How to Prepare and Publish Original Research Articles [in Persian] - Prof. Abbas Bazargan (University of Tehran, Iran) - November 10, 2009
Full text: PDF
Using the Attribute Hierarchy Method to Make Diagnostic Inferences about Examinees’ Cognitive Skills in Algebra on the SAT - Mark J. Gierl, Changjiang Wang, & Jiawen Zhou - The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, Volume 6, Number 6, February 2008
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to apply the attribute hierarchy method (AHM) to a sample of SAT algebra items administered in March 2005. The AHM is a psychometric method for classifying examinees’ test item responses into a set of structured attribute patterns associated with different components from a cognitive model of task performance. An attribute is a description of the procedural or declarative knowledge needed to perform a task. These attributes form a hierarchy of cognitive skills that represent a cognitive model of task performance. The study was conducted in two steps. In step 1, a cognitive model was developed by having content specialists, first, review the SAT algebra items, identify their salient attributes, and order the item-based attributes into a hierarchy. Then, the cognitive model was validated by having a sample of students think aloud as they solved each item. In step 2, psychometric analyses were conducted on the SAT algebra cognitive model by evaluating the model-data fit between the expected response patterns generated by the cognitive model and the observed response patterns produced from a random sample of 5000 examinees who wrote the items. Attribute probabilities were also computed for this random sample of examinees so diagnostic inferences about their attribute-level performances could be made. We conclude the study by describing key limitations, highlighting challenges inherent to the development and analysis of cognitive diagnostic assessments, and proposing directions for future research.
Full Text: PDF (8.6 MB)
Abstract: This paper presents and discusses innovation in relation to the European project Innovative Approaches for a Full Inclusion in eLearning (i-AFIEL) and, in particular, the methodology applied to measure innovation in eLearning projects developed by the Spanish OVSI Foundation. The paper focuses on the concept of innovation and the three key aspects related to the eLearning context: technological innovation, sociological innovation and service customization.
A series of Innovation Criteria are proposed and discussed as elements to be measured in order to understand the degree of innovation of each eLearning project. The challenge of the i-AFIEL methodology is the transformation of these indicators into numbers and scores, and thus to evaluate quantitatively the success and the novelty of the projects. The evaluation system involves the transformation of the Innovation Criteria into Indicators, and the transformation of the latter into questions and tools addressed to two different target groups, a students' questionnaire and an organization's questionnaire, allowing to have broader and more objective views and measurements.
Keywords: e-learning, i-AFIEL, innovation, methodology
Full Text: PDF
Abstract: Over the past decade, standardized test results have become the primary tool used to judge the effectiveness of schools and educational programs, and today, standardized testing serves as the keystone for educational policy at the state and federal levels. This paper examines the relationship between fourth grade mathematics achievement and technology use at home and at school. Using item level achievement data, individual student’s state test scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), and student and teacher responses to detailed technology-use surveys, this study examines the relationship between technology-use and mathematics performance among 986 general education students, from 55 intact fourth grade classrooms in 25 schools across 9 school districts in Massachusetts. The findings from this study suggest that various uses of technology are differentially related to student outcomes and that in general, student and teacher technology uses are weakly related to mathematics achievement on the MCAS. Implications for improving methods for examining the relationship between technology use and standardized test scores are presented.
Full Text: PDF