Search

Professional teacher collaboration, a fundamental characteristic of lesson study, has been pointed out as a principle of teacher personal and professional growth. This article aims to describe and analyze the development of professional collaboration in a lesson study, highlighting the main stages of this process. The investigation involved six elementary school teachers of Brazilian public schools, in planning, observing, and reflecting on a lesson on the curriculum topic of length measure at grade 4. The participants worked collaboratively planning a lesson about this topic. The methodology is qualitative, with data collected by records and field notes of sessions, conversations, and interviews. The analyses pointed out three remarkable stages of the development of professional collaboration, which constituted the categories of analysis: recognition of collaboration, development of collaboration, and valuing collaboration. The results show that the professional collaboration that developed during the lesson study was facilitated by the dynamics of the different steps of this process and, especially, by the relationship between participants and teacher educators. Collaboration emerged from the activities of planning, teaching, observing, and reflecting on the lesson, and was valued given the encouragement and strengthening of the group insofar as teachers felt confident, encouraged, and welcomed in the group.

Finite complement clauses (FCCs) are an understudied syntactic structure of L2 advanced academic writing. The present study cross-investigated FCCs in qualitative (QUALI) and quantitative (QUANTI) research articles written by Filipino academic writers (FAWs) in Applied Linguistics (APPLING), Communication (COMM), and Measurement and Evaluation (MEEV). Specifically, it determined the FCCs with the most occurrences across five disciplinary research article sub-registers and identified whether these FCCs differ significantly in terms of frequencies of use. With Hernandez's (2021) framework adapted from Biber and Gray's (2016) study, this research analyzed five FCCs in 42 disciplinary research articles. Major results revealed that verb-controlled that-clauses (with 33.69 as normalized frequency count) outnumbered other FCCs in research article sub-registers across disciplines. They were more recurrent in QUALI and QUANTI APPLING research articles (7.91 and 7.54, respectively) and QUANTI and QUALI COMM research articles (7.34 and 6.96, respectively) than in QUANTI MEEV research articles (3.94). In addition, a significant difference exists between them and other FCCs at the p<0.05 level in terms of frequencies of use. In view of these findings, it can be concluded that verb-controlled that-clauses are the most useful FCCs in APPLING, COMM, and MEEV research articles. Likewise, FAWs across the three disciplines write more informally as signposted by their repeated use of that complementizer with these FCCs controlled by verbs. The study draws its implications for academic writing instruction.

Religion has been associated with human values and competencies needed to shape young people into responsible citizens able to make a positive difference in the lives of others. However, this correlation remains dependent on the context. As the correlation has not yet been investigated in Mauritius, which is a multicultural and multi-ethnic country, this study aims to bridge this knowledge gap using a purely positivist epistemological approach. It will analyze the Mauritius-specific data derived from a public data set which was part of the "Mapping the Terrain" project to examine the correlation between religion and a broad set of human values and competencies, namely forgiveness, individualistic orientation, collectivistic orientation, self-efficacy, problem-solving, meaning-making, sense of belongingness, religiosity/spirituality, hope, life satisfaction, gratitude, emotion, regulation, empathy, and self-regulation. The descriptive analysis and the Structural Equation Model (SEM), developed using the SPSS and AMOS software, revealed that (i) independent of ethnic group, educational stakeholders in Mauritius have a high affinity to most of the human values and competences, and (ii) as compared with others, the Muslim community has a slightly lower affinity to forgiveness, life satisfaction, individualistic orientation, self-efficacy, and problem solving. These data, which represent important baseline information needed to inform policymakers and other educational stakeholders, were used to derive a set of recommendations that will further the development of the key human values and competencies needed to promote harmony in a multicultural and multi-ethnic country.

Nowadays, it is not common to come across sectors that can work and succeed without using information technology (IT). IT has now become a part of organizations' management and strategic decision-making mechanisms. Therefore, organizations make serious investments to develop software and system infrastructures and transfer business processes to digital environments such as cloud technologies. So, they get business resilient while they gain opportunities of spreading their business activities to wide stakeholders and customers. Here it is essential to provide assurance that an organization evaluates, develops, implements, maintains, disposes of its IT systems and manages life cycle of all information and information technology systems properly on all physical and logical environments. However, the most important matter is that an organization's objectives are met by the management practices of its information systems. While organizations carry out their digital transformation at a dizzying speed, organizations should be protected from material and moral damages such as loss of money, loss of commercial confidential information, loss of reputation by protecting the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of the information assets they own and also comply with legal legislations such as the protection of personal data and intellectual property rights. In order to achieve this, organizations benefit from one or more frameworks, standards or directives that are suitable for their own structures and needs, separately or by integrating them. However, the most important point in this transformation process is the transition of organizations from IT management understanding to IT governance. In other words, IT has now become a part of the strategic decision-making mechanism by rising from the level of support tool to carry out business processes in organizations. When we search the academic literature, frameworks and standards, it is seen that the key elements of IT governance are structures, processes and relational mechanisms. If these three components are set up correctly and fit the organization, it can be assured that IT aligns with and supports the objectives of the organizations and that effective IT governance is achieved in every kind of organizations. In this research, databases such as Web of Science, IEEE, and SCOPUS are scanned and found articles are reviewed in order to make a literature review on IT Governance Mechanisms and Frameworks. Results are evaluated and discussed. By the way, suggestions for further studies were made and advanced researches were shed light on.

