Cross-cultural comparability of noncognitive constructs in TIMSS and PISA

Abstract

Noncognitive assessments in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study share certain similarities and provide complementary information, yet their comparability is seldom checked and convergence not sought. We made use of student self-report data of Instrumental Motivation, Enjoyment of Science and Sense of Belonging to School targeted in both surveys in 29 overlapping countries to (1) demonstrate levels of measurement comparability, (2) check convergence of different scaling methods within survey and (3) check convergence of these constructs with student achievement across surveys. We found that the three scales in either survey (except Sense of Belonging to School in PISA) reached at least metric invariance. The scale scores from the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and the item response theory analysis were highly correlated, pointing to robustness of scaling methods. The correlations between each construct and achievement was generally positive within each culture in each survey, and the correlational pattern was similar across surveys (except for Sense of Belonging), indicating certain convergence in the cross-survey validation. We stress the importance of checking measurement invariance before making comparative inferences, and we discuss implications on the quality and relevance of these constructs in understating learning.     

用改进电桥测量高值电阻

测量电阻的一种比较准确的方法是电桥法,但一般电桥不适合测量高值电阻,本文旨在介绍一种改进电桥,用它来测高值电阻,其系统误差较小,可达到准确测量的目的。     

Latent Markov Factor Analysis for Exploring Measurement Model Changes in Time-Intensive Longitudinal Studies

When time-intensive longitudinal data are used to study daily-life dynamics of psychological constructs (e.g., well-being) within persons over time (e.g., by means of experience sampling methodology), the measurement model (MM)—indicating which constructs are measured by which items—can be affected by time- or situation-specific artifacts (e.g., response styles and altered item interpretation). If not captured, these changes might lead to invalid inferences about the constructs. Existing methodology can only test for a priori hypotheses on MM changes, which are often absent or incomplete. Therefore, we present the exploratory method “latent Markov factor analysis” (LMFA), wherein a latent Markov chain captures MM changes by clustering observations per subject into a few states. Specifically, each state gathers validly comparable observations, and state-specific factor analyses reveal what the MMs look like. LMFA performs well in recovering parameters under a wide range of simulated conditions, and its empirical value is illustrated with an example.     

An evaluation of the Social Emotional Health Survey—Secondary for use with students with learning disabilities

Students with learning disabilities (LD) represent a vulnerable population and are at higher risk for social and emotional challenges compared to their peers without LD. A strengths‐based orientation is recommended to encourage building resilience factors to counteract the negative effects of LD over the lifespan. To identify areas of strength and areas for growth, measurement tools that are appropriate for the population of students with LD are needed. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Social Emotional Health Survey—Secondary for use with students with LD. Data from students in three secondary schools (n = 2,847) were used to confirm the factor structure, establish measurement invariance, and compare the social–emotional profiles of students with and without LD. The LD group was found to report lower overall social–emotional strengths than those of their non‐LD peers. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.     

Testing Factorial Invariance With Unbalanced Samples

In testing the factorial invariance of a measure across groups, the groups are often of different sizes. Large imbalances in group size might affect the results of factorial invariance studies and lead to incorrect conclusions of invariance because the fit function in multiple-group factor analysis includes a weighting by group sample size. The implication is that violations of invariance might not be detected if the sample sizes of the 2 groups are severely unbalanced. In this study, we examined the effects of group size differences on results of factorial invariance tests, proposed a subsampling method to address unbalanced sample size issue in factorial invariance studies, and evaluated the proposed approach in various simulation conditions. Our findings confirm that violations of invariance might be masked in the case of severely unbalanced group size conditions and support the use of the proposed subsampling method to obtain accurate results for invariance studies.     

降低招生中考试比重 增加考试中能力比重——高考向何处去之我见

应试教育正在摧残着中华民族的自主创新能力,必须下决心通过高考改革来改变应试教育的局面。缺乏动力和优化机制的现行体制是造成高考改革迟滞不前的主要因素。高考改革的出路是:在招生中,降低考试所占比重;在考试中,增加能力考查所占比重。基于此, 现提出了一个授予高中教师发言权的操作方案。为了争取21世纪中国的发展机会,需要付出一定的代价,并呼吁教育主管领导,通过更积极地推动教育改革而为中国的发展作出更大贡献。     

Measurement Invariance Testing with Many Groups: A Comparison of Five Approaches

With the increasing use of international survey data especially in cross-cultural and multinational studies, establishing measurement invariance (MI) across a large number of groups in a study is essential. Testing MI over many groups is methodologically challenging, however. We identified 5 methods for MI testing across many groups (multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, multilevel factor mixture modeling, Bayesian approximate MI testing, and alignment optimization) and explicated the similarities and differences of these approaches in terms of their conceptual models and statistical procedures. A Monte Carlo study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the 5 methods in detecting measurement noninvariance across many groups using various fit criteria. Generally, the 5 methods showed reasonable performance in identifying the level of invariance if an appropriate fit criterion was used (e.g., Bayesian information criteron with multilevel factor mixture modeling). Finally, general guidelines in selecting an appropriate method are provided.     

农民减负问题刍议

近年来，减轻农民负担工作取得了很大的成绩，但是，也存在着一些不容忽视的问题，必须从农民负担成为问题原因入手，坚持标本 台，综合治理，从根本上解决农民负担过重的问题。     

平移不变小波在图像融合中的应用

二元树复数小波变换（DTCWT）分析图像纹理特征,它具有：近似的移动不变性;在二维变换中具有良好的方向选择性、完备重构性、有限冗余性和计算高效性等优点.DTCWT能得到较好的图像纹理特征和具有更好的鲁棒性.在图像有较小位移情况下,基于DTCWT算法的融合结果要比DWT好得多,融合效果较好.     

温度测控实验系统的设计

本实验系统通过单片机AT89C51实现了温度的测量与控制,设有键盘和显示电路,能够实现对温度的设定、修改、清零和显示当前温度值,同时对温度超过上下限时进行报警处理的功能.为学习温度测量与控制的软件编写和程序调试提供了硬件实验环境.