Does Individual Performance Feedback Increase the Use of Retrieval Practice?

Educational Psychology Review - The testing effect—the power of retrieval practice to enhance long-term knowledge retention more than restudying does—is a well-known phenomenon in...     

How Well Does the Sum Score Summarize the Test? Summability as a Measure of Internal Consistency

Many researchers use Cronbach's alpha to demonstrate internal consistency, even though it has been shown numerous times that Cronbach's alpha is not suitable for this. Because the intention of questionnaire and test constructers is to summarize the test by its overall sum score, we advocate summability, which we define as the proportion of total test variation that is explained by the sum score. This measure is closely related to Loevinger's H. The mathematical derivation of summability as a measure of explained variation is given for both scale and dichotomously scored items. Using computer simulations, we show that summability performs adequately and we apply it to an existing productive vocabulary test. An open‐source tool to easily calculate summability is provided online ( https://sites.google.com/view/summability ).     

How to Use It

psycho疯子A:I’ve had enough of that psycho.I don’t want to dealwith her any more. 我受够那个疯子了。我不想再跟她有任何瓜葛。B:Please,Jack.I believe it’s only a misunderstanding. 不要这样子,杰克。我相信这只是一场误会罢了。“psycho”和“psychopath”、“nut”等都是“疯子”的意思。被形容成疯子的人也许只是一时对一些事情反应激烈,而不见得是真正的精神病患者。“psycho”本身也是形容词,同样有“疯了”或“精神病的”意思。     

How to Use It

Sorry is never good enough.对不起有什么用!A:I am sorry. 对不起.B:Sorry?Sorry is never good enough. 对不起?对不起有什么用!     

How to Use It

1.mess up打乱,弄砸了 A:I am terribly sorry I am late. 很抱歉我迟到了. B:Please!Your late arrival messed up our plan. 拜托!你的迟到已经把我们的计划打乱了.     

Is It the Intervention or the Students? Using Linear Regression to Control for Student Characteristics in Undergraduate STEM Education Research

Although researchers in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education are currently using several methods to analyze learning gains from pre- and posttest data, the most commonly used approaches have significant shortcomings. Chief among these is the inability to distinguish whether differences in learning gains are due to the effect of an instructional intervention or to differences in student characteristics when students cannot be assigned to control and treatment groups at random. Using pre- and posttest scores from an introductory biology course, we illustrate how the methods currently in wide use can lead to erroneous conclusions, and how multiple linear regression offers an effective framework for distinguishing the impact of an instructional intervention from the impact of student characteristics on test score gains. In general, we recommend that researchers always use student-level regression models that control for possible differences in student ability and preparation to estimate the effect of any nonrandomized instructional intervention on student performance.     

How to Use it

1.You did?真的吗?A:I got a phone call from Annie yesterday.我昨天接到安妮的电话了。B:You did?What did she say?真的吗?她说什么了?A:Well,she’s coming for the holiday this weekend.她说这个周末过来度假。B:Great! I am looking forward to meet her! 太好了!我盼着能见到她。     

Does Exposure to Code-Switching Influence Language Performance in Bilingual Children?

This study investigated whether the effect of exposure to code-switching on bilingual children's language performance varied depending on verbal working memory (WM). A large sample of school-aged Spanish–English bilingual children (N = 174, M_age = 7.78) was recruited, and children were administered language measures in English and Spanish. The frequency with which the children were exposed to code-switching was gathered through parent report. For children with high verbal WM, greater exposure to code-switching was associated with higher levels of language ability. In contrast, for children with lower verbal WM, greater exposure to code-switching was associated with lower levels of language ability. These findings indicate that children's cognitive processing capacity dictates whether exposure to code-switching facilitates or hinders language skills.     

Lessons from Magic for the Field of Performance Improvement?

How do you introduce creativity into an organization that is built to be industrial, resilient, and prone to consistency and volume—one that is keen on preserving the spirit of its traditions and has barely changed since its debut in 1964 at the New York World's Fair? (Kuang, 2015 ).     

