Pupil Evaluation Research Articles

Influence of Head Teachers’ Leadership Practices on Pupils’ Learning Outcomes in Public Primary Schools in Narok North Sub County, Kenya

This study sought to investigate the influence of head teachers’ instructional leadership practices on pupils’ learning outcomes/expectations in public primary schools in Narok North Sub-County, Kenya. This was specifically addressed by seeking to establish the influence of instructional supervision and motivational strategies on pupils’ learning outcomes/expectations in public primary schools in Narok North Sub-County, Kenya. The study employed the descriptive survey design. The target population constituted 54 public primary schools in Narok North Sub-County presented by 54 headteachers and 100 grade 5 teachers. Random sampling design was used to sample 129 respondents (45 head teachers and 84 teachers) from the target population. The descriptive analysis was used to establish the perceived level of head teachers’ instructional supervision, motivational strategies and pupils’ learning outcomes. Multiple Linear regression analysis was used to establish the influence of head teachers’ instructional supervision, motivational strategies and resource provision on the pupils’ academic performance and if the influences explained was statistically significant. Multiple Linear regression analysis was used to establish the influence of head teachers’ instructional supervision and motivational strategies on the pupils’ academic performance and if the influences explained was statistically significant. The study revealed that headteachers’ instructional leadership practices consisted of classroom visitation, delegation of teaching duties, evaluation of records of work, holding conferences with teachers, lesson preparations and evaluation of pupils’ exercise books which considerably improved the learning outcomes of grade 5 Pupils in all the five subjects. Finally, the study recommended that Re-engineering workshops by the Ministry of Education should emphasize on curriculum instructional supervision leadership practices and learners’ motivational strategies with a view to improving the quality of Grade 5 Pupils’ learning outcomes in all the five subjects’ areas.

Mentoring as a way to the professional development of in-service physics teachers

Nowadays education is facing new challenges based on the changes in the world and society. The generation of pupils has changed and their needs are different to what the teachers were used to. The change not only in teaching and learning methods but also in the way of thinking is necessary. To help teachers to find a different point of view on education and implement the changes, the Regional teachers’ support centres were established. The first two launched in 2021 and within three years there should be 40 centres across Slovakia. The main idea is to provide individual support for primary and lower secondary teachers as well as training in five main topics -i) school curriculum, ii) assessment and evaluation of pupils’ learning outcomes, iii) educational process and teaching style, iv) personalization and inclusive education, v) digitalization. Individual support is provided by a mentor in the form of class observations and mentoring conversations. The physics teachers can be involved and work on professional self-development in the topics they feel they want to improve. The paper reports on the mentors’ activities with the main focus held on the possibility of the in-service physics teachers’ professional development.

A Descriptive Quantitative Study between Teachers’ Performance and Student Learning Outcomes among Grade 11 Students

This study dealt with the influence of teachers’ performance and student learning outcomes among Grade 11 students in Lorenzo S. Sarmiento Sr. National High School. The primary goal of this study was to determine the level of teachers’ performance and student learning outcomes in terms of their indicators, the significant difference between teachers’ performance and student learning outcomes, and what domains of teachers’ performance substantially influence student learning outcomes. Also, this study utilized a quantitative-correlational design with 202 respondents among Grade 11 students in Lorenzo S. Sarmiento Sr. National High School. The average weighted mean, Pearson R, and multiple regression analysis were the statistical tools used in this study. Along with this, the results showed a high level of teachers’ performance among Grade 11 students in terms of lesson planning, delivery, and evaluation of pupils’ performance. Likewise, the results showed a high level of student learning outcomes in the Grade 11 students regarding teaching, assessment, and generic skills and learning experience. In addition, there was a high correlation and a significant relationship between teachers’ performance and student learning outcomes. Hence, this led to the rejection of the null hypothesis. Also, there are two domains of teachers’ performance that showed a high level of ratings as perceived by the students. Thus, the teacher could continue with their performance for teaching to see good student learning outcomes by providing their needs with new activities to develop their listening skills, public speaking, and writing inside the classroom, and the students may also engage and participate in the teachers’ discussion to make better progress and improve their academic performances.