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 certain individuals and harmful long-term implications. This has prompted research on fairness metrics meant to capture and quantify such biases. Nonetheless, current metrics primarily focus on predictive performance comparisons between groups, without considering the behavior of the models or the severity of the biases in the outcomes. To address this gap, we proposed a novel metric in a previous work (Verger et al., 2023) named "Model Absolute Density Distance" (MADD), measuring algorithmic unfairness as the difference of the probability distributions of the model's outcomes. In this paper, we extended our previous work with two major additions. Firstly, we provided theoretical and practical considerations on a hyperparameter of MADD, named "bandwidth," useful for optimal measurement of fairness with this metric. Secondly, we demonstrated how MADD can be used not only to measure unfairness but also to mitigate it through postprocessing of the model's outcomes while preserving its accuracy. We experimented with our approach on the same task of predicting student success in online courses as our previous work, and obtained successful results. To facilitate replication and future usages of MADD in different contexts, we developed an open-source Python package called maddlib (https://pypi.org/project/maddlib/). Altogether, our work contributes to advancing the research on fair student models in education.

The objective of this study was to develop a measure that possesses both reliability and validity in order to evaluate innovative thinking within the realm of education. To achieve this, the instrument's validity and reliability were evaluated through quantitative methods in two distinct phases. A team of educational experts conducted the process of establishing content validity and ensuring that the items on the instrument accurately reflected the intended constructs of creative thinking. Following that, the assessment of concept validity was conducted using confirmatory factor analyses. The aforementioned investigations resulted in the discovery of a five-factor solution consisting of 25 elements, all of which demonstrated scores beyond the crucial threshold. This successful outcome confirmed the presence of distinct factors representing different dimensions of innovative thinking. The study enrolled 1250 students from vocational education institutions as participants. The data obtained from the participants was subjected to principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, leading to the development of a model that exhibited a good match with the empirical data. This indicated the effectiveness of the developed instrument in measuring innovative thinking capacity. In conclusion, the research effectively developed an accurate and dependable tool for evaluating innovative thinking in the realm of education. The gathering of positive data from the participants and meticulous quantitative analyses were responsible for this.

The fact that the mathematics course is abstract, that it is not possible to associate it with daily life, and that it is impossible to concretize abstract expressions causes a prejudice against the this course and leads to a decrease in the academic achievements of students. It is seen that throughout history, various studies have been carried out taking this situation into consideration. A group of these studies is on realistic mathematics education. Realistic mathematics education is an approach that aims to concretize the abstract concepts of mathematics by relating them to real-life situations. The purpose is to make mathematics more understandable by concretizing it. In the study, the subject of calculating the surface area of prisms with the use of realistic mathematics education was taught, and the purpose of the study was to examine the effects of this application. The study group consisted of 20 5th grade students. While determining this group, maximum variety sampling strategy was preferred. In the study, action research, one of the qualitative research methods, was used, and the data were interpreted with the help of descriptive analysis and content analysis. The data collection tools in the study included semi-structured interview forms, video recordings, photos and activity sheets prepared by the students under the guidance of the researcher in accordance with the realistic mathematics education approach. When the findings were examined, it was seen that the students showed a positive development in the meaning and visualization processes; that they could reach mathematical inferences on their own; that they enjoyed the mathematics lesson; and that the realistic mathematics education approach gave positive results on learning. Based on these results, it was suggested that not only the application of the realistic mathematics education approach for different acquisitions but also the inclusion of these activities in the textbooks in accordance with the curriculum will result in improvements in favor of learning.

