The combination of different item formats is found quite often in large scale assessments, and analyses on the dimensionality often indicate multi-dimensionality of tests regarding the task format. In ICILS 2013, three different item types (information-based response tasks, simulation tasks, and authoring tasks) were used to measure computer and…

"Methods and Procedures in PIRLS 2016" documents the development of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessments and questionnaires and describes the methods used in sampling, translation verification, data collection, database construction, and the construction of the achievement and context questionnaire…

Several federal grants prioritized the role of community colleges in education and training in recent years, and one of the most substantial investments was the Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program of the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Beginning October 2011, these $2 billion capacity-building…

Several federal grants prioritized the role of community colleges in education and training in recent years, and one of the most substantial investments was the Trade Adjustment Act Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program of the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Beginning October 2011, these $2 billion capacity-building…

This small "n" observational study used a concurrent mixed methods approach to address a void in the literature with regard to the qualitative meaningfulness of the data yielded by absolute magnitude estimation scaling (MES) used to rate subjective stimuli. We investigated whether respondents' scales progressed from less to more and…

An automated item selection procedure in Mokken scale analysis partitions a set of items into one or more Mokken scales, if the data allow. Two algorithms are available that pursue the same goal of selecting Mokken scales of maximum length: Mokken's original automated item selection procedure (AISP) and a genetic algorithm (GA). Minimum…

Complexity thinking is relatively new to education research and has rarely been used to examine complex issues in physics and engineering education. Issues in higher education such as student retention have been approached from a multiplicity of perspectives and are recognized as complex. The complex system of student retention modelling in higher…

An important purpose of student evaluation of teaching is to inform an educator's reflection about the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching approaches. Quantitative instruments are one way of obtaining student responses. They have traditionally taken the form of surveys in which students provide their responses to various statements using…

A central tenet of constructivist models of conceptual development is that children's initial conceptual level constrains how they make sense of new evidence and thus whether exposure to evidence will prompt conceptual change. Yet little experimental evidence directly examines this claim for the case of sustained, fundamental conceptual…

The purpose of this Brief is to define the variables a state or district leadership team may wish to consider as they determine if they are "ready" to invest in the scaling-up of an innovation in education. As defined here, "scaling up" means that at least 60% of the students who could benefit from an innovation have access to…

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare percent correct word and sentence intelligibility scores for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD) with scaled estimates of speech severity obtained for a reading passage. Method: Speech samples for 78 talkers were judged, including 30 speakers with MS, 16…

Latent difference score (LDS) models combine benefits derived from autoregressive and latent growth curve models allowing for time-dependent influences and systematic change. The specification and descriptions of LDS models include an initial level of ability or trait plus an accumulation of changes. A limitation of this specification is that the…

This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the revised multidimensional scale of perceived social support (R-MSPSS) for Chinese school teachers. A questionnaire comprising the R-MSPSS and other psychological measures was administered to a sample of 539 school teachers in Hong Kong. A series of confirmatory factor analysis was…

Traditionally, the purpose of education in the United States has been conceived broadly, encompassing several goals, such as equity, civic participation, "whole-person" development, aesthetic appreciation, and greater cultural awareness. The renewed focus on equipping students with marketable skills is both a response to the…

The IEA's International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) investigates the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens in a range of countries in the second decade of the 21st century. ICCS 2016 is the second cycle of a study initiated in 2009. This technical report follows the publication of several…