School Achievement Test Research Articles

Effects of a Preventive Intervention of Emotional Regulation in the School Context

Abstract In early childhood education, socio-emotional learning is not always considered with appropriate planning nor based on scientific evidence. Aiming to analyze impact of an Emotional Regulation (ER) Intervention in school achievement and social skills (SS), fifty-five children from public schools were evaluated by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), School Achievement Test (TDE) and Social Skills Rating System (SSRS-BR). After nine 50-minute meetings addressing ER strategies, evaluation of SS by the teacher indicated improvement in all aspects of SS in Intervention Group (IG) and worsening of the self-control in Comparison Group (CG). Self-evaluation of SS showed that IG overcame the initial difference in assertiveness and problem avoidance. Results suggest that ER programs can bring benefits to the development of SS.

OUR CHILD IS DYING: EXPLORING THE EXPERIENCES, CHALLENGES AND COPING MECHANISMS OF MALAYSIAN PARENTS AS CAREGIVERS OF A CHILD WITH CANCER

Parents as caregivers to paediatric cancer patients face various challenges. This paper highlights the characteristics, caregiving tasks, resources, and other role demands/stressors experienced by a pair of parents as primary family caregivers of a child with cancer in the Malaysian setting. Besides, coping strategies are also put forward as a significant element in understanding the functions of a parent as a caregiver. Hence, this study aims to explore the in-depth experiences of caregivers and investigate the challenges as well as the coping strategies adopted by them, particularly as Muslims. Eight (8) main themes emerged from the findings: (i) chronology; (ii) caregiver roles; (iii) routine changes; (iv) making decisions; (v) financial; (vi) letting go; (vii) external support; and (viii) internal support. This study is unique because the patient was an only child, and he managed to score excellent grades in all subjects in the Malaysian Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) despite not attending school for almost one year due to cancer treatments. Keywords: cancer caregiver, Wilms’ Tumour, Muslim caregiver, exploratory qualitative research

沖縄県立高校入試理科の出題傾向に関する一考察―全国学力・学習状況調査との比較を通して―

沖縄県立高校入試理科の出題傾向に関する一考察―全国学力・学習状況調査との比較を通して―

Exploring The Vaw Method Of Writing Among Esl Primary Pupils: Conceptual Paper

The lack of writing skills among rural ESL primary school pupils in Malaysia has been identified based on the school level assessments. Based on the teachers as the researchers’ perspectives, the problem of writing among these rural young learners is cause by the lack of vocabulary acquisition where they don’t have choices of words in expressing their ideas in writing. Therefore, the researchers propose method with a writing module focusing on vocabulary enhancement in improving the writing skills among these learners. This module i.e. the VAW Module uses the VAW Method that comprises of vocabulary enhancement (V), application and practice (A) and Writing (W) is anticipated to help the pupils to power up their writing before they undergo the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) in Year 6 i.e. the national examination taken by all students in Malaysia at the end of their sixth year in primary school before they leave for secondary school.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and parenting style on student academic achievement at Hulu Terengganu District

This study is to identify the level of emotional intelligence and parenting styles among form one students in secondary schools in Hulu Terengganu. Schools in the state chosen for this study because the students have had the best record of ten consecutive years in the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR). Therefore, researchers want to identify significant relationships that may exist between the two independent variables with students' academic achievement. The instrument used was a questionnaire distributed to 364 students from Form One in four secondary schools in the area. The data obtained were analyzed using computer software Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0. Diskiriptif and inferential analysis used to answer all of the study. The findings showed that domain of interpersonal skills is the most dominat domain in students emotional intelligence skill. However, over all the level of emotional intelligence among students was moderate level. As for the type of parenting style most dominant among parents is the kind of authoritative parenting style. The findings also indicate that there is a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement. However, it was found that there was no significant relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement. On completion, close cooperation among parents and teachers need to further enhance the level of students emotional intelligence for the excellence of academic achievement.

Syndromic craniosynostosis: neuropsycholinguistic abilities and imaging analysis of the central nervous system.

To characterize patients with syndromic craniosynostosis with respect to their neuropsycholinguistic abilities and to present these findings together with the brain abnormalities. Eighteen patients with a diagnosis of syndromic craniosynostosis were studied. Eight patients had Apert syndrome and 10 had Crouzon syndrome. They were submitted to phonological evaluation, neuropsychological evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The phonological evaluation was done by behavioral observation of the language, the Peabody test, Token test and a school achievement test. The neuropsychological evaluation included the WISC III and WAIS tests. Abnormalities in language abilities were observed and the school achievement test showed abnormalities in 66.67% of the patients. A normal intelligence quotient was observed in 39.3% of the patients, and congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system were observed in 46.4% of the patients. Abnormalities of language abilities were observed in the majority of patients with syndromic craniosynostosis, and low cognitive performance was also observed.