Background/purpose: Awareness of the mathematical skills and knowledge children possess in their early years is widely accepted. This includes various common positive aspects, not only for educators but also for researchers and policymakers. This study presents a systematic review conducted to meticulously identify empirical studies published in the Scopus-Index Journal database about the mathematical skills children aged 3 to 8 years old have mastered. Materials/methods: This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and the research database comprised of Scopus-indexed journals. The technique followed used "keywords" and Boolean operators. The screening processes included reviewing abstracts, scanning complete texts of published articles, and rejecting those not meeting preset inclusion criteria. Moreover, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and papers not written in English were also excluded. Of the 801 studies initially identified, a total of 15 empirical studies were included in the systematic review. Results: Children master various math skills from a very young age, mainly in "numbers and operations", but face difficulties in skills related to "algebra" as well as "geometry and measurement". Additionally, several preschoolers' characteristics help to explain the acquisition of these skills, with "age" being the primary factor. Researchers use various research instruments and mainly conduct individual semi-structured interviews. Children's geometry skills and knowledge appear to have been studied to a small extent. The areas of "measurement" and "data analysis and probability" were found to be under active investigation. Conclusion: It is worth noting that not only does a noticeable research gap exist for the math domains of "measurement," "geometry," and "data analysis and probability". Factors that seem to affect young children's math skills, such as "gender", "parents' educational level", and "attendance to a preparatory preschool" need further investigation. The implications of the current study's results extend beyond academia, providing valuable insights that educators and policymakers can leverage to enhance the quality of mathematics education during the early years period.

Recent decades have seen a rapid acceleration in global participation in formal education, due to worldwide initiatives aimed to provide school access to all children. Research in high income countries has shown that school quality indicators have a significant, positive impact on numeracy and literacy--skills required to participate in the increasingly globalized economy. Schools vary enormously in kind, resources, and teacher training around the world, however, and the validity of using diverse school quality measures in populations with diverse educational profiles remains unclear. First, we assessed whether children's numeracy and literacy performance across populations improves with age, as evidence of general school-related learning effects. Next, we examined whether several school quality measures related to classroom experience and composition, and to educational resources, were correlated with one another. Finally, we examined whether they were associated with children's (4-12-year-olds, N = 889) numeracy and literacy performance in 10 culturally and geographically diverse populations which vary in historical engagement with formal schooling. Across populations, age was a strong positive predictor of academic achievement. Measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another, as were measures of access to educational resources and classroom experience and composition. The number of teachers per class and access to writing materials were key predictors of numeracy and literacy, while the number of students per classroom, often linked to academic achievement, was not. We discuss these results in the context of maximising children's learning environments and highlight study limitations to motivate future research.

In its original version, control-value theory describes and explains achievement emotions. More recently, the theory has been expanded to also explain epistemic, social, and existential emotions. In this article, I outline the development of the theory, from preliminary work in the 1980s to early versions of the theory and the recent generalized control-value theory. I provide summaries of the theory's evidence-based propositions on antecedents, outcomes, and regulation of emotions, including the fundamentally important role of control and value appraisals across different types of human emotions that are relevant to education (and beyond). The theory includes descriptive taxonomies of emotions as well as propositions explaining (a) the influence of individual factors, social environments, and socio-cultural contexts on emotions; (b) the effects of emotions on learning, performance, and health; (c) reciprocal causation linking emotions, outcomes, and antecedents; (d) ways to regulate emotions; and (e) strategies for intervention. Subsequently, I outline the relevance of the theory for educational practice, including individual and large-scale assessments of emotions; students', teachers', and parents' understanding of emotions; and change of educational practices. In conclusion, I discuss strengths of the theory, open questions, and future directions.

Autism screening questionnaires are sometimes used as a measure of "autism-associated traits" in samples drawn from the general population, even though such tools are primarily developed and designed for use in samples of children diagnosed with or being assessed for autism. Here, we explore the psychometric properties of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) current version reported at age 8 in a large population-based sample. Using data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort study (MoBa), we perform exploratory (N = 21,775) and confirmatory (N = 21,674) factor analyses on items and compare our results with previously suggested factor structure models of the SCQ. Furthermore, we test for measurement invariance across sex and registry-ascertained autism diagnostic status (N[subscript diagnosed] = 636). A 5-factor model provided best fit to the data in both children with and without autism diagnoses, though with some qualitative differences in what the factors represent across these groups. This model performed largely consistently across boys and girls in the general population. Taken together, the SCQ's measurement properties must be carefully considered when it is used in population-based samples and measurement invariance testing of other autism screening tools used in similar contexts is warranted.

