Compulsory Exam Research Articles

Medium-run effects of COVID-19 induced distant learning on students’ academic performance

Administrative data on bachelor students for 2014/15 to 2022/23 academic years are used to analyze their performance before, during, and – what is new in the literature – after the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals that both low- and high-ability students of all affected cohorts received better grades during the semesters when teaching and examinations were delivered online, with the effect on low-ability students continuing through the first after-COVID academic year. However, improved grades contrast with lower graduation rates, especially among high-ability students. Detailed analysis of graduation patterns coupled with ECTS credits take-up analysis suggests that high-ability students were often discouraged from studying during the pandemic. For low-ability students, the negative influence of COVID-19 was compensated by the lenient grading policy that allowed them to pass the compulsory exams and continue studying.

Dimensional Structure of MAPS-15: Validation of the Multidimensional Academic Procrastination Scale.

Academic procrastination is a complex behavior that hampers the cyclical process of self-regulation in learning, impeding the flow of actions necessary to achieve the goals and sub-goals that students have set out to attain. It has a high frequency of occurrence and has been linked to lessened student performance and a decrease in psychological and physical well-being. The objective of this study is to analyze the psychometric characteristics of a new academic procrastination scale MAPS-15 (Multidimensional Academic Procrastination Scale) applicable in self-regulated learning environments through a cross-validation study (exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis). The sample consisted of 1289 students from a distance/online university, with a wide age range and sociocultural variability. The students completed self-reported online questionnaires on two dates: during the university access and adaptation phase and before the first period of compulsory exams. One-, two- and three-factor structures were tested as well as a second-order structure. The results support a three-dimensional structure of MAPS-15: core procrastination, a pure dimension of procrastinating behavior and difficulty in carrying out the action; poor time management, a dimension related to time organization and perceived control over time; and work disconnection, a dimension conceptually related to lack of persistence, and work interruptions.

A Educação Física no novo Enem: um estudo analítico de conteúdo

Desde 2009, a Educação Física (EF) está presente no Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (Enem), inaugurando sua participação em exames de larga escala na educação básica. Este estudo se dedica às questões dessa disciplina no Enem, desde sua inserção até 2019, e tem como objetivo analisar seu conteúdo ante a intencionalidade do exame e oconhecimento dessa disciplina. Os resultados apontam, nas 43 questões identificadas, uma inadequação dos conteúdos da EF, por desconsiderarem as habilidades e os objetos de conhecimento específicos indicados pela matriz do exame, além dos próprios conflitos no campo do currículo refletidos nas provas. Ao final, questionamos a fidedignidade do exame como instrumento avaliativo, assim como seu papel de incitar mudanças no campo do currículo.

Metabolic acidosis in hemodialysis: a neglected problem in Brazil.

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Metabolic acidosis is associated with the high mortality seen in hemodialysis patients. The panorama of metabolic acidosis in hemodialysis in Brazil is unclear since 1996 when the analysis of bicarbonate levels was no longer a compulsory exam. We aimed to establish the prevalence of metabolic acidosis in a hemodialysis population and analyze the factors associated with low bicarbonate levels.Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of metabolic acidosis in adults undergoing regular hemodialysis from January to April 2017, in four dialysis centers from Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and surroundings. For blood gas analysis, samples of 2 mL were collected in heparinized syringes before a midweek dialysis session.Results:384 patients with a mean age of 58.1 ± 15.8 years (54.5% men and 63.0%, non-white) were included. Approximately 30% had diabetes and 48%, hypertension. Nearly 88% used primary arteriovenous fistula as vascular access. The pre-dialysis mean serum tCO2 in the midweek session was 22.7 ± 3.0 mEq/L. The prevalence rate of serum bicarbonate below DOQI recommendation (22 mEq/L or higher) was 40.3%, and 6.5% had serum bicarbonate < 18 mEq/L. The dialyzer use count and the use of low-flux dialyzers were negatively associated whereas age and the standard Kt/V values were positively associated with the serum bicarbonate levels.Conclusion:The findings were in agreement with global data reported in previous studies. However, because the sample was relatively small and non-representative of the Brazilian population, a more comprehensive study, addressing national data is necessary to substantiate our findings.

