Using Response Time to Detect Item Preknowledge in Computer‐Based Licensure Examinations

This article addresses the issue of how to detect item preknowledge using item response time data in two computer‐based large‐scale licensure examinations. Item preknowledge is indicated by an unexpected short response time and a correct response. Two samples were used for detecting item preknowledge for each examination. The first sample was from the early stage of the operational test and was used for item calibration. The second sample was from the late stage of the operational test, which may feature item preknowledge. The purpose of this research was to explore whether there was evidence of item preknowledge and compromised items in the second sample using the parameters estimated from the first sample. The results showed that for one nonadaptive operational examination, two items (of 111) were potentially exposed, and two candidates (of 1,172) showed some indications of preknowledge on multiple items. For another licensure examination that featured computerized adaptive testing, there was no indication of item preknowledge or compromised items. Implications for detected aberrant examinees and compromised items are discussed in the article.     

Regional association criteria and the standards for college libraries: The informal role of quantitative input measures for libraries in accreditation

Librarians use the Standards for College Libraries in accreditation reviews, and most accrediting bodies, while not formally adopting the Standards, deem them a credible auxiliary tool. A comparison reveals they address issues raised by accreditation criteria. Questions about them remain, however, and a demonstrable basis in research would increase their usefulness.     

International perspectives on child abuse

This paper reviews an extensive sampling of the international literature on child abuse. The paper focuses on: (1) where the international research on child abuse is being conducted; (2) similarities and differences in definitions of abuse and violence; (3) the types of research methods and theoretical models used to study abuse; and (4) what we currently know about child abuse in other countries. The paper concludes with a discussion of how we can advance our understanding of child abuse by pursuing cross-cultural research. Awareness of child abuse, internationally, varies a great deal, often depending on the political, social, economic, and cultural milieu of the country. Also, despite noticeable trends within countries, the research techniques and theoretical models used to guide scientific investigations vary considerably from one country to the next. For these reasons, one must draw conclusions about the patterns, causes, and extent of child abuse around the world very tentatively. There is much variation as to the likelihood of children being abused, although western, industrialized nations report the highest rates of abuse. Explanations for the variation of child abuse from one country to the next emphasize cultural differences in attitudes towards, and values placed on children, and the cultural appropriateness of using violence as a means of social control.     

Visual Chunking Skills of Hong Kong Children

This study investigated the development of visual chunking skills in the processing of Chinese characters among Hong Kong pupils. One-hundred-seventy-nine primary school students from first, second and fourth grades were administered a character copying task. Children as young as 6 years of age were aware of character units and were able to apply visual chunking strategies when processing characters. Children in higher grades performed better than those in lower grades on every character type, and the types of errors they made revealed that their chunking level was higher than that of younger children. Differences between ability groups emerged in second grade and vanished in fourth grade, suggesting that children with a lower reading ability are slower to develop advanced chunking skills.     

Plant defences against excessive light studied in the microalga Dunaliella

Plants are susceptible to a variety of stresses. Among them is excessive light, and for this a number of defence mechanisms have evolved. Dunaliella is remarkable in being able to tolerate not only exceptionally saline conditions but also very high intensities of light. Investigation of the factors involved has given new insights into photoprotective mechanisms generally.     

Can the subaltern ‘speak’ science? An intersectional analysis of performances of ‘talking science through muscular intellect’ by ‘subaltern’ students in UK urban secondary science classrooms

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This paper draws on Judith Butler’s concepts of intelligibility and identity as performance to make sense of enactments of ‘subaltern’...     

Construct Validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R): Lessons Learned

Described herein is the academic lineage and independent validation of the Self-Efficacy Teaching and Knowledge Instrument for Science Teachers-Revised (SETAKIST-R). Data from 334 K-12 science teachers were analyzed using Partial Credit Rasch models. Principal components analysis on the person-item residuals suggest two latent dimensions: Knowledge and Teaching Self-Efficacies. Item-fit statistics were used to select items for each subscale. Person and item separation (reliability) indices were quite low, and we noted disordered response patterns on the person-item maps that revealed problems with item content and/or scaling for both subscales. These issues include the presence of: verbal negatives, ambiguous modifiers, counter-intuitive scaling, and an “undecided/uncertain” option. The SETAKIST-R, in its current form, cannot be recommended as a measure of science teacher self-efficacy.