This study built and supported arguments for the use of diagnostic assessment in English as a second language (ESL) academic writing. In the two-phase study, a new diagnostic assessment scheme, called the Empirically-derived Descriptor-based Diagnostic (EDD) checklist, was developed and validated for use in small-scale classroom assessment. The checklist assesses ESL academic writing ability using empirically-derived evaluation criteria and estimates skill parameters in a way that overcomes the problems associated with the number of items in diagnostic models. Interpretations of and uses for the EDD checklist were validated using five assumptions: (a) that the empirically-derived diagnostic descriptors that make up the EDD checklist are relevant to the construct of ESL academic writing; (b) that the scores derived from the EDD checklist are generalizable across different teachers and essay prompts; (c) that performance on the EDD checklist is related to performance on other measures of ESL academic writing; (d) that the EDD checklist provides a useful diagnostic skill profile for ESL academic writing; and (e) that the EDD checklist helps teachers make appropriate diagnostic decisions and has the potential to positively impact teaching and learning ESL academic writing. Using a mixed-methods research design, four ESL writing experts created the EDD checklist from 35 descriptors of ESL academic writing. These descriptors had been elicited from nine ESL teachers’ think-aloud verbal protocols, in which they provided diagnostic feedback on ESL essays. Ten ESL teachers utilized the checklist to assess 480 ESL essays and were interviewed about its usefulness. Content reviews from ESL writing experts and statistical dimensionality analyses determined that the underlying structure of the EDD checklist consists of five distinct writing skills: content fulfillment, organizational effectiveness, grammatical knowledge, vocabulary use, and mechanics. The Reduced Reparameterized Unified Model (Hartz, Roussos, & Stout, 2002) then demonstrated the diagnostic quality of the checklist and produced fine-grained writing skill profiles for individual students. Overall teacher evaluation further justified the validity claims for the use of the checklist. The pedagogical implications of the use of diagnostic assessment in ESL academic writing were discussed, as were the contributions that it would make to the theory and practice of second language writing instruction and assessment.

No description available.

No description available.

Purpose of this study was to propose a simple and effective method for cognitive diagnosis assessment (CDA) without heavy computational demand using Bayesian inference for binomial proportion (BIBP). In real data studies, BIBP was applied to a test data using two different item designs: four and ten attributes. Also, the BIBP method was compared with DINA and LCDM in the diagnosis result using the same four-attribute data set. There were slight differences in the attribute mastery probability estimate among the three model (DINA, LCDM, BIBP), which could result in different attribute mastery pattern. In Simulation studies, it was found that the general accuracy of the BIBP method in the true parameter estimation was relatively high. The DINA estimation showed slightly higher overall correct classification rate but the bigger overall biases and estimation errors than the BIBP estimation. The three simulation variables (Attribute Correlation, Attribute Difficulty, and Sample Size) showed impacts on the parameter estimations of both models. However, they affected differently the two models: Harder attributes showed the higher accuracy of attribute mastery classification in the BIBP estimation while easier attributes was associated with the higher accuracy of the DINA estimation. In conclusion, BIBP appears an effective method for CDA with the advantage of easy and fast computation and a relatively high accuracy of parameter estimation.

