Using Multidimensional Item Response Theory to Evaluate Educational and Psychological Tests

Many educational and psychological tests are inherently multidimensional, meaning these tests measure two or more dimensions or constructs. The purpose of this module is to illustrate how test practitioners and researchers can apply multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) to understand better what their tests are measuring, how accurately the different composites of ability are being assessed, and how this information can be cycled back into the test development process. Procedures for conducting MIRT analyses–from obtaining evidence that the test is multidimensional, to modeling the test as multidimensional, to illustrating the properties of multidimensional items graphically-are described from both a theoretical and a substantive basis. This module also illustrates these procedures using data from a ninth-grade mathematics achievement test. It concludes with a discussion of future directions in MIRT research.     

Documenting the world’s sociological literature:Sociological abstracts

Since its founding in 1953,Sociological Abstracts has abstracted and indexed the worldwide literature of sociology and the related social sciences. Growth and specialization within the field are reflected in the number of publications screened, the addition of new document types, the range of languages covered, and the increased specificity of indexing and classication.     

Australian PhDs by LIS educators, researchers and practitioners: Depicting diversity and demise

Analyses of more than 73,000 PhD thesis records in a comprehensive database of bibliographic records from all Australian universities from 1948 to 2006 demonstrate that PhDs on LIS-related topics reveal not only diversity of content, but also the diverse nature of the researcher's academic disciplines. This diversity includes researchers from within and outside LIS who bring to LIS–or take away–a variety of methods, approaches, theories and understandings. With 27 of Australia's 39 universities having produced LIS-related PhD graduates, the distribution through the Australian university system is evident and emphasizes the transferability of skills and knowledge which graduates bring to their work. It is possible that the diversity of researcher's disciplines, combined with the dangerously low numbers of LIS graduations, may also threaten the future of LIS research and education in Australia. Based on the findings of this study, the sustainability of LIS research and research training for the next generation in Australia is under threat.     

A simple and effective protein folding activity suitable for large lectures

This article describes a simple and inexpensive hands-on simulation of protein folding suitable for use in large lecture classes. This activity uses a minimum of parts, tools, and skill to simulate some of the fundamental principles of protein folding. The major concepts targeted are that proteins begin as linear polypeptides and fold to three-dimensional structures, noncovalent interactions drive this folding process, and the final folded shape of a protein depends on its amino acid sequence. At the start of the activity, students are given pieces of insulated wire from which they each construct and fold their own polypeptide. This activity was evaluated in three ways. A random sample of student-generated polypeptides collected after the activity shows that most students were able to create an appropriate structure. After this activity, students (n = 154) completed an open-ended survey. Their responses showed that more than three-quarters of the students learned one or more of the core concepts being demonstrated. Finally, a follow-up survey was conducted seven weeks after the activity; responses to this survey (n = 63) showed that a similar fraction of students still retained these key concepts. This activity should be useful in large introductory-level college biology or biochemistry lectures.     

Overcoming problems in doctoral writing through the use of visualisations: telling our stories

Doctoral students experience many challenges on the long journey towards completion. Common problems include: synthesising data, working at a conceptual level, clarifying the relationship of the parts of the thesis to the whole, finding a voice and completing a viva successfully. Few authors have addressed the use of visualisations to meet these challenges. This paper focuses on the use of visualisations in doctoral writing. It presents narratives about seven ways that visualisations can help students to make breakthroughs in their writing, namely, as an organiser of the relationships of the parts of the thesis to the whole, a trigger for peer discourse, a vehicle for conceptual work, a metaphor to express key concepts, a trigger for professional development, a visual aid for the viva and as a prompt for freedrawing and freewriting.     

A sociocultural investigation of the efficacy of outdoor education to improve learner engagement

A sociocultural investigation with Year 8 secondary-school students experiencing marginalization and displaying signs of social and emotional difficulties in engaging fully with school life who participated in a mediated outdoor education programme was undertaken for this study. The findings indicate that there was a very statistically significant change in self-concept (p < 0.05) during the course of the programme. In addition, all participants reported positive results in relation to building trust, group cohesion, and emotional regulation with positive results on facing the challenges they experience daily within school. Moreover, 75% reported that they experienced positive gains in their family since beginning participation in the programme, and 100% stated that they had developed a deeper level of trust for the other group members.