With commonly usage of polytomously scored items in addition to dichotomously scored items in educational tests, it is likely to see these two item formats in a test. Several procedures are available to detect differential item functioning (DIF) for dichotomously scored items. Most of these procedures are extended to be adapted for polytomously scored items. DIF analyses are usually conducted for either dichotomously or polytomously scored items. In this study, DIF analyses were conducted for mixed test that was composed of both dichotomously and polytomously scored items in addition to dichotomous test that was composed of only dichotomously scored items and polytomous test that was composed of only polytomously scored items. Three DIF detection procedures – IRT likelihood-ratio test procedure as an item response (IR) based approach, logistic regression procedure as a non-item response (non-IR) based approach, and generalized linear latent and mixed modeling (GLLAMM) procedure as an alternative approach - were applied to simulation and 10th grade Spring 2004 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) data. Simulation conditions considered for dichotomous, polytomous, and mixed tests were sample size (N = 600, N = 1200, and N = 2400), sample size ratio between reference group (R) and focal group (F) (N = 300R/300F = 600, N = 400R/200F, N = 600R/600F = 1200, N = 800R/400F = 1200, N = 1200R/1200F = 2400, and N = 1600R/800F), and DIF magnitude (0.32, 0.43, and 0.53). In addition to these conditions, DIF condition (low-shift, high-shift, and balanced) was considered for polytomous test. Simulation was replicated for 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 times for each simulation condition for the IRT likelihood-ratio test and logistic regression procedures. It was found that 200 replications provided more stable results than 100 replications, and 300, 400, and 500 replications did not improve stability of results. Precision of item parameter estimation with IRTLRDIF program that was run to conduct the IRT likelihood-ratio test DIF analyses for simulation data was evaluated using root mean squared error (RMSE), squared bias, and standard error (SE) for all three test types. Significance of main and two-way interaction effects of sample size, sample size ratio, and DIF magnitude on the mean RMSE, mean squared bias, and mean SE was also tested. The results of item parameter stability study indicated that sample size affected the precision of item parameter estimates in all three types of tests. Item parameters were estimated better for larger sample sizes. Sample size ratio affected the precision of both item discrimination and item difficulty parameter estimation in the dichotomous test, the precision of item discrimination parameter in the polytomous test and the precision of the first between category threshold parameter in the mixed test. Samples with equal sample size ratio provided slightly better estimates than samples with unequal sample size ratio. On the other hand, DIF magnitude was not an effective factor on the precision of item parameter estimation in all three test types. In general, the item parameters were recovered well for the dichotomous, polytomous, and mixed tests by IRTLRDIF program. Type I error and power study was also conducted to evaluate performance of the IRT likelihood-ratio test and logistic regression procedures in detecting DIF for the dichotomous, polytomous, and mixed tests. The power of the likelihood-ratio test and logistic regression procedures were above 0.80 for the medium and large sample sizes and the large DIF magnitude conditions in the dichotomous test. The power of these two procedures increased as sample size or DIF magnitude increased. As a result, the type I error rates of both procedures increased. In general, the type I error rates were in good control for this test type. The polytomous test provided similar results in the power of the IRT likelihood-ratio test procedure with the dichotomous test for all DIF conditions. However, the power of the logistic regression procedure was unacceptably low for all DIF conditions, especially for the balanced DIF condition. The logistic regression procedure provided good power only for the large sample size and DIF magnitude condition. The IRT likelihood ratio-test and logistic regression procedures were very powerful for the large sample size or large DIF magnitude conditions and the type I error rates were within the expected value at these conditions in the mixed test. For the GLLAMM procedure, only one typical dataset was randomly chosen out of 500 datasets for each simulation condition in the dichotomous, polytomous, and mixed tests. Item parameter stability of the GLLAMM procedure in the STATA program was compared with the IRTLRDIF program. It was found that overall, GLLAMM provided closer estimates of items parameters to their true values than IRTLRDIF at most conditions for all three test types. DIF analyses were conducted for 2004 FCAT science data of 10th grade students that was composed of 41 dichotomously and 4 polytomously scored items using the IRT likelihood-ratio test and logistic regression procedures across different sample size and sample size ratios (N = 7761 (calibration sample), N = 300R/300F = 600, N = 400R/200F, N = 600R/600F = 1200, N = 800R/400F = 1200, N = 1200R/1200F = 2400, and N = 1600R/800F). DIF in gender was examined for the calibration sample and the sub samples of the calibration sample. Male students were considered as the reference group and female students were considered as the focal group. Several items were detected as DIF in the calibration sample and only 3 of these items were found to have moderate DIF by the IRT likelihood-ratio test procedures and all DIF items were found to have negligible DIF by the logistic regression procedure. These 3 DIF items were detected by the IRT likelihood-ratio test, logistic regression, and GLLAMM procedures for the sub samples of the calibration sample under all sample size and sample size ratios. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: June 12, 2006. / DIF, Mixed Tests, Item Response Based DIF Procedure, Testing, Multilevel IRT DIF Procedure, Measurement, v / Includes bibliographical references. / Akihito Kamata, Professor Directing Dissertation; Janice Flake, Outside Committee Member; Albert C. Oosterhof, Committee Member; Richard L. Tate, Committee Member.

