Person‐Fit Statistics for Joint Models for Accuracy and Speed

Response accuracy and response time data can be analyzed with a joint model to measure ability and speed of working, while accounting for relationships between item and person characteristics. In this study, person‐fit statistics are proposed for joint models to detect aberrant response accuracy and/or response time patterns. The person‐fit tests take the correlation between ability and speed into account, as well as the correlation between item characteristics. They are posited as Bayesian significance tests, which have the advantage that the extremeness of a test statistic value is quantified by a posterior probability. The person‐fit tests can be computed as by‐products of a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Simulation studies were conducted in order to evaluate their performance. For all person‐fit tests, the simulation studies showed good detection rates in identifying aberrant patterns. A real data example is given to illustrate the person‐fit statistics for the evaluation of the joint model.     

Investigating whether aberrant response behaviour in classroom maths tests is a stable characteristic of students

This study investigated whether aberrant response behaviour is a stable characteristic of high school students taking classroom maths tests as has been implied in the literature. For the purposes of the study, two maths tests were administered; the first to 25 classes (635 students) and the second to 18 out of the original 25 classes (445 students). The tests contained multistep mathematical problems with partial credit awarding for partially correct answers, together with some multiple choice items. The Rasch Partial Credit Model was used for the analyses and the infit and outfit mean square statistics with six different cut-off scores were used to identify students with aberrant response behaviour (misfitting students). Six Chi-square tests were then performed, one for each cut-off score, leading to a very clear conclusion: contrary to expectations the same students do not misfit in the two tests administered; aberrance does not seem to be a stable characteristic of students. Explanations for aberrant responses such as carelessness, plodding or guessing need to be reconsidered. They may have validity for particular test situations but this has yet to be demonstrated and thus investigation calls them into question.     

Accounting for unexpected test responses through examinees’ and their teachers’ explanations

Researchers have developed indices to identify persons whose test results ‘misfit’ and are considered statistically ‘aberrant’ or ‘unexpected’ and whose measures are consequently potentially invalid, drawing the test’s validity into question. This study draws on interviews of pupils and their teachers, using a sample of 31 10‐year‐olds who were flagged as most ‘aberrant’ in a standardised mathematics test. The children’s and their teachers’ explanations were analysed and attributed: (i) to item‐, person‐ (self/other) and classroom‐levels; and ii) according to causal dimensions. Children’s and teachers’ explanations were mostly in agreement in relation to unexpected negative results and they included references to previously well‐cited sources of construct‐irrelevant variance (e.g. ineffective test‐taking strategies, careless mistakes) as well as construct‐relevant variance (e.g. misconceptions, weaknesses in particular topics). Findings of this exploratory study are discussed from a test validity and attribution theory perspective: we conclude that this approach offers grounds for multi‐level explanations of person misfit and that this qualitative research approach to unexpected responses is worthy of more attention.     

What is missing from the Spoken English classroom? : The gap between classroom learning and real world application

One of the difficulties faced by many English learners is taking the knowledge learnt in the classroom and applying it to real world situations.Simply participating in class does not guarantee that a student will be able to cope in real world interactions,especially in casual or informal settings.Many structured teaching materials in classroom have missed out significant elements which reflect the nature of informal communication.Several factors will be discussed here that could affect the quality of spoken language teaching materials in the classroom.These include the structure and content of teaching materials and classroom activities,the types of external resources used in class or recommended as a complementary learning tools,and the way that specific skills are taught.Identifying these areas of weaknessallows students to develop the practical skills to independently bridge the gap between classroom activities and real life interactions.     

行走在意义世界中——小学德育课堂巡视

德育课堂所要回归的生活世界是一个事实世界与意义世界相互联结的世界。回归生活世界的教育不是仅仅使人去认识一个事实世界,它的更为重要的职能是指引人们进入意义的世界。德育课堂是一个探索生活意义的课堂。它要使儿童逐渐去理解和体验:生活是有意义的,生活中的我是有价值的,它还要在不断丰富儿童生活经验的基础上拓展他们的意义场域。德育课堂是迷人的,这是因为意义世界是充满人性的世界,追寻意义的过程是一个人的全身心投入的过程,在这个过程中各种生命的潜能都被激活,各种能量都能得到释放。     

Using the Bayes Factors to Evaluate Person Fit in the Item Response Theory

In this article, we propose using the Bayes factors (BF) to evaluate person fit in item response theory models under the framework of Bayesian evaluation of an informative diagnostic hypothesis. We first discuss the theoretical foundation for this application and how to analyze person fit using BF. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, we further use it to evaluate person fit in simulated and empirical data, and compare the results with those of H^T and the infit and outfit statistics. We found that overall BF performed as well as H^T statistics and better than the infit and outfit statistics when detecting aberrant responses. Given the BF flexibility in handling data set with a small number of examinees, we suggest that BF can be used as person fit statistics, especially in computerized adaptive tests.     

The relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and classroom discipline management

One of the fundamental problems of educational systems in many countries is related to classroom discipline. This reflects one of the worst problems faced by teachers. Classroom discipline management strategies play an effective role in creating positive teacher‐student relationships. One of the factors that influence behavior management in a classroom is emotional intelligence. Therefore, this study analyzing how teachers emotional intelligence influences the management of discipline in a classroom and the relationship between gender, academic formation, and service time of teachers with their emotional intelligence. Its sample comprises 559 basic and secondary school teachers. An Emotional Competence Questionnaire, a Scale of Teacher Efficacy in Classroom Management, and a personal and professional data inquiry have been used as instruments. Results show that teachers who have more capacity to deal with emotion demonstrate a greater management of discipline in the classroom. Most of the relationships in the model are statistically significant.     

Application of a Model for the Integration of Technology in Kindergarten: An Empirical Investigation in Taiwan

The present models for the integration of computer technology not only cannot satisfy teachers’ actual needs but also are difficult to follow and perform by teachers in their classroom teaching. Consequently, the integration cannot be implemented properly and effectively in the real classroom teaching. Therefore, a practical integration model should be very close to the real classroom situation and be able to fulfill the user’s actual needs. This study was designed to build a model of computer integration which is based on an empirical investigation of teachers’ actual use of computer technology and their perspectives on integrating technology in kindergarten classroom teaching. A model suitable for the integration of computer technology in classroom teaching was constructed. This model consists of eight tool kits which are constructed based on the analysis of the empirical data collected from actual interviews and observations in Taiwan’s kindergarten. Once the main topic, sub-topics and the instructional activities have been decided, referring to this model, teachers can swiftly fit different computer technology tool kits into their teaching activity. An example was raised to demonstrate how teachers can apply this model to the real classroom integration of computer technology.     

课堂教学改革研究30年：回顾与反思

30年来,我国课堂教学改革主要经历了以抓“双基”发展智力为目标的知识课堂教学研究,教育整体改革中的课堂教学改革实验研究,关注生命价值和学习方式的课堂教学改革研究三个阶段。研究取向上从塑造“知识人”转向培养“现实生活人”,研究对象从“认知领域”扩展到“生活和生命全域”,研究方式从“实体思维”转向“关系思维”。课堂教学研究与改革实践之间的良性互动为改善课堂教学注入了强大动力,同时课堂教学改革实践呼唤教学研究范式的转型,聚焦制约中国课堂教学改革的特殊场域,研究复杂的具体问题,实现课堂教学改革,需从教学认识方式的变革、课堂教学模式的转变以及教师教学习性改造等入手。     

Optimal Identification of Mismeasured Individuals

Optimal appropriateness measurement statistically provides the most powerful methods for identifying individuals who are mismeasured by a standardized psychological test or scale. These methods use a likelihood ratio test to compare the hypothesis of normal responding versus the alternative hypothesis that an individual's responses are aberrant in some specified way. According to the Neyman-Pearson Lemma, no other statistic computed from an individual's item responses can achieve a higher rate of detection of the hypothesized measure- ment anomaly at the same false positive rate. Use of optimal methods requires a psychometric model for normal responding, which can be readily obtained from the item response theory literature, and a model for aberrant responding. In this article, several concerns about measurement anomalies are described and transformed into quantitative models. We then show how to compute the likeli- hood of a response pattern u* for each of the aberrance models.     

打开技术创新课堂教学的新窗:刻画AIoT课堂应用场景

回望技术在课堂中的应用变迁,尽管研究者与实践者不断尝试在"技术增强教学"方面做出努力,但技术介入始终在教育的边缘徘徊,未能解决课堂教学的本质问题。AIoT作为人工智能与物联网相结合的技术产物,在万物智联时代为改变课堂生态带来新的可能。AIoT支持的智能课堂在实践层面表现为IoT感应设备与智能系统的实时通信,可通过协作、游戏化、创客、实训四种典型课堂场景加以诠释。由于教师的课堂教学表现是精准评估与诊断课堂教学效果、干预课堂教学过程、调整课堂教学模式、提高课堂教学能力的主要依据,因此构建教师的教学表现模型是利用AIoT解决真实课堂问题的方向之一。该模型通过智能设备构建数据驱动的智能体系,实时捕获师生语言、动作等多模态课堂行为数据,围绕教学问题进行特征抽取、数据融合、个性化建模以及动态干预等,为有效监测课堂教学过程、改善教与学的行为模式提供了新的思路。但是,AIoT在教育领域中的应用尚存在诸如过多关注认知维度而忽视其他维度、学习特征有效表征缺乏统一的数据标准、数据安全性等问题,未来仍需在教学实践中不断探索AIoT支持的最佳教学组织和教学策略。     

Factors affecting teachers’ student-centered classroom computer use

The present study aims at investigating which factors are relevant to induce teachers’ student-centered classroom computer use. Survey data were collected from 361 teachers at comprehensive schools. Based on a systemic view of technology use in schools, different individual teacher characteristics and school contextual factors were examined. Results from a four-step hierarchical regression reveal that student-centered classroom computer use could be significantly predicted by certain contextual factors: the type of school (secondary modern and high school), the existence of an ICT school policy plan, as well as by the individual teacher characteristics of belief in constructivist pedagogy and their frequency of classroom computer use. The final regression model accounted for approximately 31% of the variance in the outcome measure for these factors.     

