Multiple dimensions of family engagement in early childhood education: Evidence for a short form of the Family Involvement Questionnaire

The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate a short form of the 42-item Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ) for use in preschool. Empirical evidence derived from a representative sample of preschool programs in a large city in New York State with the original version of the FIQ was used to select the items for a 21-item short form. A representative sample of 590 Head Start families was also identified from a large Head Start program in Pennsylvania to serve to validate the short form. Confirmatory factor analysis of the short form substantiated the three robust dimensions of family involvement from the original FIQ. Concurrent measures of parental satisfaction and assessments of children's literacy and mathematics skills along with an examination of family demographic variables supported the validity of the confirmed dimensions. Implications for the use of this multidimensional, short form of family involvement in large-scale program evaluation were discussed.     

Meta‐Analytic Methodology and Inferences About the Efficacy of Formative Assessment

In a recent article published in EM:IP, Kingston and Nash report on the results of a meta‐analysis on the efficacy of formative assessment. They conclude that the average effect of formative assessment on student achievement is about .20 SD units. This would seem to dispel the myth that effects between .40 and .70 can be attributed to formative assessment. They also find that there is considerable variability in effect sizes across studies, and that only the content area in which the treatment is situated explains a significant proportion of study variability. However, there are issues in the meta‐analytic methodology employed by the authors that make their findings somewhat equivocal. This commentary focuses on four methodological concerns about the Kingston and Nash meta‐analysis: (1) the approach taken to select studies for inclusion, (2) the application of study inclusion criteria, (3) the extent to which the effect sizes being combined are biased, and (4) the relationship between effect size magnitude and characteristics of outcome measures. After examining these issues in the context of the Kingston and Nash review, it appears that considerable uncertainty remains about the effect that formative assessment practices have on student achievement.     

The information needs and information-seeking behaviour of fishermen in Lagos State, Nigeria

This research investigated the information needs and information seeking behaviour of fishermen in Lagos State, Nigeria. The survey was carried out in the rural fishing communities of the state. Using questionnaire supported with interviews, personal observation and examination of relevant records, data were collected from 500 fishermen in the different fishing communities in the state. The simple percentage was used to analyse the data. The study examined information needs, sources and information seeking behaviour as well as problems encountered by the fishermen in a bid to obtain information. Results show that the information needs of fishermen in Lagos state are mostly occupation directed. Their chief sources of information include colleagues, friends, neighbours and relatives. Results also show that the fishermen in Lagos State are mostly illiterate, married and male adults in their middle ages; where and how to obtain credit facilities remain the most important information need of the fishermen; lack of awareness about where to obtain information on modern fishing technology is the most common problem of the fishermen in their attempt to seek information. This shows that there is acute shortage of information and fisheries extension officers in the field of information dissemination. It was concluded that the means and sources of information seeking found in fishermen in Lagos State are no longer adequate to meet advanced technology in the field and this can be detrimental to the profession. Suggestions that would facilitate information seeking and use among fishermen in Lagos state were given.     

Problem-Based Learning for Engineering Students: An Evidence-Based Comparative Study

This paper describes two studies, one a pilot and the second, an enhanced study, that compare problem-based learning and lecture-based learning in library instruction for first-year engineering students. Two distinct assessment strategies were used to provide empirical evidence that supports the use of problem-based learning as an effective teaching method. Based on the results of the enhanced study, the authors conclude that problem-based learning leads to better outcomes for the learning styles of engineering students.