The visible hand of research performance assessment

Far from allowing a governance of universities by the invisible hand of market forces, research performance assessments do not just measure differences in research quality, but yield themselves visible symptoms in terms of a stratification and standardization of disciplines. The article illustrates this with a case study of UK history departments and their assessment by the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and the Research Excellence Framework (REF), drawing on data from the three most recent assessments (RAE 2001, 2008, REF 2014). Symptoms of stratification are documented by the distribution of memberships in assessment panels, of research active staff, and of external research grants. Symptoms of a standardization are documented by the publications submitted to the assessments. The main finding is that the RAEs/REF and the selective allocation of funds they inform consecrate and reproduce a disciplinary center that, in contrast to the periphery, is well-endowed with grants and research staff, decides in panels over the quality standards of the field, and publishes a high number of articles in high-impact journals. This selectivity is oriented toward previous distributions of resources and a standardized notion of “excellence” rather than research performance.     

Credibly assessing reading and writing abilities for both elementary student and program assessment

The authors explored the credibility of using informal reading inventories and writing samples for 138 students (K–4) to evaluate the effectiveness of a summer literacy program. Running Records (a measure of a child's reading level) and teacher experience during daily reading instruction were used to estimate the reliability of the more formal Developmental Reading Assessment scores. Training of scorers was used to increase the reliability of writing scores; a second scoring was used to estimate the reliability of the scores. The results suggested that with minimal modifications to administration and scoring procedures, scores from both reading inventories and writing samples can be a dependable source of data for teachers, administrators, and policy makers. This result is significant because it suggests that formative literacy assessments can be reliably used instead of standardized multiple-choice tests to make more credible summative decisions without taking time away from instruction, and can truly match curriculum, instruction, and assessment.     

数字时代新读写素养研究的5P模型

在数字化时代,新的环境、新的技术、新的用途等因素,使得传统的读写活动在网络教育、信息技术、语言教育、科学教育等领域里呈现出新的特点,因此,读写素养（Literacy）的内涵不断丰富和发展,并被学术界称之为“新读写素养”。而且,随着承载阅读和书写的外部环境不断更新和变化,“新”的含义得以继续扩展,并在与读写素养相关的实践中,呈现出种类繁多的术语和解读方式。如果从科学研究的本体论角度出发,探索新读写素养的最基本要素,以Platform （平台）、Participant （参与者）、Potential （潜力）、 Position （立场）和Praxis （反思实践）五个维度为基础,建构并研究新读写素养基本内涵的理论模型,将有助于促进不同学科之间关于读写素养的深层次对话。     

Women and literacy: a Nepal perspective

This article looks at adult women's experiences of literacy and literacy learning in a remote area of Western Nepal. As part of a research degree at Sussex University, I spent eight months living in a small village community where an American aid agency was implementing a development programme, comprising of a literacy class with follow-up income-generating activities for women. Drawing on an “ideological” approach to literacy research, I investigated how women and men of differing ages and economic backgrounds used literacy in their everyday lives. My research aimed to move away from the simple polarisation of women and men, traditional and developed, to analyse what meanings of literacy and gender were shared or disputed between different groups of people and how they reacted to literacy interventions by a foreign aid agency.By looking at three main kinds of literacy practices which so-called “illiterate” women participated in—existing everyday practices such as religious reading; new everyday practices such as account keeping introduced by the aid agency; and the literacy class which ran every evening in the village—this article analyses how women reacted to different kinds of literacies and what they gained from attending a literacy class. Everyday literacies tended to be seen as separate or even in opposition to the literacy class or new practices since they were learnt informally in the home. Many new literacy practices, such as form filling or keeping minutes, were viewed by both men and women as symbolic of the agency's authority but not necessarily useful. The literacy class introduced women to new roles as “class participants” and more participatory methods of teaching, but they preferred the kind of education seen in local schools so encouraged the teacher to adopt chanting methods and mirror the hierarchical teacher–pupil relationship.Though the women contested the dominant model of literacy and gender presented to them by the aid agency—that reading and writing would help in their existing role as mothers or wives or were useful for income generating—they wanted to become “educated” by attending the literacy class. They felt they gained a new identity through becoming literate and valued the additional social space that the class gave them as a group of women from differing backgrounds. Certain new practices like creative writing, though imposed by the aid agency, were welcomed by women at the class as enabling them to have a new voice.     

