Process over product: the next evolution of our quest for technology integration

Educational technology research and development - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the next evolution of our quest for technology integration, one that moves away from the product of...     

Social Interaction in Same and Cross Gender Preschool Peer Groups: a participant observation study

About a third of play groups observed in a part‐time and full‐time early childhood centre were of mixed gender and two‐thirds were same gender. Mixed gender groups were larger than same gender groups and kindergarten (part‐time) groups were larger than childcare (full‐time) centre groups. In the kindergarten, outdoor play was much more common and there was a significant difference in boys preferring to play outdoors, followed by mixed groups and then girls. In both centres boisterous play was more likely in boys’ groups than girls’ groups, with mixed groups more similar to boys’ groups in the predominance of boisterous play. Boys’ groups in both centres exclusively used male themes for pretend play, while girls mostly used female themes and an occasional male theme. Mixed gender groups used male themes almost as much as male groups, but rarely or never used female themes. There was more physical conflict and rejection in mixed groups, than boys’ groups and none in girls’ groups in the kindergarten. There was more adult involvement in girls’ groups than in boys'groups in both centres, but mixed groups had an intermediate amount in the kindergarten and slightly more than girls in the childcare centre. Boys enjoyed noisy, rough and tumble play, competition for dominance, stereotyped male themes and sometimes actively rejected the presence of the researcher. Girls preferred quiet adult‐structured table activities and supportive conversations over activities with peers and adults. While there were examples of successful cross‐gender co‐operative play, there were also examples of the breakdown of reciprocity due to contrasting styles of play.     

New Challenges and Opportunities for Institutional Researchers in Assessment and Accreditation

Increased focus on assessment of student learning in the accreditation of higher education institutions offers new, challenging opportunities for institutional researchers. This article explores how institutional researchers can maximize these opportunities by offering methodological guidance in the assessment process and by designing new studies to produce assessment results. The article discusses the importance of methodological expertise, highlights the relevance of lessons learned from assessment literature, and provides a model for designing studies relevant for assessment.

     

Models for Semiordered Data to Address Not Applicable Responses in Scale Measurement

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate unidimensional models that can handle semiordered data within scale items (i.e., items with multiple ordered response categories, and one additional nominal response category). We apply the models to scale data with not applicable (NA) responses to compare the model performance to conditions in which NA responses are treated as missing and ignored. We also conduct a small simulation study based on the operational study to evaluate the parameter recovery of the models under the operational conditions. Findings indicate that the proposed models show promise for (a) reducing standard errors of trait estimates for persons who select NA responses, (b) reducing nonresponse bias in trait estimates for persons who select NA responses, and (c) providing substantive information to practitioners about the nature of the relationship between NA selection and the trait of measurement.     

The National Literacy Strategy Sight Recognition Programme Implemented by Teaching Assistants: A precision teaching approach

In this study, teaching assistants (TAs) were trained to spend 4 min each day on a precision teaching programme with selected pupils, whose progress in word recognition was a cause for concern. Words were taken from “The National Literacy Strategy Framework for Schools”. The sessions were set up to be “fun” times. All the pupils made progress and the majority were also reported to have improved in self‐esteem and confidence. Junior boys particularly benefited from this stringently targeted regime with immediate feedback of results. Some had been displaying behaviour difficulties, and TAs also reported improved social performance and attendance rates.