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M.Ed. / The writers of the HSRC report on the provision of education in the RSA emphasize the necessity of the introduction of a selection programme which ought to be implemented by every educational authority as standard practice. This study forms part of a team research project of the BUE which deals with some of the factors which may have an influence on the academic achievement of degree-course first-year students in the Rand Afrikaans University. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is a connection between the psychometric variable stress and the academic achievement of degree-course first-year teacher trainees and possibly to make an indirect contribution to the development of a selection mechanism for teacher trainees in the RAU should such a mechanism become a reality. At the hand of a study of literature on the subject the psychometric concept of stress was scrutinised specifically with refence to the definition and measuring of the concept and the connection between stress and academic performance. The most important finding was that there is a slight inverse connection between stress and academic achievement - that is low stress is inclined to go hand in hand with better performance and high stress with poorer performance. In the course of the empirical investigation the post hoc approach was followed and use was made of the BUE data bank to supply the necessary information regarding the 1986 and 1987 degree-course first-year students. The statistical technique was used to determine which differences between successful and unsuccessful student groups may be said to be significant, with reference to the various factors of the IPAT stress scale. Although there were no significant differences in respect of the factors, the following did emerge: the stress levels of all the students in the research group may be said to vary between low and average. This points to a normal society. In respect of total stress counts, the following was found: B, A. (Ed, ) students: There are no statistically significant differences between successful and unsuccessful students in respect of conscious, unconscious or total stress. B. Com, (Ed. ) students: The difference between the successful and the unsuccessful student's experience of unconscious stress was found to be statistically significant, respect of conscious or regarded as significant stress was found to be statistically significant but the differences on the total stress cannot be be regarded as significant. B.Sc.(Ed.) students: The difference in successful and unsuccessful students experience of total stress was found to be statistically significant.

Identification and selection of a speech-language caseload in the school setting can be a challenging task. The initial stages of caseload selection are usually in the form of a screening procedure. Although speech-language information is gathered at that time, information about its relationship to each student's academic status is usually not obtained. Such information would be useful in a setting that requires the provision of special education services to be justified from a basis of academic need.

South African research into dynamic assessment has contributed to the growing body of international research which supports the efficacy of dynamic assessment in uncovering learning capacity in a variety of populations of learners with special needs. This study investigated the application of dynamic assessment to a sample of black children within a South African township clinic setting. Aged 9-15 years (mean age = 10.96) they had been referred to the clinic with learning difficulties. The experimental group (n=48) was exposed to a group dynamic assessment process, using certain tasks of the Learning Propensity Assessment Device (LPAD). Their performance was assessed prior to and following the mediated learning intervention. Using Analysis of Covariance, comparisons of pre and post-test scores combined with an innovative qualitative scoring method designed by Lurie and Kozulin (1996) yielded positive findings for the experimental group as compared with a control (n=24) not exposed to mediation. Results of the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and the Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure Test (ROCFT), suggest that the intervention yielded changes, not only in the scores attained, but also in the quality of the responses on the post-tests.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Changes in assessment practice in education are a global issue. Colleges of Education in Namibia also need to accommodate these changes in their training programs for student teachers, to model their practice of all modes of assessment in teaching and learning. Emphasis should be placed on assessment for learning, which is formative in nature. This qualitative case study investigated the following questions: How do teacher educators understand the principles and strategies of formative assessment and how do teacher educators implement formative assessment in their own teaching, which in turn serves as an example to their student teachers. I used three methods of collecting data: interviews, observation and document analysis. The data identify a range of findings in the teacher educators' professed understanding of formative assessment and how it is implemented in their own practice. The data also identify challenges facing the teacher educators in terms of setting a good example to their student teachers in the area of formative assessment. This study also offers suggestions for further studies on formative assessment. These include a suggestion for teacher educators to look at their own practice of formative assessment principles and strategies. A major cross department study could be conducted that includes teacher educators from different subject areas to see to how the implementation of formative assessment in the college varies from one department to another. A third possibility suggests a study involving student teachers from various areas of specialization in the college to see to what extent the implementation of formative assessment in the college affects their future assessment practices.