Math self-concept, grades, and achievement test scores: Long-term reciprocal effects across five waves and three achievement tracks.

This study examines reciprocal effects between self-concept and achievement by considering a long time span covering grades 5 through 9. Extending previous research on the reciprocal effects model (REM), this study tests (1) the assumption of developmental equilibrium as time-invariant cross-lagged paths from self-concept to achievement and from achievement to self-concept, (2) the generalizability of reciprocal relations when using school grades and standardized achievement test scores as achievement indicators, and (3) the invariance of findings across secondary school achievement tracks. Math self-concept, school grades in math, and math achievement test scores were measured once each school year with a representative sample of 3,425 German students. Students’ gender, IQ, and socioeconomic status (SES) were controlled in all analyses. The findings supported the assumption of developmental equilibrium for reciprocal effects between self-concept and achievement across time. The pattern of results was found to be invariant across students attending different achievement tracks and could be replicated when using school grades and achievement test scores in separate and in combined models. The findings of this study thus underscore the generalizability and robustness of the REM.

全国学力・学習状況調査を利用した教員志望学生の理科の学力分析

全国学力・学習状況調査を利用した教員志望学生の理科の学力分析

Modeling Test Context Effects in Longitudinal Achievement Data: Examining Position Effects in the Longitudinal German PISA 2012 Assessment

Position effects (PE) in school achievement tests are a specific kind of test context effects (TCEs) that refer to the phenomenon of items becoming more difficult, the later they are positioned in a test. Up until today, PEs have been investigated mainly in cross-sectional settings; this means that little is known about how the size of PEs changes when retesting students. In the present article, we investigate TCEs in the longitudinal extension of the PISA 2012 assessment in Germany. To this end, we propose an extension of the two-dimensional one-parameter item response model, with one dimension per measurement occasion, that includes the effects of booklets (i.e., test forms) on item clusters (i.e., item bundles) that are allowed to vary between assessment occasions and groups (school types). Results indicate that the TCEs uncovered in all domains tested (mathematics, science, and reading) are closely in line with PEs, with reading being most strongly affected, and mathematics being least affected. The size of PEs increased in the second assessment, although the domains were differently affected. This pattern of effects was more pronounced in nonacademic school types. Finally, estimates of average achievement gains appeared to be underestimated by IRT models that neglected TCEs, with differences being largest in domains most strongly affected by PEs (i.e., science and reading).

Development of the Arithmetic Subtest of the School Achievement Test-Second Edition

The School Achievement Test (Teste de Desempenho Escolar, TDE) has been widely used in clinical and educational contexts for the past 22 years. Arithmetic disorders are frequent among children and teenagers, requiring new and updated tasks to assess as accurately as possible school achievement. The last decade has witnessed a growing recognition of the need for significant changes in educational assessment practices. Evidence provided by item response theory (IRT) enabled the link of more detailed information improving assessment quality. The aim of this study was to develop a revised and completely updated version of the Arithmetic Subtest for the School Achievement Test-Second Edition (Teste de Desempenho Escolar-Segunda Edicao, TDE-II). To this end, two studies were conducted. The first study focused on item and test construction, while the second study assessed the preliminary version of the instrument. The sample consisted of 302 students in grades 1 through 9 recruited from public and private schools. Factor analysis revealed two factors which explained 74 % of the variance in the data. Both dimensions were closely related to item complexity and difficulty. The subtest was therefore divided into two versions: one for students in grades 1 through 5 and the other for those in grades 6 through 9. Both versions were analyzed based on IRT models, which suggested that the items provided a comprehensive measure of the latent trait. The results provided satisfactory evidence of internal structure and reliability. Results indicated that the Arithmetic Subtest of the TDE-II has adequate psychometric properties for the assessment of arithmetic skills in primary education. Interpretation based on IRT analyses can be helpful for future studies about math education, discriminating even better between learning difficulty and typical groups, with the data to be the basis of math cognition stimulation programs.

