Proposals for Standarizing Measurement in Education

Abstract

Self-efficacy as an outcome evaluation variable for school personnel prevention training was investigated. A 3-week training institute, Enhancing Student Well-Being, is based on a holistic student well-being construct, with special emphasis given to the prevention of illegal substance use among youth. A measure of self-efficacy, including components of efficacy and outcome expectations, showed significant differences between trained educators and a comparison group of educators. At follow-up, the trained educators retained much of the self-efficacy gains realized during training. Self-efficacy was a viable variable for evaluating prevention training of school personnel.     

Social representations and uses of technologies of African high-school students

ABSTRACT

This article examines social representations of information and communications technologies (ICT) in high school students in Niamey, Niger, and explores whether these representations are determined by training in and regular use of ICT. A sample of 50 students attending two lycées1 was studied. Only one lycée offered computer courses. The results of semi-directed interviews show that whether or not they took computer courses, the students developed social representations of ICT. These representations were associated with favourable attitudes toward computer and Internet use at school. The chi-square test hypothesis shows that students’ social representations of ICT were not determined by training in ICT.     

Probability of Corporal Punishment: Lack of Resources and Vulnerable Students

ABSTRACT

The author examined corporal punishment practices in the United States based on data from 362 public school principals where corporal punishment is available. Results from multiple regression analyses show that schools with multiple student violence prevention programs and teacher training programs had fewer possibilities of use corporal punishment, whereas schools that served a greater percentage of ethnic minority students and special education students had a 2.1 times greater and a 1.8 times greater likelihood of use corporal punishment, after controlling for students’ problem behavior and school characteristics. Policy implications for an equal implementation of corporal punishment practice were offered.     

Student Perceptions of a Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education Course

ABSTRACT

Recent proposals by the British government to radically reform initial teacher education have generated responses from both higher education and schools. The views of student teachers concerning their levels of satisfaction with current training have not been widely reported. This paper redresses the balance by collecting information from 122 Postgraduate Certificate of Education students who trained at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1989 and 1990. Their responses are analysed in the context of the proposals for secondary courses which have moved from a recommendation that 80% should be school‐based to one which requires students to spend 24 out of 36 weeks in school. There is also reflection upon the arguments for reform put forward by various right wing institutions and individuals.     

Students’ Differentiation of Reader-Based and Text-Based Questions

Abstract

This study examined the number of text lookbacks encouraged by tutors, appropriate text sampling, and the use of other strategic text behaviors (i.e., rewording, segmenting, and commenting). Eighty pairs of students, (one fifth-grade tutor and one third-grade confederate) worked with an expository text passage; an investigator observed and noted anv evidence of the strategic behaviors while the confederate was answering five questions with the tutor’s assistance. It was expected that there would be good comprehender (40 tutors)-poor comprehender (the other 40 tutors) differences among the strategic behaviors. A series of analyses of variance were performed on the observational notation data; significant differences by reader proficiency level were found for all three strategies being studied. The use of a confederate in the tutoring role is proposed as a means of reducing tutee confounding.     

Impact of rapid reading skills training on reading rate and reading achievement among primary school students in China

Abstract

The current study examined the effects of a silent rapid reading skills training intervention on the reading rate and reading achievement of primary school students in China in order to determine the efficacy of the intervention and explore potential gender differences. A total of 108 Chinese primary school students were randomly assigned by the classroom to either an experimental (n = 54) or control (n = 54) condition. Students in the experimental group completed 12 sessions of rapid reading skills training designed to increase their ability to rapidly read Chinese text in silence. Students in the control group engaged in regular Chinese language curriculum for the same time period. After the three-week intervention period, students in the experimental group displayed significantly greater silent reading speed of Chinese characters (M?=?1331.26 characters per minute) compared to students in the control group (M?=?617.48 characters per minute; p?<?.001). Children in the intervention group also displayed a significantly greater effective reading rate (F = 87.11, p?<?.001, partial η²?=?0.46) at post-test compared to the control. Male students displayed greater increases in reading speed than female students. Neither intervention effect nor gender difference was evident for reading comprehension. Implications for educational interventions designed to increase silent reading speed among Chinese students are discussed.     

The Development and Design of a Framework to Match Mentees and Mentors Through a Systematic Review andThematic Analysis of Mentoring Programs Between 2000 and 2015

ABSTRACT

The need for longitudinal and holistic support of medical students throughout their training has led to the development of formal mentoring programs. Whilst success of formal mentoring programs has been attributed to (a) pairing mentees with trained and experienced mentors (matching), (b) the quality of mentoring interactions and (c) the presence of a nurturing environment, little attention has been attributed to establishing an effective matching process in medical school. We sought, in this review, to redress this gap within the context of matching medical students for mentoring. Modified PRISMA guidelines were followed to guide the review process. PubMed, ERIC, Cochrane Database, OVID and ScienceDirect databases were searched for articles on matching in medical schools and in allied health specialities published between 2000 and 2015.     

