Based on evidence of the success of data informed interventions in the literature, we undertook a qualitative case study investigation of how two public primary schools used the results of the two external assessments, the Gauteng Provincial Assessment (GPA) and the Annual National Assessment (ANA) in 2008, to improve teaching and learning. At the time of the study the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has not yet guided the schools officially how to use the results and the district participating in the study used innovative measures to assist the schools. During semi-structured interviews, the district coordinator and principal, head of department and Grade 3 Literacy and Numeracy teachers at each of the two schools helped us understand how they interacted with the results. Several reasons were given why neither of the two schools used the GPA results. The ANA results were more useful for the classroom and the district and both schools considered them in part for planning their intervention strategies for the following year. Both exercises were new to the schools and at the time of the study the DBE had not yet provided teachers with guidance on how to use the test results to improve teaching and learning. As a result the two schools studied made very little use of the ANA scores, while the GPA results were found by the teachers to be of no assistance. Instead both schools relied on their internal assessment practices. The DBE have started to address the lack of guidance on how to use the results in 2011.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 93 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-76).

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Research suggests that many high school students are not learning mathematics of value from a personal or an employment perspective. School mathematics often consists of applying memorised algorithms to exercises that do not meaningfully connect with the student's experience, and hence do not lead to the construction of meaningful mathematics concepts by the student. Moreover, most high school mathematics curricula give students a false idea of the essence of mathematics: Instead of understanding mathematics as another powerful lens through which to view the world, and a creative, enjoyable endeavour, it is seen as mere calculation or esoteric gobbledegook. Authentic learning experiences involve a different perspective on both what passes as mathematics and how students learn to mathematise. The study examined high school mathematics knowledge from several perspectives, and sought, through an empirical study, to enhance student learning and attitude towards mathematics through authentic learning. A class of Year 8 students learnt several units of mathematics primarily by authentic methods, using problems or interesting phenomena in the students' own experience, or otherwise meaningful to the student. Qualitative data was collected by multiple methods, including video recordings. Surveys were administered to five classes of Year 8 students and their parents at the beginning and at the end of the semester in which most of the empirical research took place. This allowed a comparison of attitudes towards mathematics between the experimental class and the other classes. A comparison of achievement was also made. / The results indicate that employing authentic learning experiences may enhance learning and attitude towards mathematics. However, prior transmission teaching methods presented a significant barrier to student acceptance of authentic learning. Furthermore, there remain grave problems with other aspects of current high school mathematics curricula, specifically the mathematics content and the assessment style, which act against the full implementation of authentic learning. These problems are investigated and possible future paths considered.

The ultimate purpose of this study was to investigate how to best prepare Singapore students for the Knowledge-based Economy (KBE). Investigating the possible need for the realignment of the primary science assessment to the KBE was of utmost interest as assessment was viewed as the driver of the actual curriculum. This was a mixed methods design study (Creswell, 2005). Fifteen teachers were first interviewed to ascertain the major features of primary school science assessment in both Perth, Western Australia and Singapore. A list of twelve questions was prepared for the eight teacher interviewees in Singapore and the seven teacher interviewees in Perth. The NUD*IST program was used to help organise trends in these teacher responses. Definitions of KBE skills were synthesised from literature reviews and validated by the fifteen teachers for the subsequent survey. The survey involved a list of demographic questions and two matrices. The first matrix required the teachers to rate, on a four-point scale, the use of the eleven assessment modes for the twelve 'process' and KBE skills. The second matrix was a frequency check to determine if the teachers had used a particular mode to assess a particular skill. One hundred and forty-five usable surveys were analysed. The Rasch analysis was performed through RUMM2020 program and unfolding model was sought through the program RateFOLD. The interviews first established that KBE skills and a variety of assessment modes were needed for today's classes. The survey confirmed these needs and found that the paper and pencil test was the most frequently used assessment procedures in Singapore and Perth. In both interviews and the survey, teachers were requested to match the skill(s) to the appropriate assessment mode(s) though the details and justification of such tasks were explained by the teachers in the interviews. In the process, other factors such as 'time constraints' and 'ranking of the teachers' were uncovered as 'hindrances' to teachers assessing the students appropriately for learning. The problems identified by the Singapore teachers were a lack of time, overloaded syllabi and the crucial perceived need of assessment of learning (high-stake summative tests). The results of both the interviews and survey supported the need for a variety of assessment modes (Gray & Sharp, 2001; Hackling, 2004; National Research Council, 1996, 2001 & 2003; Sebatane, 1998; Sterenberg, 1998) to help students learn science in today's contemporary classes. The Singapore teachers in this study were also appealing for help from the policy-makers to use a variety of assessment modes as the system that stipulated the use of the paper and pencil testing was beyond their control and jurisdiction. Recommendations that stemmed from this study include allowing teachers to use a variety of assessments to assess the students' learning in the high-stake Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and not just the paper and pencil mode that has been in used for at least the last thirty years. There are important implications as the learning theories that are currently used to support the assessment of learning are no longer sufficient nor in total alignment with the needs for today's class. For example, a behaviourist taxonomy of skills emphasises the measurable output and not the process of learning. Socio-constructivist approaches that focus on the individual constructing meaning in hislher context such as the use of ongoing formative assessment to encourage feedback (Black & Wiliam, 1998a & b) may assist in engaging the students in lifelong learning which is required in the KBE. Lastly, the significance of this study lies in two aspects, the practical and the scholarly. This study provides the evidence for the need primary science assessment to be more aligned to contemporary needs. This in turn will assist in better preparing the young of Singapore, who are the nation's only natural resource, for the workforce. This study also aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in three ways. Firstly, KBE needs will be connected to the primary science classroom via assessment of skills. Secondly, both KBE and process skills were found to be more appropriately assessed by assessment modes such as portfolio and paper and pencil respectively, as demonstrated through the analysis by Rasch and unfolding models. Thirdly, the gap between the implemented and official curriculum will be narrowed with this proposed change in assessment processes.