The purpose of this investigation is to explore the relationship between flow state, dissociation, and self-presentation in runners. It was hypothesized that dissociation would be negatively related to flow dimensions of total concentration on the task, receiving unambiguous feedback, having a sense of total control. Conversely, it was thought that dissociation would be positively related to the flow dimensions of time transformation, merging of action and awareness, loss of self-consciousness, and autotelic experience. A questionnaire packet containing an informed consent form, a demographic information handout, a Race Flow Scale (Modified DFS-2; Jackson & Eklund, 2002), the thought recording handout, and the Modified Self-Presentation in Sport Questionnaire (SPSQ; McGowan et al., 2008) was administered to 210 male and female runners. The analyses of this investigation are presented in three subsections: descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and the results of a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), including a posteriori exploratory analyses involving two covariates. Results reveal no significant relationships were established between attentional strategy and the dimensions of flow, or between self-presentational concerns and attentional strategy. However, it was found that individuals who experience self-presentational concerns are less likely to attain the state of flow. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: August 14, 2009. / Flow, Attentional Strategy, Self-Presentation, Runners / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert Eklund, Professor Directing Thesis; Gershon Tenebaum, Committee Member; David Eccles, Committee Member.

Many freshmen students enter colleges and universities without the essential academic skills needed to be successful. Colleges and universities are seeking instructional interventions to address these needs. This study explored the effect of the Social Annotation Modeling- Learning System (SAM-LS) (three instructional interventions including social annotation technology, Merrill's (2002) First Principles of Instruction, and team-based learning) on students' acquisition of reading comprehension, critical thinking, and meta-cognitive skills. RM ANOVA revealed multiple statistically significant (p / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: December 10, 2010. / First Principles of Instruction, Team-based Learning, Student Performance, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Metacognition, Social Annotation / Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of emotional intelligence as it occurs in children and adolescents by investigating the psychometric properties (i.e. validity) of the Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i: YV). The validation of this instrument involved considering its relationship to cognitive intelligence, self-report of personality, and parent-report of behavior. A battery of tests that included a measure of intellectual functioning, an omnibus personality test, a measure of childhood behavior problems, and the EQ-i: YV was administered to a sample of 143 children ranging in age from 8 to 18 years. A small positive relationship was found to exist between Full Scale IQ and the broadband measure of emotional intelligence. Many significant relationships were obtained between the subtests of the EQ-i: YV and the omnibus personality test, suggesting a high degree of relationship. Significant correlations were evidenced among the scales of the EQ-i: YV and the measure of childhood behavior problems, but to a much lesser extent than with personality. The EQ-i: YV demonstrated the abilityt to predict significantly elevated scores on a broadband measure of emotional difficulties. Lastly, aspects of personality were found to contribute more heavily to the prediction of overall emotional intelligence than did cognitive intellectual functioning. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2004. / Date of Defense: February 24, 2004. / Test Validation, Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence / Includes bibliographical references. / Frances Prevatt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Richard Wagner, Outside Committee Member; Gary Peterson, Committee Member; Steve Pfeiffer, Committee Member; Briley Proctor, Committee Member.

