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Two important sets of performance indicators for institutions of higher education have become established in the United Kingdom: research quality ratings and teaching quality ratings. The research quality ratings and, to a lesser extent, the teaching quality ratings influence the level of government funding provided to higher education institutions. This paper considers the correlations between the two ratings and the possible consequences of policies which reshape the higher education sector by concentrating research resources in a limited number of institutions. Comparisons are made between quality assurance/assessment approaches in the United Kingdom and the United States, finding that U.S. higher education is much larger, more heterogeneous and has less government control than U.K. higher education, While the U.S. system of colleges and universities is generally unranked (by those responsible for accreditation), the UK system includes rankings. Use of use various analytical approaches to compare teaching and research ratings for both systems concluded that it remains unclear whether the measurement standards will lead to improvements in teaching and research. (Contains 38 references.) (Author/DM)

If school closures and social-distancing experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic impeded children's skill development, they may leave a lasting legacy in human capital. To understand the pandemic's effects on school children, this paper combines a review of the emerging international literature with new evidence from German longitudinal time-use surveys. Based on the conceptual framework of an education production function, we cover evidence on child, parent, and school inputs and students' cognitive and socio-emotional development. The German panel evidence shows that children's learning time decreased severely during the first school closures, particularly for low-achieving students, and increased only slightly one year later. In a value-added model, learning time increases with daily online class instruction, but not with other school activities. The review shows substantial losses in cognitive skills on achievement tests, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Socio-emotional wellbeing also declined in the short run. Structural models and reduced-form projections suggest that unless remediated, the school closures will persistently reduce skill development, lifetime income, and economic growth and increase inequality. [This paper was prepared for the XXIII European Conference of the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti on "Long-term socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic."]

Predictive student models are increasingly used in learning environments due to their ability to enhance educational outcomes and support stakeholders in making informed decisions. However, predictive models can be biased and produce unfair outcomes, leading to potential discrimination against some students and possible harmful long-term implications. This has prompted research on fairness metrics meant to capture and quantify such biases. Nonetheless, so far, existing fairness metrics used in education are predictive performance-oriented, focusing on assessing biased outcomes across groups of students, without considering the behaviors of the models nor the severity of the biases in the outcomes. Therefore, we propose a novel metric, the Model Absolute Density Distance (MADD), to analyze models' discriminatory behaviors independently from their predictive performance. We also provide a complementary visualization-based analysis to enable fine-grained human assessment of how the models discriminate between groups of students. We evaluate our approach on the common task of predicting student success in online courses, using several common predictive classification models on an open educational dataset. We also compare our metric to the only predictive performance-oriented fairness metric developed in education, ABROCA. Results on this dataset show that: (1) fair predictive performance does not guarantee fair models' behaviors and thus fair outcomes; (2) there is no direct relationship between data bias and predictive performance bias nor discriminatory behaviors bias; and (3) trained on the same data, models exhibit different discriminatory behaviors, according to different sensitive features too. We thus recommend using the MADD on models that show satisfying predictive performance, to gain a finer-grained understanding on how they behave and regarding who and to refine models selection and their usage. Altogether, this work contributes to advancing the research on fair student models in education. Source code and data are in open access at https://github.com/melinaverger/MADD. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

To examine the challenges encountered by Eastern European students within a sixth form college in the United Kingdom. This paper aims to consider the difficulties encountered by this particular ethnic group examining the impact the challenges may have on their performance, success and achievement. This paper will also highlight equality and diversity implications and examine the social mobility of this particular group. [For the complete Volume 13, Number 1 proceedings, see ED568595.]

This paper explores the extenuating circumstances that have a direct impact on Higher Education students' academic progress. It looks at the rules and regulations of two Higher Education Institutions in the UK to determine whether they are in line with basic human rights policies. It also seeks to find out how students' educational progress has been affected by mitigating circumstances. The paper utilises case studies of students who have experienced difficult circumstances over which they had no control, and have therefore had extended interruptive periods in their education, which adversely affected their education progress. The paper also reviews the rules and regulations of the two institutions concerned. The findings from the analysis of the case studies and the two institutions' rules and regulations show that mitigating circumstances do have some negative impact on students' academic progress. The findings also show that educational institutions need to pay closer attention to basic human rights principles in helping students to progress. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]

The advent of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) has led to the availability of large educational datasets collected from diverse international audiences. Little work has been done on the impact of cultural and geographic factors on student performance in MOOCs. In this paper, we analyze national and cultural differences in students' performance in a large-scale MOOC. We situate our analysis in the context of existing theoretical frameworks for cultural analysis. We focus on three dimensions of learner behavior: course activity profiles; quiz activity profiles; and most connected forum peer or "best friends." We conclude that countries or associated cultural clusters are associated with differences in all three dimensions. These findings stress the need for more research on the internationalization in online education and greater intercultural awareness among MOOC designers.