Portfolio assessment in an American Engineering College

Estimates indicate that as much as 80% of an engineer's work time is spent on communicating. Studies done by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Arizona show that engineering firms, as well as ECE graduates, rank writing ability as the most important skill in determining engineers’ success, even above the much more obvious technical skills that are the focus of much engineering education. Arizona's ECE Department began teaching its senior-level capstone design courses as “writing emphasis” courses to assist students in developing their writing skills prior to graduation, as well as to link communication skills and coursework to create graduates proficient in both written and oral communication. This paper describes a portfolio assessment that has been developed specifically for this context and population, and argues that this portfolio assessment demonstrates several advantages frequently called for in theory but rarely made operational. This program has provided an unusually rich practical application, showing how portfolio assessment changes assessment from a mere rating of limited and often costly tests to a continuous, integrated, and appropriate activity directly related to learning itself, while at the same time, developing the data about student.     

Quantitative Literacy Across the Curriculum: Integrating Skills From English Composition,Mathematics, and the Substantive Disciplines

Quantitative literacy is an important proficiency that pertains to “word problems” from science, history, and other fields. Unfortunately, teaching how to solve such problems often is relegated to math courses alone. This article examines how quantitative literacy also involves concepts and skills from English composition and the substantive disciplines. The author outlines a systematic approach to writing the answers to word problems—a fundamental skill that applies to ongoing education, everyday life, and the workplace.     

Re-thinking English literacy development in Tonga: A case study, 2012–2017

This article presents a case study of a five-year English-literacy project carried out in primary and middle schools in the Pacific island nation of Tonga from 2012 to 2017. It summarizes why and how the project was begun; the activities carried out by Peace Corps Volunteers and Tongan partners; its objectives; and the products, procedures, and lessons that this international collaboration generated. The project aimed at building Tongan educators’ capacities to create, use, and sustain “child-centered” (or “student-centered”) instructional and assessment practices; use books, libraries, and technologies to support literacy development; strengthen family and community support for children’s learning and literacy development; and increase access by young children and in-school and out-of-school youth and adults to literacy development opportunities. The article concludes with recommendations for actions that policymakers, practitioners, and parents might take to build a more effective literacy development system in their nations.     

Effects of the Showcase Writing Portfolio Process on First Graders' Writing

The showcase writing portfolio process was introduced for nine weeks to eighteen first grade students as an instructional intervention strategy to significantly increase: 1) quality of writing as assessed by the modified holistic rubrics, 2) quantity of writing as assessed using a count of total words written and number of words per journal entry, and 3) motivation to write as assessed by the frequency of visitation to the writing center. Using a t-test analysis, there was a significant increase on all three post assessment measures, as compared to the pre-assessment measures. Thus, the showcase writing portfolio process is an effective teaching strategy for improving writing. The educational implications and significance of this research are: 1) the intervention can be readily integrated into existing early literacy practices advocated in an early childhood curriculum; 2) the measure can be easily used by classroom practitioners for assessment of writing products and processes; 3) the study expands practitioners' uses of the portfolio process as a teaching and motivating methodology.     

Towards fairer assessment

Drawing on the largest Australian collection and analysis of empirical data on multiple facets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in state schools to date, this article critically analyses the systemic push for standardized testing and improved scores, and argues for a greater balance of assessment types by providing alternative, inclusive, participatory approaches to student assessment. The evidence for this article derives from a major evaluation of the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities. The first large-scale picture of what is occurring in classroom assessment and pedagogy for Indigenous students is reported in this evaluation yet the focus in this article remains on the issue of fairness in student assessment. The argument presented calls for “a good balance between formative and summative assessment” (OECD, Synergies for Better Learning An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, Pointers for Policy Development, 2013) at a time of unrelenting high-stakes, standardized testing in Australia with a dominance of secondary as opposed to primary uses of NAPLAN data by systems, schools and principals. A case for more “intelligent accountability in education” (O’Neill, Oxford Review of Education 39(1):4–16, 2013) together with a framework for analyzing efforts toward social justice in education (Cazden, International Journal of Educational Psychology 1(3):178–198, 2012) and fairer assessment make the case for more alternative assessment practices in recognition of the need for teachers’ pedagogic practice to cater for increased diversity.     