This qualitative research study explored the process by which expert and novice counseling practitioners use the computer-based test interpretation (CBTI) for the Self-Directed Search (SDS). Two groups of people were involved in the study: (a) research participants and (b) student assistants. Research participants were the focus of the study; student assistants were not measured or assessed in any way. Research participants were selected from a career center at a large southeastern university. All received some training in the use of the CBTI for the SDS prior to their participation in the study. Student assistants were selected from an undergraduate course in career development. Students in the course take the SDS and receive an interpretation of their CBTI as part of normal classroom procedures. They were invited to have their interpretation audio-recorded for the current study and were offered extra credit as an incentive. Twelve students were selected; those who wanted to assist but were not selected were still presented with an opportunity to receive extra credit. Data collection occurred in two phases. Research participants first interpreted a CBTI for the SDS to two student assistants. These interpretations were audio-recorded. Following the interpretative events, the researcher interviewed research participants; interviews were also audio-recorded. During the interview, research participants were asked about the nature of the student participant's SDS scores and their reactions to the interpretive process. Following the data collection procedures a professional transcription agency transcribed audio recordings. The researcher reviewed transcribed audio recordings from interpretive events and interviews for one participant and identified a preliminary coding system based on themes present in the data. Nvivo qualitative software was used to assist with this effort. The preliminary coding system went through several iterations as data from additional participants was analyzed. The characteristics of expertise identified by Glaser and Chi (1988) were used as sensitizing concepts in order to link the data analysis to relevant literature. Raw data and the preliminary coding system were presented to an auditor with knowledge of qualitative research to provide an objective opinion of the data. Feedback was received and a final coding system was identified. The final coding system consisted of a thematic hierarchy of five major categories, 12 higher order themes, and 13 lower order themes. A second auditor reviewed the final coding system and raw data to ensure the appropriateness of the data analysis. Results revealed that experts and novices interpreted much of the same content presented in the CBTI for the SDS, but did so in different ways. Experts explained more content of the CBTI for the SDS, solicited background information, discussed resources and services, and incorporated elements from two career theories during interpretations. Experts also made decisions about: the relative importance of data, student's career problems, and how to adjust their performance and structure the interpretive process based on the unique needs of students. The results suggested that this study's experts possessed more complex domain-specific schema for the interpretation of the CBTI for the SDS. These schema appeared to enable experts to examine more data, which was used to form more complex conceptualizations of students' career functioning. The findings lent support to the characteristics of expertise identified by Glaser and Chi (1988), as well as for stage theories of the development of expertise identified by Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986). The findings were used to develop a suggested interpretive process of the interpretation of the CBTI for the SDS. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2008. / Date of Defense: September 16, 2008. / SDS, Self-Directed Search, CBTI, Computer Based Test Interpretation / Includes bibliographical references. / James P. Sampson, Jr., Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Janet Lenz, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Irene Padavic, Outside Committee Member; Gary Peterson, Committee Member; Robert Reardon, Committee Member.

The purpose of this dissertation study was to conduct the next stage of research in the development of a new methodology (Smith, 2005) based on an analysis of Graphs and Property Sets (GAPS). The objective of the methodology is to measure the degree of similarity in structure and content of mental model representations. Such measures are useful in determining if and to what extent instructional interventions promote understanding and the acquisition of expertise with regard to complex phenomena and problem solving situations. This methodology builds on earlier research (e.g., Spector & Koszlka, 2004) and was tested in a prototype study (Smith, 2006). The research was developmental in nature and consisted of a formative evaluation of the methodology aimed at answering the following questions: 1. Does the methodology provide useful comparisons of student-constructed models based on relevant attributes of structure and content that are embedded in the model elicitation methodology? 2. What improvements in the methodology are needed prior to further research and development and eventual implementation in the form of a mental model assessment tool? a. What improvements are needed regarding the mental model elicitation methodology? b. What improvements are needed in the mental model representation analysis methodology? The study revealed that the methodology can provide useful comparisons of student-constructed models. The determination of usefulness was based on the feedback received from two professors who are instructors for beginning students in the instructional design program which provided the subjects for this research. The study also identified specific improvements that are needed prior to further research and development of the methodology. For this study, a mental model is an internal cognitive structure created by an individual to explain external phenomena, to solve problems, and/or to predict outcomes of actions and decisions. Such internal structures cannot be observed directly, and methods for representing an individual's mental model vary according to the latitude of expression given the individual and the extent of assumptions that must be made concerning the degree of similarity between the internal model and the external representation. The methodology evaluated in this study represents a systematic attempt to combine freedom of expression on one hand with structured detail elicitation on the other. The intention is to reduce the number of inferences and assumptions an investigator must make in interpreting a mental model representation and address finer levels of comparisons between and among models. The methodology uses an application of graph theory (Chartrand, 1977; Diestel, 2000) and can be distinguished from other graph-based methodologies by one or more of the following characteristics. Subjects create their own graphs to represent their mental models. Subjects provide detailed property sets for each graphic element. Property sets define both the concepts in a