Psychometric Properties of Vocabulary Test Items as a Function of Word Characteristics

In a study of Gustafsson, Wedman and Westerlund (in press), the vocabulary test (WORD) in the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test was found to load both on a general factor (G) and a factor reflecting verbal knowledge (Gc'). Word characteristics were gathered in order to investigate if they can account for the variation in items’ loadings on the G and Gc’ factors. The results indicate that items loading highly on the G‐factor tend to involve words which are of Latin origin, relatively frequent, morphologically varied and abstract. Items loading highly on the Gc'‐factor tend to involve words which are of Swedish origin, relatively frequent and particularly so in fiction, and concrete but not nouns. Knowledge about these relations may be used to construct vocabulary tests which to a smaller or larger extent reflect either G or Gc’. The results, although tentative, may also be useful to shed light on the nature of the dimensions of ability.     

The Dimensionality of Language Ability in Four-Year-Olds: Construct Validation of a Language Screening Tool

The Norwegian government recommends a systematic language assessment of all four-year-olds as part of the general health surveillance program for the purpose of identifying children at risk of language delay. This study aimed to investigate the construct validity of the recommended language screening tool called LANGUAGE4 [SPRÅK4] by first examining the dimensionality of the underlying construct of the tool, after which the concurrent convergent validity was established by regressing an external language factor, defined by four standardized language tests, on a single higher-order factor. The findings provide support for a higher-order model with one general language factor, suggesting that a large amount of the variance in LANGUAGE4 is attributable to a single common factor at the second-order level. Furthermore, this single factor explained a considerable amount of the variance in the external language factor. Our findings are interpreted as support for satisfactory construct validity of LANGUAGE4.     

The role of coach-athlete relationship quality in team sport athletes’ psychophysiological exhaustion: implications for physical and cognitive performance

The present study aimed to examine associations between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and athlete exhaustion by assessing physiological and cognitive consequences. Male and female athletes (N = 82) representing seven teams across four different sports, participated in a quasi-experimental study measuring physical performance on a 5-meter multiple shuttle test, followed by a Stroop test to assess cognitive performance. Participants provided saliva samples measuring cortisol as a biomarker of acute stress response and completed questionnaires measuring exhaustion, and coach-athlete relationship quality. Structural equation modelling revealed a positive relationship between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and Stroop performance, and negative relationships between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and cortisol responses to high-intensity exercise, cognitive testing, and exhaustion. The study supports previous research on socio-cognitive correlates of athlete exhaustion by highlighting associations with the quality of the coach-athlete relationship.     

论中国古代宇宙观与传统武术之哲学基础

摘要：宇宙观是影响一个思想体系及社会制度的重要因素,传统武术体系的形成与发展也离不开对古代宇宙观的认识。为丰富武术哲学体系,揭示中国古代宇宙观与传统武术形成之间的哲学基础,主要采用文献资料法,在古文献史料的基础上阐述古人从对宇宙认识,从中提取传统武术哲学之精华,认为传统武术哲学的形成前提是对宇宙的认识,并超越了神论限制,走向发展的正途;中国古代气论、道论、太极发生论、宇宙生命整体论影响着传统武术哲学的本质观、修炼境界观、平衡观和武术哲学的基本理念。该研究不仅说明武学产生的思想基础,丰富了武学的认识论体系,而且揭示了传统武术哲学的发展过程与规律,对我们认识武学体系的内在精髓提供启示和借鉴。     

Systematic quality development work in a Swedish leisure-time centre

There is increasing activity in the area of quality issues in education in Europe. Diverse discourses of policy for quality are encountered in daily practice. This article explores systematic quality development work in a Swedish educational setting: the leisure-time centre. By following 2 teachers’ enactments of policy in planning, organising, documenting, and evaluating the quality of a leisure-time centre and children's achievement of objectives, different logics were found. Tensions in practice that visualise pluralistic intentions in policy and educational approaches were also revealed. Planning and organising as parts of systematic quality development work reveal an emerging individualistic perspective. However, when teachers carry out documentation and evaluation, they reconstruct a social pedagogical approach grounded in the tradition of the leisure-time centre with a group-oriented focus.     

Changes in the Impact of Family Education on Student Educational Achievement in Sweden 1988–2014

The main aim of this study was to investigate the development of the correlation between family education and student achievement in Sweden, which previous research has found to be stable, in spite of increasing school segregation and widening differences in levels of achievement between schools. Based on register data for populations of graduates from compulsory school between 1988 and 2014, correlations between parental education and student grades were estimated. The correlation was found to increase by .04 units between the early-1990s and 2014. The main reasons why this has not been found in previous research are that too coarse a categorization of parental education has been used, a declining quality of measurement of grades, and demographic changes related to immigration.     

Comparison of student marks obtained by an assessment panel reveals generic problem-solving skills and academic ability as distinct skill sets

Generic problem-solving skills have been identified as one of the key competencies valued by professional programmes, university students and their future employers. A lack of widely available and simple testing tools prevents assessment of the development of student problem-solving skills. As part of a research study, a generic problem-solving test was administered to 130 third-year science students during three consecutive years. A comparison between the scores students achieved in this test with their six academic marks obtained in this course showed no significant correlation. Lack of correlation between the problem-solving skill test scores and academic marks of students was confirmed in a larger population of students participating in a campus-wide study of generic problem-solving skills (n = 830). Problem solving and academic performance may represent two independent skill sets of students; testing problem-solving skills of students could be introduced to achieve a more comprehensive evaluation of undergraduate student progress and achievement.     

School Mobility and Achievement for Children Placed and Not Placed in Out-of-home Care

ABSTRACT

The aim was to investigate the effects of school mobility on achievement in compulsory school in Sweden for children in out-of-home care (OHC) and not in OHC (NOHC). Register data on background variables from four birth cohorts in the cohort-sequential longitudinal project ETF was relied upon, along with student performance on a test of cognitive ability, and school grades according to the leaving certificate. Yearly data concerning school mobility also was available. Results showed that relocation was associated with lower grades for both the OHC and the NOHC groups. The mean effect of one school relocation was 5 percentiles lower grades, but the effect of relocation was twice as large at the end of compulsory school. Given a higher frequency of relocation for children in OHC, they were more negatively affected. School mobility thus is one of several factors which contribute to the poor school achievement of children in OHC.     

The effect of being graded on later achievement: evidence from 13-year olds in Swedish compulsory school

The purpose of the study was to investigate how grading of students in primary school affected achievement measured by grades one year later, and how the effect varied as a function of cognitive ability, gender and socio-economic status. The data derive from The Evaluation Through Follow Up longitudinal project. Through a national curriculum change one group of students received grades and one group of students did not receive grades in the 6th Grade, while both groups of students received grades in the 7th Grade. A quasi-experimental design was thus created, with two comparable groups of students. The subjects were 8558 students born in 1967. Several multiple regression models were fitted to the data. The results showed no main effects of grading on subsequent achievement, but there were important differential effects: graded students with low cognitive ability received lower subsequent grades. The results also showed interaction effects between gender and grading and between gender and cognitive ability.