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No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Rosangela do Nascimento Costa - 2014.pdf: 2001146 bytes, checksum: 737e629a2f5805a639bff2c2ce8f4425 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This thesis aims to identify the Assessment Diagnostic impacts in the teaching practice of Portuguese Language teachers (LP) at some public schools in Quirinópolis-GO city. The test is part of the teaching-learning process, and as a teacher of the state public school, there were concerns about the issue regarding the application of large-scale assessments in the network, they are: Which impacts of this Assessment can the teachers of LP suffer? How do the teachers understand the results obtained by this evaluation method? How are the results of this evaluation used by the school, the teacher and the Education Department? These concerns echoed and became more disquieting after Thiago Peixoto was named the Secretary of Education in Goiás in 2011, and he proposed changes in state education through The Pact for Education program. This is a qualitative research, however we still need to quantify several data, considering that the whole process of large-scale are quantified anyway. Thus, it was necessary to analyze such data so that research became solid with consistent basis, both in the data as in the theories. I chose to search four state public schools in Quirinópolis because they provide the 9th grade, the focus of my analysis. This research uses studies by theorists focused on the area of education, which theorize about evaluations in the education sector in different areas and instances of that space. I use studies of Hoffman (1995, 2001, 1991), Luckesi (2008), Libâneo (1994), Freitas et al. (2009), Grochosca (2013), Demo (1999) and Viana (2003). In addition, I seek theoretical support in teaching Portuguese Language studies authors like Koch (2005), Travaglia (1998), Bakhtin (2010) , PCNs of Portuguese Language (BRAZIL 1998), and Scaramucci (1999) and other documents governing the education level of the state and country. The research does an interpretative analysis from the quantitative data and responses from interviews and questionnaires applied to the subjects of it. Four schools, four teachers, a coordinator of a school, the SEDUC team, responsible for organizing the Diagnostic Assessment and for monitoring and supporting the Regional Offices of Education (SRE) were surveyed. In the city where surveyed schools are located, the responsible for the assessment of the Regional Education Department was also interviewed. The analysis of the interviews sent the search to certain considerations such as the issue of training performed by teachers, the pressure that they suffer for having positive results in numbers and also the impacts caused by the Diagnostic Assessment in the teaching practice of Portuguese Language teachers and the school routine in general. Reminding that a search like that does not end here and that new doors are opened to further investigation as is a broad subject and requires more discussion. / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar os impactos da Avaliação Diagnóstica na prática docente dos professores de Língua Portuguesa (LP) em escolas estaduais da cidade de Quirinópolis-GO. Ao considerar a avaliação como parte do processo ensino-aprendizagem, e como professora da rede pública estadual de ensino, surgiram inquietações acerca da problemática no que tange a aplicação de avaliações em larga escala na rede, são elas: Quais os impactos a Avaliação Diagnóstica, aplicada pela Secretaria Estadual de Educação de Goiás (SEDUC), pode causar nos professores de LP? Como os professores compreendem os resultados que são obtidos por esse método avaliativo? De que forma os resultados dessa avaliação são usados pela escola, pelo professor e pelo Estado? Tais inquietações cresceram e ecoaram ainda mais com a entrada do Secretário da Educação em Goiás, em 2011, Thiago Peixoto, e suas propostas de mudanças na educação do Estado através do programa Pacto pela Educação. A pesquisa é de cunho qualitativo, porém se faz necessário a quantificação de vários dados, haja vista que todo o processo de avaliações em larga escala são, de algum modo, quantificados. Assim, foi necessário também analisar tais dados para que a pesquisa se tornasse sólida e com bases consistentes, tanto nos dados, quanto nas teorias. Optei por pesquisar quatro escolas públicas estaduais de Quirinópolis, pois nessas funciona o 9º ano, foco de minhas análises. A pesquisa em questão traz à tona teóricos voltados para a área da educação, os quais teorizam sobre as avaliações no âmbito educacional em diferentes esferas e instâncias desse espaço. Para isso, utilizo estudos de Hoffman (1995, 2001, 1991), Luckesi (2008), Libâneo (1994), Freitas et al. (2009), Grochoska (2013), Demo (1999) e Vianna (2003). Além dos autores citados, busco aporte teórico em autores que tratam do ensino de Língua Portuguesa tais como: Koch (1995), Travaglia (1998), Bakhtin (2010), os PCNs de Língua Portuguesa (BRASIL, 1998) , além de Scaramucci (1999) e de outros documentos que regem a educação, em âmbito Estadual e Federal. A pesquisa faz análise interpretativista, a partir dos dados quantitativos e das respostas das entrevistas e questionários aplicados aos sujeitos da pesquisa. Foram pesquisadas quatro escolas, quatro professoras, uma gestora de uma escola, a equipe da SEDUC, responsável pela organização da Avaliação Diagnóstica e pelo acompanhamento e suporte às Secretarias Regionais de Educação (SRE). Na cidad,e na qual as escolas pesquisadas se localizam, também realizei entrevista com a responsável pela avaliação da Secretaria Regional de Ensino. As análises das entrevistas encaminharam a pesquisa a algumas considerações, tais como: a questão do treino realizado pelos professores, a pressão que os mesmos sofrem para que se tenham resultados positivos em números e também os impactos causados pela Avaliação Diagnóstica na prática docente dos professores de LP e na rotina escolar, de modo geral. Lembro-me que uma pesquisa como essa não finaliza aqui, e que novas portas ficam abertas para outras investigações, haja vista que o assunto é amplo e demanda muitos vieses de discussões.

This project study focused on scholarly writing skills of adult students enrolled in a private graduate institution in the West Indies. The institution provided writing instruction, but scholarly writing skills remained inadequate for some students when they began their final projects. The project study provided insight into the most pervasive writing skill deficits and the positive and negative influences on writing skill development among graduate students. The research design was an applied qualitative case study using data collected from a purposeful sample of convenience within a bounded system of current students, faculty members, and administrators in one institution. Open-ended questionnaires (n = 5), interviews (n = 14), and qualitative assessments of student writing samples (n = 10) provided data for thematic qualitative analysis. Findings indicated a wide range of individual needs for writing development and guided the formation of a writing improvement project. The theory of andragogy provided the theoretical foundation for both the study and the project. Enrollment in the institution was limited to adults over 25 years of age; therefore, consideration of andragogical assumptions about how adults learn helped in understanding students' writing deficits and influences on their writing skill development. The project, called the Writing Suite, is an integrated curriculum aimed at developing students' scholarly writing skills throughout their graduate programs. When paired with the institution's emphasis on social change, the development of proficient writing skills will increase each student's potential for effecting positive change in his or her community and workplace.