University‐school collaboration and needs assessment in the training of student leadership and peer support in Hong Kong

One hundred seventy secondary schools in Hong Kong responded to a questionnaire designed to assess their needs for leadership training of students in different domains of school activities and their endorsement of university‐school collaboration in these activities. The questionnaire also assessed the extent and degree of support and involvement that schools intended to provide in training programs and in organized school activities for students to assume leadership roles in schools. Findings indicated that schools were in need of student leaders in different student activities, especially in those less related to academic concerns. It was stressed that in providing opportunities for student leaders to continue practicing their skills in school activities, other students might eventually benefit through participation in school activities and peer support programs organized by student leaders.     

The Effectiveness of Training in the Evaluation of Classroom Instruction as an Aid to Self-Evaluation in Student Teaching

Abstract

This study hypothesized that participation in a training program in the evaluation of classroom instruction prior to student teaching would improve students' ability to evaluate their own classroom performance during student teaching.

Junior education students, 58 classified as trained or Experimental and 53 untrained or Control, were compared during student teaching on their ability to evaluate the lessons they taught. The five areas to be considered were introduction, organization, procedures and techniques, items relating to children, and items relating to the teacher.

Results indicated that in four of the five categories the differences between the groups were in a direction favorable to the trained students and that in two of those categories the difference was significant at the five percent level. It was concluded that the Experimental Training Program was effective in some areas.     

Capable Dropouts and the Social Milieu of the High School

Abstract

Studies of high-school dropouts suggest that many of those who drop out of school have the requisite ability to do passing or even superior work. A conceptual framework is presented which attempts to explain why these capable students leave school.

The basic premise is that a capable dropout is a response to status deprivation experienced primarily by lower-class youth in the informal network of peer relations and in the academic system of the school. The socialization in middle-class families prepares youth to compete successfully in school, while in lower-class families children are not trained to conform to the academic and informal requirements of the school.     

The Residual Effects of Cooperative-Learning Experiences: A Two-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

The author investigated how training in small-group and interpersonal behaviors affected children's behavior and interactions as they worked in small groups 2 years later. The authors assigned 52 fifth graders, who had been trained 2 years previously in cooperative group behaviors, to the trained condition and 36 fifth graders, who had not previously been trained, to the untrained condition. Both were reconstituted from the pool of students who had participated previously in group activities. The results showed a residual training effect, with the children in the trained groups being more cooperative and helpful than their untrained peers.     

Training Teachers to Use Computers in Third World Schools

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on research on the use of computers in Third World schools undertaken with the help of a grant from the Harold Macmillan Trust and the assistance of teachers and others in 23 Third World countries. In it we stress tfft importance of training all staff concerned in the introduction of computers into Third World schools, including the policy makers. We discuss training in the early days of introducing the innovation, and how a training cascade may or may not help. We examine the link between motivation to be trained and the prospect of leading change. We point out the virtues of teachers learning about computers in private and the need for software evaluation criteria for teachers to use. We look briefly at the links between training, the curriculum and assessment and at the training of programmers and technicians. We conclude that policy makers need to share with school principals, teachers, teacher educators and computer education specialists or consultants the task of reframing policy while reliable understanding of the state of the innovation emerges and the innovating group matures as a training resource in its own right     

Promoting classroom adjustment and social skills for students with mental retardation within an experimental and control group design

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the “I Found a Solution” computer‐assisted social skills intervention program on students with mild mental retardation. Teachers randomly divided students from two Israeli special schools (58 males, 29 females; aged 10.6 to 17.11 years) into an experimental and a control group. Teachers trained the experimental group using a social skills package including computerized social conflict scenarios and adventure games, group discussions, and homework tasks. Within the same time frame, teachers trained the control group to use various academic computer software programs. Following the intervention process, the research team collected information on students' self‐reported social skills and teachers' ratings of the students' adaptive classroom behavior. The experimental group performed significantly better than controls on posttest criteria. Teachers rated trained students as demonstrating better task orientation and less aggression and behavior difficulties. On subjective self‐reports, trained students reported more cooperation and assertion than the control group, but self‐control and empathy measures did not differentiate between groups. The use of a naturalistic mini‐environment for experimenting and rehearsing effective social strategies appears promising but requires further exploration.     

Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial Examining Intelligent Tutoring of Structure Strategy for Fifth-Grade Readers

Abstract

This article reports on a large scale randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy of a web-based intelligent tutoring system for the structure strategy designed to improve content area reading comprehension. The research was conducted with 128 fifth-grade classrooms within 12 school districts in rural and suburban settings. Classrooms within each school were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. The intervention group used the intelligent web-based tutoring system for the structure strategy (ITSS) for 30 to 45 min each week as a partial substitute for the language arts curriculum for the entire school year. The structure strategy teaches students how to read and comprehend expository texts by identifying the text structure and creating strategic mental representations of the text. The web-based tutoring system delivered the structure strategy training with modeling, practice tasks, assessment, and feedback. The control classrooms used the school's language arts curriculum for the full language-arts time. Results show that the ITSS delivered structure strategy training improved reading comprehension measured by a standardized test and researcher designed measures.     

