ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND TEST PERFORMANCE: AN EVALUATION OF BILINGUAL STUDENTS WITH THE WOODCOCK‐JOHNSON III TESTS OF COGNITIVE ABILITIES

In this article, we report the findings of an exploratory empirical study that investigated the relationship between English Language Proficiency (ELP) on performance on the Woodcock‐Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities‐Third Edition (WJ III) when administered in English to bilingual students of varying levels of ELP. Sixty‐one second‐grade students, identified as Limited English Proficient, were recruited from a suburban public school district and were given the WJ III in addition to their annual state standardized assessment of ELP. The findings of this study provide evidence to support a linear, inverse relationship between ELP and performance on tests that require higher levels of English language development and mainstream cultural knowledge. The implications of the findings of the present study suggest that practitioners must consider an examinee's level of developmental language proficiency and cultural knowledge acquisition as continuous variables when determining the impact of such factors on test performance and evaluation regarding whether scores obtained from tests administered in English are indeed valid for interpretation.     

Literacy for self-reliance: A critical exploration of Nyerere’s legacy in Tanzanian education policies

International Review of Education - The global movement to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda rests on strengthening international...     

Delphi: a technique to harness expert opinion for critical decision‐making tasks in education

Expert rather than general or informal opinion is often sought in the development of educational policy. Decisions to be made regarding best practice, the most effective way to deliver services, issues dealing with the professional development of teachers and the distribution of limited educational resources are examples which require critical thinking and reasoning. Regardless of the nature of the task, complex decision‐making is rarely left to the remit of one person and there is usually an assumption made that ‘two heads are better than one’. The organisational requirements of collecting, analysing, refining and validating critical information can be a long, arduous and often tedious process‐‐a process which can often be overlooked, resulting in ill‐defined, poorly conceived, biased and invalid determinations. The conventional Delphi procedure offers decision‐makers a user‐friendly, rigorous and systematic strategy in the collection and dissemination of critical information. This paper reviews the substantive literature relating to the Delphi procedure, provides a rationale for its use, describes the distinctive features, reviews key points of contention and provides an indication of both past and present uses     

Synthesizing epistemological belief research: Tentative understandings and provocative confusions

The definition of epistemological beliefs takes on different shades of meaning from study to study; but, in general, researchers of personal epistemology are interested in what individuals believe about the source, certainty, and organization of knowledge, as well as the control and the speed of learning. Epistemological beliefs have been found to relate to reading comprehension, learning in complex and ill-structured domains, as well as learners' active participation and persistence in learning. Researchers are at odds on the issues of epistemological development and the roles that education and culture play in epistemological beliefs.     

Towards Total Quality Management in Higher Education at Aston University—a case study

The theme of Quality has been embedded in Aston University's strategic plans for long term success during a decade of change brought about by the national policy to restructure the British Higher Education system. The philosophy and techniques of Quality Management have been applied as a means of ensuring continuous improvement and progress towards Aston's mission to be a leading technological university. The strategic plan has led to major projects including academic restructuring to ensure that departments cover disciplines consistent with the mission, and the provision of a high quality support infrastructure. The plan for growth is rooted in the concepts of understanding who the customers are, in understanding their needs and serving them well. The formation of a Quality Council has marked a further stage in the realisation of an integrated Quality Management programme. The purpose of the Council is to review the University's processes and Critical Success Factors in order to identify key areas for improvement. An extensive education and training programme has been launched and there has been experimentation with the vital Quality Management technique of Quality Function Deployment.     

Preschoolers' Differential Conflict Behavior with Friends and Acquaintances

This study examined the nature of social conflict occurring spontaneously during children's play. Preschoolers' (mean age = 53.9 months) differential conflict behavior with their friends and acquaintances was analyzed by use of relationship status as a within-subjects factor. Children behaved differently when interacting with their friends than they did with acquaintances. Conciliatory gestures (e.g., compromise, apology) were used more often with friends than with acquaintances. Conciliatory gestures were more likely than yields to lead to peaceful outcomes. However, yields were used most often by the children. Yet, no matter what resolution strategy was used, friends were more likely to remain together after conflict than acquaintances were. Because friendships are important to them, children must learn ways to maintain interaction despite conflict. Conflict resolution strategies among peers begin to emerge in the preschool years, first within friendly relationships. It is suggested that rather than using direct intervention, teachers should indirectly facilitate the development of such strategies.