Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Iowa, 2008. / Thesis supervisor: Timothy Ansley. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-90).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2008. / Title from title screen (site viewed Sept. 18, 2008). PDF text: iii, vi, 155 p. ; 4 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3303721. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

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Neuropsychologists are becoming increasingly aware that there is a complex interplay of cognitive, personality, and sociocultural factors that affect an individual's performance on neuropsychological tests. The current study investigated the effect of one aspect of the sociocultural environment, that is, quality of education, on performance on neuropsychological tests of executive function. The sample included 40 high school learners: Group A comprised learners with a high quality of education and Group B comprised learners with a low quality of education. Four tests of executive function were administered: the Verbal Fluency Test, the Design Fluency Test, the Stroop Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results indicated that quality of education significantly affected the participants' performance with Group A performing significantly better than Group B on all the tests of executive function. These findings have implications for the interpretation of neuropsychological test performance in cross-cultural research and practice. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Neuropsychologists are becoming increasingly aware that there is a complex interplay of cognitive, personality, and sociocultural factors that affect an individual's performance on neuropsychological tests. The current study investigated the effect of one aspect of the sociocultural environment, that is, quality of education, on performance on neuropsychological tests of executive function. The sample included 40 high school learners: Group A comprised learners with a high quality of education and Group B comprised learners with a low quality of education. Four tests of executive function were administered: the Verbal Fluency Test, the Design Fluency Test, the Stroop Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Results indicated that quality of education significantly affected the participants' performance with Group A performing significantly better than Group B on all the tests of executive function. These findings have implications for the interpretation of neuropsychological test performance in cross-cultural research and practice. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The PEAK Relational Training System's Direct Training Module was examined to determine age appropriate development norm ages in which to compare to persons with disabilities. Fifty-one typically developing children between ages of 2-18 were scored for the PEAK direct training assessment module by novel implementers (parents, caregivers) as well as professional educational teachers and administrators. Assessment implementation brought scores from fourteen different adult individuals and fifty-one different children's assessment forms for this study. The inter-rater reliability showed consistency of results with the relationship between Peak and age. Inter-rater agreement had a high degree of agreement through the same age, male or female, grade levels with student assessments on the PEAK rating pyramid. These subjective reports may be related and have one advantage that data results may be displayed conveniently in graphical form. The results suggest that there was no correlation between PEAK Total Scores and sex with R-Squared of .49, and produced a significant fit to the data (p < .001). Total PEAK by Age Group with an One Way Anova being: F(4,45) = 23.57, p < .001 suggest that the differences between ages in terms of PEAK total Score was significant.

The purpose of this study was to investigate preliminary psychometric normative data of an English dynamic assessment of narrative language for a group of diverse school-age students with and without language disorder. This study included 364 diverse students with and without language disorder ranging from kindergarten through 6th grade. Students were confirmed as having a language disorder if they had an existing active IEP for language, and scores below a certain cutoff point on a nonword repetition (NWR) task and the narrative language measure (NLM). English language proficiency was investigated, and students were classified as being a dual language learner (DLL) based on student, teacher, or parent report of diverse home language, and poor performance on an English narrative language assessment. Participants were administered a nonword repetition task (NWR), the Narrative Language Measure (NLM), and the Dynamic Assessment of Oral Narrative Discourse (the DYMOND). Data were analyzed within groups of typically developing students and students with a language disorder to identify statistically different mean modifiability and posttest scores given various demographic factors. Results of this study indicate that modifiability and posttest scores for typically developing students were not found to be statistically different given gender or school location, however, significant differences were noted given grade and level of English proficiency or DLL status. The group of students with a disorder demonstrated no statistically different mean modifiability scores given any demographic factor. Students with a language disorder demonstrated significantly different mean posttest scores given school location and English proficiency and DLL status. Results from this study are consistent with previous dynamic assessment research in demonstrating excellent classification accuracy in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. Students may benefit from a norm-referenced dynamic assessment of narrative language in order to provide less-biased standardized forms of assessment for CLD populations.

The simplicity and ease of use of the Rasch procedure is a decided advantage. The test user needs only two numbers: the frequency of persons who answered each item correctly and the Rasch-calibrated item difficulty, usually a part of an existing item bank. Norms can be computed quickly for any specific group of interest. In addition, once the selected items from the calibrated bank are normed, any test, built from the item bank, is automatically norm-referenced. Thus, it was concluded that the Rasch quick norm procedure is a meaningful alternative to traditional classical true score norming for test users who desire normative data.

There is very little in the literature about the sensitivity of norm-referenced tests to growth of diverse groups of test takers, particularly low-achieving test takers, who operate at the lowest 15 percentile of their peers. To bridge the knowledge gap, this study examined the sensitivity to growth of norm-referenced achievement tests. The purpose of the study is to determine the sensitivity of norm-referenced test to the growth of low-achieving students in prekindergarten through 12th grade. Four analysis were performed to test eight identified norm-referenced test for their sensitivity to the growth of students who perform at approximately the 15th percentile or below of their grade peers. Results of the analyses suggested that two of the eight tests are adequate for use with low-achieving students within a norm period. The other six tests showed lack of precision and appeared not to be suitable for measuring progress of low -achieving students.

