No description available.

No description available.

<p> The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)'s emphasis of reading, language arts, and mathematics (RLA&amp;M) and its de-emphasis of science has been a source of great concern among educators. Through an objectivist and constructionist framework, this study explored the unforeseen effects of the NCLB on public science education among Title I (TI) and non-Title I (NTI) students. The research questions focused on the effects of NCLB on Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores in the high-stakes subjects of reading, language arts, mathematics and the low stakes subject of science among TI and NTI 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students in a north Georgia County during the 2010/2011 school year. This study also compared instructional time TI and NTI teachers dedicated to science. A causal-comparative quantitative methodology was used to analyze Georgia's public domain CRCT scores. Three independent-samples t tests showed that TI schools exhibited significantly lower Science CRCT scores than did NTI students at all grade levels (p &lt; 0.0001). The data also showed CRCT scores in high-stakes subjects between TI and NTI students converging but science CRCT scores between TI and NTI students diverging. The self-report survey indicated no significant differences between TI and NTI teachers' instructional science time (t (107) = 1.49, p = 0.137). A teacher development project was designed to focus on improving teacher science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge through a formal introduction to the nature of science. With increasing global science competition, science is more relevant than ever, and communities need students with strong science foundations. Further study is recommended to analyze the factors associated with this science gap between TI and NTI students.</p>

<p> The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) define performance targets which will require assessment tasks that can integrate discipline knowledge and cross-cutting ideas with the practices of science. Complex computerized tasks will likely play a large role in assessing these standards, but many questions remain about how best to make use of such tasks within a psychometric framework (National Research Council, 2014). This dissertation explores the use of a more extensive cognitive modeling approach, driven by the extra information contained in action data collected while students interact with complex computerized tasks. Three separate papers are included. In Chapter 2, a mixture IRT model is presented that simultaneously classifies student understanding of a task while measuring student ability within their class. The model is based on differentially scoring the subtask action data from a complex performance. Simulation studies show that both class membership and class-specific ability can be reasonably estimated given sufficient numbers of items and response alternatives. The model is then applied to empirical data from a food-web task, providing some evidence of feasibility and validity. Chapter 3 explores the potential of using a more complex cognitive model for assessment purposes. Borrowing from the cognitive science domain, student decisions within a strategic task are modeled with a Markov decision process. Psychometric properties of the model are explored and simulation studies report on parameter recovery within the context of a simple strategy game. In Chapter 4 the Markov decision process (MDP) measurement model is then applied to an educational game to explore the practical benefits and difficulties of using such a model with real world data. Estimates from the MDP model are found to correlate more strongly with posttest results than a partial-credit IRT model based on outcome data alone.</p>

The purpose of this inquiry was the construction of a useful, valid, and reliable test instrument to be used for the prediction of the future academic success of students in the Iranian guidance cycle which occurs when students are approximately fourteen years of age. It was assumed that due to the lack of objective measuring instruments and standardized tests, the new guidance cycle would not function efficiently.The first instrument for the purpose of evaluating students' talents and abilities was constructed on the basis of items selected from several widely used American test batteries, such as the DAT and W-G CTA tests. These were translated into the Persian language. The experimental instrument constituted a total of 304 items with which selected Iranian students were tested.The one hundred students in the population selected for this study were randomly selected from eighth grade students at three junior high schools, two boy's schools and one girls' school in Tehran. The items were answered by the students in three sessions and then were returned to the United States for item analysis.Item analyses were run to identify those test items which clearly discriminated between the academically talented and less able students previously identified by teachers in the schools. Since the primary purpose of this experiment was to select the items which would discriminate most effectively, an ordinal index of difficulty was run in an effort to secure the appropriate selection of items. Indices of discrimination were also carried out. The most appropriate experimental approach, with respect to the external criterion (teachers' judgments concerning the students' academic ability), was judged to be the high-low group (HLG) design, with a wide separation between superior and less qualified students. The summary statistics of the item analyses run to determine the difficulty as well as discrimination of test items reflected the relatively high accuracy of the teachers' judgments in distinguishing between academically talented and non-academically talented students in this experiment. It appeared that the tests, on the whole, discriminated between the academically talented and non-academically oriented students, and thus, will likely function more effectively after the less discriminating items have been deleted and the tests are further refined.The items used in this experiment are related to the following seven interrelated competencies and appeared to be a valid measure of the general academic abilities of Iranian students:1. Verbal Reasoning2. Numerical Ability3. Inference4. Recognition of Assumption 5. Deduction6. Interpretation7. Evaluation of ArgumentsIn the first selection, eighty-six items fell within the criteria represented in the item analysis technique designed to strengthen test validity and reliability. An additional number of twenty-four items was selected in the second review of the items, thus making the total number of appropriate items one hundred and ten. The items selected appeared to show high validity and reliability for future testing with Iranian students. These will, hopefully, in the future constitute an assessment measure which will yield high correlation with the future academic success of Iranian students.This kind of test allows the guidance counselors of Iran to feel reasonably certain of the identification and prediction of student talents and abilities associated with academic or technical and vocational studies in the guidance cycle as well as in the subsequent planning of curricular programs. However, it would be difficult to reach final conclusions about the students? Academic success on the basis of test scores alone. There are a number of social and psychological factors which affect the academic success of students. Predictions made about students or their selection should be temporary, flexible, and, in effect, for a short term of time.

