Classroom Tests Research Articles

Belonging and Classroom Tests

Belonging and Classroom Tests

The Implementation of Wall Chart Media to Improve Students’ Vocabulary Mastery in EFL Classroom

This study aims to improve the students’ vocabulary mastery using wall chart as a media. It was Classroom action research with two cycles. The procedures of each cycle were planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The participants of this study consisted of one English teacher and 28 students of MTS Wahid Hasyim Balung, a totaling 29 participants. The data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively, namely observation classroom, interview, and vocabulary test. The findings showed that the students could improve their vocabulary mastery after using wall chart as the media in learning process. It can be seen that in cycle 1 the mean score of students was 72 and in cycle 2 was 79. The teacher also helps the students to correct the spelling and the pronunciation. The research result also showed that the wall chart was a good media for learning English vocabulary.

DIGITAL PEDAGOGY IN ACTION: INVESTIGATING ICT TOOLS USAGE AND EXPERTISE AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

A teacher in the digital age must be competent in successfully integrating content, pedagogy, and technology in the teaching learning process. The COVID pandemic prepared us to be ready for new and transformative changes in the education system, be it online education, flipped classroom, blended learning, individualized learning, or computer-based adaptive testing. Against this background, the present cross-sectional study examines the use of ICT tools and expertise in using them by elementary school teachers. The sample consisted of 167 elementary school teachers selected randomly and rated their use and expertisein using various ICT tools. The study found that teachers were more proficient in using simple ICT tools and rarely or never used complex ICT tools. Variables such as teacher teaching experience, type of employment had no significant influence on usage and expertise. However, the use and expertise of using ICT tools among teachers working in urban schools is better than that of teachers working in rural schools. In addition, educational qualification was found to have a significant influence on the use and expertiseof using ICT tools. Furthermore, there was a significant positive and moderate correlation between use of ICT tools and expertise in using ICT tools, suggesting that there may be many other influencing factors.

Validation of the Gap-fill as an Overall Measure of English Language Proficiency among Iraqi EFL Learners

The purpose of this study was to validate the Gap-fill among Iraqi EFL university students. To this end, two types of multiple-choice Gap-fill were administered to a sample of EFL students along with a number of other tests as criteria. Correlational analyses revealed moderate to strong correlations between the Gap-fill and the criterion measures. Principal components analysis resulted in a one-factor solution with the Gap-fill highly loading on this single factor. These were interpreted as validity evidence for the. Gap-fill Implication of the study for classroom testing are discussed. Keywords: Gap-fill, reduced redundancy principle, validity, conversational Gap-fill, written Gap-fill

The Impact of Online Cooperative Learning on Scientific Reasoning Skills and Motivation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all universities across Turkey transitioned to remote education as an urgent measure. Despite indications that the pandemic has subsided, online teaching practices continue to prevail in higher education. Accordingly, the purpose of this study, conducted under extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, is to examine the impact of online cooperative learning on the scientific reasoning skills and motivation of pre-service science teachers. A total of 54 students participated in the study, with 28 from the experimental group and 26 from the control group, following a non-equivalent control group design. The experimental group received instruction using the online cooperative learning, while the control group participated in large group discussions in an online environment in the context of a science teaching methods course. Data for the research were collected through pre-test and post-test administrations of the Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). According to the results, compared to whole-class discussions, online cooperative learning increased pre-service science teachers’ scientific reasoning skills and motivation. In conclusion, online cooperative learning is considered an effective method for enhancing the pre-service science teachers’ education, contributing to the further improvement of online teaching, which has become even more widespread due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coding Decoded: Exploring Course Achievement and Gender Disparities in an Online Flipped Classroom Programming Course