Vocational choices in adolescence: The role of gender, school achievement, self-concepts, and vocational interests

The present study examines the role of gender, school achievement tests, school grades, self-concepts, and vocational interests in predicting the transition from school to different fields of vocational education and training in a German sample of 10th-grade students (N=900) attending intermediate secondary school. All sets of constructs were assessed with respect to multiple domains related to school subjects and the salient characteristics of occupations. Results showed that the sets of predictor variables had large proportions of variance in common (18% to 87%). On average, the profiles of students' construct scores resembled the characteristics of the different groups of occupations. Multinomial logistic regression analyses based on three alternative classification systems of occupations revealed that all variables were related to students' vocational choices, but that vocational interests were the most powerful predictors, and that the remaining variables only had small incremental effects once interests were controlled for. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Overidentification of learning disorders among language-minority students. Implications for the standardization of school achievement tests

This German prevalence study examined disproportionate representation of language-minority students among children identified with learning disorder (LD) according to ICD-10 (WHO, 1992). Most German school achievement tests used in LD diagnostics do not provide separate norms for language-minority students, and thus do not take these children’s second language status into account when evaluating their academic performance. Although this is likely to result in an LD overidentification of language-minority students, little is known about the magnitude of this effect. Therefore, we compared the estimation of LD prevalence between native German speaking students (n = 566) and language-minority students (n = 478) when pooled versus group-specific achievement norms were used for LD classification. Three important findings emerged from our study: Firstly, and as expected, significant disproportionality effects occurred under pooled norms. Specifically, the likelihood of being diagnosed with LD amounted to 14–18 % among native German speakers and nearly doubled to 25–30 % among language-minority students. Secondly, disproportionality varied as a function of LD subtype: Whereas no disproportionate representation was revealed for arithmetic LD (F81.2), overidentification of language-minority students was found for verbal LD subtypes (namely, reading disorder [F81.0], spelling disorder [F81.1], and mixed disorder of scholastic skills [F81.3]). Thirdly, disproportionality effects were absent when group-specific norms were used for LD classification that controlled for second-language issues. Challenges that have to be met when testing language-minority students for LD are discussed.

A New Approach to Handle Missing Covariate Data in Twin Research : With an Application to Educational Achievement Data.

The often-used ACE model which decomposes phenotypic variance into additive genetic (A), common-environmental (C) and unique-environmental (E) parts can be extended to include covariates. Collection of these variables however often leads to a large amount of missing data, for example when self-reports (e.g. questionnaires) are not fully completed. The usual approach to handle missing covariate data in twin research results in reduced power to detect statistical effects, as only phenotypic and covariate data of individual twins with complete data can be used. Here we present a full information approach to handle missing covariate data that makes it possible to use all available data. A simulation study shows that, independent of missingness scenario, number of covariates or amount of missingness, the full information approach is more powerful than the usual approach. To illustrate the new method, we applied it to test scores on a Dutch national school achievement test (Eindtoets Basisonderwijs) in the final grade of primary school of 990 twin pairs. The effects of school-aggregated measures (e.g. school denomination, pedagogical philosophy, school size) and the effect of the sex of a twin on these test scores were tested. None of the covariates had a significant effect on individual differences in test scores.

The Children of Intermarriage in Four European Countries

This article tests the thesis that intermarriage fosters the integration of immigrants by studying the children of intermarriage. Using secondary school–based questionnaire data from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, I compare the children of mixed marriages to second-generation immigrants and to children of native origins. Three dimensions of integration are measured: social integration (contacts with natives), cultural integration (religiosity and family values), and economic integration (school achievement tests). I examine the effect of intermarriage on these outcomes as well as interactions with gender, socioeconomic status, destination country, and origin group. Our findings show that the outcomes for the children of mixed origins are in between the outcomes of immigrants and natives. In some respects, mixed children are exactly halfway, confirming a model of additive effects of parental origins. In other cases, mixed children are closer to immigrants than to natives, pointing to a model of stigmatization and ethnic retentionism.

Evidências de validade do subteste de leitura do teste de desempenho escolar

The school achievement test is a psychopedagogical instrument for children from 1st to 6th grade, assessing broadly learning through three subtests: reading, writing and arithmetic. The goal of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the reading subtest, using principal axes analysis and item response theory to evaluate the internal structure, items difficulty and discrimination. The sample consisted of data from surveys conducted in four Brazilian states (N= 1831). Results indicated that the reading subtest presents evidence of unidimensionality, more accurately assess students with low and medium skill, and discriminates students only through third grade. These results indicate that subtest presents evidence of validity, but requires refinement. Keywords: reading; school achievement test; validity; item response theory; psychological assessment.