Children with developmental disabilities lack sufficient physical activity in their daily lives. The purpose of this study was to see if children with developmental disabilities who participated in stair-climbing exercises had better physical performance and health status than children with developmental disabilities who did not. This study adopted a pre-and-post-test experimental design, enrolling 30 subjects (experimental group, 15; control group, 15) with developmental disabilities aged 5-7 years from pediatric rehabilitation treatment departments of two regional teaching hospitals in Taiwan. The experimental group received stair-climbing exercises and physical therapy twice a week for eight consecutive weeks. The primary outcomes were health-related physical fitness assessment items, including body composition (body mass index: BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness (stair-climbing test), muscular fitness (knee-bend sit-ups), and flexibility (Chair Sit and Reach Test). The post-test measurements of BMI, cardiorespiratory fitness, sit-ups, and muscular flexibility of children in the experimental group were significantly better than the pre-test measurements. The stair-climbing exercise training results for cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and muscular flexibility in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group. Stair-climbing exercise improves the physical fitness of children with developmental disabilities. The results of this study suggest that children with developmental disabilities should be encouraged to engage in this convenient and easy stair-climbing exercise to improve physical performance and health status.

Fit indices are descriptive measures that can help evaluate how well a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model fits a researcher's data. In multigroup models, before between-group comparisons are made, fit indices may be used to evaluate measurement invariance by assessing the degree to which multiple groups' data are consistent with increasingly constrained nested models. One such fit index is an adaptation of the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) called RMSEA[subscript D]. This index embeds the chi-square and degree-of-freedom differences into a modified RMSEA formula. The present study comprehensively compared RMSEA[subscript D] to [delta]RMSEA, the difference between two RMSEA values associated with a comparison of nested models. The comparison consisted of both derivations as well as a population analysis using one-factor CFA models with features common to those found in practical research. The findings demonstrated that for the same model, RMSEA[subscript D] will always have increased sensitivity relative to [delta]RMSEA with an increasing number of indicator variables. The study also indicated that RMSEA[subscript D] had increased ability to detect noninvariance relative to [delta]RMSEA in one-factor models. For these reasons, when evaluating measurement invariance, RMSEA[subscript D] is recommended instead of [delta]RMSEA.

Interest in sustainable careers has grown substantially in recent decades as a host of external and personal forces has increasingly disrupted individuals' continued employment or diminished the quality of their experiences at work. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition and measurement of career sustainability that limits our understanding of the career sustainability process. In this article, we propose a definition that we believe represents the essence of career sustainability and make recommendations regarding the assessment of the construct. We then present a research agenda that includes a framework to guide research on the career sustainability process and identifies areas where future research attention is warranted. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the framework for counseling practice.

The aim of this study was to investigate current trends in research of math anxiety (MA) through bibliometric perspective. Three main clusters were formed based on author keywords: cognitive correlates (working memory, attention, numerical cognition, mental arithmetic), psychological factors and effects (self-concept and self-efficacy, motivation, confidence, attitudes), and educational context (PISA, measurement, gender differences, math achievement, math education, assessment). Analysis of the index keywords revealed somewhat different organization with two dominant clusters: the experimental cluster in which the most frequent are psychophysiological measures and terms and the correlational cluster in which the topics of MA psychosocial factors are most represented. The map of bibliographic coupling showed several relatively separated groups of authors with different focus in cited references. However, a map of co-citation of authors revealed closeness of these separated groups, with Beilock, S. L. and Ashcraft, M. H. by far the most-cited authors in this field.

Purpose: Transcription of conjoined independent clauses within language samples varies across professionals. Some transcribe these clauses as two separate utterances, whereas others conjoin them within a single utterance. As an inquiry into equitable practice, we examined rates of conjoined independent clauses produced by children and the impact of separating these clauses within utterances on measures of mean length of utterance (MLU) by a child's English dialect, clinical status, and age. Method: The data were archival and included 246 language samples from children classified by their dialect (African American English or Southern White English) and clinical status (developmental language disorder [DLD] or typically developing [TD]), with those in the TD group further classified by their age (4 years [TD4] or 6 years [TD6]). Results: Rates of conjoined independent clauses and the impact of these clauses on MLU varied by clinical status (DLD < TD) and age (TD4 < TD6), but not by dialect. Correlations between the rate of conjoined clauses, MLU, and language test scores were also similar across the two dialects. Conclusions: Transcription decisions regarding conjoined independent clauses within language samples lead to equitable measurement outcomes across dialects of English. Nevertheless, transcribing conjoined independent clauses as two separate utterances reduces one's ability to detect syntactic differences between children with and without DLD and document syntactic growth as children age.