In introductory programming courses (IPCs), students encounter various difficulties that are related to low achievement and high dropout and failure rates. Technology-rich approaches that promote self-directed learning while facilitating competency development and knowledge construction through social collaboration may offer advantages in this context. The current study assesses such an instructional approach by (1) identifying antecedents and process variables related to course achievement in an online flipped classroom IPC and (2) testing for gender differences regarding antecedents, process variables, and course achievement. In the winter semester of 2020/21, a sample of 144 Austrian university students participated in a survey with measurements at different points in time. Multiple linear regression was carried out to explore factors related to course achievement. The results indicate that gender, achievement-avoidance goals, academic self-concept, engagement in asynchronous learning, and course satisfaction were positively related to achievement. In contrast, work avoidance was identified as a barrier to achievement. Additionally, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to test gender differences. MANOVA revealed significant gender differences regarding learning goals, mathematical self-concept, work avoidance, and engagement in synchronous learning. There were no gender differences regarding course satisfaction or achievement. The study has implications for designing innovative programming courses that could foster course satisfaction and achievement and thus reduce dropout and failure rates.

A Cross Sectional Study on the Effect of Learned Helplessness on Test Taking with Reference to Children of Jammu and Kashmir

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of learned helplessness on test taking. We prepared two sets of questionnaires, one having very difficult questions and other very easy questions. We found that the students who took the test that begin with difficult questions become easily frustrated and possibly doubt their intellectual ability. This results in the participants missing easy questions when compared with the students who took the test that begin with easy questions. This study can also be applied to other classroom tests and standardized tests where learned helplessness could negatively affect the test scores.

PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB: A free online tool for the estimation of auditory thresholds

PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is an online tool written in JavaScript and PHP that enables the estimation of auditory sensory thresholds via adaptive threshold tracking. The toolbox implements the transformed up-down methods proposed by Levitt (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 49, 467-477, (1971) for a set of classic psychoacoustical tasks: frequency, intensity, and duration discrimination of pure tones; duration discrimination and gap detection of noise; and amplitude modulation detection with noise carriers. The toolbox can be used through a common web browser; it works with both fixed and mobile devices, and requires no programming skills. PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is suitable for laboratory, classroom, and online testing and is designed for two main types of users: an occasional user and, above all, an experimenter using the toolbox for their own research. This latter user can create a personal account, customise existing experiments, and share them in the form of direct links to further users (e.g., the participants of a hypothetical experiment). Finally, because data storage is centralised, the toolbox offers the potential for creating a database of auditory skills.

Mathematical Proficiency, Scientific Reasoning, Metacognitive Skills, and Performance of Learners in Physics: A Mathematical Model

This study aims to explore the mathematical proficiency, scientific reasoning, and metacognitive skills that contribute to the student’s academic performance in Physics. Data were gathered quantitatively by administering the Basic Skills Diagnostic Test, Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning, and Metacognitive Awareness Inventory to Grade 10 students in the selected high schools of District II of Ifugao Province from January to June 2023. Using the Raosoft calculator, 369 out of 405 students were randomly selected as participants. Relationships of the variables were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) where the direct and indirect effect was shown. Based on the model, mathematics proficiency, scientific reasoning (Formal Operational, Late and Early Transitional reasoners), and metacognitive skills (declarative, debugging, and evaluation) had a direct effect on academic performance in Physics. The scientific reasoning skills – late transitional directly affect the metacognitive skills – procedural, conditional, planning, and information. Further, an indirect effect of mathematics proficiency on scientific reasoning and metacognitive skills, scientific reasoning to mathematics proficiency and metacognitive skills, and metacognitive skills on scientific reasoning and mathematics proficiency, toward academic performance was observed. Conclusively, a strong foundation in mathematical proficiency with the effective use of scientific reasoning and metacognitive skills were found to be key determinants of success in Physics. This suggests that educational institutions craft Physics curricula considering the development of students in mathematical proficiency, scientific reasoning skills, and metacognitive skills, while teachers develop activities that refine the direct and indirect effects of these variables to target a better academic performance in Physics.

Pupils’ School Performance and Their Cognitive Abilities to Solve Problems

The paper describes the results of a study whose main aim was to find the correlation between a pupil’s school grades in Czech language (native), mathematics and physics and pupils' cognitive predispositions to problem solving in science and mathematics diagnosed by the Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning and the Culture of Problem Solving test. The total of 180 pupils from the Czech Republic aged 14–15 took part in this study. The results show that pupils with better grades in the monitored subjects achieve better results in both tests. It also turns out that there are generally statistically insignificant differences between the results of pupils assessed by grades 1 or 2, and between the results of pupils assessed by grades 3 or 4. Pupils’ performance in the two tests might help to strengthen the objectivization of grading at school. They might also help to identify the indicators important for the development of problem-solving skills. The research specifically points at the need of developing algebraic thinking, conception of infinity, spatial imagination, geometric imagination in the plane, proportional reasoning and the abilities of the control of variables.