Challenging the tyranny of the five‐paragraph essay: teachers and students as semiotic boundary workers in classroom and digital space

This article addresses several challenges faced by educators and students in English classrooms in the US–Mexico borderlands region that will resonate with educators more broadly. I present how Ms Smith, the predominately Latino students in her high school writing class and I moved beyond what Ms Smith called the “tyranny of the five‐paragraph essay” used for standardised tests so that students were able to make personally and academically meaningful arguments in their writing. I examine how we collaboratively mobilised interests, motivations and diverse semiotic resources across out‐of‐school and in‐school contexts in the process of developing multimodal and hybrid genres and texts. First, I describe how Ms Smith and I crafted hybrid, digitally mediated classroom spaces and essay assignments informed by students' identity and literacy practices within digital networks. Next, I examine how three Latina students used semiotic resources and issues circulating in the different spaces of their lives to confidently argue their perspectives within the hybrid genres we created. From this collaborative work, I suggest that thinking of students and teachers as “semiotic boundary workers” provides a useful framework for practitioners who want to enable young people to draw on their practices and digital tools and engage their expansive, networked and creative affordances in academic contexts.     

Effects of the Showcase Writing Portfolio Process on First Graders' Writing

The showcase writing portfolio process was introduced for nine weeks to eighteen first grade students as an instructional intervention strategy to significantly increase: 1) quality of writing as assessed by the modified holistic rubrics, 2) quantity of writing as assessed using a count of total words written and number of words per journal entry, and 3) motivation to write as assessed by the frequency of visitation to the writing center. Using a t-test analysis, there was a significant increase on all three post assessment measures, as compared to the pre-assessment measures. Thus, the showcase writing portfolio process is an effective teaching strategy for improving writing. The educational implications and significance of this research are: 1) the intervention can be readily integrated into existing early literacy practices advocated in an early childhood curriculum; 2) the measure can be easily used by classroom practitioners for assessment of writing products and processes; 3) the study expands practitioners' uses of the portfolio process as a teaching and motivating methodology.     

The validity of computerized visual motor integration assessment using Chinese basic strokes

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to explore the validity of the assessment tool. The purposive sampling method is applied in this research on a total of 551 preschool children between 4 and 6 years old. Their ages range from 46 to 81 months, with an average age of 63.9 months (SD?=?7.58). The assessment tool used in this research is the “Computerized Visual Motor Integration Assessment Tool Using Chinese Basic Strokes”. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to automatically determine children’s writing classification. The findings suggest that the assessment tool developed has good validity in terms of sensitivity, specificity and the accuracy. This tool is recommended for use in the diagnosis of Chinese visual motor integration issues for preschoolers, so that their potential writing difficulties may be detected early, and the goal of early intervention may be achieved.     

高等专科院校中文专业写作教学策略——基于L高校学生中文素养与写作能力的调查研究

文章通过调查研究,揭示了高等专科院校学生中文素养与写作能力等方面存在的问题。指出培养学生中文素养及提高写作能力的主要途径:一是正确认识及理解写作教学中的“本”的问题,即如何在教学中因势引导,充分激发学生学好写作课的内在积极性,唤醒每个学生内心深处对生活、对专业、对未来的生命激情。二是在教学实践中通过改变学生写作观,转变评价标准,激发写作热情,加强阅读等方式落实“本”的意义。三是在实践中加强“本”的应用。     

Needs assessment in adult education: tactical and strategic considerations

Although needs assessment methodologies have been readily available since the '40's considerable confusion persists about the nature and purpose for which they should be used. Many practitioners equate needs assessment with job or task analysis and thereby fail to derive much benefit from the effort they expend. Others, in trying to distinguish between internal “quasineeds” assessment and external “self-sufficiency” criteria inadvertently pose some questions for the nature of competency. Is it a process referent, a product referent, or both? This paper examines the differences between needs assessment and task analysis and demonstrates the utility of conceptualizing competency as the synthesis of the dichotomy of process and products through a Needs Based Education and Training (NEBEAT) model of curriculum design in adult education.     