The allocation of financial resources in higher education has always been a hot topic of concern in academia and society. The measurement and evaluation of the allocation efficiency of higher education financial resources from the perspective of 'Double first-class' construction is the most important initiative to improve the quality of higher education development and promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. The author constructs a resource allocation efficiency evaluation index system, including two input factors: basic expenditure and project expenditure, and four primary indicators: personnel cultivation, scientific research, international repercussions and social contribution, in addition, ten secondary culture results, results Awarded, education of students abroad, achievement transformation, etc., are considered as output factors. The three-stage Global Super Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model is applied to accurately measure and scientifically evaluate the allocation efficiency of financial resources in China's higher education. Results show that: first, the true efficiency level can be revealed by eliminating the influence of external environmental factors and random noise. Only 2.82% of universities are located on the effective frontier, indicating that there is significant room for improvement in universities' financial resource allocation capacity and fund utilization efficiency. Second, influenced by factors such as external dependence, R&D intensity, industrial structure and fiscal decentralization, the financial resources allocation efficiency is significantly overestimated, many universities rely heavily on external policy environments for financial resource allocation, and the support from the external environment for efficiency improvement in a few universities still needs to be strengthened. The third, promoting the classification evaluation of universities can meet the needs of 'Double first-class' construction and guarantee the development of university characteristics and diversification. The research shows that first-class universities, comprehensive universities, eastern universities have relatively mature management capabilities, and first-class universities, comprehensive universities and central universities are the most suitable for operation scale; while first-class disciplines, liberal arts universities and western universities have the most significant improvement in the efficiency. Additionally, in view of the research questions and empirical analysis results, this paper also discusses the construction of evaluation index system, the impact of environmental factors and efficiency measurement, classification evaluation, and the effectiveness and promotion of the three-stage Global Super-SBM model, presenting the supporting literature, the uniqueness of this study and the areas for further research. Finally, conclusions are summarized, and suggestions are proposed to provide theoretical guidance and methodological references for dynamic adjustments in the allocation of resources in the new round of 'Double first-class' construction and the strategic planning of higher education resource allocation.

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in social learning between individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading known inherited cause of intellectual disability, and individuals with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty school-aged males with FXS and 26 age and symptom-matched males with non-syndromic ASD, were administered a behavioral treatment probe designed to improve levels of social gaze during interactions with others. The treatment probe was administered by a trained behavior therapist over two days in our laboratory and included reinforcement of social gaze in two alternating training conditions -- looking while listening and looking while speaking. Prior to each session, children in each group were taught progressive muscle relaxation and breathing techniques to counteract potential increased hyperarousal. Measures included the rate of learning in each group during treatment, in addition to levels of social gaze and heart rate obtained during administration of a standardized social conversation task administered prior to and following the treatment probe. Results showed that learning rates obtained during administration of the treatment probe were significantly less steep and less variable for males with FXS compared to males with non-syndromic ASD. Significant improvements in social gaze were also observed for males with FXS during the social conversation task. There was no effect of the treatment probe on heart rate in either group. These data reveal important differences in social learning between the two groups and have implications for early interventions in the two conditions.

Scale errors are intriguing phenomena in which a child tries to perform an object-specific action on a tiny object. Several viewpoints explaining the developmental mechanisms underlying scale errors exist; however, there is no unified account of how different factors interact and affect scale errors, and the statistical approaches used in the previous research do not adequately capture the structure of the data. By conducting a secondary analysis of aggregated datasets across nine different studies (n = 528) and using more appropriate statistical methods, this study provides a more accurate description of the development of scale errors. We implemented the zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression that could directly handle the count data with a stack of zero observations and regarded developmental indices as continuous variables. The results suggested that the developmental trend of scale errors was well documented by an inverted U-shaped curve rather than a simple linear function, although nonlinearity captured different aspects of the scale errors between the laboratory and classroom data. We also found that repeated experiences with scale error tasks reduced the number of scale errors, whereas girls made more scale errors than boys. Furthermore, a model comparison approach revealed that predicate vocabulary size (e.g., adjectives or verbs), predicted developmental changes in scale errors better than noun vocabulary size, particularly in terms of the presence or absence of scale errors. The application of the ZIP model enables researchers to discern how different factors affect scale error production, thereby providing new insights into demystifying the mechanisms underlying these phenomena.

Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a responsibility to conduct assessments of decision-making capacity that comply with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Current best-practice guidance, such as the Mental Capacity Code of Practice and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence decision-making and mental capacity guidance, does not stipulate how to accomplish this in practice, for example, what questions should be asked, how options and information should be provided. In addition, HCPs struggle to assess the capacity of individuals with communication difficulties. Aims: This study was a service evaluation that aimed to objectively analyse, using Conversation Analysis (CA), how real-life capacity assessments were conducted in a hospital setting with patients with acquired brain injury (ABI)-related communication difficulties. A second aim was to establish the feasibility of using CA to advance knowledge of the conduct of capacity assessment. Methods & Procedures: Four naturally occurring capacity assessments were video-recorded. Recordings involved speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists and patients with communication difficulties as a result of ABI. The methods and findings of CA were used to investigate the interactional behaviours of HCPs and patients during assessments of decision-making capacity. The analysis was informed by our knowledge of the MCA best practice guidance. Outcomes & Results: An overall structure of capacity assessment that enacted some of the best-practice MCA guidance was identified in one recording, consisting of six phases: (i) opening, (ii) preparation, (iii) option-listing, (iv) test, (v) decision, and (vi) close. The preparation phase consisted of two sub-components: information gathering and information giving. Variation from this structure was observed across the dataset, notably in the way in which options were (or were not) presented. Conclusions & Implications: CA is a feasible empirical method for exploring the structure and conduct of capacity assessments. CA identifies and provides ways of describing interactional behaviours that align with and diverge from best-practice MCA guidance. Future CA studies including a wider range of health and social care professionals and patients have the potential to inform evidence based training for HCPs who conduct assessments of decision-making capacity.

