The purpose of the study was to investigate the construct and criterion validity of a shortened form of the Total Individual Progress Level I Pre-kindergarten Screen (TIP-SF). The subjects for the analysis of construct validity were 342 students from a rural and suburban school district in east-central Indiana who were administered the TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance during the years 1985 and 1986. The subjects for the analysis of criterion validity were a subset of 153 students who were administered the TIP and TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance in 1985, and were subsequently administered the PMARP prior to their first grade year in 1986.Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was conducted to evaluate the underlying constructs of TIP-SF. From the 28 items entered as variables, 10 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00 emerged. One-, two-, three-, four-, and five-factor solutions were successively imposed and evaluated. The solution containing four factors,Scholastic Aptitude, Motor, Eye/Hand Coordination, and Communication, was selected as the "best" solution. The obtained factors were similar in number, but dissimilar in nature to the pre-established subscales.Simple and step-wise multiple regression and canonical correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relative ability of scores obtained from TIP and TIP-SF to predict performance on Primary Mental Abilities Readiness Profile (PMARP) subtests. In each of the four canonical analyses, one significant and meaningful correlation between the sets of predictor and criterion variables was obtained. Step-wise multiple regression analyses were used to determine more specifically the predictive ability of TIP and TIP-SF factors and pre-established subscales. Zero-order correlations were computed between the TIP and TIP-SF total scores and the PMARP subscales.Overall, the results of these analyses indicate that the use of the TIP total score provides the best prediction of PMARP subscales. While the TIP-SF total score reliability is comparable to that for the TIP total score, it was not generally as highly related to the PMARP subscale scores. The linear composites of the TIP and TIP-SF factor scores and TIP pre-established subscale scores were approximately equivalent to one another for the prediction of PMARP scores.

The Master’s Thesis “Assessment Of Individual Progress Of High School Students In Role Interpreting” analyses the forms of individual progress assessment, which encourage deeper expression of role interpretation of a literary piece. Only a few years ago theater was included in the 11th and 12th grade high school curriculum. It is based on the basic curriculum and educational standards of high school. They formulate the aims, tasks, structure, content and expected results of theater as a school subject. The curriculum for 11th grade foresees the practice of interpretation, which gives the student the opportunity to understand theater as an overall subject. The assessment of the educational progress of students is in the process of development and change. When thinking about the progress of students in the subject of theater education there should be a consideration of the relation between individual progress and the assessment criteria. The aim of the thesis is to measure the influence of the assessment forms for individual progress in the area of role interpretation among the students of higher grades at school. The research has shown that it is very important to integrate the assessment of the student’s progress into the educational process. Individual assessment forms encourage the constant development of interpretational abilities. Individual assessment in theater lessons is important because it develops an overall integrated personality, regards a wide range of individual... [to full text]

The purpose of the study was to investigate the construct validity of the Total Individual Progress Level I Pre-kindergarten Screen (TIP) for males and females. Exploratory factor analysis of the items was used to determine the underlying dimensions of TIP.The subjects were 799 students from a rural and suburban school district adjacent to a larger city in east-central Indiana who were screened prior to kindergarten entrance during the years 1977 to 1984. The sample was split to allow for cross-validation of the exploratory factor analysis results.The covariance structures of males and females were judged to be similar. Therefore, a principal components analysis using SPSS-X (Nie, 1983) was used to determine the optional number of factors to retain for males and females together in two separate samples. Judgements regarding the number of factors to retain was based on the scree plot and eigenvalue greater than one criteria (Reynolds & Paget, 1981). Both orthogonal and oblique rotations were explored for 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-factor solutions using principal factoring with iterations.The four-factor varimax solutions for Sample 1 and Sample 2 were found to provide the best solution of TIP. The same four constructs were found in both samples and were extracted in the same order, indicating reliability of this factor solution of TIP. The factors were named, in order, Language, Visual, Gross Motor, and Speech Mechanics.The results obtained in the two samples were compared in regard to Rummel's (1970) considerations. Similarities were found in number of retained factors, configuration of the variables, complexity of the solution, variance accounted for by the factors, and communalities. In addition, results of Tucker's congruence coefficient and Cattell's salient variable similarity index indicated factorial similarity for all four factors across both samples.The four derived factors did not completely resemble the four pre-established subscales of TIP.The Concepts subscale did not emerge as a separate construct and the Hearing and communication subscale was broken into two different factors. Fewer items comprised the four-factor varimax solution. Only two of the extracted factors, Gross Motor and Visual, resembled the pre-established subscales of Motor and Vision and Visual, respectively.

The diploma thesis "Individualization in Preschool and Elementary Education" deals with an individualized education of preschoolers and children at the primary school stage. It is a case study with direct observation, interviews and studying the relevant documents qualitatively examines in detail the individualization in a particular educational institution in order to gain insight into its real individualized learning using representative sample to clarify its meaning. The thesis has both theoretical and practical forms and is aimed at studying the possibility of the individualized learning. It analyzes a specific way of teachers' pedagogical work with preschool children and school children in primary education. The first chapter of the theoretical part is based on knowledge drawn from several information sources about the individualization as an organizational form of education and also on synthesis of findings from several pedagogical and psychological disciplines influencing individualized learning; the second chapter describes the basic terms, principles, types, systems and special organizations of individualized educational work. The first chapter of the practical part is based on the direct observation and exploration of individualization in the selected educational institution in order to...