Thesis (M.S.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 46-57)

As the requirements for completion of a high school diploma and the standards set locally and nationally take shifts towards more rigorous coverage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and applicability to the work place, public school curricula must evolve. This report focuses on an urban school district in Texas in the midst of transitioning towards using (i) assessments based on use of STEM principles in “authentic” applications and (ii) product-based evaluations dubbed performance tasks. Physics instructors within the district provided their experiences in the implementation process as well as their views on the authenticity of the tasks they are urged to use. The information from the physics teachers was used as the basis for identifying areas for professional training needed to support instructors in the use of authentic assessments, whether prescribed or instructor-developed. / text

Organizational support for cooperative work has been shifted from using Face-to-Face (FTF) communication in collocated groups to using Communication-Mediated-Communication (CMC) in dispersed groups. This new and growing form of communication has stimulated scholars to study the differences of group performance between FTF and CMC. Task categorization has been the methodology chosen for several empirical research studies. These studies conclude that the effectiveness of a communication medium for a given task depends on the degree to which there is a fit between the richness of information that can be transmitted via a system’s technology and the information richness requirements of that task. However, there are numerous problems associated with using task categorization in such studies. One of these limitations is that categorization forces the researcher to enclose a task situation into a general predetermined category that may not describe the real nature of the activity. For instance, task categorization does not capture the dynamic interaction of groups performing tasks that involve variation. This thesis discusses the weakness and limitations of this approach and, using conclusions drawn from experimental results, propose the adoption of a more systematic approach based on the concept of Ashby’s law of requisite variety. Findings on the differences in performance of FTF groups versus CMC groups of 39 three-person groups of engineering undergraduate students revealed that the group performance was not affected by the communication medium but rather by variation in the task (low and high complexity).

Organizational support for cooperative work has been shifted from using Face-to-Face (FTF) communication in collocated groups to using Communication-Mediated-Communication (CMC) in dispersed groups. This new and growing form of communication has stimulated scholars to study the differences of group performance between FTF and CMC. Task categorization has been the methodology chosen for several empirical research studies. These studies conclude that the effectiveness of a communication medium for a given task depends on the degree to which there is a fit between the richness of information that can be transmitted via a system’s technology and the information richness requirements of that task. However, there are numerous problems associated with using task categorization in such studies. One of these limitations is that categorization forces the researcher to enclose a task situation into a general predetermined category that may not describe the real nature of the activity. For instance, task categorization does not capture the dynamic interaction of groups performing tasks that involve variation. This thesis discusses the weakness and limitations of this approach and, using conclusions drawn from experimental results, propose the adoption of a more systematic approach based on the concept of Ashby’s law of requisite variety. Findings on the differences in performance of FTF groups versus CMC groups of 39 three-person groups of engineering undergraduate students revealed that the group performance was not affected by the communication medium but rather by variation in the task (low and high complexity).

Using neutral and emotional faces as stimuli, the Emotional Continuous Performance Task (EMO-CPT) was designed to measure both “cold” and “hot” executive functions. It was predicted that neutral stimuli would be associated with “cold” circuit functions such as sustained attention and response speed, while emotionally-laden EMO-CPT stimuli would be associated with “hot” circuit functions such as emotional judgement and response inhibition. Twenty-one male and 56 female university students (M = 21.57 years; SD = 3.15) completed the EMO-CPT, Counting Stroop (CS), Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and a demographic survey. The EMO-CPT consisted of 240 trials counterbalanced into 8 separate blocks of neutral, happy, and angry faces, with 1500ms and 3000ms stimulus intervals. Principle axis factor analysis with orthogonal (varimax) rotation revealed “Sustained/Speed” (SS; Eigenvalue = 4.26) and “Accuracy/Inhibition” (AI; Eigenvalue = 2.49) factors accounting for 48.75% of the total variance. The SS factor was modestly correlated with the BRIEF Metacognitive Index (MI; r=.25), and both the Sustained/Speed factor (r=.27) and the Accuracy/Inhibition factor (r=.25) were modestly correlated with the BRIEF Behavioural Regulation Index (BRI). As predicted, “cold” Counting Stroop reaction time variables were related to the Sustained/Speed factor (r’s .30 to .36), and the “hot” BART adjusted inflations SD were related to the Accuracy/Inhibition factor (r = -.22). Correlated with the CS and BRIEF MI, the Sustained/Speed factor appeared to tap “cold” dorsal circuit functions, while the Accuracy/Inhibition factor appeared to be related to “hot” ventral circuit functions. / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Vita. "May 2008" Includes bibliographical references.

Technology may play a critical role in impacting student engagement, specifically within an assessment context. Using a mixed methods approach, I examined the relationship between varying degrees of technology-enhancements applied in a mathematics performance task on the outcome of student cognitive engagement. Using a counterbalanced quasi-experimental design, I evaluated the impact of three performance task platforms on student self-reported cognitive engagement in from a sample of students in grades 6-8 in Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina (N = 450). The three performance task platforms (a) included technology-enhanced (technology-based including animation and interactivity), (b) technology-enabled (computer-based without including animation and interactivity), (c) and paper-and-pencil. The measure used for cognitive engagement (CE-S-DSP & SOS) was a hybrid of previously used self-reporting tools and showed preferable reliability for the overall score of cognitive engagement. The data were not able to be explored using a 5-factor confirmatory factory analysis, due to model fit limitations. Results from the between subjects analysis of variance and did not suggest a relationship between performance task platform (modality type) and student cognitive engagement. Qualitative interview data indicated that students preferred using technology to take tests and overall showed favorability for the technology-enhanced performance task, specifically the interactivity and animations to help visualize and work through the problem. Yet, despite the positive links to technology-enhancements, there were features of paper-and-pencil tasks that students appreciated such as the ability to navigate between the items and the ability to take notes. Results indicated that just putting tests on computers may not be enough and technological affordance should be purposefully implemented. Findings from this study can help inform future use of platform type, technological enhancements employed, and strategies for technology use within an assessment context.

No description available.

In the present study, the relationship between dispositional affectivity and job performance was investigated under the potential mediating effects of job satisfaction. The study was conducted in three phases. In Phase I, the scale development phase, an assistant evaluation form (AEF) was developed by collecting job analytic information from 35 Teaching Assistants (TAs) and critical incidents from 38 faculty members from a wide range of departments in Middle East Technical University (METU). In the second phase of the study, the pilot study, factor structure of the AEF was examined using principle component analyses. Pilot data were gathered from the faculty members working in different departments at METU. Results yielded two factors underlying the AEF. The first factor was named task performance, the second factor was named contextual performance. In the main study phase of the study, hypotheses were tested by gathering dispositional affectivity and job satisfaction data from 103 TAs, and performance evaluation data from 103 instructors whom the TAs had worked with during the previous semester. Results supported only the hypothesis stating that positive affectivity (PA) would predict job satisfaction. Results are discussed along with the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

No description available.