Reading proficiency is important because it has life-long consequences and influences success in other academic areas. Many students with behavior problems are poor readers and many students with learning disabilities have more behavior problems than their typical peers. We conducted a correlational meta-analysis to examine the association between reading and externalizing behavior in students ages 5-12. We identified 33 studies that reported 88 effect sizes. Using a random-effects linear regression model with robust variance estimation, we found a significant, negative correlation (r= -0.1698, SE = 0.01, p < 0.0001) between reading and externalizing behavior. We tested several moderators related to measurement and sample characteristics. We found that rater type, behavior dimension (e.g., aggression), time between longitudinal measurement points, age of the sample, and percentage male of the sample moderated the relation between reading and behavior. Whether the reading assessment measured comprehension or word reading and socioeconomic status of the sample did not moderate the relation. Understanding the association between reading and externalizing behavior has implications for disability identification and intervention practices for children in elementary school. Future research should examine shared cognitive factors and environmental influences that explain the relation between the constructs.

Recent criticisms of large-scale summative assessments have claimed that the assessments are biased against historically excluded groups because of the assessments' lack of cultural representation. Accompanying these criticisms is a call for more culturally responsive assessments--assessments that take into account the background characteristics of the students; their beliefs, values, and ethics; their lived experiences; and everything that affects how they learn and behave and communicate. In this paper, we present provisional principles, based on a review of research, that we deem necessary for fostering cultural responsiveness in assessment. We believe the application of these principles can address the criticisms of current assessments.

Multidimensional achievement tests are recently gaining more importance in educational and psychological measurements. For example, multidimensional diagnostic tests can help students to determine which particular domain of knowledge they need to improve for better performance. To estimate the characteristics of candidate items (calibration) for future multidimensional achievement tests, we use optimal design theory. We generalize a previously developed exchange algorithm for optimal design computation to the multidimensional setting. We also develop an asymptotic theorem saying which item should be calibrated by examinees with extreme abilities. For several examples, we compute the optimal design numerically with the exchange algorithm. We see clear structures in these results and explain them using the asymptotic theorem. Moreover, we investigate the performance of the optimal design in a simulation study.

Short scales are time-efficient for participants and cost-effective in research. However, researchers often mistakenly expect short scales to have the same reliability as long ones without considering the effect of scale length. We argue that applying a universal benchmark for alpha is problematic as the impact of low-quality items is greater on shorter scales. In this study, we proposed simple guidelines for item reduction using the "alpha-if-item-deleted" procedure in scale construction. An item can be removed if alpha increases or decreases by less than 0.02, especially for short scales. Conversely, an item should be retained if alpha decreases by more than 0.04 upon its removal. For reliability benchmarks, 0.80 is relatively safe in most conditions, but higher benchmarks are recommended for longer scales and smaller sample sizes. Supplementary analyses, including item content, face validity, and content coverage, are critical to ensure scale quality.

Services are important for many individuals with autism to achieve meaningful post-school outcomes. To understand how to improve service access, it is important to measure services in ways that capture whether an individual's needs are truly being met. Yet, most measures of service access are simplistic, without fully taking into account the vast heterogeneity among those on the autism spectrum. In this manuscript, we highlight the key issues, challenges, and considerations in measuring service access. We provide ways a service access measure can address some of these issues while also suggesting further ways to improve the measurement of services. We conclude with implications for research, policy, and practice.

Measurement invariance (MI) is a psychometric property of an instrument indicating the degree to which scores from an instrument are comparable across groups. In recent years, there has been a marked uptick in publications using MI in intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) samples. Our goal here is to provide an overview of why MI is important to IDD researchers and to describe some challenges to evaluating it, with an eye towards nudging our subfield into a more thoughtful and measured interpretation of studies using MI.