subject's mental model and the subject's understanding of how concepts are related. Finally, comparisons between models are based on analyses of properties of graphic elements rather than linked pairs of concept labels. Property set analysis may determine whether or not similar labels in different mental model representations refer to the same concepts. It also may determine whether or not similar concepts are identified with different labels. Assumptions that subjects understand and use concept labels the same way can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the degree of correspondence of one model to another. The research context was a graduate program in instructional design at a large, Southern university. Individuals may enter the program as masters students or doctoral students. The focus of this study was limited to comparisons of mental model representations between novices and experts in the field of instructional design. The methodology was used to examine gaps between the knowledge and conceptions of beginning students and the knowledge and conceptions of their professor who is an experienced practitioner in the field of instructional design. The initial state of student knowledge and conceptions can have significant implications for the design and delivery of instruction. First, understanding students' prior knowledge provides a starting point in bridging the gap between their beginning state and the learning objectives of the instruction. Second, learning of new material takes place with regard to a larger world view students may have. Integration of new knowledge within this larger context requires some awareness of the context's relevant attributes. Next, examination of students' initial conceptions and mental models may reveal misconceptions that must be overcome in order for the learning objectives to be achieved. Misconceptions can be firmly entrenched, and may require design and/or delivery approaches beyond those sufficient to instruct students without such handicaps. It is assumed that a comparison of mental model representations of beginning students with the mental model representation of an experienced practitioner will reveal both initial states of the learners and misconceptions they may have. Participants included three professors who are experienced instructional designers and 19 graduate students in an introductory design course in the Instructional Systems Program. Participants were trained to use the methodology to represent their mental models in responding to an instructional design problem. Mental model representations of students were compared with that of the professor teaching the introductory instructional design course. The comparisons addressed: (a) the degree of similarity in content and structure; and (b) specific areas in student models which might indicate misconceptions or knowledge gaps. The mental model representations of the other two experienced instructional designers were compared to that of the professor teaching the course. This analysis determined that the methodology has utility in comparing the models of persons with similar expertise (experienced designers) as well as those with different levels of expertise (professor/student). It also confirmed that the methodology identifies more similarities between persons with similar expertise than between persons of different levels of expertise. Answer to research question 1. A comparison of student-constructed models based on relevant attributes of structure and content is considered useful if it reveals misconceptions or gaps in knowledge that, if present, will affect the design and/or delivery of instruction for the purpose of improving the potential for learners to achieve the targeted learning goals. The comparison analysis results were shared first with the professor teaching the class of student participants to determine the usefulness of the methodology in identifying misconceptions or knowledge gaps that can affect instructor decisions concerning the design and/or delivery of instruction. Next, the results were shared with the other two professors, one of whom also was an instructor for beginning students in instructional design. The third professor, who did not teach instructional design students, did not comment on the specific application of results; however, the two professors teaching in the instructional design program responded that the information would aid them in making course design and delivery decisions. They indicated surprise regarding (a) the amount of information that the methodology could produce and (b) the extent of the gaps in knowledge that were revealed between entry level students and their professor. Answer to research question 2. Required improvements in the methodology were addressed using qualitative data obtained from analysis of mental model representations and participant responses to questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain participant feedback on the representation process. Comparative analysis data and data from the questionnaires and interviews were examined to determine what improvements are needed prior to further study and implementation of the methodology. The initial analysis results and recommended list of changes were shared with the experienced practitioner group (i.e., the professors) to obtain their reactions to the proposed improvements. The list of recommendations include: (a) an improved training plan with more examples and additional practice; (b) assessment of understanding of both the representation process and the problem statement prior to model elicitation; (c) better design of the model to be used for comparison with student models; and (d) a set of guidelines for constructing the database and performing qualitative analyses. Because this study was limited to a single application and participant group, results cannot be generalized. However, the mental model assessment methodology design is not limited to this specific application. The results of this study can set the stage for future research using other subject areas, different educational levels, and additional populations. The intended features of this methodology are that it will: (a) be generalizable across domains and populations; (b) be applicable for a variety of purposes in education and training including educational research and instructional design; (c) be scalable for practical use in secondary, tertiary and work settings; (d) be appropriate for complex problem solving domains; (e); produce metrics that identify the degree and basis of correspondence between mental models; and (f) provide greater insight into the structure and content of a person's mental model than what is now provided by current mental model assessment approaches. Further research may produce a validation for broader applications and eventual implementation in the form of a mental model elicitation and assessment tool. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: November 26, 2008. / Instructional Design, GAPS, Assessment, Mental Models / Includes bibliographical references. / J. Michael Spector, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ian Douglas, Outside Committee Member; Tristan E. Johnson, Committee Member; Vanessa P. Dennen, Committee Member.