I Get to Use an iPod in School? Using Technology-Based Advance Organizers to Support the Academic Success of English Learners

This study investigated the impact of technology-based advance organizers (TBAOs) on the academic performance of 240 4th grade English learners (ELs) participating in a science class in School in the Park (SITP), a museum-school collaboration. While SITP provides a rich, hands-on learning environment, ELs face significant linguistic challenges in their ability to access the dense academic language and concepts provided in SITP??s English only curriculum, thus negatively impacting ELs?? engagement and learning. The TBAOs were designed in response to this issue. The study investigated two forms of treatment: TBAOs viewed on individual handheld mobile devices (HMDs), specifically iPods; and, TBAOs viewed as a whole class on DVD. The study utilized both qualitative and quantitative data sources, including a pre- and posttest, hands-on and performance-based assessments, as well as focus interviews. Results showed a significant interaction effect between group assignment, language status and application assessments, indicating ELs performed significantly better in the treatment groups. Students who used the HMD instead of the DVD or no treatment improved their total scores significantly on hands-on, performance-based measurements. Differences between treatment and control groups?? performance on pre-/posttests approached significance. Furthermore, students reported TBAOs supported learning by introducing new material, introducing and reviewing daily academic vocabulary, and helping them anticipate behavioral and procedural expectations of hands-on activities. Classroom and museum educators reported an increase in the treatment groups?? motivation and engagement. The study provided important implications in the use and power of learner-controlled technology in supporting ELs?? linguistic and academic success.     

Making the Intentional Decision to Use an Effective Curriculum to Promote Children’s Learning

This study investigated the extent to which early education classrooms across Indiana implemented evidence-based practices and how well the classrooms of different types of early education programs in our state compared with one another. Evidence-based effective curricula increase children’s learning compared to those that are not effective. This article addresses the question: “Are the curricula used by the teachers effective?” The 81 participating classrooms included 28 in licensed child care centers, 27 in Head Start, and 26 in public school prekindergarten. Of the 81 classrooms, 80 teachers responded to the question: “What curriculum or curricula do you use in your classroom?” We used a three-step process to determine whether each response named a curriculum based on the Head Start definition; whether studies of the curriculum met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines for being evidence-based; and if the WWC reviews identified the curriculum as effective in increasing children’s learning. Findings revealed that only 2 of 80 responding teachers used a curriculum determined by WWC to be effective. Other teachers used curricula that did not meet the Head Start definition, used curricula that did not meet the WWC standards for evidence, or used curricula with evidence but that were ineffective. These findings suggest that administrators and teachers should opt for a curriculum determined to be effective and to choose whether the curriculum will be math- or literacy-based since no comprehensive curriculum has been determined to be effective. A challenge for implementation is that the WWC has shown only five curricula to be effective.     

A Survey of the Correlation between Language Anxiety and Senior High School Student’s Oral English Performance

Language anxiety is a kind of apprehension occurs when student need to perform oral English.Many researchers agree that language anxiety is an important factor in English learning.This thesis is going to test 80 students from Bordertown high school,Hunan Province,to uncover the English learning situation of senior high school students,to survey the correlation between language anxiety and oral English performance,and to give inspiration for senior middle school English teaching.     

Intention to Transfer: How Do Autonomous Professionals Become Motivated to Use New Ideas?

Although performance technologists recognize the importance of transfer, there are few studies of this complex process from the perspective of the individual, autonomous professional. For these trainees, intention to apply an idea is a vital part of transfer. Thus we asked: How do autonomous professionals learning from a training program form their intentions to apply? Over eight years we collected and analyzed 180 stories of application from 73 physicians attending a faculty development fellowship. In the majority of stories, Fellows said they formed their intentions to transfer during training sessions. Of those Fellows, most said they formed intentions toward a general target while listening to explanations. To form their intentions, Fellows weighed their experiences in training against job requirements, task experiences, self‐evaluations, and goals and values. As Fellows decided to use an idea, they considered its credibility, practicality and need. Based on our analyses of the stories, we present a model for the intention to transfer and discuss its implications for practice and research.     

Corporate Recruiting Opening Its Doors to AI: The Performance Opportunity?

Artificial intelligence is charged with the responsibility of improving the performance of corporate recruiting. Have we covered all ground, or are we missing something?     

How to Use a Textbook Effectively

No textbook can be exactly designed for students; teachers should manage to use a textbook effectively. There are two facets to understand how to use a textbook: one is to go inside the textbook; the other is the context, the students, and the teacher. A framework will do some help when using a new textbook and we‘ll have to adapt in some ways.     

Does NCLB Improve the Achievement of Students With Disabilities? A Regression Discontinuity Design

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) holds public schools accountable for the academic achievement of student subgroups that are larger than the state minimum-subgroup-size threshold. In 2004, California added students with disabilities to the NCLB subgroup categories. Using a regression discontinuity design, this study compared the academic achievement of students-with-disabilities subgroups that were just above the minimum-subgroup-size threshold to those just below the threshold. The results showed no effects of holding schools and teachers accountable for the achievement of students with disabilities after controlling for student performance and school characteristics of the previous academic year. Policy implications are discussed.     

Is the Akebono School Failing Its Best Students? A Hawaiian Adventure in Regression

Why do educators fall prey to the trap of regression toward the mean“ How can we estimate how large an effect regression will have in a particular situation“ Is the Akebono School failing its best students?