The goal of this project was to substantiate a more positive conceptualization of adolescent risk behavior and to compare adolescent viewpoints of risk behavior to the items on the Prosocial and Health Adolescent Risk Behavior Scale (PHARBS). A total of 57 high school students participated in the research. Researchers recruited students from an Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology course at a large Midwestern high school. The high school serves approximately 1,750 students in grades 9 through 12. The university Institutional Review Board approved the study procedures. Families provided informed consent, and students assented to participating in one of eight focus group discussions. The focus groups were audio taped, transcribed, and coded. Researchers analyzed the coded data using word count analysis. Students discussed prosocial risk behaviors in addition to health risk behaviors, providing support for the PHARBS and suggesting that adolescents view taking some risks as positive. A more positive conceptualization of risk behavior may better align with how adolescents view risk behavior. Researchers and clinicians might approach adolescent risk behavior measurement and research on the importance of understanding risk behaviors as a normal and potentially positive aspect of adolescent development.

Job automation is a topical issue in a technology-driven labor market. However, greater amounts of human capital (e.g., often measured by education, and information-processing skills, including adult literacy) are linked with job security. A knowledgeable and skilled labor force better resists unemployment and/or rebounds from job disruption brought on by job automation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to advance understanding of the association between educational attainment and literacy, and job automation risk. Using the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data, survey-weighted linear regression was used to model the risk of job automation as a function of education, and literacy proficiency. Higher educational attainment (college or higher vs. less than high school: b = -18.23, p < 0.05) and greater literacy proficiency (score 0-500 points: b = -0.038, p < 0.05) were associated with a decrease in job automation risk among the U.S. workforce.

International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) have had significant impact on education policy across the globe. But has interest in ILSAs now started to wane? This paper presents new evidence on this issue, exploring how the amount of attention three major ILSAs receive compares across countries, between studies and over time. Using information on Google searches made for ILSAs over time, we illustrate how results from TIMSS and PIRLS results receive significantly less attention than those from PISA. Globally, interest in ILSAs seems to have peaked in 2012 and has been on the decline since. There is however substantial cross-country variation, with increasing interest in some countries over the last decade (e.g. Sweden, Turkey) offsetting some of the fall in others (e.g. Japan, German). Moreover, while changes in scores seem to be related to the attention that ILSAs receive, other factors -- including their current position in political and policy narratives -- are also likely at play.

RAN (Rapid Automatized Naming) is known to be a robust predictor of reading development in different languages. Much less is known about RAN predictive power in bilingual contexts. This is the first meta-analysis of research with bilingual children, assessing the strength of the RAN-reading relationship both within and across languages. It also explored the moderators that may affect this relationship. The search identified 38 published studies of bilingual children with 47 samples, 313 effect sizes and 5312 participants. Analyses of random-effects models with robust variance estimation revealed weak-to-moderate overall effect sizes of RAN and reading concurrently (r = -0.39) and longitudinally (r = -0.38). Moderator analyses of concurrent correlations revealed that RAN correlated more strongly with reading fluency (r = -0.56) than accuracy (r = -0.38). Alphanumeric RAN tasks (digits r = -0.39, letters r = -0.42) showed stronger associations with reading than non-alphanumeric RAN tasks (objects r = -0.38, colors r = -0.25). RAN-reading correlation was statistically significant both within and across languages. It was somewhat weaker when the two skills were measured in different languages (rL1RAN-L2 reading = -0.34, rL2RAN-L1 reading = -0.36) compared to when they were measured in the same language (rL1 = -0.40, rL2 = -0.44), though those differences failed to reach statistical significance. In addition, the type of bilingualism was found to be a potential moderator of the RAN-reading relationship longitudinally, with its magnitude being the strongest in simultaneous bilinguals. Our results suggest that, as a predictor, RAN taps into general, language-independent processes underlying reading.

There has been increasing interest in the effects of note taking in second language (L2) research. However, no meta-analysis has been conducted to examine the relationship between note taking and learning through exposure to L2 input. We retrieved 28 effect sizes from 21 studies (N = 1992) to explore the overall effects of note taking as well as to examine the extent to which the effectiveness of note taking is likely to vary as a function of a set of potential moderators (i.e., learner variables, treatment variables, note-taking features, learning target, and measurement type). Results revealed that note taking had a small to medium positive overall effect on learning through exposure to L2 input (g = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.24-0.88). Subsequent moderator analyses revealed that variability in the size of note-taking effects across studies was explained by learner variables (context, region, orthographic scripts, institutional level), treatment variables (mode of input, material type), note-taking features (note-taking behavior, number of note-taking sessions, provision and type of note-taking strategy instruction, total length of instruction, opportunity to review notes), learning target, and measurement type. Based on the obtained findings, teachers are recommended to incorporate note taking in L2 classrooms. Pedagogical suggestions and directions for future research are also provided.

