Dynamic Assessment of Proficiency for Solving Procedural Knowledge Tasks

Computer-coached practice environments can serve two purposes: to instruct and to assess. Sherlock I is a computer-coached practice environment for teaching avionics troubleshooting skills. Instruction is based on the dynamic assessment of the learner in the context of a troubleshooting problem. A cognitive task analysis of troubleshooting proficiency was used to develop Sherlock's instructional and assessment goals. As a learner works through a problem, Sherlock assesses the quality of his or her decisions and uses that information to provide the level of hint explicitness necessary at particular decision points in the problem. Specific competency building is situated within the troubleshooting context and is sharpened to the extent that satisfies each individual's needs. When a learning impasse is reached, Sherlock generates the appropriate level of feedback to the trainee based on his or her prior performance. Sherlock's hinting structure challenges trainees with learning opportunities that would be just beyond their reach without coaching. This form of dynamic assessment is based on patterns of student performance that reflect the processes of learning rather than simply the products of learning. Sherlock provides an example of how intelligent tutoring systems can change the nature of assessment by addressing dimensions of proficiency.     

Social Context Effects on Children's Performance of Number Conservation Tasks: plausibility and evidence

Abstract Recent controversy over Piagetian tasks concerns whether the experimenter's actions result in children misunderstanding the question. Evidence for this has been derived from differences in performance of conservation tasks according to whether the transformation is intentional or accidental. Studies reporting large differences according to transformation type are claimed to be flawed procedurally. Including a preliminary talk and restricting questions to one domain result in little or no transformation type effect. Whether children's correct judgments in accidental versions are reliable indications of their knowledge has also been disputed. They may reflect children's ignoring of the transformation or covert counting. Using an identity conservation pretest 192 Yemeni children were selected to be tested on number conservation tasks varying in transformation type, numerosity and equality. The results were analysed using a model‐fitting procedure. Identity nonconservers were affected by transformation type but not numerosity whereas identity conservers showed the opposite pattern. The identity nonconservers may simply have been so bemused by the adult experimenter introducing a soft toy in the accidental conditions that they guessed. For identity nonconservers guessing will result in greater success than reasoning.     

The Positive Effects of Reading Tasks on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

The questions concerning vocabulary acquisition have been explored for years.Among all these researches,there is a basic assumption that learners can acquire words from incidental exposure to written texts.Quite a number of empirical studies have testified the hypothesis,in which,the relationship between reading tasks and incidental vocabulary acquisition(IVA) has become an interest in the field of second language acquisition(SLA) studies.The present study presents some theories and studies about the positive effects of reading tasks on IVA and suggests future research on the related topics.     

The Utility of Multiple Raters and Tasks in Science Performance Assessments

Concern about the education system has increasingly focused on achievement outcomes and the role of assessment in school performance. Our research with fifth and eighth graders in California explored several issues regarding student performance and rater reliability on hands-on tasks that were administered as part of a field test of a statewide assessment program in science. This research found that raters can produce reliable scores for hands-on tests of science performance. However, the reliability of performance test scores per hour of testing time is quite low relative to multiple-choice tests. Reliability can be improved substantially by adding more tasks (and testing time). Using more than one rater per task produces only a very small improvement in the reliability of a student's total score across tasks. These results were consistent across both grade levels, and they echo the findings of past research.     

Analysing Spelling Performance on a Range of Purposeful Writing Tasks

Most studies have looked at spelling as it occurs in the test or experimental situation. It is argued in this paper that spelling is only properly understood when account is taken of the complexity of processing involved in written language production.

A study is reported in which the performance of 48 12‐year‐old subjects, drawn from nine classes in eight schools, was examined on five different writing tasks based on a common theme. Separate comparisons were made between matched pairs of good and poor spellers, and between males and females, on a number of performance measures. Results are discussed in terms of the characteristics of the different tasks and their effects on the performance of different groups of children.     