Test Control of English Grammatical and Lexical Competencies of Secondary School Pupils in Ukraine

The article is dedicated to the test control of English grammatical and lexical competencies of secondary school pupils (five-grade). The study examined the nature and structure of the concepts of “control,” “test” and “test control.” This scientific research aims to investigate the features of the designed exercises for monitoring the formation of the English competencies of pupils of the middle level mentioned above. The significance of the study is determined by the focus of modern linguistics and pedagogics on identifying the features of the methodological control of the formation of English grammatical and lexical evaluation of five-grade school pupils. The main question of the research is how testing control can ensure the successful implementation of the purpose and all functions of control, as well as meet the requirements for its quality. The conditions for the effective use of the mentioned methods in controlling the competence in grammar and lexicon of five-grade school pupils are determined. The Physiological features of students and their psychological readiness for tests were revealed. Methodological analysis was made for the choice of exercises or activities to check for grammar and vocabulary of pupils of the fifth grade. Experimental verification of exercises is designed to check for grammatical and lexical competence of five-grade pupils. To control and evaluate the knowledge and skills of the pupils, at the end of the pedagogical experiment, we held a kind of control competition between the experimental and control grades, for the implementation of which the test tasks were thought out.

Dyslexia and English as a Foreign Language in Norwegian Primary Education: A Mixed Methods Intervention Study

Τhe current study explored the effect of specific teaching accommodations for English language learners with dyslexia in a Norwegian primary school. Specifically, this single group intervention project investigated the impact of a range of multisensory techniques on spelling skills and motivation. Participants included a special education teacher and five dyslexic pupils from the fifth and sixth grades. Pre- and post-tests were administered to observe development in spelling, while data were also collected via a pupil evaluation questionnaire and a teacher interview after the intervention. The findings revealed that the intervention was quite successful. The group exhibited substantial differences in mean scores between the pre- and post-test. However, there were individual differences in scores and comorbid disorders appeared to impact the effectiveness of the intervention. Nonetheless, all of the pupils reported gains in their motivation and improvement in their attitude towards learning English, which was confirmed by their special education teacher. The paper concludes by offering specific didactic suggestions regarding accommodations for English language learners with dyslexia.

Evaluation of Pupils' Knowledge about Kidney Health.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of renal function knowledge of primary school pupils in Greece. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 220 pupils, coming from the 5th and 6th grades of general education schools. A questionnaire consisting of 11 questions was developed from scratch. However, based on an analysis of Cronbach’s alpha values obtained when individual questions were deleted, two questions were removed from the analysis, and only nine remained for analysis and participated in the calculation of the knowledge score. Moreover, the gender and daily habits of pupils regarding water consumption and frequency of urination were recorded. Pupils had a high percentage of correct knowledge about the number of kidneys (95.2%), whether a child may have problems with the kidneys (85.5%) and whether a person can survive with one kidney (68.5%). Low levels of knowledge were observed in the function and role of the kidneys (36.4%), as well as the part of the body where the kidneys are located (30.9%). The median (interquartile range (IQR)) total knowledge score was 6 (5–7), with no difference detected between genders (p = 0.135). A statistically significant difference between pupils of 5th and 6th grades was found but the difference did not seem to be clinically significant (p = 0.035). The present research demonstrates that pupils’ knowledge of renal function and the protection of their kidneys needs improvement.

The ‘Teacher Research Group’ as a collaborative model of professional learning

ABSTRACT In this study, we adopted a Teacher Research Group model, a collaborative approach to teacher education that draws on the principles of numerous action research models of enquiry. More specifically, a teacher educator worked alongside an experienced physical education teacher over a three-month period to plan, teach and evaluate a series of classroom-based lessons. The Teacher Research Group adopted five teaching strategies that were thought to be significantly related to optimal learning and then refined their use in response to an evaluation of pupils’ learning in the classroom. This article outlines the context for this model, describes its application and finally reviews its value as a means of promoting shared professional learning. Adopting the Teacher Research Group model did lead to changes in teaching strategies and improvements in pupils’ learning outcomes. Moreover, the model was an effective approach to shared professional learning, one that could lead to desirable change among education professionals elsewhere.

The design and implementation of the Carolina Automated Reading Evaluation for reading deficit screening

This paper examines the design process and implementation of the Carolina Automated Reading Evaluation (CARE). Designed to automate the process of screening for reading deficits, CARE is an interactive computer-based tool that helps eliminate the need for one-on-one evaluations of pupils to detect dyslexia and other reading deficits. While other tests collect specific data points in order to determine whether a pupil has dyslexia, they typically focus on only a few metrics for diagnosis, such as handwriting analysis or eye tracking. The CARE collects data across up to 16 different subtests, each built to test proficiency in various reading skills. These skills include reading fluency, phoneme manipulation, sound blending, and many other essential skills for reading. This wide variety of measurements allows for a more focused intervention to be created for the pupil. For this study, elementary school pupils were tested both with the CARE and with the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test, a well-established screener for elementary school-level reading deficits. The data collected was used in a comparison of average scores, a gradient boosting tree classifier, and a convergence test to determine if there was any correlation between the CARE and DIBELS scores. Based on these comparisons, a correspondence was found between the two tests, showing that the CARE can detect reading deficits comparable to manually administered testing instruments. Based on these findings, the CARE could be used as a replacement for current tests, giving the users more detailed data at a faster rate. This paper reviews the technical development and preliminary analysis of the CARE. It also provides insights into key considerations when translating standard psychological screeners onto computerized platforms.

