A Synthesis of the Peer‐Reviewed Differential Bundle Functioning Research

The purpose of this article was to present a synthesis of the peer‐reviewed differential bundle functioning (DBF) research that has been conducted to date. A total of 16 studies were synthesized according to the following characteristics: tests used and learner groups, organizing principles used for developing bundles, DBF detection methods used, and types of bundles that indicated statistically significant DBF in the hypothesized direction on multiple occasions. The article concludes with a list of suggestions to individuals who conduct DBF research. For example, effect size guidelines should be established for interpreting the amount of DBF in bundles of items assessed with simultaneous item bias test (SIBTEST), given that it is the most commonly used DBF procedure. This would reduce our reliance on statistical significance testing. General effect size guidelines are needed as well as guidelines for special circumstances like small sample cases. Other useful suggestions are offered as well.     

试从来源功能和影响功能看外语学习动机变量

20世纪90年代以来,外语学习动机的研究领域大大扩展,对过去的动机理论已经提出了很多引发外语学习者学习的动机变量.动机变量间的关系可从来源和影响的角度来论述,并可从这两方面探讨教学中教师用以提高学习者动机的策略.     

Differentials of a State Reading Assessment: Item Functioning, Distractor Functioning, and Omission Frequency for Disability Categories

Large data sets from a state reading assessment for third and fifth graders were analyzed to examine differential item functioning (DIF), differential distractor functioning (DDF), and differential omission frequency (DOF) between students with particular categories of disabilities (speech/language impairments, learning disabilities, and emotional behavior disorders) and students without disabilities. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to compare response characteristic curves (RCCs) of individual test items. Although no evidence for serious test bias was found for the state assessment examined in this study, the results indicated that students in different disability categories showed different patterns of DIF, DDF, and DOF, and that the use of RCCs helps clarify the implications of DIF and DDF.     

Personal best goals and academic and social functioning: A longitudinal perspective

Personal best goals (PB goals) articulate a target performance standard that matches or exceeds one’s previous best. This study examined the role of PB goals in academic and social functioning. Alongside academic and social outcome measures, PB goal items were administered to 249 high-school students at the beginning and end of their school year. Longitudinal structural equation modeling suggested, at Time 1, PB goals significantly predicted students’ deep learning, academic flow, academic buoyancy, positive teacher relationship, and favorable attitudes toward peer cooperation. Further, at Time 2, the effects of PB goals on deep learning, academic flow, and positive teacher relationship remained significant after controlling for prior variance of corresponding Time-1 factors, suggesting sustained benefits of PB goals in students’ academic and social development. These findings hold substantive, applied, and methodological implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to examine and harness PB goals in educational settings.     

DIF分析实际应用中的常见问题及其研究新进展

多等级计分题、小样本、匹配变量不纯以及DIF检验后的原因分析是DIF检验面临的常见问题,对多等级计分题目进行DSF分析,小样本情况下DIF检测的平滑方法,匹配变量不纯情况下采用MIMIC法,以及运用Logistic模型进行DIF检验后的原因分析是DIF研究中的一些新进展。对这些进展的分析使我们相信,多种检验方法的配合使用、运用DIF研究进行多维IRT框架下的潜在变量探究等,都有可能使DIF研究成为测量学未来的基础研究领域之一。     

儿童社会行为与其学校适应的关系

通过对北京市 4 6 9名中小学生的两年跟踪调查测试发现 ,儿童社会性 -合作性行为不仅与良好的学校适应有关而且对后来的学校适应也有很好的预测作用 ;攻击性 -破坏性行为更多与不良学校适应相联系 ;而害羞 -敏感性行为并不必然与不良的学校适应相关 ,研究也发现它有时与朋友提名有正相关。研究的结论与西方学者研究结论不尽相同     

青少年情绪-行为问题、家庭功能及其关系的研究

采用问卷法对2500名青少年进行调查,对青少年情绪-行为问题分布特点、家庭功能状况及其关系进行探讨.结果发现:(1)青少年情绪-行为问题在15-16岁组青少年中的分布率高于12-14岁组.(2)青少年情绪-行为问题在公立学校中的分布率高于私立学校.(3)青少年情绪-行为问题在住校生中的分布率高于走读生.(4)普通青少年家庭功能状况优于情绪-行为问题青少年.(5)家庭功能中的问题解决能力、情感卷入、沟通和行为控制因子对青少年情绪-行为问题有预测作用.     

企业文化的功能及其实现方式

本文对企业文化的功能及其实现方式进行了阐述,有助于企业管理者更好地开展企业文化的建设与改造。因为只有通过对企业文化独特功能以及由这些功能显示出来的企业文化个性特征的分析,才能弄清企业文化到底以什么方式渗透到企业生产经营与管理的全过程,才能对企业文化这一影响企业的变量加以控制,使企业文化在更大程度上发挥出对企业应有的作用。     

试论教学质量保证体系的运行

通过分析高校内部教学质量保证体系运行存在问题及影响教学质量保证体系有效运行的原因,进而从强化质量保证意识、强化培训、强化质量管理体系文件的可操作性、强化体系运行过程中的监督改进力度等方面提出建议。     

Dynamic testing of gifted and average‐ability children's analogy problem solving: Does executive functioning play a role?

In this study, dynamic testing principles were applied to examine progression of analogy problem solving, the roles that cognitive flexibility and metacognition play in children's progression as well as training benefits, and instructional needs of 7‐ to 8‐year‐old gifted and average‐ability children. Utilizing a pretest training posttest control group design, participants were split in four subgroups: gifted dynamic testing (n = 22), gifted unguided practice (n = 23), average‐ability dynamic testing (n = 31), and average‐ability unguided practice (n = 37). Results revealed that dynamic testing led to more advanced progression than unguided practice, and that gifted and average‐ability children showed equivalent progression lines and instructional needs. For children in both ability categories, cognitive flexibility was not found to be related to progression in analogy problem solving or training benefits. In addition, metacognition was revealed to be associated with training benefits. Implications for educational practice were provided in the discussion.     