MyMUET: A Design of a Mobile based Crowdsourced Assessment for Malaysia University English Test with Non-Synchronous Participant Interaction

Malaysian University English Test is a compulsory exam for local Malaysian students and a prerequisite for graduation. In 2017, more than five hundred thousand local students were enrolled in Malaysian public universities and therefore will need to sit for this examination. This enrolment number is increasing every year. However, there number of competent TESL graduates or English teachers available to cater this volume of students yearly is unknown. Many of these students are not from English speaking background and there are limited resources and assistant available for tutors who need to cater the demand of these students. Even though there are many resources online, the resources for speaking module mainly consists of tips to score and question examples. Students are unable to get feedback of their speaking module even if they practiced the mock exam questions. Moreover, the MUET speaking exam consists of group speaking tasks which the student or user may not be able to fulfil the quorum for practice. This paper shall propose MyMUET, a design of a one stop mobile based crowdsourcing tutor service for MUET to enable students to be able to obtain real time feedback of their speaking exam with interaction with non-real time participants with recommended tutors. Other MUET modules such as writing, reading and listening is also available to be used. MyMUET is developed based on Android studio and enables tutors to list their services and students to select the respective tutors. This method saves time for tutors to develop their own exam questions, enable them to focus on evaluation. This shall also be able to standardize the MUET examination to students receive high quality mock exam questions. MyMUET is then evaluated to ensure its relevance based on subject matter expert feedback. The evaluated system shows that students and academic expert find the application helpful to improve students learning experience.

Influencia de las asignaturas optativas en el premio extraordinario de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO)

La educación siempre ha sido, y sigue siendo, un factor imprescindible para el desarrollo humano, económico y social, de tal modo que potenciarla y mejorarla se vuelve imprescindible, para ello cada vez más países buscan indicadores que evalúen su sistema educativo. Una de las pruebas utilizadas en Galicia, España, es el otorgamiento de los premios extraordinarios de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) al alumnado más brillante, siendo un indicador de calidad y excelencia. Son pruebas muy exigentes, con cinco exámenes obligatorios y una optativa a escoger, donde sólo se entregan 20 premios que representan en torno al 6-7% de los presentados, siendo necesario obtener de media sobresaliente en la ESO para presentarse. En este artículo se va a analizar si la prueba es equitativa, y si hay influencia, estadísticamente significativa, en la elección de las optativas a la hora de obtener el premio extraordinario de la ESO. En particular se estudiará el caso de dos optativas. Física-Química y Biología-Geología, que para el período 2008-2013 representan el 85% del total de presentados, mientras que las otras cuatro representan el 15%. Así la principal hipótesis planteada es “El alumnado que escoge la materia optativa de Física y Química frente a Biología-Geología se ve perjudicado en la nota final y tiene menos probabilidades de ganar el premio extraordinario de la ESO”.

Динамика изменений взаимосвязи эмоционального интеллекта с результатами ЕГЭ в ходе адаптации школьной системы к его введению

Research is devoted to the study of the relationship of emotional intelligence of students with the results of the state exam in the adaptation of the school system for 5 years from the date of introduction. The sample consisted of 156 first-year students. Evaluation of the components of emotional intelligence was measured by self-report (EmIn questionnaire). There was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of different indicators of emotional intelligence of students passing the exam and the results of the three school subjects: Russian language, Mathematics, Social studies. It is shown that since the introduction in 2009 of compulsory exam the level of communication between the indicators of emotional intelligence and the results of the examination has changed. Adaptation processes to the introduction of the state exam lead to changes contingent of successful students: If at the time of the introduction of the exam more successful were students with higher EI, in the process of adaptation more successful became those with lower EI. It was shown that the components of EI, having the most important relationships with the results of the exam, are different for the considered subjects; the dynamics of these relationships has been revealed.