Since the 1980s there have been several attempts in the United States to depart from the single-salary schedule in place since the 1920s and to apply performance-related or merit pay (PRP) to teachers, assessed either at the school level or individually. Meanwhile, in England, a performance-management process is now being implemented that is also a major departure from the manner in which salaries have been calculated. This paper discusses why work advocating PRP in the United States is relevant to a discussion of the same process in England, despite their differences. It looks at the use of history made in that literature before providing a historical account of teachers' pay in England. This work also discusses the background of PRP in England and describes its main features. Much of the argument in favor of PRP rests on the view that a historical change is taking place in the nature of work and the structure of organizations. This paper points out that the changes form a normative model identical to that proposed by post-Fordism. Teachers in England are very demoralized, evidenced in falling recruitment rates and problems with retention. An increasing number of teachers are deciding neither to enter nor to stay. Under the new contracts, uncertainty created by reward and performance-management strategies add to the insecurity created by lack of job tenure. (Contains 8 pages of references.) (DFR)

Educational research has all too often failed to be implemented on a large-scale basis. This paper describes the multiplier effect of a professional development program for teachers and for trainers in the United Kingdom, and how that program was developed, monitored, and evaluated. Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) is a program for students in grades 6-9 that focuses on cognitive conflict and metacognition and that has a track record of long-term increases in student academic achievement. The CASE method involves a significant change in professional practice by most teachers. CASE uses a model of continuing professional development (CPD) that includes coaching, working with whole departments in schools, and integrating both practical and theoretical elements. The critical outcome measure in the evaluation of the CASE professional development program is student achievement. The paper also assesses the extent to which teachers actually used the CASE innovation in their classes (level of use). Data were gathered from interviews with and a questionnaire of teacher cohorts for the years 1991-93 (over 100 teachers from 13 schools) and 1994-96 (88 teachers from 11 schools). The study also conducted interviews with principals and heads of science departments or program coordinators at each school. The study found that teachers' commitment and level of use were significantly greater in schools where there was a unity of vision between the principal and the head of the science department; that teachers' level of use was significantly related to the presence of at least one person who was deeply committed to making the innovation work in that school; and that there was a greater sense of staff ownership in schools where the science department head had adopted CASE for staff-development purposes or because of a belief in the value of children's thinking, and where there was a formal structure for regular discussion. Five figures and one table are included. (Contains 15 references.) (LMI)

This paper explores the PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] achievement of twenty countries in light of some of their demographic differences. SES [student socioeconomic status], nuclear family, gender, home language, and native status were predictive of achievement for every country. Demographics accounted for as little as 8 percent to as much as 22 percent of individual score variance depending on the country and subject. Being male was almost a universal advantage in math, but was a far greater disadvantage in reading for every country. The relative performance of some countries changed when scores were adjusted for demographic differences; however, the Asian countries and Finland remained on top. Instructional strategies related to countries performing above expectations were explored.

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2016, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 of April to 2 of May, 2016. Psychology, nowadays, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, is aimed ultimately to benefit society. This International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. The conference is a forum that connects and brings together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. There is an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2016 received 332 submissions, from 37 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. It was accepted for presentation in the conference 96 submissions (29% acceptance rate). The conference also includes: (1) A keynote presentation from Prof. Dr. Richard Bentall (Institute of Psychology, Health & Society of the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom); (2) Three Special Talks, one from Emeritus Professor Carlos Amaral Dias (University of Coimbra, Director of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Vice-President of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Private practitioner of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Portugal) and Prof. Clara Pracana (Full and Training member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Portugal), another from Emeritus Professor Michael Wang (University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and a third one from Dr. Conceição Almeida (Founder of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, and Vice-President of the Board. Member of the Teaching Committee, Portugal); (3) An Invited Talk from Dr. Ana Vasconcelos (SAMS--Serviços de Assistência Médico-Social do Sindicato dos Bancários de Sul e Ilhas, founding member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and member of NPA-Neuropshycanalysis Association, Portugal). Thus, we would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. This volume is composed by the abstracts of the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT 2016), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). This conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program six main broad-ranging categories had been chosen, which also cover different interest areas: (1) In CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) In EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) In SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; and Addiction and stigmatization. (4) In LEGAL PSYCHOLOGY: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) In COGNITIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) In PSYCHOANALYSIS AND PSYCHOANALYTICAL PSYCHOTHERAPY: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. The proceedings contain the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters by sharing their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. Authors will be invited to publish extended contributions for a book to be published by inScience Press. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, partners and, of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