This multiple-case study examines the explicit and implicit assumptions of six veteran calculus instructors from three types of educational institutions, comparing and contrasting their views on the iteration of conceptual understanding and procedural fluency of pre-calculus topics. There were three components to the research data recording process. The first component was a written survey, the second component was a "think-aloud" activity of the instructors analyzing the results of a function diagnostic instrument administered to a calculus class, and for the third component, the instructors responded to two quotations. As a result of this activity, themes were found between and among instructors at the three types of educational institutions related to their expectations of their incoming students’ prior knowledge of pre-calculus topics related to functions. Differences between instructors of the three types of educational institutions included two identifiable areas: (1) the teachers’ expectations of their incoming students and (2) the methods for planning instruction. In spite of these differences, the veteran instructors were in agreement with other studies’ findings that an iterative approach to conceptual understanding and procedural fluency are necessary for student understanding of pre-calculus concepts.

Assessment, as an integral part of teaching and learning, gained unprecedented prominence in the curriculum in South Africa post 1994. When the new curriculum was introduced, it was assumed that teachers would effortlessly adapt their teaching and assessment practices, and swiftly implement the curriculum. Fourteen years after the inception of the new curriculum, majority of teachers are still grappling with issues of assessment. Previously, there was an exclusive bias towards summative assessment, which is mainly learning product–orientated and less or no focus on the other assessment typologies such as diagnostic and formative assessment, which are learning process–orientated. Of these typologies, diagnostic assessment is not being used maximally to enhance mathematics learning and inform the nature of the interventions to attend to learners’ needs. The study focused on diagnostic assessment by investigating the impact of a particular model, GIST model, on the learning barriers and learner achievement in mathematics among the grade 9 learners. The investigation of the impact of the GIST model was done through the experimental design in four schools with class sizes of d > 40. Data were collected quantitatively through Study Orientation Questionnaire (SOM) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) as well as qualitatively through interviews, observations and document analysis. The t–test and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the GIST model improved the learner achievement practically significantly (d = 0.79). However, the GIST model could not mitigate the learning barriers and improve correlations between SOM and MAT. The study, however, does find grounds to conclude that the latter findings can be attributed to teachers’ lacking understanding and implementation of diagnostic assessment, in particular the GIST components. Hence, certain recommendations are posed with regard to the applicable training of teachers in order to empower them to effectively utilize diagnostic assessment and to guide learners in overcoming learning barriers in mathematics. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Mathematics Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Assessment, as an integral part of teaching and learning, gained unprecedented prominence in the curriculum in South Africa post 1994. When the new curriculum was introduced, it was assumed that teachers would effortlessly adapt their teaching and assessment practices, and swiftly implement the curriculum. Fourteen years after the inception of the new curriculum, majority of teachers are still grappling with issues of assessment. Previously, there was an exclusive bias towards summative assessment, which is mainly learning product–orientated and less or no focus on the other assessment typologies such as diagnostic and formative assessment, which are learning process–orientated. Of these typologies, diagnostic assessment is not being used maximally to enhance mathematics learning and inform the nature of the interventions to attend to learners’ needs. The study focused on diagnostic assessment by investigating the impact of a particular model, GIST model, on the learning barriers and learner achievement in mathematics among the grade 9 learners. The investigation of the impact of the GIST model was done through the experimental design in four schools with class sizes of d > 40. Data were collected quantitatively through Study Orientation Questionnaire (SOM) and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT) as well as qualitatively through interviews, observations and document analysis. The t–test and the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the GIST model improved the learner achievement practically significantly (d = 0.79). However, the GIST model could not mitigate the learning barriers and improve correlations between SOM and MAT. The study, however, does find grounds to conclude that the latter findings can be attributed to teachers’ lacking understanding and implementation of diagnostic assessment, in particular the GIST components. Hence, certain recommendations are posed with regard to the applicable training of teachers in order to empower them to effectively utilize diagnostic assessment and to guide learners in overcoming learning barriers in mathematics. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Mathematics Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