Using Dimensionality-Based DIF Analyses to Identify and Interpret Constructs That Elicit Group Differences

In this paper I describe and illustrate the Roussos-Stout (1996) multidimensionality-based DIF analysis paradigm, with emphasis on its implication for the selection of a matching and studied subtest for DIF analyses. Standard DIF practice encourages an exploratory search for matching subtest items based on purely statistical criteria, such as a failure to display DIF. By contrast, the multidimensional DIF paradigm emphasizes a substantively-informed selection of items for both the matching and studied subtest based on the dimensions suspected of underlying the test data. Using two examples, I demonstrate that these two approaches lead to different interpretations about the occurrence of DIF in a test. It is argued that selecting a matching and studied subtest, as identified using the DIF analysis paradigm, can lead to a more informed understanding of why DIF occurs.     

Role of age and IQ in emotion understanding in Autism Spectrum Disorder: implications for educational interventions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by impairments in social communication and social cognition. Difficulties in emotion understanding, from emotion recognition to emotion regulation are common features that can affect the inclusion process. One outstanding question is the extent to which age and IQ affect such impairments. The effect of IQ and age on emotion understanding was estimated in 55 children with ASD aged between 5 and 10 and with IQ ranging from 70 to 130. Emotion understanding and non-verbal cognitive ability were assessed, respectively, with the Test of Emotion Comprehension and the Leiter-R scale. The majority of participants scored significantly lower on the TEC compared to the normative sample. Performance compared against norms decreased with age and improved with increasing IQ; children with ‘borderline cognitive functioning’ performed significantly worse than children with ‘normative cognitive functioning’. Emotion understanding skills in children with ASD are affected by cognitive level and age. Implications for educational interventions are discussed.     

Measurement of Executive Functioning Using a Playful Robot in Kindergarten

Abstract

We explored the potential of a robotics application in education as a measurement tool of child executive functioning skills. Sixty-five kindergarteners received assignments to go through a maze with a programmable robot, the Bee-Bot. Via observation we quantified how they solved these tasks. Their performance was successfully aggregated into a latent variable, which was used to predict the outcomes on standardized tasks that measure executive functioning. The latent variable significantly predicted performance on several tasks that measure problem-solving abilities, memory, visuospatial abilities and attention. It did not significantly predict pencil-and-paper tasks that measured visuospatial ability and nonverbal or design fluency. This study showed that it is possible to use a playful robotics task to obtain information on children’s ability. We recommend more research on using diverse robots in larger samples with different age groups to further explore the possibilities of robots as a test instrument.     

歌唱的协调运动

歌唱的本质是一种运动 ,它是生理机能和心理机能协调运动的结合。歌唱要有非常好的心理状态 ,让共鸣在稳定的状态下与声带协调运动 ,既要自如又要非常准确。要从营造和谐的课堂气氛 ,激发学生的歌唱情绪入手 ,培养学生的自信心     

建立监控机制,打击虚假广告

指出我国虚假广告屡禁不止,其原因在于宏观环境的某些不利因素和行业运行机制上存在的某些缺憾,提出在全社会建立起广告监控机制措施等几条意见。     

执行性机能与儿童心理理论的发展

最近十几年里，国外的心理学家越来越重视对执行性机能与儿童心理理论发展的关系的研究，迄今已取得丰富的研究成果，提出了多种理论假设，本研究从国外已提出的有关执行性机能与儿童心理理论发展关系的理论假设的角度，综述和简评了国外已取得的这方面的研究成果。     

Parental substance abuse as a predictor of child maltreatment re-reports

This longitudinal study of child abuse and neglect cases closed after investigation examined the impact of parental substance abuse on family functioning and on subsequent referrals to child protective services. The findings support the hypothesis that parental substance abuse would have a negative impact on family functioning, which, in turn, would result in a higher rate of re-reports. As expected, substance abuse also had a direct impact on re-reports. It is critical that the child welfare system recognize and respond to parental substance abuse problems in these families through expanded and improved voluntary, and perhaps, mandatory services.     

The role of inhibitory functioning in children’s reading skills

Executive functions, including inhibition, have been implicated in children’s reading ability. This study investigates whether children’s performance on an inhibition task is more indicative of reading ability than a measure of another executive function, that is, planning. Fifty‐three male participants were administered a reading test and tests of inhibition and planning not requiring a verbal response. Regression analyses revealed that only inhibition significantly predicted reading. Previous inconsistencies may reflect the modality of the tasks used to measure inhibition. Therefore non‐verbal measures may have highest utility for educational psychologists.     

Decisions that make a difference in detecting differential item functioning

There are numerous statistical procedures for detecting items that function differently across subgroups of examinees that take a test or survey. However, in endeavouring to detect items that may function differentially, selection of the statistical method is only one of many important decisions. In this article, we discuss the important decisions that affect investigations of differential item functioning (DIF) such as choice of method, sample size, effect size criteria, conditioning variable, purification, DIF amplification, DIF cancellation, and research designs for evaluating DIF. Our review highlights the necessity of matching the DIF procedure to the nature of the data analysed, the need to include effect size criteria, the need to consider the direction and balance of items flagged for DIF, and the need to use replication to reduce Type I errors whenever possible. Directions for future research and practice in using DIF to enhance the validity of test scores are provided.