Validity and reliability of concept inventory test in human physiology

Biology education plays a vital role in nurturing the understanding of learners about the intricacy of life. Various efforts have emerged to strengthen learning biological concepts but there were still studies that showed that learners have low mastery in some aspects. To determine how well students understood various biological topics, including human physiology, Concept inventory tests (CIT) were used. The concept inventory test may be able to spot students' misconceptions and ultimately lead to improved comprehension. The crafted CIT developed with the aid of a table of specifications based on Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain was assessed according to its validity and reliability. In validation, content validity and item analysis were considered while reliability test was employed through Cronbach’s alpha. Distractor analysis was also performed to determine possible source of misconception per item. The CIT was administered to 120 senior high school STEM students (50.8% from the private schools, 37.5% in regular public schools and 11.7% from public schools with special programs in science). The results displayed high content validity with a mean of 4.83 for content validity and an average Aiken’s validity coefficient of 0.98. It also highlighted that the test is moderately difficult with the test difficulty of 0.58, as well as, discriminatory with a discriminating level of 0.46. After item classification, 63 items were retained (39 accepted, 24 for revisions) and Chronbach’s alpha (α=0.74) indicated good internal consistency. The concept inventory test propounds to be a good classroom test with minor items to be revised.

Exploring English Language Anxiety Among Undergraduate Female ESL Learners in Mewat Region of Haryana, India

The study aims to investigate English language anxiety among Mewat female ESL learners and the causes and sources of anxiety. It also seeks to investigate if the differences in their demographic profiles shape their anxiety levels differently. As the study deals with how certain independent variables (e.g. level/year of study, parents’ educational level, and their employment profile) shape the dependent variable (English language anxiety), a descriptive quantitative approach was adopted, and the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz et al. (1986) was utilized to collect the data from respondents. 214 study participants were selected through a simple random sampling method from the population of undergraduate ESL learners studying at different levels of the graduate program at Government Women’s College, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana, India. The findings revealed that the study respondents experience moderate levels of anxiety. However, their anxiety levels differ concerning different aspects/sources of anxiety. Communicative anxiety is the highest followed by classroom anxiety, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation respectively. One-way ANOVA analysis revealed statistically significant differences in the means of the responses of study participants based on level/year of study and parents' educational level. However, no difference of any statistical significance was found in the means of the response of the respondents based on their parents' professional profiles. The study findings would be useful in addressing anxiety, understanding its causes and consequences, and uncovering ways to help students overcome anxiety and learn English properly.

Membangun Lingkungan Belajar Menyenangkan untuk Mengatasi Kecemasan Matematika dan Meningkatkan Keterlibatan Siswa Kelas I SD Sekolah XYZ Jakarta

This research aims to explore the use of Math Centers as a enjoyable learning environment to address mathematics anxiety and improve engagement in 1st-grade students at XYZ Elementary School. Mathematics plays a crucial role in the elementary education curriculum, contributing significantly to the development of logical understanding and problem-solving skills for students. However, the high level of mathematics anxiety and low student engagement pose challenges in the early learning process. This qualitative research involved one 1st-grade class with 20 students as the research subjects. Data were collected through classroom observations, test results, and interviews with both teachers and students. The findings indicate that 1st-grade students participating in Math Centers exhibit low mathematics anxiety and active engagement in the classroom. Students also tend to enjoy mathematics lessons in the Math Centers setting compared to regular classes. The varied activities provided in Math Centers make mathematics no longer perceived as a dull and intimidating subject. The implementation of Math Centers at XYZ Elementary School will be carried out regularly every Friday to sustain students' interest in mathematics, reduce anxiety, and motivate them to actively participate in the learning process.

