Local Dependence in an Operational CAT: Diagnosis and Implications

The accuracy of CAT scores can be negatively affected by local dependence if the CAT utilizes parameters that are misspecified due to the presence of local dependence and/or fails to control for local dependence in responses during the administration stage. This article evaluates the existence and effect of local dependence in a test of Mathematics Knowledge. Diagnostic tools were first used to evaluate the existence of local dependence in items that were calibrated under a 3PL model. A simulation study was then used to evaluate the effect of local dependence on the precision of examinee CAT scores when the 3PL model was used for selection and scoring. The diagnostic evaluation showed strong evidence for local dependence. The simulation suggested that local dependence in parameters had a minimal effect on CAT score precision, while local dependence in responses had a substantial effect on score precision, depending on the degree of local dependence present.     

Keeping company: Educating for online friendship

The possibility of online Aristotelian virtue friendships via social network sites continues to be raised by philosophers, but as yet this has not been positioned within the realm of children or adolescents, who are known to be amongst the largest users of social media. Governmental agencies across the globe still struggle to define the boundaries of online usage for children, often depending on school-based curricula highlighting ‘safe-guarding’ online or some form of character education. This, however, often leaves the philosophical thinking behind virtual relationships as incompletely addressed in educational theory, policy and practice, despite there being some very real difficulties for children. Utilising the insights of Aristotle on friendship, I offer a view that may hold potential for a philosophically based policy. I outline three different ways this philosophical literature could have implications for education and indicate the types of policy that each might entail. I will contend that there are three distinct stakeholders here that can be identified as having a significant role to play in what we should do: the schools themselves, educational researchers and policy writers. Finally, I suggest ways in which research, policy and practice might link together.     

BOOK REVIEWS

E DUCATIONAL P HILOSOPHIES AND D EMOCRATIC F AITH . By James W. Skelton.
A DULT E DUCATION . By P. H. Sheats, C. D. Jayne, and R. B. Spence.
P HILOSOPHY AND THE I DEOLOGICAL C ONFLICT . By Charles S. Seely.
G ANDHI : H IS L IFE AND M ESSAGE FOR THE W ORLD . By Louis Fischer.     

Sensory, cognitive, and linguistic factors in the early academic performance of elementary school children: The Benton-IU project

Standardized sensory, perceptual, linguistic, intellectual, and cognitive tests were administered to 470 children, approximately 96% of the students entering the first grade in the four elementary schools of Benton County, Indiana, over a 3-year period (1995--1997). The results of 36 tests and subtests administered to entering first graders were well described by a 4-factor solution. These factors and the tests that loaded most heavily on them were reading-related skills (phonological awareness, letter and word identification); visual cognition (visual perceptual abilities, spatial perception, visual memory); verbal cognition (language development, vocabulary, verbal concepts); and speech processing (the ability to understand speech under difficult listening conditions). A cluster analysis identified 9 groups of children, each with a different profile of scores on the 4 factors. Within these groups, the proportion of students with unsatisfactory reading achievement in the first 2 years of elementary school (as reflected in teacher-assigned grades) varied from 3% to 40%. The profiles of factor scores demonstrated the primary influence of the reading-related skills factor on reading achievement and also on other areas of academic performance. The second strongest predictor of reading and mathematics grades was the visual cognition factor, followed by the verbal cognition factor. The speech processing factor was the weakest predictor of academic achievement, accounting for less than 1% of the variance in reading achievement. This project was a collaborative effort of the Benton Community School Corporation and a multidisciplinary group of investigators from Indiana University.     

Networking for Leadership,Inquiry, and Systemic Thinking: A New Approach to Inquiry-Based Learning

Recent changes in science education standards have mandated a prominent place for inquiry learning in science curricula. However, change from traditional teaching methods to a more inquiry-centered approach is difficult to enact. While research to date demonstrates a number of successful inquiry implementations, it also reveals a slow rate of change along with possible reasons for difficulty in adopting inquiry instructional methods. Further, inquiry reforms have failed in the past. The Networking for Leadership, Inquiry, and Systemic Thinking (NLIST) initiative, sponsored by the Council of State Science Supervisors and NASA, proposes to facilitate inquiry through systemic reform designed to avoid the mistakes of the past and incorporate new knowledge about teaching and learning. Systemic elements targeted for change include a standard conceptualization of science as inquiry, instructional materials, professional development, administrative support and leadership, facilities, community involvement, and technology infrastructure. To date, the initiative has created a detailed definition of inquiry learning and a rubric for evaluating instructional materials against this definition. This paper presents the theoretical and empirical foundations for the NLIST initiative, describes its progress, and outlines future goals.     

The Effect of Cognitive Style on the Preferred Format of Instructional Material

Abstract A total of 90 15‐16‐year‐old female pupils from a single‐sex secondary grammar school did the Cognitive Styles Analysis which assessed their position on the Wholist‐Analytic and Verbal‐Imagery learning style dimensions. They were asked to select their preferred format of a single‐sheet handout on study skills which was offered in three modes: Unstructured‐Verbal, Structured‐Verbal and Structured‐Pictorial. Each mode contained the same information and differed only in format. On the format preference, there was a significant effect of the Verbal‐Imagery dimension (p = 0.002), with the majority of Verbalisers choosing the Structured‐Verbal sheet and the Imagers opting for the Structured‐Pictorial version. There was a smaller effect on the Wholist‐Analytic dimension, where Wholist had a preference for the Structured‐Pictorial and the Analytics for the Structured‐Verbal version (p = 0.056). The findings were discussed in terms of their practical implications for a differentiated approach to instruction.