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This study is an empirical analysis of the 2009 and 2010 forms of the Gyeonggi English Communicative Ability Test (GECAT) based on the responses of 2,307 students to the 2009 GECAT and 2,907 students to the 2010 GECAT. The GECAT is an English proficiency examination sponsored by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (GOE) in South Korea. This multiple-choice test has been administered annually at the end of each school year to high school students since 2004 as a measure of the students' ability to communicate in English. From 2004 until 2009, the test included 80 multiple-choice items, but in 2010, the length of the test was decreased to include only 50 items. The purpose of this study was to compare the psychometric properties of the 80-item 2009 form of the test with the psychometric properties of the shorter 50-item test using both Classical Test Theory item analysis statistics and parameter estimates obtained from 3-PL Item Response Theory. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for both forms was estimated to be .92 indicating that the overall reliability of the scores obtained from the two different test forms was essentially equivalent. For most of the six linguistic subdomains, the average classical item difficulty indexes were very similar across the two forms. The average of the classical item discrimination indexes were also quite similar for the 2009 80-item test and the 50-item 2010 test. However, 13 of the 2009 items and 3 of the 2010 had point biserial correlations with either negative or lower than acceptable positive values. A distracter analysis was conducted for each of these items with less than acceptable discriminating power as a basis to revise them. Total information functions of 6 subdomain tests (speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar) showed that most of the test information functions of the 2009 GECAT were peaked at the ability level of around 0.9 < θ < 1.5, while those of the 2010 GECAT were peaked at the ability level of around 0.0 θ < 0.6. Recommendations for improving the GECAT and conducting future research are included.

An experiment to adjust a programmed college business mathematics text to the level of comprehension suitable for high school students of low ability was prompted by the writer’s awareness of the need for a similar text for high school business majors. The writer was especially concerned with those students who lack ability to attend college, but who go into business offices seeking employment-- positions which invariably require a knowledge of the fundamentals of business mathematics. The case study approach was used in conducting the experiment. The research involved a programmed text of 432 frames, entitled Fundamentals of College Business Mathematics, by Dr. Harry Huffman. Two major objectives were established as a basis for this study. The first objective was to adjust Huffman’s programmed business mathematics text to a level of comprehension of students of below average ability, so that their completed work, without a teacher's help, would be approximately 95 percent accurate. The second objective of the study was to determine whether students could retain the material covered in the programmed unit. This objective was achieved by means of intermediate tests given to each student throughout the unit. Four revisions of Huffman’s original programmed text were necessary to accomplish the objectives of the study. Five panels of student-editors, each panel comprised of three students of below average ability, participated in the research. Revisions to the original programmed text were made on the basis of incorrect responses by individual students working through the unit. Written and oral comments by these students were also taken into consideration in making revisions. Analysis of the data revealed the following results of the total experiment. A total of 104 new frames were added to the original program of 432 frames. This represented a 24.1 per cent increase of frames in the total unit which required an additional 208 responses. There was a total decrease in errors from Panel One to Panel Five of 5.20 per cent. The average score on the six intermediate tests increased 9.1 points from the beginning to the end of the experiment. Results of the experiment lead the writer to conclude that: 1. The error rate of successive panels dropped from 8.03 to 2.83 per cent. This represents a total decrease of 5.20 per cent from the beginning to the end of the experiment. Therefore, it was concluded that senior students, in high school, of below average ability can complete the adjusted programmed unit with an average error rate of less than 5 per cent. 2. Test score average for the panels rose from 78.2 to 87.3, an increase of 9.1 points, from the beginning to the end of the experiment. Therefore, it was concluded that students of below average ability can successfully perform on the retention tests used to measure the result of the programmed unit on fundamentals of business mathematics. / Master of Science