Research on Bibliometric Analysis of Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning in the Past Ten Years

The Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) is a popular instrument that measures the development of students’ scientific reasoning skills. Through large-scale applications, several issues have been observed in terms of validity, scoring, and the way of interpreting. This study aims to identify the contribution and describe the research profile of applying LCTSR in education during the last ten years. The method used in this research is a bibliometric analysis based on Scopus data with the help of Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The results of this study obtained 43 documents related to LCTSR. The results showed that the use of LCTSR every year has increased and decreased in the last ten years. Journals and proceedings in the field of physics dominate the publication sources for LCTSR research. Furthermore, Bao, Koenig, and Xiao were the three most prolific authors and also had research collaborations. The dominant country for publication is the United States. The area most often associated with LCTSR research is social science, whose purpose is to measure the development of student’s cognitive abilities. The scope of this research analysis is limited to certain databases or languages, so this study recommends finding renewed discussions about the use of LCTSR in education over a longer period of time.

Redefining the “shape” of things to come – a case study on marketing a taboo product and averting a potential crisis

Research methodology The case is based on interviews in 2022 with the founder of Shape, Monoshita Ayruani, supplemented by classroom testing and secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, newspapers and other pertinent sources such as reports produced by marketing and consulting firms. Case overview/synopsis Shape is a private limited company operating in Bangladesh, a country in South Asia. Bangladesh is a fast-developing country where the people (the vast majority of whom are young) are practical and forward thinking, conservative, yet also generally tolerant. Its CEO is Monoshita Ayruani, who has had several years of experience in a PR and Marketing agency before starting Shape. It produces and sells “innerwear” or undergarments, which are their staple products, as well as clothing, bath products, sleepwear and various other products targeted at women. Starting off as an online business in 2019, it was about to find its footing in the market when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The problem faced by Shape at the beginning was that digital marketing was not resulting in word of mouth for the product, as undergarments were considered too “taboo” to talk or share about with most people. The second problem faced was the sudden protests about Westernised clothing and culture in 2022, which may potentially threaten the company. Complexity academic level This case would be well suited for an undergraduate or graduate-level Marketing or Strategic Management course that exposes students to the challenges of promoting a new brand and marketing taboo products imported from abroad, in a largely conservative and culturally sensitive market, and preventing a potential crisis when protests break out. The case also touches on international supply chain problems, so may also be taught in an International Business course. The level of difficulty is intermediate as the problems are nuanced.

Exploring Strategy In Teaching Vocabulary (Qualitative Case Study Of Member Quarantine And TOT Program of Libam IAIN Parepare)

This research was carry out at LIBAM IAIN Parepare. Problem in this research is that the strategy used by instructors in the Quarantine and TOT program by LIBAM IAIN Parepare has not been revealed in increasing the vocabulary of the participants. This study aims to describe the strategies used by activity of instructors in increasing vocabulary in the program.
 This type of research is qualitative research. The research subjects were instructors and participants in the Quarantine and TOT by LIBAM IAIN Parepare, totaling 22 people. The sampling technique was carried out by the snowball sampling method. The key instrument in this research is the researcher himself. The data collection technique chosen by the researcher is interview. To test the validity of the data, the researcher conducted Source Triangulation between the instructors and the participants. Data analysis techniques were carried out by referring to Miles and Huberman, namely data reduction, data display and data conclusion.
 The results of the research showed that the strategy used by the instructors in increasing the vocabulary of Quarantine and TOT by LIBAM IAIN Parepare was presentation strategies (using of picture, using body movement (gesture), using video, translation and exemplification), practice strategy (classroom test and games), strategy for strategies training (guessing from context and looking up dictionaries).