Of the billions of stars which compose a galaxy, a few will be members of the so called eclipsing binary star systems. These are systems in which two stars orbit a common center of mass and the orbital plane is oriented along the observer's line of sight. Even though such systems appear as a single point of light, due to the extreme distance from the earth, the structure can be inferred from the observed light variations produced as each star eclipses its companion.The writer constructed the necessary equipment and carried out photoelectric observations of the star system V566 Ophiuchi. A mathematical model was also constructed which produced some approximate dimensions of this system. Three time:; of minimum light were found that indicate that the orbital period has undergone some change during the last few years. The most likely cause for this change is some type of physical interaction between the two stellar components.

<p> Self-evaluation accuracy is a necessary component of music learning. Without it, students rely on teacher feedback and do not develop skills necessary to become independent learners. While research has indicated that self-evaluation is unreliable and inaccurate, peer-evaluation has been shown to have the potential to be both reliable and accurate. Using social constructivist theory and transfer theory as conceptual frameworks, this study investigated the effects of peer-evaluation on self-evaluation skills in the music classroom.</p><p> Pretest and posttest self-evaluation scores of 42 ninth grade band students were compared with three teacher mean scores. Results found students made a slight improvement in self-evaluation accuracy after five peer-evaluations given over 10 weeks. Qualitative analysis of student feedback from peer-evaluations found students improved in both precision and use of musical language and vocabulary. To further investigate students' perception of peer-evaluation, two focus group interviews were administered.</p><p> Emerging themes suggested students have a positive impression of peer-evaluation. They found it to be a team building and motivating activity that made them want to be both honest and critical with their peer feedback. Peer-evaluation allowed students to be part of the learning process that helped them build confidence in their evaluation skills. Students found peer-evaluation to be an effective tool for developing critical thinking skills, specifically analytical listening, and were able to cite examples of how skills used and learned during peer-evaluation were transferred to their own self-evaluation skills. </p><p> As there is little research on peer-evaluation and music at the high school level, it is the hope that this research will provide a foundation for future research of peer-evaluation at all grade school levels and in all ensemble genres. In addition, this research will hopefully support the introduction of peer-evaluation as a methodology to be taught to pre-service teachers and to help dismiss previous negative notions about peer-evaluation to in-service music teachers, shedding light on the positive impacts of peer-evaluation and its possible uses with students in the music classroom.</p>