Literacy instruction: From assignment to assessment

This action research demonstrates the answer to this question: How can literacy professors provide effective training in evaluating writing to preservice graduate education students? The study examines writing assessment instruction in the context of a literacy course required of preservice teachers seeking secondary (7–12) certification in content area instruction. Approximately half of the course is devoted to instruction in 3 areas of writing assessment: (1) theory and practice in aspects of holistic writing assessment analysis, (2) methods for designing teachable rubrics, and (3) approaches to creating and sharing written feedback. Student-participants’ written responses to protocols demonstrate learning outcomes in these 3 areas along with their attitudes and the effects of their practice with an authentic set of high school students’ essays. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of this assessment instruction as a part of overall effectiveness in teacher preparation programs at the graduate level.     

“以学生为中心”的理念在高中国际课程融合教学中的实践与思考

随着基础教育阶段国际化的不断深入,在坚持立足本土、兼容并包的课程融合实践中,研究提出了高中国际课程融合教学实践的三个支点和四个突出特点以及课程融合教学实践中采用的“差异化教学”“混合式学习”“多元化评价”三个策略。“以学生为中心”并不是要弱化教师的作用;要真正落实“眼中有人,心中有人”;“以学生为中心”是为了学生,而不是站在学生的立场上。     

Report of a psychological assessment in a school setting

Guidelines are provided for the effective writing of psychoeducational reports based on a review of the literature and logical analysis. The literature on psychological assessment was selectively reviewed in terms of implications for effective writing of reports in a school setting. The literature reviewed consists of three broad areas: (a) surveys of consumers' opinions regarding various aspects of assessment reports; (b) research studies examining the content, format, and clarity of assessment interpretations; and (c) a number of “how to” books and articles describing the mechanics of report writing.     

Validation of a touch screen tablet assessment of early literacy skills and a comparison with a traditional paper-based assessment

ABSTRACT

Touch screen tablets are being increasingly used in schools for learning and assessment. However, the validity and reliability of assessments delivered via tablets are largely unknown. The present study tested the psychometric properties of a tablet-based app designed to measure early literacy skills. Tablet-based tests were also compared with traditional paper-based tests. Children aged 2–6 years (N?=?99) completed receptive tests delivered via a tablet for letter, word, and numeral skills. The same skills were tested with a traditional paper-based test that used an expressive response format. Children (n?=?35) were post-tested 8 weeks later to examine the stability of test scores over time. The tablet test scores showed high internal consistency (all α’s?>?.94), acceptable test-retest reliability (ICC range?=?.39–.89), and were correlated with child age, family SES, and home literacy teaching to indicate good predictive validity. The agreement between scores for the tablet and traditional tests was high (ICC range?=?.81–.94). The tablet tests provides valid and reliable measures of children’s early literacy skills. The strong psychometric properties and ease of use suggests that tablet-based tests of literacy skills have the potential to improve assessment practices for research purposes and classroom use.     

Glimpses of dialogue: transitional practices in digitalised classrooms

This socio-culturally informed qualitative study examines digitalised classrooms in Norwegian secondary schools, with a focus on the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and dialogic aspects of literacy practices. In the article, we foreground two cases: one on the use of digital mind maps and one on a writing process with online response. These cases display productive results of the tensions between old practices and new technology in that they open up spaces for dialogic interaction. This experience calls for a deeper historical contextualisation, and in the article we refer to different time scales: First, the restricted time scale of practices observed in the local school contexts over an academic year; second, the somewhat wider perspective of 20–30 years of educational research addressing technological innovation; and third, the extensive time scale of cultural history, with an analogy to the slow move from orality to literacy in ancient Greece. On this basis we suggest the term ‘transitional practices’ as an appropriate reference to all of these three time scales. Against this background, the glimpses of dialogue observed are seen as promising precursors of future development, but also as vulnerable plant shoots that may very well shrivel and die if they are not supported.     

新医科背景下提升全科医学生科普素养的教学与实践

科普素养是未来社会每一个公民应该具备的基本素养.要实现"健康中国"的宏伟蓝图,医学科普健康教育必须先行.全科医生扎根于基层,服务于普通民众,是目前医学科普宣教的主要力量之一.在新医科的大背景下,实行全科医学生科普素养培养的教学改革与实践,将推动全科医学生成为广大基层群众健康素养提高的医学科普储备人才,对推进"健康中国"...