Realization of Techniques in Problem Solving: The Construction of Bijections for Enumeration Tasks

This paper deals with a teaching approach aimed to help students become aware of targeted techniques of significance in problem solving. The teaching approach is to present a series of tasks that all can be solved by applying the same technique. Two levels of prompting are used; first for the students to realize solutions without necessarily being cognizant of the technique, second for them to perform further mathematical modeling that should highlight the similarities in solution shared by all the tasks. In the fieldwork, a teaching sequence based on this approach is implemented for a technique involving enumeration via constructing a bijection. Certain factors in the students' behavior suggested that their realization of the technique at the end was not as secure as desired. Some modifications of the teaching sequence are proposed to counter these factors.     

The Effects of Biofeedback and Relaxation Training on Memory Tasks Among Hyperactive Boys

This study examined the effects of biofeedback and relaxation training on memory tasks among 48 hyperactive boys randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions for three treatment sessions. Results indicated that subjects exposed to the biofeedback and relaxation training achieved higher scores on memory tasks compared to controls.     

加工负荷和加工时间对工作记忆广度任务成绩的影响

以大连市某小学40名五年级学生为被试,通过改变加工负荷和加工时间,考察了加工负荷和加工时间对工作记忆广度任务成绩的影响。结果表明,加工负荷和加工时间对工作记忆广度任务成绩有重要影响,加工负荷越高,被试的工作记忆广度任务成绩越低;加工时间越长,被试的工作记忆广度任务成绩越高。     

Motivational Effects on Self-Regulated Learning with Different Tasks

In our cognitive motivational process model (Vollmeyer &; Rheinberg, Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 12:11–23, 1998) we assume that initial motivation affects performance via motivation during learning and learning strategies. These variables are also central for self-regulation theories (e.g., M. Boekaerts, European Psychologist, 1:100–122, 1996). In this article we discuss methods with which the model can be tested. Initial motivation with its four factors challenge, probability of success, interest, and anxiety was measured with the Questionnaire on Current Motivation (QCM; Rheinberg, Vollmeyer, &; Burns, Diagnostica, 47:57–66, 2001). As an indicator for the functional state we assessed flow with the FKS (Rheinberg, Vollmeyer, &; Engeser, Diagnostik von Motivation und Selbstkonzept [Diagnosis of Motivation and Self-Concept], Hogrefe, Göttingen, Germany, 261–279, 2003). We also used different tasks, including a linear system, a hypermedia program, and university-level classes. In general, our methods are valid and with them we found support for our model.     

The Effects of Study Tasks in a Computer-Based Chemistry Learning Environment

The present study examines the effects of different study tasks on the acquisition of knowledge about acids and bases in a computer-based learning environment. Three different task formats were selected to create three treatment conditions: learning with gap-fill and matching tasks, learning with multiple-choice tasks, and learning only from text and figures without any additional tasks. Participants were 196 ninth-grade students who learned with a self-developed multimedia program in a pretest–posttest control group design. Research results reveal that gap-fill and matching tasks were most effective in promoting knowledge acquisition, followed by multiple-choice tasks, and no tasks at all. The findings are in line with previous research on this topic. The effects can possibly be explained by the generation–recognition model, which predicts that gap-fill and matching tasks trigger more encompassing learning processes than multiple-choice tasks. It is concluded that instructional designers should incorporate more challenging study tasks for enhancing the effectiveness of computer-based learning environments.     

The Effect of Alternative Biology- Chemistry Course Sequences on ACT Performance of College-Bound Students

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of varying the biology-chemistry sequence for students in college-preparatory high schools. Two schools, one in which students scheduled biology before chemistry, and the other chemistry before biology, furnished students (N = 514) for the study. The curricula of the two schools were compared and found to be similar, with the exception of the biology-chemistry sequence. The student groups were compared and found to be similar in entering ability. The measuring instrument used in the evaluation was the ACT Natural Sciences Reading Test. All subjects took the test on the same testing date. Separate comparisons were made for the graduating years of 1980, 1981, and 1982. The general conclusion of the study was that varying the sequence for the two courses produces no sizeable effect on test performance.     

The Effects of Prior Achievement and Group Outcome on Attributions and Affect in Cooperative Tasks

This study explored the effects of prior achievement and group outcome on college students′ attributions and affective reactions to cooperative tasks. Following a group assignment, students responded to a questionnaire measuring their attributions for self, attributions for their group partners, and several affective variables. Results indicated that students′ prior achievement strongly influences their attributions for their partners while group outcome influences self-attributions. Both prior achievement and group outcome influence affective reactions to the assignment. Specifically, high-achieving students may suffer negative motivational consequences in cooperative learning tasks.     