Design and application of a new type of oral humidifier

Oral feeding of water cannot be accomplished in some critical patients due to coma, mouth-breathing or long-term indwelling of gastric tube, causing dry mouth which results in oral pain, ulcer, or infection, aggravating patients' discomfort and even affecting the prognosis. To solve this problem, the medical staff of the First Hospital of Jiaxing developed a novel oral humidifier and obtained the National Utility Model Patent of China (ZL 2019 2 0066979.0). The oral humidifier consists of a spraying device and a fixation device. The spraying device is a spraying housing with a water tank, and a spraying port where nanometer water mist can be emitted. The spraying housing is also equipped with a flashlight with a switch, and a schematic diagram of pupil size, which can be used to assess the pupil size conveniently. The fixing device is composed of a fixing frame, an adjustable rod and a clamp. The two ends of the adjustable rod are connected to the fixing frame and the clamp respectively, and can be adjusted to proper shape. The spraying housing can be placed on the fixing frame and installed on the bed and adjusted to the proper position quickly. This novel oral humidifier is a simple device which combines a spraying system with a pupil evaluation tool, implying significant clinical application in improving the convenience of nursing and alleviating dry mouth of critical patients.

K jádru učitelské práce: o didaktickém přístupu učitelů k učebním úlohám v době koronakrize (průzkum mezi plzeňskými učiteli)

The summary of the teacher’s basic approaches to the preparation and realization of learning tasks at the coronacrisis beginning is the main aim of this text. We are focusing on the way of the task’s assignments and on the teacher’s evaluation of pupil’s work across three different subjects.

Visual function tests including the role of optical coherence tomography in neurofibromatosis 1.

Optic pathway glioma (OPG) is a common and significant complication of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF-1) that might lead to vision loss. The main reason to treat OPG is to preserve vision. Tumor location along the visual pathway largely dictates the presenting signs and symptoms. Clinical ophthalmic evaluation is focused on optic nerve functions including evaluation of pupils' reaction to light, visual acuity, color vision, and visual field, as well as optic nerve appearance. An important relatively new ancillary test is optic coherence tomography (OCT) that measures the volume of retinal nerve fiber layer around the optic nerve and the ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) of the macula, both proved to be strongly associated with losing vision in OPG. Accurate evaluation of vision functions plays a critical role in the decision of treatment. In this review, we describe the ophthalmological assessment including new biomarkers in clinical use. We also outline prognostic factors and current recommendations for surveillance and indications for treatment.

Pupil Reactivity in Refractory Out-ofHospital Cardiac Arrest Treated by ExtraCorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the association of early pupil evaluation with death occurrence on Day 28 in patients with refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (ROHCA) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and treated by extra-corporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR).MethodsThe pupil size (miosis, intermediary or mydriasis) and bilateral pupillary light reactivity (present or absent) were monitored in sedated and paralysed patients treated by eCPR. Mortality was assessed on Day 28.ResultsA total of 46 consecutive patients with ROHCA were included in the study. Thirty (65%) patients died on Day 28. Twenty-seven (90%) patients had pupils non-reactive to light, and 18 (60%) had mydriasis at the ICU admission. Using logistic regression, including age, gender, no flow, low-flow, size and pupil reactivity to light, only the pupillary reactivity to light remained associated with death on Day 28 (Odds ratio=0.12, 95%CI=[0.01–0.96]).ConclusionPupils not reacting to light at the ICU admission were associated with mortality on Day 28 in patients with ROHCA. Pupillary light reactivity is a simple and easy tool that can be used to early detect a poor outcome in patients with ROHCA treated by eCPR.

