who are medically fragile. These infants were randomly assigned to receive developmentally appropriate programs beginning at either 3- or 18-months adjusted age. Analysis of measures of child development and family functioning for the first three annual assessments indicated that the two groups were similar on measures of child functioning at the first and second assessment. However, at the third assessment, children who received the intervention at an earlier age scored significantly higher than did children whose intervention began 15 months later. No significant group differences were found on measures of family functioning at any of the assessments. Implications of these results for future research and practice are discussed.     

Early Intervention with Medically Fragile Infants: Investigating the Age-at-Start Question

Very few studies have investigated the age at which early intervention should begin. Similarly few studies have examined the effects of early intervention for infants who are medically fragile. The present study responds to these two critical issues by longitudinally comparing groups of infants who are medically fragile. These infants were randomly assigned to receive developmentally appropriate programs beginning at either 3- or 18-months adjusted age. Analysis of measures of child development and family functioning for the first three annual assessments indicated that the two groups were similar on measures of child functioning at the first and second assessment. However, at the third assessment, children who received the intervention at an earlier age scored significantly higher than did children whose intervention began 15 months later. No significant group differences were found on measures of family functioning at any of the assessments. Implications of these results for future research and practice are discussed.     

测验效度概念的新发展

1985年《教育与心理测验标准》(第5版)出版之前,效度研究的核心概念是"效标(criterion)",效度研究被视为一种用"效标"对测验的效度进行证明(verify)、对测验分数做出有效(valid)解释的过程。1985年以后,效度研究的核心概念是"证据(evidence)",效度研究被视为一种通过积累证据对测验的效度进行支持(support)、对测验分数做出合理(reasonable)解释的过程。关于效度的这种理解,突出体现在1999年出版的《教育与心理测验标准》(第6版)中。美国教育协会和美国国家教育测量学会共同组织编写的《教育测量》在业内被称为"教育测量领域的《圣经》"。2006年《教育测量》(第4版)出版以后,效度研究的核心概念演变为"理由(warrant)",效度研究被视为一种通过构造"理由系统"和"理由网络"对效度进行"论证(argument)"、对测验分数做出可接受的(plausible)解释的过程。本文结合笔者的考试实践,介绍了效度概念的新发展。     

Validity and Reliability of Turkish Version of the Balanced Index of Psychological Mindedness

The purpose of current study was to explore psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Balanced Index of Psychological Mindedness (BIPM). Studies regarding psychological mindedness (PM) are still limited in Turkey; and there are few valid instruments to measure PM. The Turkish version of the BIPM and the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) was administered to 654 voluntary undergraduate students. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit for the model including two subscales (interest and ability dimensions of PM) with a total of 14 items (x²/df?=?3.11, p?<?.001, RMSEA?=?0.060, S-RMR?=?0.059, GFI?=?0.95, AGFI?=?.0.93, CFI?=?0.94). McDonald’s Omega (ω) for scores on the overall scale was .85, .73 for scores on the Interest Subscale and .76 for scores on the Insight Subscale. Test–retest reliability coefficients were found as .61 for the scores on the BIPM total score, .55 for scores on the Interest subscale and .56 for scores on the Insight subscale (p?<?.01). As expected, the BIPM total scale score were negatively correlated with TAS total score (r?=?-.59).

     

中国蝗虫生物多样性研究进展

生物多样性研究层次主要有物种多样性、遗传多样性、生态系统多样性和景观多样性。中国蝗虫生物多样性研究已经由物种多样性研究进入遗传多样性研究层次，生态系统多样性和景观多样性研究几乎处于空白。中国蝗虫物种多样性的研究于20世纪50年得到了注意，全国各地的研究进展不平衡，西部地区研究比较全面、深入，蝗虫资源基本清楚。遗传多样性研究由细胞水平（染色体）转入分子水平的研究，细胞水平研究相对较深入。     

Investigating the Transition of Young Children With Intellectual Disabilities to Mainstream Classes: an Australian perspective

An investigation of the transition of 33 children with intellectual disabilities to mainstream kindergarten classes was conducted by surveying parents, receiving teachers, and receiving principals. All 33 children had received a model university-based inclusive preschool program in the year before kindergarten. Structured interviews with the parents, teachers, and principals at the beginning of Term 2 of the school year and with the parents and teachers at the end of the school year provided information about issues relating to the transition and the initial and subsequent integration of the children. The findings from this study were valuable in relation to the ongoing evaluation of the model preschool program, but also provide useful information to early intervention services and mainstream schools wanting to improve the success of their transition programs.     

Teacher-Directed Learning Approaches and Science Achievement: Investigating the Importance of Instructional Explanations in Australian Schools

Research in Science Education - This study investigated the relationships of teacher-directed approaches with science achievement in Australian schools. The data for this study were drawn from the...     

澳大利亚高等教育发展特征探析

澳大利亚是高等教育大国,也是高等教育强国。新世纪以来,澳大利亚政府对高等教育进行了大刀阔斧的改革,相继出台了旨在提升高等教育地位、扩大高校办学自主权、增强高校国际竞争力、推动高等教育服务产业化等一揽子改革计划。这些改革计划和措施取得了明显成效,值得我们借鉴。     

心理测量学中效度概念的新发展

本文简单回顾心理测量学中效度概念发展的三个阶段,并着重分析了效度概念在现阶段的新发展——构想效度理论。可以看出,效度概念是一个不断发展的动态过程,随着研究内容的丰富化,研究方法也日益多样化。现阶段的构想效度已经足以容纳所有可能为分数的解释提供支持的证据。对效度概念的完整认识,有助于我们从一个更为宽阔的角度去认识测验的效力和实质。     

澳大利亚幼儿环境教育政策探析

2019年以来,澳大利亚对于其有关幼儿教育的政策和法规进行了新一轮的大范围修改,环境教育作为澳大利亚教育体系的关键环节之一,在幼儿教育中也始终备受重视.在澳大利亚《幼儿学习框架》和《学龄保育框架》所给出的原则基础上,其幼儿环境教育坚持以儿童为核心,采用体验式学习、游戏式学习和探访式学习的多样实践策略,使儿童能够正确地认知环境、尊重环境、爱护环境.此外,澳大利亚通过严格的国家法规和《国家质量标准》,保障澳大利亚幼儿环境教育的发展质量,形成了完善的幼儿环境教育评价机制.     

Validating the British Index for Inclusion for the Australian context: stage one

This paper presents a summary of outcomes from the first stage of a 3‐year project funded through the Australian Research Council Strategic Partnership Industry Research Training (ARC‐SPIRT) scheme and the Catholic Education Office in Victoria. This longitudinal study, in Catholic primary and secondary schools, will investigate the effectiveness and sustainability of a whole‐school approach to improving inclusive practice, strengthening transition networks outside the school and improving learning for students with disabilities. The first stage of the project evaluates the recently developed Index for Inclusion (2000). The Index clearly provides a valuable starting point, but as it was developed in the UK, there is a need to establish its validity for use in the Australian context. There is a need, therefore, to ensure its content fits with local ‘cultures’ including Commonwealth legislation and State and school‐level policy legislation. The paper reports on a six‐phase process of validation and modification including both quantitative and qualitative analyses and the resulting trial versions of four questionnaires.