Knowing me knowing you: building valuable relationships outside the classroom

This small-scale case study begins with some background to outdoor education and residential trips. The article then moves on to look at some of the research around the importance of the child as person and the nature of pupil–teacher relationships in the working environment of the classroom. It then investigates the development of pupil–teacher relationships on a residential trip by discussing the range of interactions which took place. How these interactions may enhance learning back at school is considered as are the benefits of these interactions to newly qualified teachers and to more experienced teachers. The conclusion suggests that outdoor learning should have a stronger place in primary and middle school activity to challenge labeling and create a more effective ‘working consensus’.     

Single-sex computer classes: An effective alternative

Conclusion Considering the technology gender gap that exists today, there can be no doubt that our current educational system is not engaging female students in technology or awakening them to possibilities of the technology industry as a career. Females are not afraid of computers or lack the ability to master computer skills, but they find the computer environment objectionable (http : / / www.aauw.org/2000/ techsavvybd.html). Several factors within the educational system heighten these objections and impede female progression through technology classes. It is these factors that our educational system must address. Single-sex computer classes offer female students the educational advantages of learning in a comfortable, non-threatening classroom environment where they are encouraged to enthusiastically participate in classroom discussions and activities (Kumagi, 1995). In these classes, curriculum may be adjusted to reflect the need females to see computers as productivity tools (Caplice, 1994). As a result of positive experiences gained while attending single-sex computer classes, females are more likely to pursue higher level computer classes. Although it is possible to argue that single-sex computer classes do not mirror the real world females must contend with once outside the classroom, they are, however, effective interim interventions to enable females to lessen the current technology gap (Kumagi, 1995).     

基于学生情感因素的大学英语课堂教学探析

在大学英语教学中要广泛关注情感因素,找到合理的教学对策,以促进学生的学习效果和个人素质的全面发展。     

Identifying Aberrant Data in Structural Equation Models With IRLS-ADF

In structural equation models, outliers could result in inaccurate parameter estimates and misleading fit statistics when using traditional methods. To robustly estimate structural equation models, iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS; Yuan & Bentler, 2000) has been proposed, but not thoroughly examined. We explore the large-sample properties of IRLS and its effect on parameter recovery, model fit, and aberrant data identification. A parametric bootstrap technique is proposed to determine the tuning parameters of IRLS, which results in improved Type I error rates in aberrant data identification, for data sets generated from homogenous populations. Scenarios concerning (a) simulated data, (b) contaminated data, and (c) a real data set are studied. Results indicate good parameter recovery, model fit, and aberrant data identification when noisy observations are drawn from a real data set, but lackluster parameter recovery and identification of aberrant data when the noise is parametrically structured. Practical implications and further research are discussed.     

Teacher learning communities and educational change in Scotland: The Highland experience

This article discusses the issue of the sustainability of educational change in the light of findings from research undertaken in tandem with a development project initiated by a Scottish Education Authority, The Highland Council. The paper reviews some of the key themes that have emerged from recent literature on educational change, before drawing on the project data to address two key issues: the factors that have helped to promote and sustain changes within the schools; and the barriers to innovation experienced in these schools. We conclude the article by identifying a range of considerations that should be taken into account by those seeking to innovate and we suggest that, while the Highland model for change has enjoyed a degree of success in inculcating change, more needs to be done to address systemic issues, such as the pervasive influence of a narrow attainment agenda in shaping classroom practice.     

Teaching first‐year statistics students with COVID‐19 real‐world data: Graphs

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about graphs? Although graphs have the potential to bring data to life, numerous studies show that learners struggle with graphical comprehension. Furthermore, many textbook examples on graphs are boring and appear meaningless to students. Students want to know more about something which is interesting, meaningful, and worth knowing, in other words, something relevant. With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in December 2019, COVID‐19 is dominating the news worldwide, and the internet is flooded with visual presentations about the virus. To make statistics more fascinating and exciting, relevant and real‐world data such as these can be used in the classroom to stimulate the learning of important statistical concepts such as graphs. Curcio's three levels of graphical comprehension were used as a framework in this study, while the importance of developing a global view on distributions was also emphasized.     

A theoretical framework towards understanding of emotional and behavioural difficulties

Children’s emotional and behavioural difficulties are the result of multiple individual, social and contextual factors working in concert. The current paper proposes a theoretical framework to interpret students’ emotional and behavioural difficulties in schools, by taking into consideration teacher–student relationships, students’ social and emotional skills and classroom context. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, according to which process, person and context are the main sources of children’s development, the current paper combines three theoretical approaches: firstly, in terms of process, the systems communication approach referring to teacher–students’ relationships; secondly, in terms of person, the Social and Emotional Learning, which refers to children’s social and emotional competences and skills; and thirdly, in terms of classroom context, the achievement goal theory, with emphasis on mastery classroom goal structure. The derived framework provides a means to capture the dynamic multidimensional process through which emotional and behavioural difficulties arise. This perspective provides educators with a comprehensive theoretical and practical preventative tool for emotional and behavioural difficulties.