The teacher assessment that is the subject of this paper is an essentially informal activity. The teacher assesses the student by posing questions, observing activities, and evaluating work in a planned or ad hoc way. The information obtained may be partial or fragmented, but repeating such assessments over time will allow the buildup of a solid and broadly based understanding of student attainment. Such assessment can certainly be formative. Examination of the assessment procedures of teachers preparing the teacher-assessment element of the British National Assessment suggests that teachers may be categorized by their approach to assessment as intuitives, evidence gatherers, and systematic planners. Issues of reliability and validity are discussed, and the moderation of teachers' assessments by the common or consensus judgments of a group or panel of teachers or experts is reviewed. Such moderation is a feature of the British National Assessment. While assessment that is internal to the school is more professionally rewarding to the teacher in terms of enhancing teaching and learning and is more valid, assessment that is to be used outside the school must be more demonstrably comparable across teachers, tasks, and pupils. Statistical moderation and other forms of quality assurance can help ensure this. (Contains 23 references.) (SLD)

Ogbu and Simon's (1998) and Ogbu's (2003) cultural-ecological theoretical framework postulates that voluntary immigrants, those who chose to migrate to a new land, would perform well academically because of their perceived beliefs that they could get a good education and could succeed more in their "new" land of opportunity than in their "native" country. However, does the aforementioned notion hold true for both African and Afro-Caribbean immigrants to North America (USA & Canada) and Europe (U.K.)? The present study addresses a gap identified by Pinder (2010); in which, she called for more studies to explore and document differences in African heritage students' performances in North America and Europe. Thus, this study examines and compares the academic performance of African and Afro-Caribbean immigrant students in STEM in North America and Europe. Findings do suggest that African students consistently do well academically in North American countries and in the U.K. (Europe), and these findings align with Ogbu's cultural-ecological assumptions about voluntary immigrants' performance in a "new" land of opportunity. On the other hand, although data findings suggest Afro-Caribbean students are performing well academically in North American countries, data findings also suggest that they are underperforming in comparison to their peers in the U.K., this finding conflicts with Ogbu and Simon's cultural-ecological assumption.

Separate but related developments in the new generation of school effectiveness research are discussed. The first part of the report presents a short historical overview that traces the change from a largely individualistic research approach to one that is more holistic. Whether schools make a difference is explored, and, if so, what makes them effective. Two competing theories are described that offer different explanations for student effects: the student body hypothesis and school climate hypothesis. These two theories are also the basis for a discussion about the merits of private versus public education in the United States. The second part of the paper reviews the accompanying search for an appropriate data analysis model. The third part describes a new way of analyzing hierarchically nested data by using a large data set (5,310 students in 70 secondary schools in Amsterdam) that represents the different forms of secondary education existing in the Netherlands (comprehensive, administrative, college and university preparatory, gymnasium/lyceum, and miscellaneous). The effects of selection policies in the Dutch educational system are clearly indicated through a statistical tool, homogeneity analysis, that is especially suited for analysis of multilevel data. Results are compared with those from studies of school systems in the United Kingdom and the United States. The selection policies of schools have consequences for student achievement. Eight tables, four figures, and a 44-item list of references are included. An appendix describes the Dutch school system. (SLD)

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a fast pace and affecting academia and professional practice in many ways. Paradigms such as just-in-time learning, constructivism, student-centered learning and collaborative approaches have emerged and are being supported by technological advancements such as simulations, virtual reality and multi-agents systems. These developments have created both opportunities and areas of serious concerns. This conference aimed to cover both technological as well as pedagogical issues related to these developments. The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference received 98 submissions from more than 24 countries. Out of the papers submitted, 29 were accepted as full papers. In addition to the presentation of full papers, short papers and reflection papers, the conference also includes a keynote presentation from internationally distinguished researchers. Individual papers contain figures, tables, and references.

We report on one aspect of a longitudinal study which seeks insight into the ways in which spreadsheet experience and teachers' pedagogic strategies shape pupils' construction of meaning for algebra. Using data from stimulated recall interviews we analyse the evolution of meaning for variable through the mediation of the variable cell and the mediation of naming a column. We discuss metaphors of change and dragging, together with the process of naming. [For complete proceedings, see ED496851.]