Youth at work: Adolescent employment and sexual harassment

ObjectiveAn examination of the frequency and impact of workplace sexual harassment on work, health, and school outcomes on high school girls is presented in two parts. The first compares the frequency of harassment in this sample (52%) to published research on adult women that used the same measure of sexual harassment. The second part compares outcomes for girls who experienced harassment versus those who did not.MethodsStudents in a small, suburban high school for girls completed a paper and pencil survey during class. A modified version of the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ: Fitzgerald et al., 1988) was used to identify sexually harassed working teenagers. Work attitudes, assessments of physical health and mental health, and school-related outcomes were measured using standardized scales. Data were analyzed using difference of proportions tests, t-tests, and regression.ResultsThe percentage of harassed girls was significantly higher than the figures reported in most studies of working women. Girls who were sexually harassed were less satisfied with their jobs and supervisors, had higher levels of academic withdrawal, and were more apt to miss school than their non-harassed peers.ConclusionsSexual harassment significantly impacts employed high school girls’ connections to work and school. It not only taints their attitudes toward work but it also threatens to undermine their commitment to school. Educators, practitioners and community leaders should be aware of the negative impact this work experience may have on adolescents and explore these issues carefully with students who are employed outside of school.Practice implicationsTeenage students, stressed by sexual harassment experienced at work may find their career development or career potential impeded or threatened due to school absence and poor academic performance. In addition, the physical safety of working students may be at risk, creating a need for teenagers to receive training to deal with sexual assault and other types of workplace violence. Educators, practitioners, and community leaders should be aware of the negative impact this work experience may have on adolescents and their overall school experience and explore the issue of sexual harassment carefully with students who are employed outside of school.     

Educator understanding of childhood traumatic brain injury: a New Zealand perspective

ABSTRACT

Approximately 15% of New Zealand children will experience a traumatic brain injury during their school years. Given that educators play an important role in facilitating the successful school re-entry and recovery of these students, it is paramount that educators have adequate knowledge of childhood traumatic brain injury. This study used an online questionnaire to assess knowledge traumatic brain injury among 20 New Zealand educators. It also identified what services educators were aware of within their schools and communities that could assist with the management of students with brain injury, and what further training or information educators required to feel confident in supporting these students in the school environment. Results indicated that although educators possessed sound general understanding of traumatic brain injury, they had some misconceptions regarding the implications and recovery trajectories of these injuries during childhood. Educators reported the need for training relating to diagnostic criteria and strategies for supporting students with traumatic brain injury in the classroom. Providing educators with information and training on how to identify traumatic brain injury and manage the needs of students with traumatic brain injury will allow them to facilitate inclusive and supportive educational opportunities, leading to improved outcomes for these students.     

The learning enrichment service (LES): A multi‐optioned approach to programming for gifted secondary school students

The Learning Enrichment Service (LES) is a multi‐optioned, research based model for bettor meeting the needs of gifted secondary school students. It acts as a school‐wide support system for teachers and students in both the regular classroom and specialized programs by screening, training, networking, counselling and exchanging information for enrichment programming.     

School-Based Consultation to Improve Concussion Recognition and Response

Many students who have sustained concussions return to school requiring academic adjustments while their brains heal. However, school personnel often are not trained to accommodate these students. This exploratory project examined the usefulness of school-based training paired with ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of information to improve both concussion recognition and response among school personnel. A case study design was employed in which a school district received training that was followed by ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of concussion resources. This study highlights the importance of involving school psychologists in concussion management programs.     

Achievement Effects of the Cleveland Voucher Program on High Ability Elementary School Students

Abstract

The issue of school choice and its effects on student performance have become a prevalent part of the educational landscape. This longitudinal investigation examines a group of students not typically associated with the school choice movement: high ability or “gifted” students. The study analyzed whether attending a private school through participation in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, which is among the longest running experimental evaluations of a school voucher program in the United States, resulted in differential performance on standardized achievement tests for topperforming students. Analyses showed that no statistically or practically significant differences were found between gifted students participating in the program and control group students who attended public schools.     

Training Students to Use Maps to Increase Text Recall

In this study, high school students were trained to use adjunct maps strategically while studying a History text. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control or map training group which read a lengthy passage which was accompanied by three maps. The control group was instructed to study the materials and write an essay about them. The map training group was instructed to study the materials and to place important event information from the text on their maps; they also discussed how their maps could be used to help them remember the text. One week later multiple choice, probed recall, free recall, and map recall tests were administered. Three weeks after training both groups read a transfer text and were instructed to use the attached map to help them remember the information. Free recalls were gathered after a short delay. Results showed that map training subjects obtained higher scores on all of the training text recall measures and on the main idea level transfer text measures. High ability map training subjects also recalled more details. Maps used in the transfer task showed trained subjects using the strategies they had been taught.