Cognitive preferences: A validation study

In 1964 Health introduced the cognitive preference construct and used it to evaluate a new science curriculum. Since then the construct, adapted from research on cognitive styles, has been used in many research and evaluation studies. More recently, however, a number of questions have been raised concerning the validity of findings and analytical techniques employed in these studies. Ultimately the validity of the cognitive preference construct itself is being questioned.In this article a framework for examining validity evidence for the cognitive preference construct is developed; the literature on cognitive preferences in the context of this framework is reviewed, and the validity evidence developed in one recent study is presented and discussed.     

School readiness and teachers' ratings: A validation study

Predictive validity of a test of school readiness (the Preschool Screening System (PSS) was investigated through administration of a teacher rating scale (the Rhode Island Pupil Identification Scale) to six groups of kindergarten children of both sexes (N = 245). The six groups were not pooled because teachers rated their groups significantly different from one another on the criterion measure. Using age, sex. and the four scores from the PSS as predictors, multiple correlations for each group ranged form .67 to .80. Prior knowledge of results did not improve prediction of the criterion. All six potential predictors contributed to the prediction in one or more groups. The most powerful predictor in group was the “Information Processing” score of the PSS.     

Guglielmino's self-directed learning readiness scale: A validation study

The attributes of self-direction in learning are becoming increasingly important as the need for lifelong learning grows in strength. Educators are challenged to assist in the development of self-directed learning skills and to encourage learners to more freely use self-direction in their learning activities. Unfortunately, there are few validated procedures for identifying the self-directed learners. Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale is one of the few instruments identified in the literature for the purpose of measuring self-direction in learning. Even though the scale has been widely used, additional validation is needed. This study was designed to use a multitrait-multimethod procedure for determining the validity of the SDLRS. The sample included 136 college students from two different colleges: 63 black students, 70 white students and 3 students of other nationalities (other than USA). Thirty-seven specific hypotheses were tested. Findings concerning selected hypotheses are discussed. Three general conclusions concerning the validity of the SDLRS are as follows: (1) The findings are supportive of the validity of the SDLRS; (2) Significant differences were noted in faculty ratings according to racial composition and student scores on the SDLRS; (3) Significant associations exist between the SDLRS scores and variables such as age, educational level and ARS (agreement response set).     

Sources of self-efficacy in mathematics: A validation study

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate items with which to assess A. Bandura’s (1997) theorized sources of self-efficacy among middle school mathematics students. Results from Phase 1 (N = 1111) were used to develop and refine items for subsequent use. In Phase 2 of the study (N = 824), a 39-item, four-factor exploratory model fit best. Items were revised to strengthen psychometric properties. In Phase 3 (N = 803), a 24-item, four-factor confirmatory factor model fit best. This final model was invariant across gender and ethnicity. Subscales correlated with self-efficacy, self-concept, mastery goals, and optimism. Results suggest that the sources scale is psychometrically sound and could be adapted for use in other domains.     

The Study Process Questionnaire: A construct validation study

The Study Process Questionnaire (Biggs, 1987) has been widely used in studies investigating learning behaviours in tertiary education. Many of the studies that have used the instrument have investigated the construct validity of the SPQ using a variety of factor analytic methods and techniques in an atheoretical way. Contrary to this method, Burnett and Dart (1997) argued that the hypothesised structure of a scale should be used when assessing the construct validity of an existing instrument. This study investigated the factor structure of the SPQ using a theoretical approach and found strong support for the three approaches to learning structure of the instrument.     

A microgenetic/cross-sectional study of matrix completion: comparing short-term and long-term change

A design that included both microgenetic and cross-sectional components was used to examine 135 Slovenian children's acquisition of matrix completion proficiency and compare microgenetic and age-related changes on the task. The microgenetic analyses indicated that children's errors became increasingly variable shortly before they discovered the correct strategy, that the correct strategy became dominant quite quickly following its initial use, that improvements in matrix completion performance generalized to conservation, and that amount of learning correlated positively with IQ. The microgenetic/cross-sectional comparison, which involved contrasting the changes that occurred over seven experimental sessions with the changes that occurred between ages 6 and 7 years, indicated that the two patterns of change were highly similar.     