Privalomo Lietuvos buhalterių kvalifikacijos egzaminavimo pagrįstumo vertinimas

Due to the rapid pace of globalization and business relationships management of companies become more and more complex and provoke many changes in the way business is run. It also increases the need for true and fair accounting information as the main source of information about an entity. Therefore the role of reliable and honest accountants in management of companies and worldwide economy is important as never. Therefore, knowledge, skill and qualification of accountants are important topics of discussion among researchers and professionals. According to the national Law of Accounting as of 2016 Lithuania introduces new requirements regarding qualification of chief accountants. According to these requirements all the accountants who sign financial statements of an entity have to pass two compulsory exams and have to comply with the requirements of Code of Professional accountants. However, despite the fact that provisions of the law come in force in less than two years, accountants’ qualification examination system is not yet clear. It raises many questions to the participants of Lithuanian accounting market, such as what will be the content of the exam, should such exams be specialized based on size and sector of entities, etc. Analysis of Lithuanian and foreign scientific literature revealed a lack of up to date scientific research on qualifying examination for accountants. However, as such Lithuanian requirement sets many discussions among practitioners and as it will strongly influence future of accounting profession in Lithuania, a scientific discussion on the problem is required. The aim of this paper is to assess if Lithuanian requirement for mandatory qualifying examination of accountants is feasible. [...]

Typical intellectual engagement, Big Five personality traits, approaches to learning and cognitive ability predictors of academic performance

Both ability (measured by power tests) and non-ability (measured by preference tests) individual difference measures predict academic school outcomes. These include fluid as well as crystalized intelligence, personality traits, and learning styles. This paper examines the incremental validity of five psychometric tests and the sex and age of pupils to predict their General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) test results. The aim was to determine how much variance ability and non-ability tests can account for in predicting specific GCSE exam scores. The sample comprised 212 British schoolchildren. Of these, 123 were females. Their mean age was 15.8 years (SD 0.98 years). Pupils completed three self-report tests: the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) which measures the 'Big Five' personality traits, (Costa & McCrae, 1992); the Typical Intellectual Engagement Scale (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) and a measure of learning style, the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ; Biggs, 1987). They also completed two ability tests: the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1992) a short measure of general intelligence and the General Knowledge Test (Irving, Cammock, & Lynn, 2001) a measure of crystallized intelligence. Six months later they took their (10th grade) GCSE exams comprising four 'core' compulsory exams as well as a number of specific elective subjects. Correlational analysis suggested that intelligence was the best predictors of school results. Preference test measures accounted for relatively little variance. Regressions indicated that over 50% of the variance in school exams for English (Literature and Language) and Maths and Science combined could be accounted for by these individual difference factors. Data from less than an hour's worth of testing pupils could predict school exam results 6 months later. These tests could, therefore, be used to reliably inform important decisions about how pupils are taught.

Standards and Testing: Another View

A scholar opposed to standards in education is difficult to imagine. Favoring standards in education, however, is not synonymous with advocating compulsory, centralized national testing. The case for reforming U.S. precollege education based on test scores is not as compelling as advocates such as John Bishop (1998) want us to believe. Bishop does not address the cost of developing, administering, and scoring tests. As the Educational Testing Service learned with its Advanced Placement exams, moving beyond multiple-choice or fixed-response questions, which are machine scored, to free or essay response questions greatly increases the cost of marking; yet, the latter is advocated by Bishop. He mentions the wonderful experience Alberta teachers report when brought to centralized locations to grade the extended-answer portions of the exams(p. 174). He never mentions the cost or the validity and reliability of the process by which teachers doing the reading and marking of written answers came to agree on what constituted an excellent, good, adequate, poor, or failing response to essay questions(p. 174). Given the added recognition and prospects for additional pay for the participating teachers, it is not surprising that they report a positive experience. It is like asking the latest lottery winners if their methods of picking numbers are worthwhile. To appreciate the problems in wide-scale administration of exams, one need only look at Rene Sanchez's (1997) report on the organized criminal activity of test takers who, in addition to other means of cheating, have repeatedly exploited time-zone differences in the administration of the nation's most important college admission exams. Even at the state level, centralized testing is difficult to control. After the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1989 declared inequities in school district spending, legislators passed a sweeping school reform agenda that includes an annual test heavy on essay questions. Steve Stecklow (1997) cites Doug Terry, a legislative analyst at Kentucky's Office of Education Accountability, as saying that many schools have engaged in unethical behavior while overseeing student writing on test material, including teachers' typing and editing student work. Since 1993, over 60 Kentucky schools have been investigated for allegations of cheating by teachers and administrators. The notion that universal standards and compulsory exams developed at the national level will not fall to the lowest common denominator is wishful thinking. In the case of the voluntary standards developed by the National Council on Economic Education, the ink was no more than dry before economist Karen Pen-