The assessment revolution that has passed England by: Rasch measurement

Assessment has been dominated by Classical Test Theory for the last half century although the radically different approach known as Rasch measurement briefly blossomed in England during the 1960s and 1970s. Its open development was stopped dead in the 1980s, whilst some work has continued almost surreptitiously. Elsewhere Rasch has assumed dominance. The purpose of this article is to discuss the major criticisms of the Rasch model, which led to its rejection by some, and to give responses to these criticisms whilst encouraging social scientists to appreciate its strengths. The original breakthrough by Georg Rasch in 1960 has been developed and extended to address every reasonable observational situation in the social sciences.     

Age difference and face-saving in an inter-generational problem-based learning group

This study used grounded theory methodology to investigate whether learning in a problem-based learning (PBL) group was influenced by student demographic diversity. Data comprised observations, in the form of video footage, of one first-year PBL group carried out over the period of an academic year, along with student interviews. Using the concepts of ‘face’ and face-threatening acts to critically explore student interactions, it appeared that inter-generational issues could reflect and create positions of power. At interview, all individuals constructed themselves as similar to or different from others in the group first and foremost by age, suggesting this is a primary concern for students. The data also highlighted many occasions, linked to generational difference, where students failed to share knowledge and experiences or to engage critically in deep exploratory learning. This finding has not been reported previously in the PBL literature.     

Is device-measured vigorous physical activity associated with health-related outcomes in children and adolescents? A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study sought to analyze the prospective association between vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA) and health-related outcomes in children and adolescents.MethodsStudies reporting associations between device-measured VPA and health-related factors in children and adolescents aged 3–18 years were identified through database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus). Correlation coefficients were pooled if outcomes were reported by at least 3 studies, using DerSimonian-Laird random effects models.ResultsData from 23 studies including 13,674 participants were pooled using random effects models. Significant associations were found between VPA at baseline and overall adiposity (r = −0.09, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): –0.15 to –0.03; p = 0.002; I² = 89.8%), cardiometabolic risk score (r = –0.13, 95%CI: –0.24 to –0.02, p = 0.020; I² = 69.6%), cardiorespiratory fitness (r = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.15−0.35; p < 0.001; I² = 57.2%), and total body bone mineral density (r = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.06 to 0.25; p = 0.001; I² = 0%).ConclusionVPA seems to be negatively related to adiposity and cardiometabolic risk score and positively related to cardiorespiratory fitness and total body bone mineral density among children and adolescents at follow-up. Therefore, our findings support the need to strengthen physical activity recommendations regarding VPA due to its health benefits in children and adolescents.     

Presence and Persistence: Poverty Ideology and Inner-city Teaching

This paper examines the role of poverty ideology in determining whether a teacher comes to teach at a poor school (presence) and whether s/he remains at this type of school over time (persistence). A sample of 400 teachers in San Diego California was administered a questionnaire that evaluated respondents’ attitudes toward poverty. Teachers who believed poverty was rooted in social structure were more apt to be present in and to persist at poor schools. It is argued that this presence and persistence in poor schools was because these teachers had developed a “structurally mitigated sense of occupational competence”. This sense of competence made these teachers more likely to understand the problems they encountered in the classroom in structural terms, and thus they were more likely to be both satisfied with and persist at their jobs.     

Promoting literacy in a digital age: approaches to training for information literacy

Information literacy, and other similar ‘literacies’, such as digital literacy, mediacy, and informacy, are concepts relating to knowledge, skills, and attitudes, at various levels, in dealing with information in varied formats and diverse situations. The breadth of scope of these concepts implies that training must be equally broad, varied, and context-sensitive. This is exemplified by two case studies of information and digital literacy training. The first is a training programme in information literacy for the scientific staff of a multinational pharmaceutical research organization. The second is a summer school dealing with digital literacy, primarily for information professionals from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.     

Validity of the VmaxST portable metabolic measurement system

The aim of this study was to assess and compare the validity of the portable VmaxST telemetry metabolic measurement device with that of a standard measurement system (Vmax29). Thirty asymptomatic, moderately active males provided written, informed consent and completed two maximal graded treadmill exercise tests (Bruce) using the VmaxST and the Vmax29 metabolic measurement systems. Tests were performed in random order on separate days to obtain peak values for time to exhaustion, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), ventilation (VE), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Multivariate analysis of variance revealed no significant main effect (P = 0.88) between the two systems across any variable, suggesting similar measurement capabilities between the two systems. Linear regression analyses revealed moderate to high coefficients of determination for VO2 (r2 = 0.99), VCO2 (r2 = 0.99), VE r2 = 0.99), and RER (r2 = 0.89). Furthermore, Bland-Altman analyses demonstrated that the VmaxST yielded similar values to the Vmax29, suggesting good agreement between the two systems. Agreement was confirmed when the differences between the methods resulted in a small range as identified by the 95% limits of agreement. Findings from the current study confirm that the VmaxST is a valid device for measuring metabolic and physiological variables during exercise within a controlled laboratory setting.