ANALYSIS OF ATTITUDES TO EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN UKRAINE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND PRIMARY EDUCATION TEACHERS

Questions, connected with conduction educational reforms on the modern stage in Ukraine, are discovered in this article. Those changes are connected with desire of Ukrainian society to join European society and to sigh Association with European Union. The educational reform is implemented in primary school. The goal is to find out and analyze physical education teachers’ and primary school teachers’ opinion about implementation educational changes on the present stage in Ukraine.In due to realize such goal we applied literature sources analysis and questionnaire. The questions were answered by 100 physical education teachers and 104 primary school teachers from Lviv region. We have discovered opinion of physical education teachers and primary school teachers is common. The highest level of support got: opportunity to choose and create educational program in terms of educational standards (82% of physical education teachers, 78,9% of primary education teachers), providing different forms of elementary education (76% and 73,1% respectively), applying game methods in studying in elementary school (72% and 69,23% respectively). We have noticed difference in teachers’ attitude towards verbal evaluation of pupils during physical education lessons, progressive forms of retraining and teachers’ independent attestation. Teachers do not support 12-years studying period and implementing the inclusion.

Sorting pupils into their next educational track: How strongly do teachers rely on data-based or intuitive processes when they make the transition decision?

For many years, teachers’ intuitive evaluations of pupils’ competences was considered to be a solid base for decisions; it is only recently that teachers have been expected more and more to use data. We state that insights on intuitive and data-driven approaches need to be integrated to understand and support informed, professional decisions in education. Starting from an integrated framework we studied teachers’ decision process regarding the transition of 30 pupils during their last year of primary education within a case study design. Results describe different approaches to decision-making. Some teachers greatly rely on intuitive processes when they ultimately make the decision, even if data was collected. Other teachers combine and weigh information deriving from deliberate processes of data use and from intuitive recognition before they decide. Implications for theory and practice are explained.

Interrater reliability in pupillary assessment among intensive care nurses

BackgroundPupillary abnormalities are a common and reliable finding of brain herniation, ischaemia, and acute brain injury in critically ill patients. Reliable pupil assessment is a vital evaluation in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for neurocritical patients. AimTo evaluate inter-rater reliability of pupillary assessment among intensive care. MethodsIn this prospective, blind observational study, intensive care nurses and two researchers evaluated the pupil size, reactivity and symmetry of 200 patients with neurosurgery or neurological diseases. A total of 200 pupillary measurement sets were completed independently and blindly. ResultsThree observers –two researchers and the nurse– found fair-to-good and excellent agreements in initial pupil size evaluations of right and left pupils, respectively (ICC = 0.70, 95%; ICC = 0.75, 95%). In patients with pupil size ≥4 mm, the observers found fair-to-good agreements in both right and left pupil initial size measurements (ICC = 0.52; ICC = 0.65). Agreement in pupil symmetry was moderated (K = 0.58), and reactivity was near perfect (K = 0.89) between the three observers. ConclusionAlthough the two researchers found near perfect agreement in pupil size, symmetry and reactivity assessment, two researchers and the nurse found moderate agreement in pupil symmetry and fair-to-good agreement in pre- and post-light stimulation pupil size.

Comparative Analysis of Surveys Focused on Pupils' Attitudes Toward the Teaching of Programming in Schools

The teaching of programming has been implemented at elementary schools worldwide as early as at the age of six. Even though the subject matter in the teaching of programming is mostly given, the specific form and content of lessons can significantly influence the attitudes of pupils, yet there is no standardized tool for evaluation of pupils' attitude toward the course. This study aims to compare and analyze existing attitudes surveys specifically focused on programming while considering limitations of secondary school pupils (ISCED-2). The article is based on theoretical and methodological literature review and a comparative analysis of existing surveys. Current surveys are mostly focused on university students and the questions are far too complex to be understood by pupils at elementary schools, making it necessary to create and validate new attitudes survey purely for the purpose of the topic of programming, that would reflect secondary school pupils limitations. Such a survey could be further used to compare different programming courses and their impact on pupils' attitudes. The research serves as a foundation for the development and testing of a new attitudes survey derived from existing ones and specifically modified for secondary school pupils.

Using Learning Objectives when Teaching in Czech Primary Schools

The paper presents the findings of a multiple case study exploring the way primary school teachers work with learning objectives in social studies teaching. The study has shown that learning objectives do not occur in an explicit form in the Czech primary school teaching. While observing teaching and learning, implicit objectives did emerge – in the beginnings of lessons, during the lesson in the process of solving learning tasks, and most of all, in the evaluatiion processes including the final reflection. In many lessons, there were differences between the learning objectives, teaching methods and evaluation of pupils’ learning.

