Travelling towards change in assessment: Policy,practice and research in education

Whilst there is evidence of significant investment in policy-led initiatives to raise attainment in schools, there is rather less evidence of the positive impact of such initiatives. In this paper we explore stakeholder views of recent initiatives in assessment in Scotland in an attempt to discern the relationships between assessment policy, research and practice in schools. Against a background of major assessment initiatives and by drawing on data from two national consultations, the paper illustrates the complexities inherent in following advice for policy developments to begin from where people are now. Finally, the paper explores the possibility of a new assessment journey for researchers, teachers and policy-makers, one which acknowledges the complex process of community-based transformational change.     

Chalkface challenges: a study of academic dishonesty amongst students in New Zealand tertiary institutions

This paper presents the findings of two investigations into the prevalence and profile of academic dishonesty amongst students in New Zealand’s tertiary institutions and compares this with findings from other studies. Staff and students report on their personal experiences of academic dishonesty and these are compared with official information requested and supplied by the institutions. Ways in which academic dishonesty are dealt with are discussed, including the reasons given by staff and students for lack of action. Staff and student reactions to institutional policies on the issue are presented, analysed and compared with data from other studies. Finally the study examines methods utilised by academic staff to minimise the occurrence of dishonest behaviour.     

Course design,teaching method and student epistemology

Previous research into student learning in departments of higher education has shown that links can be established between students' approaches to studying and their perceptions of the academic environment. It has also been found that students with differing study orientations are likely to define effective teaching in ways which reflect those orientations. The study reported here began by identifying different types of student epistemology and then investigated those factors within the academic environment which appeared to influence their incidence. Employing a naturalistic methodology-observations, interviews and case studies - the study was conducted in four departments in one institution of higher education: two arts and two science. Through a process of progressively focusing upon emergent issues, the study evolved through three stages, culminating in a model of the factors appearing to influence the development of student epistemology. It is found that the development of student epistemology is influenced by the interrelated factors of student learning approach, perception of the academic environment and lecturers' theories of teaching, which tends to uphold previous findings. It is also found, however, that students' conceptions of knowledge and their learning approaches are influenced by the ways in which knowledge is structured and presented within departments. Most particularly, a relationship was found between historical and philosophical studies, the methods of teaching them, and the development of student epistemologies.     

Lucid education: resisting resistance to inquiry

Within the community of inquiry literature, the absence of the notion of genuine doubt is notable in spite of its pragmatic roots in the philosophy of Charles Saunders Peirce, for whom the notion was pivotal. We argue for the need to correct this oversight due to the educational significance of genuine doubt—a theoretical and experiential understanding of which can offer insight into the interrelated concepts of wonder, fallibilism, inquiry and prejudice. In order to detail these connections, we reinvigorate the ideas of Peirce by borrowing the language and concepts of Albert Camus, at the same time demonstrating their unlikely congruence. In particular, we argue for the necessity of genuine doubt along with the need for the presence of a diversity of prejudices as a starting point for genuine inquiry.     

Multi-informant assessment of maltreated children: convergent and discriminant validity of the TSCC and TSCYC

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of two trauma symptom measures, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) [Briere, J. (1996). Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources] and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) [Briere, J. (2005). Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources]. METHODS: Children's scores on the TSCC and their caretakers' ratings on the TSCYC were analyzed in a study of 310 children presenting to one of two child abuse treatment centers. RESULTS: TSCC and TSCYC scales generally converged in their assessment of symptomatology in maltreated children. Equivalent scales measuring anxiety, depression, anger, dissociation, and sexual concerns were generally most correlated with one another. Similarly, the Posttraumatic Stress-Intrusion (PTS-I) scale of the TSCYC correlated highest with the Posttraumatic Stress (PTS) and Anxiety (ANX) scales of the TSCC, the TSCYC Posttraumatic Stress-Arousal (PTS-AR) scale was correlated with the TSCC ANX scale, and the TSCC PTS scale was most correlated with the TSCYC ANX, PTS-I, and Sexual Concerns (SC) scales. The TSCYC Posttraumatic Stress-Avoidance scale was unrelated to any TSCC scale. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the TSCC PTS scale was the best single predictor of sexual abuse-related PTSD status as identified by the TSCYC. CONCLUSIONS: The TSCC and TSCYC display moderate convergent and discriminant validity with respect to one another, despite different information sources. Nevertheless, the relatively small association between relevant TSCC and TSCYC scales indicates that different symptom informants may have different perspectives on the child's symptomatology; an outcome that may be beneficial when both measures are administered simultaneously. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These results reinforce the notion that both child- and parent/caretaker report measures should be used in the evaluation of traumatized children, so that multiple sources of information can be considered simultaneously. In the current context, administration of the TSCC to the child and the TSCYC to the caretaker, when appropriate (i.e., in children 8-12 years of age) may yield more clinical information on the child's symptomatology than either measure would alone-perhaps especially in cases when one of the two respondents under- or over-reports the child's distress.     

Child peer sexual abuse: preliminary data on outcomes and disclosure experiences

OBJECTIVE: This study compared experiences of children sexually abused by peers to those of children abused by adolescents/adults. Variables examined included perceived negativity of the abuse, self-reported outcomes, overall psychological functioning, and disclosure. METHOD: An archival data set containing retrospective reports of childhood sexual experiences was culled for instances of sexual abuse by child peers and adolescents/adults. An equivalent nonabused comparison group was identified. The Self-Report Outcome Checklist (SROC; Gilbert, 1994b), the MMPI-Hugo Short Form (Hugo, 1971) and a disclosure survey were also retrieved from these data. RESULTS: Compared to abuse by peers, abuse perpetrated by adolescents/adults was more intrusive and intrafamilial. Both groups rated their experiences as equally negative, and reported equally pervasive outcomes. Those abused by adolescents/adults reported significantly higher scores on the Psychopathic Deviate, Psychasthenia, and Schizophrenia scales compared to nonabused controls; similar findings did not emerge for those abused by child peers. Less than a fourth in either abuse group reported disclosing their experience to a parent. Among those who did not disclose, participants abused by child peers anticipated less support from both parents and more anger from their mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that child peer sexual abuse may be associated with adverse outcomes.