M.Ed. (Education) / The purpose of this analytical and evaluative study was to establish why certain items of the std 7 English First Language Item Bank did not discriminate well and to make suggestions to avoid similar item failure in future. To do this the item analysis had to be interpreted and the content validity of the failed items and the entire test had to be established. The literature review emphasized the importance of syllabus analysis, test planning, the setting of objectives, item review before the application of a test and the value of item analysis in the creation of item banks. The std 7 English First Language Core Syllabus was analysed according to linguistic principles, educational objectives and skills ...

The purpose of this research was to explore the coherence and effectiveness of an assessment approach that combined principles of cognitive-based assessment, performance assessment, and the Next Generation Science Standards. By drawing on research on learning progressions and cognition in geoscience to design, implement, and analyze an Earth Science performance assessment at the high school level, I explored the challenges and opportunities inherent in a cognitively-based science performance assessment system. The primary research question for this study was: How do cognitively-based performance assessments promote coherence between students’ understanding, responses, and scoring? Four subquestions allowed me to compare observations of student thinking with written responses and scores across multiple modalities in order to characterize the overall coherence of the assessment system. Using a design study approach, an assessment was developed using a two-phase process. First, a construct map was created that outlined a learning progression for each of four geology subdomains: geologic time & stratigraphy; surface processes; plate tectonics; and geologic maps. Second, the construct map guided the development of interconnected performance assessment tasks intended to elicit and measure student thinking within those geology subdomains. Twenty-two high school students engaged in a think-aloud protocol while completing the performance assessment. Student responses from the performance assessment were scored according to a predetermined scoring procedure that generated scores on individual items as well as holistic scores for each construct. Data from student written responses and think-alouds were quantitatively coded in alignment with the cognitive model for the assessment system. I used these data to examine the correlations between student thinking, written responses, and scores, in both item-by-item and holistic modalities. The strength of these correlations varied by construct, but some overall patterns emerged: (1) The design of this cognitively-based science performance assessment was successful in eliciting thinking about all four levels of each construct, and there were instances where student thinking went beyond the intended bounds of specific items. (2) For comparisons of student thinking to written responses or scores, holistic values captured a similar or better level of correlation than individual items, pointing to the important role of holistic scoring in the interpretation phase of this assessment approach. (3) The performance assessment produced scores for three out of four constructs with statistically significant correlations to student thinking. Together, these results show that fully capturing student thinking remains a formidable challenge for the assessment field, but that cognitively-based science performance assessment tasks have significant potential to reveal the extent and breadth of student thinking beyond traditional assessment approaches. The findings in this study have implications for the ways in which different stakeholders in science education, including classroom teachers, curriculum writers, and education leadership, can harness the power of cognitively-based assessment tools to better measure and support student learning.

The purpose of this research was to identify parental involvement variables which are effective in improving the Reading and Math achievement of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A conceptual model examining achievement as influenced by background variables and parental involvement variables was hypothesized. Background variables of socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, child age, and ability were proposed to affect parental involvement variables which were represented by expectations, communication, structure, participation, homework procedures and time, TV time, medication, special education, and the outcome variable, achievement. Parental involvement variables were proposed to have direct affects on achievement. Data from a sample of 208 families with a child diagnosed as having ADHD and attending elementary school (grades Kindergarten through sixth) were subjected to path analytic analyses using multiple regression procedures. Findings were generally inconsistent with much of the previous research on parental involvement within the nonADHD population. Results did suggest some parental involvement variables which had differential, important effects on achievement depending on which criterion was used (Reading or Math grades). It was suggested that these findings were indicative of the behavioral and management problems seen in children with Attention Deficit Disorders, but that there do appear to be certain strategies parents can use to help their ADHD children achieve at a higher level in school. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education