Denna avhandling, som i huvudsak är resultatet av ett projekt finansierat av Skolöverstyrelsen, består av fem delstudier (I-V) utförda under åren 1977-1991 samt en sammanfattande analysdel (VI). Avhandlingens syfte är att studera det unika svenska relativa betygssystemet, som infördes på försök i folkskolan i början av 1940-talet för att senare permanentas och även införas i enhets- och grundskolan samt slutligen även i gymnasiet. Det relativa betygssystemet beskrivs enligt följande indelning: framväxt och avveckling (V), funktioner (I), effekter och sidoeffekter (III) samt användning och behov (II och IV). I de empiriska studierna har elever, lärare, arbetsgivare och arbetstagare fått ge sina synpunkter på de relativa betygen. I delstudie V analyseras utvecklingen av det relativa betygssystemet med hjälp av offentliga utredningar, remissvar från elev-, lärar-, aibetsgivar- och arbetstagarorganisationer samt också via riksdagstryck.De relativa betygen beskrivs som starkt knutna till urvalet till högre studier och som ett försök att tillskapa ett urvalsinstrument med möjlighet till jämförbarhet och större rättvisa. Betygen har visat sig spela liten roll vid urvalet till olika arbeten. Betygen fyller en "körkortsfunktion" genom att ange inriktning och linje. I övrigt speglar betygen i huvudsak förmåga att tillgodogöra sig teoretiskt stoff. Vid urvalet till olika arbeten beskrivs en utveckling från formella till informella meriter i form av vissa personlighetsegenskaper, t ex samarbetsförmåga, flexibilitet och utåtriktad läggning. Arbetslivserfarenhet, referenser och personlighetsegenskaper betyder mer vid anställningar än skolbetygen.I avhandlingen anges såväl mättekniska, informationstekniska som socialpsykologiska förklaringar till att det relativa betygssystemet är på väg att avvecklas. Betänkligheter riktas mot ett eventuellt införande av målrelaterade betyg p g a styrningsriskerna för elever och lärare, samt också mot riskerna för en ökad kontroll och ett ökat beroende av avnämarna. I avhandlingen noteras skillnader mellan praktiska och teoretiska linjer när det gäller synen på betyg. Som tänkbara förklaringar anges användningen och behovet av betyg liksom också närheten och kopplingen till näringslivet. Betygens officiella funktioner som informations-, motivations- och urvalsinstrument har gradvis minskat. Tidigare har frågor om styrning och kontroll kommit i bakgrunden i förhållande till de officiella funktionerna. Om målrelaterade betyg införs och om betygens roll som urvalsinstrument försvinner, torde betygens styrnings- och kontrollfunktioner behöva diskuteras och motiveringar till att över huvud taget ha kvar betyg i skolan lyftas fram. / This dissertation, which is mainly the result of a project financed by the National Board of Education, consists of five substudies (I-V) carried out between 1977 and 1991, and a summary analysis (VI). The aim of the dissertation is to study group-referenced marks which are unique for Sweden. In the 1940s they were introduced on trial into elementary school, where they were later permanent, and they were also introduced into comprehensive school, nine-year compulsory school and finally also into upper secondary school. The description of group-referenced marks is divided into the following substudies: development and phase-out (V), functions (I), effects and side-effects (III), and use and requirements (II and IV). In the empirical studies, students, teachers, employers and employees have been asked to give their opinions of group-referenced marks. Substudy V analyses the development of group-referenced marks through official reports, through reactions to these reports from student, teacher, employers' and employees' organizations, and also through official parliamentary publications.Group-referenced marks are described as closely connected with the selection to higher education and as an attempt to construct an instrument of selection offering possibilities of comparability and greater justice. Marks have proved to be of little consequence for employment. They function as a "driving licence" by indicating direction and course programme. Marks reflect, above all, the ability to assimilate theoretical subject-matter. The selection to various employments manifests a development from formal to informal merits in the form of certain qualities, e. g. the ability to co-operate, flexibility and extrovert behaviour. Work experience, references and personal qualities are more important than marks for employmentThe dissertation indicates measurement technological, information technological and socio-psychological explanations of withdrawing group-referenced marks. The dissertation also expresses apprehensions about the potential introduction of criterion-referenced marks owing to the steering effects for pupils and teachers, as well as about the risks of increasing control and dependence on potential employers. Differences between practical and theoretical course programmes regarding attitudes to marks can also be observed. These differences can perhaps be explained by the use and needs of marks as well as by the nearness and connection to industry and commerce. The importance of the official functions of marks as information, motivation and selection instruments has gradually been reduced. Problems of steering and control used to be subordinate to the official functions. If criterion-referenced marks are introduced and if marks lose their selection function, the steering and control functions of marks should be discussed and the motives for preserving marks in school should be presented. / digitalisering@umu