记笔记对不同任务类型的影响的实证研究

通过调查某大学30名英语专业四年级学生的记笔记行为，试图揭示记笔记的两大功能（解码功能和外储存功能）对不同类型的任务表现（近迁移和远迁移）的影响。实验表明：记笔记与不记笔记（解码功能）对近迁移和远迁移任务表现没有显著影响，复习笔记与不复习笔记（外储存功能）对近迁移任务没有显著影响，但对远迁移任务却有显著的消极作用；还讨论了该结果对英语教学的启示，包括对考生参加含有记笔记任务的测试的指导意义等。     

不同的学习任务对小学生词汇附带习得的影响

根据Craik和Lockhart提出的"深层加工理论"设计研究方案,探讨了不同的学习任务对小学生词汇附带习得的影响。60名来自福州某小学二年级的受试者被分成两组(词义组和形义组),分别在两种不同的加工条件下听英语故事。即时和延时词汇测试分别考查了受试对7个目标词的习得和保持情况。SPSS.18.0统计软件对收集的数据进行处理和分析的结果显示:中国小学生能够附带习得英语生词;在即时测验中,两组组内对目标词的习得效果没有显著差异;在延迟测试中,形义组对目标词的习得效果显著好于词义组,但是在两次词汇测试中两组组内都有显著差异。实验结果只部分验证了"深层加工理论"。     

Preservice Teachers' Development and Implementation of Science Performance Assessment Tasks

Preservice teachers in a science methods course were provided instruction on performance assessment, then guided through a design and implementation process of performance assessment tasks. We assessed the effect of designing and implementing a performance assessment task on preservice teachers' understanding of standards-based assessment. The findings show that these preservice teachers improved in their understanding of assessment as a formative process as well as their science content understanding of the topic addressed in their designed task. We found that preservice teachers need to experiment with performance assessment tasks in an authentic context in order to understand the full potential and value of the task.     

Alternative Interpretations of Alternative Assessments: Some Validity Issues in Educational Performance Assessments

The use of alternative assessments has led many researchers to reexamine traditional views of test qualities, especially validity. Because alternative assessments generally aim at measuring complex constructs and employ rich assessment tasks, it becomes more difficult to demonstrate (a) the validity of the inferences we make and (b) that these inferences extrapolate to target domains beyond the assessment itself. An approach to addressing these issues from the perspective of language testing is described. It is then argued that in both language testing and educational assessment we must consider the roles of both language and content knowledge, and that our approach to the design and development of performance assessments must be both construct-based and task-based.¹     

The Roles of Substantive and Procedural Understanding in Open-Ended Science Investigations: Using Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Compare Two Different Tasks

We examine the respective roles of substantive understanding (i.e., understanding of factual knowledge, concepts, laws and theories) and procedural understanding (an understanding of ideas about evidence; concepts such as reliability and validity, measurement and calibration, data collection, measurement error, the ability to interpret evidence and the like) required to carry out an open-ended science investigation. Our chosen method of analysis is Charles Ragin’s Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis which we introduce in the paper. Comparing the performance of undergraduate students on two investigation tasks which differ with regard to the amount of substantive content, we demonstrate that both substantive understanding and an understanding of ideas about evidence are jointly involved in carrying out such tasks competently. It might be expected that substantive knowledge is less important when carrying out an investigation with little substantive demand. However, we find that the contribution of substantive understanding and an understanding of ideas about evidence is remarkably similar for both tasks. We discuss possible reasons for our findings.

焦虑心理对学生英语听力成绩的影响

对外语学习焦虑和听力焦虑对学生听力成绩的影响进行了探索,实验结果表明外语学习焦虑和听力焦虑是两个既互相独立又相互影响的现象,它们与学生的听力成绩呈负相关关系。实验还表明外语学习焦虑和听力焦虑都与学生的在校时间呈负相关,男女生焦虑水平存在显著差异。研究结果表明教师应该努力减少学生在听力课堂上的焦虑感,为听力学习创造一个宽松的环境。