Effectiveness of Mobile Applications for Trauma Care in Combat Casualty Simulations Throughout the Continuum

IntroductionThe U.S. Military uses handwritten documentation throughout the continuum of combat casualty care to document from point-of-injury, during transport and at facilities that provide damage control resuscitation and surgery. Proven impractical due to lack of durability and legibility in arduous tactical environments, we hypothesized that mobile applications would increase accuracy and completeness of documentation in combat casualty simulations. MethodsWe conducted simulations across this continuum utilizing 10 two-person teams consisting of a Medic and an Emergency or Critical Care Nurse. Participants were randomized to either the paper group or BATDOK and T6 Health Systems mobile application group. Simulations were completed in both the classroom and simulated field environments. All documentation was assessed for speed, completeness, and accuracy. ResultsParticipant demographics averaged 10.8 ± 5.2 y of military service and 3.9 ± 0.6 h of training on both platforms. Classroom testing showed a significant increase in completeness (84.2 ± 8.1% versus 77.2 ± 6.9%; P = 0.02) and accuracy (77.6 ± 8.1% versus 68.9 ± 7.5%; P = 0.01) for mobile applications versus paper with no significant difference in overall time to completion (P = 0.19). Field testing again showed a significant increase in completeness (91.6 ± 5.8 % versus 70.0 ± 14.1%; P < 0.01) and accuracy (87.7 ± 7.6% versus 64.1 ± 14.4%; P < 0.01) with no significant difference in overall time to completion (P = 0.44). ConclusionsIn deployed environments, mobile applications have the potential to improve casualty care documentation completeness and accuracy with minimal additional training. These efforts will assist in meeting an urgent operational need to enable our providers.

Scientific Reasoning Skills and Scientific Attitudes of Students in Learning Physics Using Guided Inquiry Model with Vee Map

This study aims to examine the effect of guided inquiry learning model with vee map on scientific reasoning skills and to examine the effect of guided inquiry learning model with vee map on scientific attitude of high school students on temperature and heat material. This type of research uses true-experiment with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample determination used cluster random sampling method. The samples of this study were XI MIPA 1 class as the control class and XI MIPA 2 as the experimental class. The research instruments used were pre-test and post-test questions using Lawson Classroom Test Scientific Reasoning indicators and scientific attitude questionnaires. Data analysis techniques using SPSS 26. The results showed that there was a significant effect of guided inquiry learning model with vee map on scientific reasoning skills with a significance of 0.000 and there was a significant effect of guided inquiry learning model with vee map on the scientific attitude of students with a significance of 0.000. Therefore it can be concluded that inquiry learning model accompanied by vee map can encourage students to be active in concept discovery and improve students' scientific reasoning skills.

EAP practitioners' assessment behavior: Bringing the hidden-away to light

Our information about assessment behavior of EAP teachers constructing and using their classroom tests is so scanty that Schmitt and Hamp-Lyons (2015) believe it is hidden away from language testing community. We investigated how two different groups of Iranian EAP practitioners (discipline-area teachers and English language specialists) perceive and practice EAP assessment. We interviewed thirty teachers and examined forty test samples. Encouraged by our interview and corpus data and since achievement tests are inherently syllabi dependent, we content analyzed all undergraduate program syllabi. We found important differences pertaining to test tasks, type of knowledge to be assessed and features of good EAP tests between content specialists and English teachers. Iranian EAP teachers' assessment behavior seems to be attributable to their perceptions of goals of EAP courses as well as course objectives enshrined in syllabi contents. We discuss our findings and conclude with suggestions for EAP teacher-testers/assessment worldwide.

Using Animated Tales to Develop Oral Communication Skills in English

This paper examines the use of animated tales to develop the oral communication skills of secondary school learners. In the present era, animation has preoccupied most of the young learners’ minds, and as a result of that, most of the time they are seen watching animated programs and movies. It is a well-known fact that children find animation very interesting. In the present research study, it was assumed that animation could be very useful to develop the oral communication skills of the children. The study was carried out at ‘Rajasthan Marwadi School’ in the Latur district of Maharashtra.Sixty students were chosen through random sampling. They were divided into two groups: the controlled group and the experimental group. &#x0D; Tasks and activities were used as a research tool to analyse the impact of animated tales on the development of learners’ oral communication skills. Other research tools used in the study were classroom observation checklist, tests, and semi-structured interviews. The data was collected through administering various tasks and exercises and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. T-test was used for quantitative analysis of the data. The quantified data showed that students from the experimental group showed forty percent (40%) improvement in their oral communication skills. The classroom observation and the transcription of the recorded interviews were analyzed qualitatively. The findings of the research indicated that the use of animated tales improved the oral communication skills of the learners. Moreover, such animated tales rendered language learning interesting and motivating.