最简方案下的非作格句与非宾格句对比研究

现代句法学将英语一元谓语句分为非作格句和非宾格句两类,这两类句式看似相近,实则不同。通过两类句式从句法语义关系和生成推导过程两方面进行比较分析,可看出最简方案对语言中句式生成的高度概括性和解释力。     

复杂单句和复句区分

区分复杂单句与复句需要一定的理论指导，也需要切实可行的方法。本文根据单句与复句在语法结构、语音停顿、关联词语三方面的不同，试区分了复杂单句和复句。     

小议一种特殊句型

表语形容词 动词不定式是英语的一种基本结构。由于没有准确理解表语形容词的含义、用法,以及动词不定式与句子的主语逻辑关系,中国学生在使用这一基本句型时,往往会出现种种错误。本着重阐述了表语形容词 “动宾关系的不定式”这一特殊句型,并说明了这一特殊句型与表语形容词 “主谓关系的不定式”这一类似句型的差异。     

A study of student completion strategies in a Likert-type course evaluation survey

This article investigates the motivations and strategies employed by respondents to a Likert-style course evaluation at a UK university. These attitude surveys, generating large amounts of quantitative data, are commonly used in quality assurance procedures across UK higher education institutions. Similar student survey results are now scrutinised by regulatory bodies undertaking external inspections, and by prospective students when making choices about their course and university of study. For respondents, I argue that the ubiquity of such evaluations has led to complacency, misunderstanding and apathy, with the adoption of completion strategies that lack deep engagement. This research also reveals that the recollection of specific key events and the existence of personal relationships are the strongest influencers in respondents allocating an attitude score. I conclude that the distinction between formative and summative evaluation could be articulated more explicitly to respondents, and that to genuinely inform future teaching and enhance satisfaction for respondents, substantive qualitative comments should be sought alongside attitudinal scoring.     

Comparison of the PPVT-R and WISC-R: A validation study with second-grade students

The present investigation compared the PPVT-R/WISC-R scores of a “normal” or “nonexceptional population,” as well as whether prior administration of either of these instruments affected scores on the other. Forty public school second-grade students served as subjects and were randomly assigned to one of four groups, with the order of test administrations determined by group assignment: WISC-R/PPVT-R (Form L): WISC-R/PPVT-R (Form M); PPVT-R (Form L)/WISC-R; PPVT-R (Form M)/WISC-R. The results indecate that, as with exceptional populations, normal school children tend to score lower on the PPVT-R than on the WISC-R. Scores from these two tests are moderately correlated, and prior adminstration of one of the instruments does not appear to alter scores on the other. Implications for practice are discussed.     

A validation study of the thinking styles inventory: Implications for gifted education

This study examined internal and external validity of the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI) developed by Sternberg and Wagner (1991) within the framework of Sternberg's (1988) theory of mental self‐government. Participants were 96 adolescent students who were in a summer residential program at the time of testing. The results provide evidence of the external discriminant validity, but only lend partial support to the internal validity of the instrument, suggesting the need to theoretically clarify the relationships between and among posited thinking styles as well as empirically test the validity of these thinking styles measures. Implications of thinking styles for gifted education are discussed.     

A validation study of the Teacher Collaboration Assessment Survey

Although teacher collaboration is a school improvement imperative, it persists as an under-empiricized construct that has proven difficult to establish and assess with certainty. In this article, the authors present a validation study of the Teacher Collaboration Assessment Survey (TCAS). The TCAS operationalizes and measures 4 key domains of teacher collaboration: dialogue, decision making, action, and evaluation, and has been used to examine the quality of teacher teaming in district-wide comprehensive school reform efforts in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Five sources of validity evidence recommended by Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999 American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association. [Google Scholar]) are explicated, which establish a strong argument in support of the instruments' validity. The authors discuss how educational leaders and researchers can use the TCAS for leveraging teacher collaboration for instructional innovation and student achievement, and to systematically examine teacher teaming and its relationship to other educational outcomes.     

三类句子的单复句归属问题

A．地球围绕太阳转，这是小学生都知道的常识。B．他的两个妹妹一个是教师，一个是医生。C．在一百几十万年之间，人类在这上面追逐着野兽，放牧着牛羊，捡拾着野果，播种着五谷。上面三类句子，有人认为是单句，有人认为是复句。本认为A类句子因其具体的语言环境和说话人的意图不同可分为两种情况，分别属于单句和复句。B类句子和C类句子均属复句。     

谈一种假性疑问祈使句

真性祈使（命令）是为了求取实物或服务,如果说话人使用祈使句并不是为了求取,而是给予信息,就形成了假意祈使.根据反问行为、请求命令行为的语用条件,假性疑问祈使句的形成途径有4种,其作用是为了讲理或提醒.从对方的反应来看,对于假性祈使句而言,可以针对其蕴涵意义进行反应,也可以像对待真性祈使句那样做出反应.     

浅析句子分析法

中心词分析法着重分析句子格局，着重确定句型，直接成分分析法能够显示一个语言片断结构的层次性，表示程序有“从小到大”和从大到小”两种，他们各有利弊，因句式和用途而不同。     

语体句谈片

语体句是专用或常用于某种语体的句子。它包括了专用句和跨体句。它们是由于色彩的不同而产生为不同的语体句。在语体句中,特定的句法成分起着重要的作用,常常是某个语体的标记和指纹。研究语体句主要是关注日常的语言生活,但是对于某些为特定目的"创造"的句子,也要给以充分的注意,它也是语体句研究的内容。一般说来,每种语体都有自己独特的语体句,本文还举例说明了公文语体中的几种特有句式。