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Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Andrew G. Bennett / Online assessments afford many advantages for teachers and students. Okolo (2006) stated, “As the power, sophistication, and availability of technology have increased in the classroom, online assessments have become a viable tool for providing the type of frequent and dynamic assessment information that educators need to guide instructional decisions,” (pp 67-68). As post secondary institutes use online learning environments, education has molded into hybrid experiences. Traditional courses now regularly infuse components of online learning and assessments by required student participation both in person and online. Research is needed to analyze online components of assessment and student achievement. Data was gathered from an undergraduate mathematics course designed for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. The course was entitled MATH 320: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. Synergies of quantitative and qualitative data were evaluated to assess the impact of written and video help tutorials in online quizzes on student achievement. Three forms of data were collected: student interviews, surveys about students’ online quiz experiences and learning style preferences, and student performance and tutorial usage statistics from seven online quizzes. Student interviews were conducted mid-semester by the researcher who also transcribed and analyzed data. Graphical schemes were used to identify and categorize responses to interview questions. Students’ responses were summarized and quantified in frequency tables. Surveys about students’ online quiz experiences and learning style preferences were analyzed through descriptive statistical methods to describe the data with numerical indices and in graphical form. Correlation matrices and linear regression models were used to identify relationships among survey items. Additionally, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) techniques were used to explore the data for statistical significance. Students were assigned seven online quizzes throughout the semester. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe the online quiz data. Regression models were used to determine correlations between use of help tutorials and performance on online quizzes. Data analysis revealed students were persistent and motivated to retake similar quizzes multiple times until a high or perfect score was obtained. After missing a problem, students selected written help tutorials more often than video help tutorials to identify mistakes and understand how to solve the particular problem. The proportion of students whose scores improved after using both written and video help tutorials was greater than those who used the written help tutorials alone. Although the number of students who benefited from the video help tutorials was smaller than expected, the increased performance could be appreciated by students and educators alike. The research presented herein should serve as a base for curriculum development in university mathematics programs utilizing or considering implementation of online tutorials coupled with student evaluation.

The present study investigated cultural bias in the WISC-R and problems that arise from translating the WISC-R from one language to another. Four Verbal subtests--Information, Similarity, Vocabulary, and Comprehension--were split in half by their odd and even items. The even items were translated into Bengali, a language spoken in India. The subtests were then administered as a group, pencil and paper test to 80 East Indian children, whose age ranged from 13 to 16 years. The obtained data was compared to that of an American sample of 51 students. Split half Reliabilities, T tests, Mixed Design ANOVAs, P-values and Chi-Squares were used to analyze the data. Results suggest that both groups performed better on the odd items, overall. Translation does affect the difficulty level of items. Further, some items were identified as biased, positively and negatively, against each of the two sample groups.

<p>This quasiexperimental single group design study investigated the validity of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) to identify fourth and fifth grade students who are at-risk in vocabulary development. The subjects of the study were 88 fourth and fifth grade students at one elementary school in Washington State. The Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), a previously validated vocabulary assessment with fourth and fifth grade students, was used to determine concurrent validity with two VLT subtests, the 2000 level and Academic Word Level. The two VLT subtests and GRADE vocabulary subtests were administered over one academic week near the end of the 2011-2012 school year. </p><p> Prior research has identified vocabulary knowledge and development as a key indicator in reading achievement. However, there is currently a lack of assessments able to identify students who are struggling with vocabulary development. The VLT is a well-established and researched vocabulary test which identifies levels of vocabulary knowledge, but it has been used exclusively with English language learners primarily at the university level. The study, therefore, expands on the current research base on the VLT with a new population to determine if the VLT is a valid vocabulary assessment for fourth and fifth grade students. </p>

<p> Since the landmark Coleman Report was issued in 1966 and questioned whether School Practice, or inputs, may have any effects on student performance, there has been considerable debate in the educational community regarding the role that School Practice may play in learning. More contemporary research has suggested that such factors as teacher training and retention, class and school size, and spending per student, may all have impacts on student academic achievement. Many of the studies that have found School Practice to be influential on higher levels of achievement proficiency have been criticized by others in the professional community for not considering School Context. School Context includes those features of schools over which teachers and administrators have little decision-making authority, such as the socioeconomic, ethnic, and linguistic background of the students at that school, or the school's attendance rate. </p><p> Others have found that for disadvantaged minorities, School Practice may have greater effects than for the general population. This study provides evidence that for Hispanic students, School Practice contributes a small amount to explaining differences in English language arts and mathematics achievement, considering the much larger effects of School Context. </p><p> Additionally, this research suggests that School Practice may have different effects based on geography and subject area content. Specifically, the results of this study suggest that School Practice may be more meaningful for mathematics than for English language arts. School Practice may also have greater effects in schools that are not located in wealthy suburban counties, such as those that surround New York City. In spite of the aggregate small effects of School Practice, there were two variables that were particularly important for their effects on both ELA and mathematics achievement. These variables were the percentage of teachers at a school with advanced levels of training, which had a small positive effect; and the teacher turnover rate, which to a degree had a negative impact on student achievement.</p>

The purpose of this study was to contrast how teachers assign grades with how parents, teachers, and students interpret grades. The investigation, therefore, identified discrepancies between how high school teachers assign grades and how parents and students interpret grades. In addition to discrepancies, this investigation described consequences for students when discrepancies exist, and obstacles to removing these discrepancies. / A case study approach was used in this investigation. It was anticipated, that to successfully use a case study methodology, a linkage must exist between all elements being investigated. Therefore, six high school students were selected along with one of their parents, and their Language Arts and Mathematics teachers. / The findings indicated that a discrepancy exists between how teachers assign grades and how parents interpret grades. A discrepancy does not exist between how teachers assign grades and how students interpret grades. The discrepancies appear to occur because the grading system is not communicated to parents by teachers or students. The expected consequence for students is that their parents misinterpret their performance in school. If grades do not measure what parents perceive they measure, wrong decisions are made. / This case study investigation had three limitations. First, subjective views of the researcher can influence the way information is gathered, recorded, analyzed, and interpreted. Second, these findings can only be generalized to the defined setting. Third, several audiences who interpret and use grades were not included in this study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3503. / Major Professor: Albert C. Oosterhof. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2009. / Adviser: Edward S. Shapiro.

This research describes the development and the content validation of the Counselor's Theoretical Orientation Inventory (CTOI). The purpose for developing the CTOI is to: (1) stimulate the critical thinking skills that drive academia and counseling therapy, (2) help rehabilitation counseling students to assess their theoretical orientation, (3) use as an educational instrument for teaching counseling theories, (4) use as an appropriate instrument for practica and internship placement, and (5) use as an ongoing self-evaluation to enhance continuing education. Ten hypothetical case scenarios about individuals with differing disabilities were written by the researcher. Seven expert professional counselors, each representing seven different counseling theoretical orientations, provided rejoinders for each case scenario. The counseling theories represented in the CTOI are: Adlerian, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, existential, gestalt, person-centered, and reality. Seven rehabilitation counselor educators assessed the CTOI for content validity. Of the theories, the rehabilitation counselor educators identified the person-centered rejoinders at the rate of 97%. The rehabilitation counselor educators identified the remaining theories above the acceptable 70% criterion except for existential theory which received only 69% correct identification. The CTOI was found to have content validity as the overall theory recognition score was 79%. Recognition of counseling theoretical orientations can help rehabilitation counselors to recognize incongruencies between personal and theory-driven beliefs and values and enable them to articulate a personal theoretical approach.