The Role of Referent Indicators in Tests of Measurement Invariance

Confirmatory factor analytic tests of measurement invariance (MI) require a referent indicator (RI) for model identification. Although the assumption that the RI is perfectly invariant across groups is acknowledged as problematic, the literature provides relatively little guidance for researchers to identify the conditions under which the practice is appropriate. Using simulated data, this study examined the effects of RI selection on both scale- and item-level MI tests. Results indicated that while inappropriate RI selection has little effect on the accuracy of conclusions drawn from scale-level tests of metric invariance, poor RI choice can produce very misleading results for item-level tests. As a result, group comparisons under conditions of partial invariance are highly susceptible to problems associated with poor RI choice.     

Navigating puberty,identity, and race among transnationally,transracially adopted Korean American adolescents

This exploratory study examined the relation between pubertal timing and dimensions of ethnic-racial identity among adopted Korean Americans raised transracially in White families. The study also examined whether internalized racism moderated the association between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity. Adopted Korean American adolescents (N = 202; 108 females; ages 13–19 years) completed measures of pubertal development, ethnic-racial identity, and internalized racism in 2007. There was no significant main effect of pubertal timing for either male or female adolescents. Internalized racism moderated the relation between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity clarity (B = −.16, p = .015) among male adolescents. Specifically, earlier pubertal timing was significantly associated with lower ethnic-racial identity clarity for male adolescents with higher levels of internalized racism.     

How not to reason with PISA data: an ironic investigation

International comparative testing, such as the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), has considerable impact on policy-makers, the media and the general public. A central assumption underlying PISA is that global variation in students’ academic performance is attributable to national educational structures and policies. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the problematic nature of this assumption. Rather than critiquing it from the outside, we turn the tools, data and presumptions of the current discourse of international comparisons upon themselves, showing that this assumption is refuted by analysis of immigrant student test scores. Data from the PISA 2009 tests show that Chinese immigrant students in New Zealand and Australia achieve math scores that are more similar to those of students in Shanghai than to their non-immigrant Australian and New Zealand peers. Thus, cultural background appears to be more consequential for the educational attainment of Chinese immigrant students than exposure to the educational systems of Australia or New Zealand. We discuss limitations of our analysis, using them as basis to discuss the shortcomings of PISA more generally.     

Learning essential terms and concepts in Statistics and Accounting

This paper describes a terminological approach to the teaching and learning of fundamental concepts in foundation tertiary units in Statistics and Accounting, using an online dictionary-style resource (TermFinder) with customised termbanks for each discipline. Designed for independent learning, the termbanks support inquiring students from non-English-speaking backgrounds – including international students – in their understanding of the key concepts of their discipline. Two quasi-experimental studies of the use of these termbanks are reported here, showing the difference that they made in the performances of first-year students studying Statistics and Accounting, when compared with those from the previous year before the termbanks were available. In both units, the exam results for the experimental cohorts were significantly better than those of the cohorts in the preceding year. Higher success rates and raised levels of engagement with terminological questions were registered for all students, Australian domestic and international. Individual study patterns emerged in the trial of the accounting termbank, with international students making early use of the termbank with its translation equivalents in Mandarin Chinese, and Australian students more inclined to use it close to the final exam. The testing of the customised termbanks, developed collaboratively by lexicographers and academic staff, vindicates their use in large, diverse classes and their value to students as resources for independent learning. That apart, the research affirms the value of focusing on terminology and the nexus with disciplinary concepts in introductory courses.     

Determination of football pitch locations from video footage and official pitch markings

The ability to determine a specific location on a football (soccer) pitch from television footage would provide a cost-effective method of obtaining competition-specific information on many professional and international teams. This study presents the accuracy and reliability of a new method of calculating ball location from simulated television coverage and known pitch markings. The coordinates of 99 markers of known location on a football pitch were digitized from video. An intersection point was determined from the equations of two lines that form pitch markings and the relationship from this point to other known pitch coordinates was calculated using a curve-fitting based method. Average error between known and reconstructed measures was 0.21 m for pitch width and 0.11 m for pitch length from a view simulating television coverage. Inter- and intra-rater reliability analyses showed researchers could consistently reconstruct pitch locations to within less than half a metre. The accuracy and reliability of this method will be sufficient for most practical uses in an applied sport environment, although the level of accuracy required will depend on the specific application. This method could be applied to other sports to determine specific locations on a pitch or court or to improve current competition analysis systems.     

The role of information in the take-up of student loans

We study student loan behavior in the Netherlands where (i) higher education students know little about the conditions of the government's financial aid program and (ii) take-up rates are low. In a field experiment we manipulated the amount of information students have about these conditions. The treatment has no impact on loan take-up, which is not due to students already having decided to take a loan or students not absorbing the information. We conclude that a lack of knowledge about specific policy parameters does not necessarily imply a binding information constraint.     

A comparative analysis of a game-based mobile learning model in low-socioeconomic communities of India

This study explores the effectiveness of a game-based mobile learning model for children living in underdeveloped regions with significant contextual variations. Data for this study came from a total of 210 children between the ages of 6-14 years old from six marginalized communities in India. The findings reveal that children with little or no previous exposure to technology were able to not only figure out the given mobile learning technology, but also solve a series of incrementally challenging problems by playing math games without specific intervention or instruction by adults. The study also found that various factors, including gender and group size, do affect children's ability to adopt and learn while presenting a unique set of learning interaction patterns. This paper concludes with specific recommendations for future ICT4D (Information and Communication Technology for Development) projects for educational development particularly targeting developing regions.     

Child abuse and neglect in Greece: Sociomedical aspects

Fifty-four abused and neglected children have been referred to our multidisciplinary team for assessment and treatment. There were many more boys than girls (36 vs 18) and the mean age was 3.3 years. Half of the children were admitted for medical reasons and abuse or neglect were secondary findings. The medical findings included bruises and fractures, head injuries, knife wounds, and failure to thrive. The children's main characteristics were: “difficult children,” unwanted pregnancies, difficult pregnancies and deliveries and half of them were separated from their mothers during the first months of life due to illness. The families were characteristic of multiproblem families of low social level. Almost all parents were young when married and half were unemployed or had unsteady employment. In most cases the parents were socially isolated and had poor relations with their families of origin. Most mothers and half of the fathers had an unhappy childhood while almost half of the mothers had a psychiatric problem. In general, our findings were in accordance with those described in other nations. Nevertheless, there were some characteristics which seem to be of relevance within the Greek ethnic and cultural context. The legal problems as well as those pertaining to child protection are discussed.