La maitrise de l’écrit est importante et nous savons que celle-ci est loin d’être assurée par l’ensemble des scripteurs du français, au Québec comme ailleurs. À titre d’exemple, les performances des élèves du secondaire québécois en écriture (Ministère de l’Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur, 2019), et plus particulièrement en orthographe grammaticale, se conforment peu aux attentes sociales. Pour soutenir l’apprentissage des élèves dans ce domaine, dans une perspective de différenciation pédagogique, l’établissement d’un diagnostic initial permettant de cibler les forces et les faiblesses des apprenants s’avère une étape primordiale. Pour ce faire, les enseignants doivent disposer d’outils d’évaluation diagnostique adéquats qui permettent de brosser le portrait des difficultés rencontrées par leurs élèves. La présente recherche doctorale vise à répondre à ce besoin en développant un dispositif d’évaluation diagnostique qui cible, par l’analyse des erreurs commises et selon une approche cognitive, les difficultés rencontrées par les élèves de la fin du 1er cycle du secondaire avec l’accord du verbe et des participes passés. Les objectifs spécifiques de cette recherche consistent en la conception, la réalisation, la mise à l’essai et la finalisation de ce dispositif en suivant le cadre méthodologique général de Harvey et Loiselle (2009). La validation du dispositif et de la démarche employée pour l’élaborer se réalise de diverses façons : par l’emploi d’une approche « fondée sur des preuves » (Mislevy, Steinberg, et Almond, 2003) pour la conception du dispositif, par le recours à des experts de contenu pour valider les bases conceptuelles du dispositif, par un questionnaire aux enseignants (n= 4) et deux entrevues semi-dirigées menées avec eux à la suite des mises à l’essai empiriques (auprès de 360 élèves de 2e secondaire) pour vérifier la convivialité du dispositif et son adéquation aux besoins dégagés et, finalement, par l’analyse psychométrique des items des deux tests composant le dispositif créé. Des critères de scientificité sont aussi établis et respectés pour s’assurer que la recherche-développement réalisée comporte les caractéristiques attendues d’un tel type de recherche. L’objet résultant de cette recherche-développement, le dispositif nommé DIAgramm, est un outil d’évaluation diagnostique informatisé et accessible en ligne, composé de deux tests visant des niveaux de diagnostic différents (niveaux constat et recherche des causes, voir B. Rey, 2016) et générant des rapports de résultats complets et précis pour les enseignants. Le niveau constat de DIAgramm vise à cerner les configurations syntaxiques qui posent problème aux élèves alors que le niveau recherche des causes vise à identifier la cause des erreurs commises. Les résultats de cette recherche-développement nous laissent penser que DIAgramm répond tout à fait aux besoins éprouvés par les enseignants, tant en ce qui concerne la qualité des portraits diagnostiques brossés que la convivialité de l’instrument lui-même (administration facile, clarté des rapports de résultats fournis, etc.). / Proficiency in writing is important and we know that this skill is far from being mastered by all French writers, in Quebec as elsewhere. Indeed, the writing abilities of Quebec high school students, and more specifically in grammatical spelling, does not meet social expectations (Ministère de l'Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, 2019). To support students' learning in this area, it is crucial to conduct an initial diagnosis of learners' strengths and weaknesses. To do this, teachers must have adequate diagnostic assessment tools that allow them to draw a picture of students’ writing difficulties. This doctoral research aims to address this need by developing a diagnostic assessment device that targets, through the analysis of errors made and according to a cognitive approach, the difficulties pertaining to the agreement of verbs and past participles encountered by students at the end of the first cycle of secondary school. The specific objectives of this research and development project are to design, implement, test, and finalize this device following Harvey and Loiselle’s (2009) methodological framework. The device and the method used to create it were validated in various ways: by adopting an evidence-based approach (Mislevy, Steinberg, et al., 2003) for the design of the device, by enlisting content experts to validate the conceptual foundations of the device, by surveying teachers and conducting two semi-structured interviews with them after the empirical trials (involving 360 secondary 2 students) to verify the device's usability and its relevance to the identified needs, and finally by psychometrically analyzing the items of the two tests comprising the created device. Scientific criteria were also established and adhered to in order to ensure that the carried out research and development has the expected characteristics for this type of research. The resulting product from this research and development is DIAgramm, an online, computerized diagnostic assessment tool consisting of two tests aiming at different levels of diagnosis (the observation (constat) level and the cause-finding (recherche des causes) level, see B. Rey, 2016). The diagnostic devide further generates complete and accurate results reports for the teachers. The observation level of DIAgramm aims to identify syntactic configurations that are problematic for students, while the cause-finding level aims to identify the cause of the errors made. The results of this research and development suggest that DIAgramm meets the needs of teachers, both in terms of the quality of the diagnostic portraits provided and the user-friendliness of the instrument itself (easy administration, clarity of the results reports provided, etc.).