Trends in gender differences in mathematics and science (TIMSS 1995–2003)

This article investigates changes in gender differences evident in the performance of grade 8th grade students participating in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) between 1995 and 2003. Gender specific results and patterns found in TIMSS 1995 were compared with later cycles of the study in order to address the question of how far the mathematics and science gender gap has narrowed over time. Using a regression approach to compare the trend data, the findings indicated no major changes for mathematics but it appears that the gap in science may be closing, especially in the previously male dominated content areas of chemistry and physics.     

Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of assessments: A review and a study into the ability and accuracy of estimating the difficulty levels of assessment items

In today's higher education, high quality assessments play an important role. Little is known, however, about the degree to which assessments are correctly aimed at the students’ levels of competence in relation to the defined learning goals. This article reviews previous research into teachers’ and students’ perceptions of item difficulty. It focuses on the item difficulty of assessments and students’ and teachers’ abilities to estimate item difficulty correctly. The review indicates that teachers tend to overestimate the difficulty of easy items and underestimate the difficulty of difficult items. Students seem to be better estimators of item difficulty. The accuracy of the estimates can be improved by: the information the estimators or teachers have about the target group and their earlier assessment results; defining the target group before the estimation process; the possibility of having discussions about the defined target group of students and their corresponding standards during the estimation process; and by the amount of training in item construction and estimating. In the subsequent study, the ability and accuracy of teachers and students to estimate the difficulty levels of assessment items was examined. In higher education, results show that teachers are able to estimate the difficulty levels correctly for only a small proportion of the assessment items. They overestimate the difficulty level of most of the assessment items. Students, on the other hand, underestimate their own performances. In addition, the relationships between the students’ perceptions of the difficulty levels of the assessment items and their performances on the assessments were investigated. Results provide evidence that the students who performed best on the assessments underestimated their performances the most. Several explanations are discussed and suggestions for additional research are offered.     

Changes in teachers’ instructional skills during an intensive data-based decision making intervention

This study evaluates changes in teachers' instructional skills after participating in an intensive data-based decision making (DBDM) intervention for grade 4 teachers. Teachers were recorded three times prior to the intervention, and three times after the intervention, and all recordings were rated by four raters. The data was analyzed by means of advanced item response theory (IRT) techniques, combined with a generalizability model. Teachers significantly improved their DBDM related skills. Teachers’ initial basic teaching skills did not seem to matter for the extent to which teachers developed their DBDM related instructional skills. Suggestions for future research are presented.     

Comparing student science performance between hands-on and traditional item types: A many-facet Rasch analysis

This study aimed to compare student science performance between hands-on and traditional item types by investigating the item type effect and the interaction effect between item type and science content domain. In Shanghai, China, 2404 ninth-graders from six urban junior high schools took part in the study. The partial credit many-facet Rasch measurement analysis was used to examine the instrument's quality and investigate the item type effect and the interaction effect. The results showed that the traditional item type was significantly more difficult for participants than the hands-on item type, exhibiting a moderate-to-large effect size. Moderate or large interaction effects of an item type with a specific content domain on student science performance were also detected. Students performed better on some science content domains with a particular item type (either hands-on or traditional). Implications for assessment developers and science instructors were also discussed.     

CET4听力测试的项目分析与改革初探

语言课程的改革要通过测试改革来实现。通过对CET4试卷中听力测试项目的难度和区分度,以及测试信度的分析,发现CET4听力试卷存在题目偏难,区分度较差,信度较低的情况,并以此研究结果为依据,对如何改进CET4听力测试提出了试探性建议。     

Using bilingual students to link and evaluate different language versions of an exam

Many researchers and the International Test Commission＇s （Hambleton, 2005） caution against treating scores from different language versions of a test as equivalent, without conducting empirical research to verify such equivalence. In this study, we evaluated the equivalence of English and Malay versions of a 9^th-grade math test administered in Malaysia by conducting several statistical analyses. All analyses were conducted on data from a large sample of English-Malay bilingual students who took both versions of the exam. First, we conducted two equating analyses---one based on classical test theory and another based on item response theory （IRT）. Then differential item functioning analyses （DIF） were performed to see if any items functioned differentially across their English and Malay versions. The DIF results flagged 7 items for statistically significant DIF, but only one had a non-negligible effect size. We then conducted another equating analysis dropping the DIF items. The equating results suggested an adjustment of 1 or 2 points, depending on the mathematics achievement levels. The results indicate that bilingual examinees can be useful for evaluating different language versions of a test and adjusting for differences in difficulty across test forms due to translation.     

Rasch模型和IRT在学生成就测验统计分析中的对比研究

Rasch模型和项目反应理论的诞生推进了社会科学领域研究方法的变革。大多数学者认为,Rasch模型就是三参数IRT模型的特例。其实,Rasch模型不同于项目反应理论,其数据必须符合模型的先验理论。研究利用基于这两种理论假设开发的软件Winsteps和Multilog对学生成就测验进行统计分析,旨在揭示两种理论模型数据分析结果的异同之处,并探讨Winsteps软件在教育统计中的应用。     

论民族传统体育在云南高校体育的发展优势

通过文献资料法、逻辑分析法等方法深入地分析了云南省少数民族传统体育项目特征,就云南高校体育对少数民族传统体育文化传承进行探讨,对云南高校发展民族传统体育的必要性与可行性进行剖析,深刻探究少数民族传统体育在云南高校的发展优势。     

项目反应理论与计算机化自适应考试研究

针对传统考试理论的不足之处,项目反应理论被提出并逐渐实用化。详细分析了这一理论及基于这一理论的计算机化自适应考试的基本概念以及设计理念,并简要介绍了计算机化自适应考试系统的具体实现方法。     

对技能主导类表现准确性项群理论的探讨

本文从基础理论着手,对技能主导类表现准确性规律进行分析和探讨,为运动训练提供理论依据,将项群训练理论在基础学科中加以推广和应用。