Due to the availability of technology, there has been a shift from traditional assessment methods to e-assessment methods designed to support learning. With this development there is a need to address the suitability and effectiveness of the e-assessment interface. One development in the e-assessment interface has been the use of the multimodal metaphor. Unfortunately, the associated effectiveness of multimodality in terms of usability and its suitability in achieving assessment aims has not been fully addressed. Thus, there is a need to determine the impact of multimodality on the effectiveness of e-assessment and to reveal the benefits, primarily to the user. Moreover, those involved in the development and assessment should be aware of potential impacts and benefits. This thesis investigates the role and effectiveness of multimodal metaphors in e-assessment, specifically; the thesis assesses the effect of multimodal metaphors, alone or in combination, on usability in e-assessment. Usability includes efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction. The empirical research described in this study consisted of three experiments of 30 participants each to evaluate the effect of description text, avatars and images individually, avatars, description text and recorded speech in combination with images, and finally, the use of avatars with whole body gestures, earcons and auditory icons. The experimental stages were designed as a progression towards the main focus of the study, which was the effectiveness of full body gesture avatar, considered to be the latest development in multimodal metaphors. The experimentation also assessed the role that an avatar could play as a tutor in e-assessment interfaces. The results proved the positive effectiveness and applicability of metaphors to enhance e-assessment usability. This was achieved through a more effective interaction between the user and the assessment interface. A set of empirically derived guidelines for the design and use of these metaphors to enhance e-assessment is also used in order to generate more usable e-assessment interfaces.

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This qualitative ethnographic study explored the various ways a team of early childhood teachers made sense of, and used, an assessment framework based on learning dispositions and formative assessment for assessing children’s learning. In the late 1980s and early 1990s traditional methods for assessing children were being significantly questioned. The development in 1996 of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, signalled a re-form of assessment practices in the early years. This reform involved a major shift in thinking and practice for teachers who worked in early childhood education. The teachers in this study were already beginning to change their assessment practices to reflect learning dispositions and formative assessment. This study focused on the theoretical and policy framework that reflected the shift toward teachers being encouraged to adopt these new ways for assessing children’s learning Multiple sources of data collection included individual interviews, a group interview, an analysis of documents including relevant policies, staff meeting minutes and Learning Stories written by three of the teachers over a six-month period. Findings revealed that the ways in which the teachers in this study made sense of, and used, the dispositional framework depended on how they viewed the purposes of assessment and their role as teachers. The study also explored some of the consequences of teachers adopting the dispositional framework when they were already experienced in other forms of assessment practice. The significance of self-directed professional development was also highlighted. Implications for management include the need to consider that the theoretical concepts associated with shifting from a developmental approach to a dispositional focus requires extensive time, resources and a team that is committed to change.

This study investigated learning and memory performance similarities and differences between healthy, Spanish-speaking older adults of Hispanic/Latino descent and English-speaking Caucasian older adults. It explored the possibility that the novelty of verbal memory tasks, along with cultural and educational differences, may lead to performance differences in Spanish-speaking older adults' effective use of organizational strategies, such as semantic clustering. It hypothesized that an alternative strategy instruction, which provided explicit detail on how to use the effective semantic clustering strategy, would reduce differences observed between the Hispanic and Caucasian groups. Forty-eight healthy, Spanish-speaking older adults and 55 healthy, English-speaking older adults were administered list-learning tasks in their dominant language. Under standard task instruction, Spanish-speaking older adults with low levels of formal education learned fewer words on the task than Caucasian and Hispanic participants who had higher levels of education. Hispanic participants, regardless of educational levels, also utilized semantic clustering recall at lower rates than Caucasian participants under standard instruction. When provided with explicit strategy instruction, both groups showed reduced list learning, and Hispanic older adults demonstrated reduced response to strategy manipulation compared to Caucasian participants. Finally, in the Hispanic older adult sample, the quality of their formal education and level of acculturation were identified as important predictors of verbal learning outcomes. These findings highlight the need to continue to examine the complex role of demographic and cultural variables on verbal learning and memory processes, as they may impact the assessment of pathological processes such as dementia, as well as the development of effective cognitive interventions for diverse elders.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / This study used a mixed method designed to explore differences in institutional dynamics (Type and Accreditation Method), administrative qualities and characteristics (CAO/CEO Tenure and Management Style), and program support (Money Spent on Assessment and Mission Language) for community college assessment-of-learning programs in the Higher Learning Commission region. Chief Academic Officers from 83 "Community Colleges" in 17 states responded to an on-line quantitative survey (Assessment-of-Student-Learning Program Success [ASLPS]). T test analysis indicated significant differences in ASLPS scores when comparing AQIP with PEAQ institutions and when comparing institutions that included assessment-of-learning language in their mission statements with those that did not. Ten Chief Academic Officers, representing institutions with highest and lowest composite ASLPS scores, were interviewed for the qualitative study. Five "Traits of Perceived Successful Assessment-of-Learning Programs" were derived from the qualitative research.