The Influence of Teachers’ Supervision of Pupils Activities Affect Learning in Preschools in Marigat Sub County, Baringo County, Kenya

In education, a school serves as a learning centre where teachers are anticipated to be in command of their classrooms so as to improve pupils' effectual learning concerning classroom activities and presentation; however teacher's classroom organization of learners learning activities has recently been an issue of concern to many educational stakeholders regarding early childhood development and education. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of teachers' supervision of pupils activities affect learning in preschools in Marigat Sub County, Baringo County, Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 367 pre-school teachers from 196 pre-schools and 93 head teachers in Marigat Sub County while their sample size constituted 110 pre-school teachers and 27 head teachers which was 30% of the target population. The study sample was drawn from the entire population using simple random sampling technique for the teachers and purposive sampling for the head teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires for the quantitative descriptive data for the head teachers and interview guide for the qualitative data for the teachers. Instrument validity was ascertained with the help of the supervisors based on their expert opinion. The reliability of the questionnaire was done by piloting it and a reliable Cronbach coefficients Alpha of 0.73 was obtained. However, the instrument was slightly revised based on the pilot study results. The researcher personally administered the instruments to all the respondents. The quantitative data was analyzed by the use of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and the findings presented on frequency tables and percentages alongside the qualitative description of data from the interview guide. The major findings of the study indicated that good classroom organization by teachers corresponded with smooth learning activities among the preschool learners. The study further found out that there was laxity by the preschool teachers in delegation of his or her duties and responsibilities a classroom administrator thus affecting the pupils' performance. Though coordination, evaluation, supervision and monitoring of pupils learning activities, the study found preschool teachers should embrace good classroom organization practices while handling preschool learners so as on improve on their intellectual performance.

An evaluation of gender bias and pupils’ attitude towards STEM disciplines in the transition between compulsory and voluntary schooling

Tackling the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills shortage is an ongoing challenge for governments and policymakers worldwide. While the last decade has seen an increase in student enrolment into STEM degree courses in the UK, the gender gap remains a persistent issue in academia. In order to understand the causes underpinning female under-representation in STEM, it is essential to consider the whole academic pipeline and identify its “leaky points”. As the transition between compulsory and voluntary schooling represents a critical attrition point in the STEM educational pipeline, we conducted a survey to investigate the attitude of a cohort of year 11 and year 12 pupils towards STEM disciplines. Our results indicate that a gender bias is already evident at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level, where only 25% of girls expressed the intention to pursue a career in STEM. In both age groups, girls expressed a considerably lower preference for chemistry, physics and ICT, and a higher preference for biology compared to boys in the same year group. Participation in extracurricular activities and parents’ educational status both showed a strong correlation with pupils’ intention to undertake STEM studies in higher education and pursue a career in a related field. A recurring theme emerging from the survey is that pupils are eager to gain more knowledge about “real life” applications of science and are inspired by interactions with visiting scientists. These results corroborate the notion that outreach activities have a crucial role in promoting engagement in STEM subjects amongst young learners, and are essential towards the endeavour of “mending the pipeline” at an early stage.

BISA-Test—Evaluation of Pupils’ Knowledge of Native Bird Species in Germany

Der Ruckgang der Biodiversitat gilt nach Aussage der Weltbank als eine der zentralen Bedrohungen der Menschheit ahnlich dem Klimawandel. Dies ist somit nicht nur ein Experten-, sondern ein gesellschaftlich relevantes Thema. Um die Entwicklung der Artenkenntnis in den letzten 10 Jahren zu ermitteln, prufte die vorliegende Studie die Formenkenntnis 15 haufiger Vogelarten an knapp 2000 Schulerinnen und Schulern. Dabei zeigt sich, dass diese Testgruppe rund ein Drittel der Vogelarten erkennt. Damit hat die Artenkenntnis in den vergangenen zehn Jahren weiter abgenommen. Die Bekanntheit einzelner Arten erweist sich durch einen Vergleich mit Vorlauferstudien uber die Jahre hinweg als stabil. Sie ist weitgehend unabhangig von gesellschaftlichen oder schulischen Bedingungen und steht kaum in Zusammenhang mit der Beobachtbarkeit der einzelnen Arten. So erkennen Schulerinnen und Schuler Amsel und Rotkehlchen seit Jahren sehr gut, wahrend andere haufige Arten, wie z. B. Buchfink oder der Haussperling, nahezu unbekannt sind. Die Daten aus dieser Untersuchung zeigen, dass sich nicht nur die globale Biodiversitat verkleinert, sondern auch das taxonomische Wissen zuruckgeht. Somit soll diese Studie dazu anregen, dem Erwerb von Artenkenntnis im schulischen Zusammenhang wieder mehr Bedeutung zuzumessen, um nicht der reduzierten Vielfalt auch noch mit reduzierter Kenntnis Vorschub zu leisten.