When conducting meta-analysis, reviewers gather extensive sets of primary studies for meta-analysis. When we have two or more primary studies by the same author, or two more studies using the same data set, we have the issues we call 'same author' and 'same data' issues in meta-analysis. When a researcher conducts a meta-analysis, he or she first confronts 'same author' and 'same data' issues in the data gathering stage. These issues lead to between studies dependence in meta-analysis. In this dissertation, methods of showing dependence are investigated, and the impact of 'same author' studies and 'same data' studies is investigated. The prevalence of these phenomena is outlined, and how meta-analysts have treated this issue until now is summarized. Also journal editors' criteria are reviewed. To show dependence of 'same author' studies and 'same data' studies, fixed-effects categorical analysis, homogeneity tests, and intra-class correlations are used. To measure the impact of 'same author' and 'same data' studies, sensitivity analysis and HLM analyses are conducted. Two example analyses are conducted using data sets from a class-size meta-analysis and ESL (English as a Second Language) meta-analysis. The former is an example of the 'same data' problem, and the latter is an example of the 'same author' problem. Finally, simulation studies are conducted to assess how each analysis technique works. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2009. / Date of Defense: May 1, 2009. / Meta-Analysis, Dependence, Same Author, Same Data / Includes bibliographical references. / Betsy Jane Becker, Professor Directing Dissertation; Fred Huffer, Outside Committee Member; Akihito Kamata, Committee Member; Yanyun Yang, Committee Member.

Iconic media moments include when Kerri Strug 1996 Olympic vault with two torn ligaments in her ankle, and Tiger Woods' win in the 2008 US Open with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture on his left tibia. Both athletes were regarded as heroes for competing while injured and particularly because they were successful in doing so. Even fourth grade athletes accept pain and injury as inevitable outcomes of playing sports, and continue to play through the pain and injury (Singer, 2004). Over conformity to the sport ethic can include behaviors such as: risking injury or prolonged illness to compete, playing through pain, inclination to avoid medical attention, or winning regardless of the physical costs (Hughes & Coakley, 1991; Miller, 2008). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between over conformity to the sport ethic and injury in adolescent athletes. Male (n = 98) and female (n = 105) athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 in Tallahassee, FL were recruited to participate in the study. Athletes provided demographic, sport and injury history data and completed the Sport Attitudes Questionnaire developed for this study. The Sport Attitudes Questionnaire measured degree of and reasons for conformity to the sport ethic. Data analysis revealed athletes who were found to be higher in sport ethic conformity reported incurring a significantly greater number of injuries at the .05 level (m = 2.02) than their peers (m = .80) who were found to be lower in sport ethic conformity. Athletes high in conformity reported engaging in sport ethic conformity behaviors because they believed athletes should be tough. Athletes low in sport ethic conformity reported engaging in sport ethic conformity behaviors because they loved their sport. Implications of these results for athletes, coaches and sport psychology practitioners are discussed. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: March 30, 2010. / Health Damaging Behavior, Adolescent Athletes, Athletic Identity, Sport Ethic, Culture of Risk, Sport Injury / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert C. Eklund, Professor Directing Thesis; Gershon Tenenbaum, Committee Member; David W. Eccles, Committee Member.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title from title page (viewed Apr. 19, 2007) Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-30)