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The use of ICT to enhance the quality of student learning is generally observable in higher education institutions. The adoption of ICT policy for education in Namibia in 1996 has profoundly encouraged the use of ICT to enhance student learning at teachers training colleges, in particular Caprivi College of Education. Although ICT has positioned itself in higher education, its implementation to enhance student learning has been received with mixed feelings, attitudes and perceptions among students. The use of ICT in relation to learning paradigm, collaborative and/or co-operative learning, deep learning approach and assessment seem to be problematic among students and may affect their learning. Issues related to access to ICT, ICT skills and support (technical and service) contribute to students’ negative perceptions towards the use of ICT in learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the possible effect of ICT application on student learning at Caprivi College of Education in order to determine the ICT skills and learning strategies student teachers use to enhance their learning. The research strategy for this study was a quantitative survey. Quantitative data was obtained by administering closed-ended questionnaires to third-year student teachers at Caprivi College of Education. The study concludes that student teachers overwhelmingly perceive the use of ICT to enhance their learning in various ways.

The study reported here examined the move towards online assessments and addressed the question of whether or not different assessment tools affect student scores and student learning. The research activities covered a three-week period, from June 5, 2006 to June 23, 2006. During this time, seventeen third grade students served as their own control group by taking several math tests online and several math tests with paper and pencil. Results were compared to see if performance on computer-based tests would be more successful than pencil-and-paper tests. A follow-up survey to evaluate and interpret the quantitative results was also used. Findings revealed that 59% of the students did better on the paper tests. Further analysis revealed that the overall average of the computer tests was 71.9%, while paper tests revealed an average of 69.9%. In summary, these findings report that there is no significant difference in scores when taking a test on the computer or a test on paper. Suggestions for further research and recommendations are included.

Trainers have long relied on visual content to make their training more effective. As the use of computer-based delivery has become an accepted method of distributing training and instructional materials, a system of standardizing the development and delivery of training workshops was worthy of considerable attention. The study concludes that while many of the older studies do not directly address the use of computer-based presentation applications, a development process can be achieved to streamline the creation of instructional content while maintaining consistency and quality in the content created.

The paper is a review and evaluation of software used for the purpose of its correlation to content standards, ease of classroom use, ability to keep the student on task, and student appeal. This project was to create a software review based on instructional standards and the principles of Bloom's taxonomy, which is a classification of levels of thinking.

The paper is a review and evaluation of software used for the purpose of its correlation to content standards, ease of classroom use, ability to keep the student on task, and student appeal. This project was to create a software review based on instructional standards and the principles of Bloom's taxonomy, which is a classification of levels of thinking.

The purpose of this study was to examine the Computer-Assisted Instructional (CAI) method as an alternative to the Traditional method of instruction for the lowest level of remediation in the content areas of mathematics, reading, and sentence skills, and to specifically determine the comparative effectiveness of these two delivery modes in terms of student success, retention, and costs. The researcher aimed to (a) determine the extent to which ACCUPLACERª mean scores for CAI participants increase based on pre and post measures, (b) investigate the pros and cons fiscally of each method of delivery (CAI vs. Traditional), respectively, (c) examine whether CAI participants are more likely to enroll during the immediately following semester compared to students enrolled in a Traditional course, and (d) investigate the extent to which CAI participants are equally or more likely to complete successfully the course taken during the immediately following semester compared to students enroll ed in a Traditional course. The study consisted of a two-group design (CAI and Traditional), and four dependent variables. All CAI participants (N = 129) were self-selected to participate in the study. A dependent t-test found that CAI participants increased their ACCUPLACER mean scores significantly over time by 22.74 points or 72.6%. A frequency count found that retention rates were slightly higher for the Traditional group (82.3%) in comparison to the CAI group (76.6%), however, chi-square tests did not reveal a statistical significance. Chi-squares found significant increase in success rates for the CAI group as 86% passed their initial course, in comparison to 59.8% of students taught in the Traditional format. CAI participants were found to have greater success (74.1%) in subsequent classes than students taught via the Traditional instructional method (51.9%). / In addition, a straightforward comparison of expense totals between the two groups was conducted to estimate the differences in cost between the groups. The Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) model used, indicated that CAI is less expensive and more effective than Traditional instruction. The cost per credit analysis projected 54.6% savings if CAI is used as the alternative instructional modality. / by John Vassiliou. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.