University Admission Exam Research Articles

Predictive Model for the classification of university students at risk of academic loss

For higher education institutions, predicting the risk of academic loss is a priority issue due to the resources invested by institutions, students and the academic community in general. Objective: the objective of this research was to propose a suitable model that allows predicting students who are at risk of academic loss in a chemistry course. Methodology: the quasi-experimental, predictive, longitudinal research was developed with data from 103 students from four Colombian universities. To build the model, a comparison of five algorithms was implemented. Data was processed with Jupyter-Python. Results: the logistic regression model (LR) was built based on the students’ results on the Saber 11 test (Colombian nation-wide university admission exam), in which the penalty of false positives with different weights from the false negatives improved the performance of the model. Conclusions: it is concluded that LR is substantially better than grasping or a guessing approach, furthermore, it was shown to perform better than a neural network model.

THE CORRELATION AMONG DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXAMS IN AZERBAIJAN

It is crucial to examine the alignment of different exam results conducted by various organizations to improve the quality of assessment. The research used a document analysis method with recent, publicly available national and international reports addressing the research question. The following main question was examined through the document analysis: What exams have the highest correlation and are more trustworthy in Azerbaijan for short and long-term outcomes? The data were analyzed to discover any statistical comparisons of university admission exams with the 9th and 11th grade SEC exams, school grades, and other assessments. Research shows that the State Examination Center’s exams align with its own evaluations and international assessment (OECD). They can be considered methodologically rigorous, providing a more valid yardstick for measuring student knowledge and achievement. Overall, exams by the SEC had a high correlation coefficient compared to Higher Education Institutions’ assessments. As more and more international students want to pursue their education in Azerbaijan, these findings can be valuable for their decision-making and tertiary level. Keywords: educational evaluation, exam correlation, large-scale exams, national and international measurement

Mental well-being and test anxiety among students preparing for the university admission exam during the pandemic.

The present study attempted to explore any potential association between test anxiety and mental well-being among high school students preparing for the university admission exam in times of the pandemic. The sample of this correlational study consisted of 427 senior high school students in Caycuma district of Zonguldak, Turkey. The data were collected online using a demographic information form, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and the Westside Test Anxiety Scale between April-May 2021. Our findings revealed student gender, paternal education, availability of a personal room and computer, and motivation for online classes to be factors associated with test anxiety. Besides, we discovered parental age, maternal education and employment, the device used for online classes, perceived effectiveness of distance education, and motivation for online classes to be linked with mental well-being among students. In a nutshell, several factors were discovered to contribute to test anxiety, including student gender, paternal education, availability of a personal room and computer, and motivation for online classes. The findings also suggested some noteworthy factors influencing students' mental well-being, such as parental age, maternal education and employment, the device used for online classes, perceived effectiveness of distance education, and motivation for online classes. Finally, we uncovered a significant negative association between the participating students' test anxiety and mental well-being.

Let's stay together: The effects of repeat student-teacher matches on academic achievement

We explore the effectiveness of repeating the student-teacher match on test scores, for the universe of 8th graders in Chile using information on all student-teacher matches across multiple subjects and years, and a national, anonymous measure of test scores. Using a fixed effect and a regression discontinuity approach, we find that repeating matches has a robust positive effect on test scores. We show that this positive effect aggregates up to the student, class, and school-level, and also has longer-term effects on university admission exams. As channels, we find a significant positive effect on attendance, progression, student behaviour and teacher expectations. Reallocating teachers to classes with which they are familiar appears to offer a feasible strategy to improve student performance at low cost.

グローバルエンジニア人材育成・キャリア形成のための実践英語 : 高専3年生からのTOEIC導入の試みと継続的実施検証

There is a growing consensus of using the TOEIC as an English proficiency measure in many university admission exams and company promotions in Japan. Yet, many KOSEN students and graduates struggle to use English both at school and work. To fulfill the needs, starting from 2023, Hachinohe KOSEN will introduce the new curriculum for 4th grade students that will require them to have a TOEIC score of least 400 points in order to move on to the 5th grade. To prepare for this requirement, TOEIC-related English classes were introduced in 2019 from the 3rd year. In this study, TOEIC scores of the same students who took two years in a row (the 3rd and 4th grades) were compared and the students’ responses to the English classes were reported.

Learning Outside the Classroom During a Pandemic: Evidence from an Artificial Intelligence-Based Education App

Drawing on the notion of compensatory behavior, this paper studies how students compensate for learning loss during a pandemic and what role artificial intelligence (AI) plays in this regard. We further probe into a difference in compensatory behavior for learning loss in terms of quantity, pattern, and pace (i.e., tripartite aspect of learning behavior) of AI-powered learning app usage depending on the level of pandemic threat and the proximity of a goal to students. Results show that the pandemic threat affects student learning behavior differently. Immediately following the COVID-19 outbreak, students who live in the epicenter of the outbreak (versus those who do not) use the app less at first, but with time, they use it more (quantity), on a more regular basis (pattern), and rebound to a curriculum path (pace) comparable to students who do not live in the outbreak’s epicenter. These findings collectively explain behavior that is consistent with compensation for learning loss. The results also partially corroborate the goal-proximity effect, revealing that proximity to a goal (e.g., the degree to which the national university admission exam is approaching) has a moderating role in explaining the tripartite perspective of student learning behavior. Overall, these findings have important theoretical and practical implications for understanding how innovative education technologies can not only facilitate student learning during adversity, but also support learning recovery after adversity. This paper was accepted by D. J. Wu, information systems. Supplemental Material: Data files available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4531 .