Instructional leaders require timely and predictive data to guide post-pandemic systemic changes. We investigated the predictability of an observational instrument, the Rigor Appraisal, and its association with achievement and other school effectiveness measures in a sample of 53 schools in Illinois. We found that increases in the Rigor Appraisal had a small to moderate and statistically significant association with achievement, a positive and moderate statistically significant association with attendance, a negative relationship between referrals and suspensions, and a positive and moderate statistically significant association with the 5Essentials. Additionally, the implementation of academic teaming was associated with greater achievement in schools with more low-income students. We also found that leaders who conducted non-evaluative instructional walks experienced a positive and statistically significant impact on achievement. As such, the Rigor Appraisal merits further study in different contexts, as it shows promise as a leading indicator that can be used for the continuous improvement of instructional systems.

The lesson described in this article was developed and taught by a team of mathematics educators and physical therapists, with the shared goal of broadening students' perception of how mathematics concepts are applied in the real world. This lesson gives students authentic experience with the Gait Speed Test as a physical therapist would administer it. In the lesson, sixth- graders generate walking speed data using a fixed distance and measuring time in seconds, convert that to an appropriate unit rate, and interpret that unit rate in the context of health and physical function.

This study provides a comprehensive overview of methodological aspects when using heart rate variability (HRV) measures in educational research. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched four databases for relevant studies published until March 5, 2024. From the 48 studies reviewed, we extracted data across three analytical categories: (1) area of study interest and participant populations, (2) data collection and analysis methodologies, and (3) the concurrent and predictive validity of HRV measurement for educational research. Study quality was evaluated using QualSyst assessment criteria. Most studies measured stress and enlisted undergraduate students as participants. Data were predominately collected using wearable devices, measuring HRV for durations of less than 30 min, and in varied contexts, including during exams, while learning, and in experiments. The parameters analyzed varied within both time and frequency domains. HRV data had a moderate level of concurrent validity as a measure of stress in an educational context. The concurrent validity of HRV data for measuring attention remains uncertain with insufficient evidence. Limited correlations appeared between stress and performance. The findings, potentials, and limitations of HRV measures are discussed, and synthesized recommendations for educational research using HRV data are provided.

In this investigation, the extent to which differences were present in the mathematics achievement by the ethnicity/race of Grade 3 students in Texas were analyzed. Data obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for all Texas Grade 3 students who took the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness Mathematics exam were examined for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. In all three years analyzed, statistically significant differences were revealed in overall mathematics achievement and in all four Mathematics Reporting categories. Inferential statistical analyses revealed a clear stair-step effect. Asian students were the highest performing ethnic/racial group in all four Mathematics Reporting categories and all three performance level standards, followed by White, Hispanic, and Black students. Suggestions for future research and implications for policy and practice were provided.

Large-scale summative assessment results are typically used for program-evaluation and resource-allocation purposes; however, stakeholders increasingly desire results from large-scale K-12 assessments that inform instruction. Because large-scale summative results are usually delivered after the end of the school year, teacher use of results is reserved for the subsequent academic year. To evaluate use of summative score reports to inform instruction, we conducted a series of teacher interviews and focus groups with 17 teachers in three states. Teachers were asked to describe how they used summative results from the previous administration of a large-scale alternate assessment system in the subsequent academic year. Interview and focus-group transcripts were coded and identified themes related to when and how score reports are delivered; how teachers use results to plan instruction, formulate goals for individualized education programs (IEPs), and create instructional groupings; how teachers talk to parents about results; and what resources best support their use of score reports. Findings demonstrate preliminary support for diagnostic score report use.

This study aimed to determine the effect of explain-analysis-doing discussion or known as ex-add learning techniques on critical thinking skills and pedagogic competence of Islamic religious education students at State Islamic University (UIN) Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi and at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, Indonesia. The approach used quantitative with quasiexperimental techniques. The number seen in this study was 31 students from UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. The data were obtained using tests, namely pretest, and posttest. The test instrument was in the form of multiple-choice questions, each consisting of 40 questions. Data analysis was carried out using percentage techniques, N-gain analysis, and a T-test. Based on the data and discussion that has been done, it can be concluded that the ex-add technique in 'learning methods and strategies' can increase critical thinking skill (CTS) and pedagogic competence (PC) respectively by 78 0.23% in the 'high' category and 59.81% in the 'medium' category. This is reinforced by the results of the T-test that both variables obtain a value (2- tailed) of 0.000<0.05. This means that there is an average difference between the pretest and posttest scores for each variable. In other words, it can be said that the increase in student CTS and PC after participating in learning with the ex-add technique is significant.