ADHD inattentive symptoms mediate the relationship between intelligence and academic performance in children aged 6-14.

Fluid intelligence and the behavioral problems of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are related to academic performance, but how this association occurs is unclear. This study aimed to assess mediation and moderation models that test possible pathways of influence between these factors. Sixty-two children with ADHD and 33 age-matched, typically developing students were evaluated with Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the spelling and arithmetic subtests of the Brazilian School Achievement Test. Dimensional ADHD symptomatology was reported by parents. Our findings suggest that fluid intelligence has a significant impact on academic tests through inattention. The inattentive dimension was the principal behavioral source of influence, also accounting for the association of hyperactive-impulsive manifestations with school achievement. This cognitive-to-behavioral influence path seems to be independent of diagnosis related group, and gender, but lower socioeconomic status might increase its strength. Fluid intelligence is a relevant factor in the influence of ADHD behavioral symptoms on academic performance, but its impact is indirect. Therefore, early identification of both fluid intelligence and inattentive symptoms is of the utmost importance to prevent impaired academic performance and future difficulties in functioning.

Web-Based Mathematics Progress Monitoring in Second Grade

We examined a web-based mathematics progress monitoring tool for second graders. The tool monitors the learning progress of two competences, number sense and computation. A total of 414 students from 19 classrooms in Germany were checked every 3 weeks from fall to spring. Correlational analyses indicate that alternate-form reliability was adequate for the chosen interval (.81 < r < .87). Results from latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) identified significant linear increases in students’ scores, and a significant variance in computation slopes was observed. Criterion validity coefficients, comparing the measures with student performance on standardized school achievement tests at the beginning and the end of the school year (DEMAT1+, DEMAT2+), were satisfactory (.59 < r < .76). Students conducted the tests independently, and assessment times were short. Implications for further research and classroom practice are discussed.

Psychosocial Functioning and School Achievement of Children With Mild Intellectual Disability in Polish Special, Integrative, and Mainstream Schools

AbstractThe authors sought to assess the effectiveness of integrative and inclusive education in Poland as well as to determine the relations between the psychosocial functioning and school achievement of pupils with mild intellectual disability attending special, integrative, and mainstream schools. Nearly 900 (n = 859) grade four pupils rated their social and emotional integration within their school and took a school achievement test. Pupils from integrative and mainstream schools achieved significantly higher scores in the school achievement test than pupils from special schools, whereas students from special schools were significantly better integrated emotionally and socially than integrative and mainstream school students. Additionally, emotional integration was a positive predictor for school achievement of pupils attending special schools. Among pupils attending integrative and mainstream schools, the relationship between emotional and social integration and school achievement was more complex and curvilinear: The highest results were achieved by the best and the worst integrated pupils. These findings are discussed in the context of inclusive education theory.

O Cloze como instrumento de avaliação de leitura nas séries iniciais

A literatura na área tem apontado a importância das habilidades referentes à leitura e escrita, especialmente quando se estuda o processo de alfabetização e suas dificuldades. Buscando verificar a validade do Cloze como instrumento de avaliação de leitura, o presente estudo foi elaborado tendo como principal objetivo comparar os escores do Cloze com o Teste de Desempenho Escolar (TDE), que apresenta, além de estudos de validade e precisão, também uma proposta de normatização. A amostra do estudo constituiu-se de quarenta e duas crianças, das quais dezenove eram alunas da 1ª série e vinte e três da 2ª série (no sistema atual, 2º ano e 3º ano) do Ensino Fundamental de escolas particulares situadas no Interior de Minas. Os resultados mostram evidências de validade de critério e convergência para o Cloze e indicam sua utilidade como um teste de avaliação de leitura.

The Effect of Ability-based Tracking in Secondary School on Subsequent School Achievement: A Longitudinal Study

Aims: Using propensity-score matching, we matched students with similar prior-school achievement and demographical data who attended either an academic or vocational track during the first two years of secondary school. Methodology: In a two-factorial between-subject analysis of variance, we compared standardised school achievement test scores of propensity-score matched prior highand low-achieving students who attended either an academic or vocational track. Results: Results showed that for the subjects German and French, prior high-achieving students performed significantly better than prior low-achieving students, and students who attended the academic track performed significantly better than students who attended the vocational track. For the subject Mathematics we found a main effect of prior-achievement level. However, we did not find an interaction between prior-achievement level and tracklevel.