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

<p>This dissertation presents the results of an experiment that measured the learning outcomes associated with three different pedagogical approaches to introductory physics labs. These three pedagogical approaches presented students with the same apparatus and covered the same physics content, but used different lab manuals to guide students through distinct cognitive processes in conducting their laboratory investigations. We administered post-tests containing multiple-choice conceptual questions and free-response quantitative problems one week after students completed these laboratory investigations. In addition, we collected data from the laboratory practical exam taken by students at the end of the semester. Using these data sets, we compared the learning outcomes for the three curricula in three dimensions of ability: conceptual understanding, quantitative problem-solving skill, and laboratory skills. </p><p> Our three pedagogical approaches are as follows. Guided labs lead students through their investigations via a combination of Socratic-style questioning and direct instruction, while students record their data and answers to written questions in the manual during the experiment. Traditional labs provide detailed written instructions, which students follow to complete the lab objectives. Open labs provide students with a set of apparatus and a question to be answered, and leave students to devise and execute an experiment to answer the question. In general, we find that students performing Guided labs perform better on some conceptual assessment items, and that students performing Open labs perform significantly better on experimental tasks. Combining a classical test theory analysis of post-test results with in-lab classroom observations allows us to identify individual components of the laboratory manuals and investigations that are likely to have influenced the observed differences in learning outcomes associated with the different pedagogical approaches. Due to the novel nature of this research and the large number of item-level results we produced, we recommend additional research to determine the reproducibility of our results. </p><p> Analyzing the data with item response theory yields additional information about the performance of our students on both conceptual questions and quantitative problems. We find that performing lab activities on a topic does lead to better-than-expected performance on some conceptual questions regardless of pedagogical approach, but that this acquired conceptual understanding is strongly context-dependent. The results also suggest that a single &ldquo;Newtonian reasoning ability&rdquo; is inadequate to explain student response patterns to items from the Force Concept Inventory. We develop a framework for applying polytomous item response theory to the analysis of quantitative free-response problems and for analyzing how features of student solutions are influenced by problem-solving ability. Patterns in how students at different abilities approach our post-test problems are revealed, and we find hints as to how features of a free-response problem influence its item parameters. The item-response theory framework we develop provides a foundation for future development of quantitative free-response research instruments. </p><p> Chapter 1 of the dissertation presents a brief history of physics education research and motivates the present study. Chapter 2 describes our experimental methodology and discusses the treatments applied to students and the instruments used to measure their learning. Chapter 3 provides an introduction to the statistical and analytical methods used in our data analysis. Chapter 4 presents the full data set, analyzed using both classical test theory and item response theory. Chapter 5 contains a discussion of the implications of our results and a data-driven analysis of our experimental methods. Chapter 6 describes the importance of this work to the field and discusses the relevance of our research to curriculum development and to future work in physics education research. </p>

<p> With increased dependence on computer-based standardized tests to assess academic achievement, technological literacy has become an essential skill. Yet, because students have unequal access to technology, they may not have equal opportunities to perform well on these computer-based tests. </p><p> The researcher had observed students taking the STAR Reading test (Renaissance Learning, 2009) and noticed a variance in scores in relation to classroom performance. The researcher intended, therefore, to explore variables that may affect the performance of students on a computer-based reading assessment. The researcher tested two different technology-related variables as students took a summative exam, the STAR Reading test. The purpose of this study was to explore how changes in visual stimuli affected the process of reading and student reading behavior. This quantitative study sought to ascertain whether changing the computer read-out to a black screen with white lettering made a difference in student engagement and comprehension among students in grades two through six during a computer-based adaptive test. </p><p> The research site was one K-6 elementary school in a large suburban school district. The participants of the study were 316 children in grades two through six. One hundred and sixteen students were randomly sampled for student engagement data analysis. The researcher conducted a stratified random process to further select data for analysis. Students were exposed to both color display background variables throughout the study process. Teacher observers collected tallies on student engagement behaviors during the test-taking process. </p><p> The researcher calculated the mean level of student engagement on each of five observed behaviors. The researcher also collected reading comprehension data for five subsequent benchmark sessions throughout the year. The engagement results of this study failed to support the hypothesis, which stated that elementary student behaviors during testing would verify a measureable difference in engagement when either a black or white display screen was presented. The results of the reading comprehension test also failed to support the hypothesis, which stated that there would be a measureable difference in elementary students' scores while taking computer-based tests when the computer screen was set to either black or white background.</p>