Analysis and assessment of the Jordan National Test for Controlling the Quality of Science Instruction (NTCQSI): a Rasch measurement perspective

The purpose of this study was to analyze and assess the Jordan National Test for Controlling the Quality of Science Instruction (NTCQSI) from the perspective provided by Rasch measurement. The test was administered on a stratified random sample that consisted of 41,556 tenth graders from all over Jordan. The test results were saved in a data bank. A random sample of 150 participants' records was selected from this data bank. To address the purpose of this study, a series of analyses were conducted. WINSTEPS and RUMM programs were used for the analysis. The procedures that were used in this paper might be used by worldwide testing agencies to clarify or outline how Rasch measurement may be used to obtain evidence for the validity of inferences of tests data.     

Hope for the Future and Literacy Achievement in a Sample of Impoverished South African Primary School Children

This article reports on a study that investigated the problem of hope for the future and literacy achievement in a sample of impoverished South African primary school children. data was collected through a quantitative survey that was administered to 160 learners from four classes of grades 5 to 7 at a school in Soweto township, Johannesburg, South Africa. The survey comprised five literacy tests that were standardised by Do-IT Profiler, an institute based in the United Kingdom (UK), and Shape the learner, a South African based consultancy. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between hope for the future and literacy scores, with learners who had less hope for the future scoring significantly lower on the literacy tests used in the study. Specifically, learners with less hope for the future performed noticeably lower in the real word test, followed by spelling, words spelt correctly, reading fluency, and non-word spelling. Based on social constructivist learning theory, positive psychology, and hope theory, the author discusses the implications of the findings for literacy achievement in children living in poverty. Several important recommendations are made, namely: the use of a methodological tool to identify specific literacy skills in children; the support that could be provided by educators and school psychologists; and a multilevel focus in targeting poverty eradication.     

Researching the Transition to High School for Adolescents with a Disability: Qualitative Action-Project Method as an Exemplar Approach

ABSTRACT

The transition from elementary to middle or high school is an important experience common to most adolescents in North America. However, very little research has been conducted to understand the experiences of students with a disability status and the stakeholders involved in the transition. Clearly, there is a need to generate information that views the transition as a process between students and stakeholders that takes place over time. This investigation illustrates the utility of the action-project method for studying the transition to middle or high school. Three cases involving Canadian adolescents with different disabilities (learning, sensory/motor and emotional/behavioural) and their parents, as key stakeholders, are presented.