Standard-Setting Methods as Measurement Processes

Some writers in the measurement literature have been skeptical of the meaningfulness of achievement standards and described the standard-setting process as blatantly arbitrary. We argue that standard setting is more appropriately conceived of as a measurement process similar to student assessment. The construct being measured is the panelists' representation of student performance at the threshold of an achievement level. In the first section of this paper, we argue that standard setting is an example of stimulus-centered measurement. In the second section, we elaborate on this idea by comparing some popular standard-setting methods to the stimulus-centered scaling methods known as psychophysical scaling. In the third section, we use the lens of standard setting as a measurement process to take a fresh look at the two criticisms of standard setting: the role of judgment and the variability of results. In the fourth section, we offer a vision of standard-setting research and practice as grounded in the theory and practice of educational measurement .     

Exploration of the Relative Contributions of Domain Knowledge and Search Expertise for Conducting Internet Searches

The relative contributions of expertise in search skills and domain knowledge were examined when using the Internet to find information. Four conditions were compared: expert searchers/high domain knowledge; expert searchers/low domain knowledge; novice searchers/high domain knowledge; and novice searchers/low domain knowledge. Search outcomes and verbal protocols were analyzed. The combination of search expertise and high domain knowledge yielded the most efficient searches. Higher search expertise yielded access to sites rated more accurate and credible. High domain knowledge yielded sites rated more thorough. Verbal protocols depicted searching as a complex decision process. Findings have implications for instructional support.     

van Eijck and Roth’s utilitarian science education: why the recalibration of science and traditional ecological knowledge invokes multiple perspectives to protect science education from being exclusive

This article is a philosophical analysis of van Eijck and Roth’s (2007) claim that science and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) should be recalibrated because they are incommensurate, particular to the local contexts in which they are practical. In this view, science maintains an incommensurate status as if it is a “fundamental” basis for the relative comparison of other cultural knowledges, which reduces traditional knowledge to a status of in relation to the prioritized (higher)-status of natural sciences. van Eijck and Roth reject epistemological Truth as a way of thinking about sciences in science education. Rather they adopt a utilitarian perspective of cultural-historical activity theory to demonstrate when traditional knowledge is considered science and when it is not considered science, for the purposes of evaluating what should be included in U.S. science education curricula. There are several challenges for evaluating what should be included in science education when traditional knowledges and sciences are considered in light of a utilitarian analysis. Science as diverse, either practically local or theoretically abstract, is highly uncertain, which provides opportunities for multiple perspectives to enlarge and protect the natural sciences from exclusivity. In this response to van Eijck and Roth, we make the case for considering dialectical relationships between science and TEK in order to ensure cultural diversity in science education, as a paradigm. We also emphasize the need to (re)dissolve the hierarchies and dualisms that may emerge when science is elevated in status in comparison with other knowledges. We conclude with a modification to van Eijck and Roth’s perspective by recommending a guiding principle of cultural diversity in science education as a way to make curriculum choices. We envision this principle can be applied when evaluating science curricula worldwide.     

Sport treiben ein Leben lang?

Current demographic development attracts the attention of the sports sciences to the determinants of sport participation among people in the second half of life. Due to various life experiences in this age cohort, the question arises as to how much sports experiences affect contemporary sport participation. Starting with research into the life course people had followed, persons aged over 50 years were interviewed retrospectively about their current and former participation in sporting activities. Results show that sport participation of many years’ standing in the first half of life in particular, as well as sport activities in young adulthood, has a positive affect on the course of sport participation in the second half of life. Furthermore, period and cohort effects indicate that sports commitment is moderately affected by the variables sex and social environment.     

MEMORY,SELF‐EFFICACY,AND ADAPTABILITY IN KOREAN AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS: A COLLECTIVE STUDY OF FOUR CASES

Currently influential educational theories emphasize a causal and linear relationship among memory self‐efficacy, psychological well‐being, and memory performance. That model, however, does not consider an important mediating variable: the adaptability of the aging self. This collective study of four cases (four Korean American older adults) was conducted to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships among these variables, with the expectation that useful insights might be gained through the in‐depth study of specific cases. Each case showed a unique pattern of the interplay of these cognitive and affective variables. The findings suggest that perceptions of memory functioning and psychological well‐being are mitigated by the adaptability of the aging self, rather than being directly related to the experiences of age‐related losses or to actual memory perfor‐     

What is influencing the dropout behaviour of youth players from organised football?

This article provides a systematised review of relevant factors influencing youth dropout from organised football. The findings of identified 30 studies concerning dropout behaviour in football indicate the multidimensional influences of intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural factors. Most studies investigate the influence of intrapersonal factors. Accordingly, negatively perceived football competence, lack of motivation, goals and incentives and a lower relative age lead to a higher dropout rate. At the interpersonal level, lack of support from significant others (parents, peers, coach) and a disadvantageous team situations promote withdrawal from organised youth football. A lack of organisational and structural conditions promote dropout too. Based on this review, the following identified research gaps should be addressed in future studies: (1) analysis of individuals’ dropout decision as a selection of available alternatives, (2) referencing to corresponding contextual features of dropout behaviour, (3) the longitudinal perspective at dropout behaviour and (4) the perspective of intervention. Furthermore, some practical implications can be derived for the management of youth members in football clubs: (1) strengthen and develop successive coaching competencies, (2) reflection of own club philosophy against the background of divergent expectations of adolescents, (3) measures to promote identification with the football club and (4) anchoring of orientation regarding to young players as a central objective in the club.