Turkish Higher Education Law 2547 and the Representation of the Higher Education Board in the Press (1980–1981)

In order for universities, which play a key role in the education systems, to adapt to the changing world, some innovations are needed in higher education. Since the first university was established, many different laws have been enacted to regulate the higher education system in Turkey. Each new law or regulation introduced brought along controversies with it, and even caused some social conflicts. Although the Higher Education Law 2547 and the Higher Education Council, which was established on November 6, 1981, are defined as an effort to reform and improve higher education, no consensus is observed among different social segments as to whether it has actually brought an effective regulation or not. This study aims to reveal how the Higher Education Law No. 2547, which has brought great debates since 1981, when it came into force in Turkey, was represented in the press of the period. Thus, the news published in Milliyet, Hürriyet, Tercüman and Cumhuriyet newspapers between 1980 and 1981 were analyzed. The analysis of the news revealed that the new higher education law was discussed by focusing on the administrative and scientific autonomy of universities, problems related to the centralized governance structure, the change and effects of the university admission exam regulations, and the problems faced by university faculty members.

Implications of University Admission Reforms in China, Japan, and France

[연구목적] 본 연구는 급변하고 있는 사회적·교육적 환경에 대처하기 위한 대학입시 개혁의 중요성을 인식하여, 가장 최근에 대입 개혁을 추진한 중국, 일본, 프랑스 사례들을 조사,분석함으로써 대입 개혁의 주요한 특징 및 방향성을 파악하고, 이를 통해 미래형 대입제도 개혁을 준비하고 있는 우리나라를 위한 시사점을 찾아보고자 하였다. [연구방법] 이러한 목적을 달성하기 위해 대입 개혁의 배경, 주요 개혁 내용, 개혁의 추진 경과 등에 대해 세 개 국가들의 사례를 비교·분석하였다. [연구결과] 주요 연구결과로 첫째는 최근의 대입 개혁들이 모두 미래 핵심 역량인 창의력, 사고력, 문제해결력 등의 고차적 사고능력을 기를 수 있는 방향으로 변화하기 위해 대학입학시험의 과목 및 출제 유형을 바꾸고 있다는 것이었다. 둘째는 대학입시가 학업성적 위주에서 전인적·종합적 평가로 전환되면서 다원화 되고 있고 있다는 것이었으며, 셋째는 고교 교육과 대학 교육의 연계성을 강화하기 위한 노력을 하고 있다는 것이었다. 한편 일본 사례를 통해서 국가수준 대학입학시험의 서술형 도입은 채점의 신뢰성 확보가 관건이 될 수 있다는 것을 알 수 있었다. [결론] 중국, 일본, 프랑스의 대입 개혁은 기본적으로 개혁의 방향이 대학이 미래 인재 역량을 평가할 수 있도록 하고, 입시 제도를 통해 학교 교육이 적합한 역량을 길러낼 수 있도록 하려는 것임을 공통적으로 보여주었다..우리나라도 이러한 방향성을 고려하여 미래형 대입제도를 준비할 필요가 있으며, 이 세 개 국가들의 대입 개혁을 위한 추진 과정에서 발생되었던 문제점들을 고려하며 대입 개혁을 장기적·종합적인 관점에서 준비해나가는 것이 바람직할 것이다.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and direction of the university admission reform and to find implications for Korea, which is preparing for the reform of the future-oriented university admission system. Methods: For this study, the cases of China, Japan, and France, which had driven university admission reforms recently, were examined and compared to find the characteristics of future-oriented university admission. Results: The result firstly showed that all recent university admission reforms tried to change the subjects and item types of the national university admission exams in order to change them toward a direction that could foster creativity, thinking ability, and problem-solving ability which were core competencies of the future. Secondly, it was found that university admission evaluation methods were becoming more diversified as the concern was shifted from academic knowledge tests to holistic and comprehensive evaluation. Thirdly, efforts were made to strengthen the connection between high school education and university education. Conclusion: This study provides implications of university admission reforms for Korea as follows: First, the university admission should be reformed to enable universities to evaluate future-oriented competency and to make reliability of evaluation established. Second, Korean future-oriented university admission reform should be prepared from a long-term and comprehensive perspective.

The aftermath of prolonged academic institutions’ closure: time to reopen safely

To minimize the outspread of COVID-19, the government announced the closure of all educational institutions on March 18, 2020, and it has continued since then. This extended break from educational institutes has affected the lives of students profoundly. Though face-to-face classes have been replaced by online classes, the effectiveness of the online learning system is impeded by poor technological infrastructure and stable internet access. Besides, important exams like board exams, university admission exams, and university semester exams have been suspended during this period resulting in session jam. Numerous students are also going through learning loss. Apart from academic loss, there have been reported augmented cases of child marriage, child labor, child abuse, malnutrition, and online abuse due to the extended shutdown. This protracted closure has also impacted students’ mental health, physical activity, and behavioral changes. Hence, there have been increased incidences of depression, mental disorders, and suicides. Considering all these aspects, now both parents and students intend to recommence the in-person classes supporting the reopening of all institutes.
 Bioresearch Commu. 7(2): 1038-1041, 2021 (June)

The uses and misuses of centralised high stakes examinations-Assessment Policy and Practice in Georgia

ABSTRACT Trust in centralised high-stakes exams in Georgia has grown since 2005, when the introduction of nationwide standardised tests for university entry successfully eradicated the deep-rooted corruption in the admissions system. In 2011, another set of high-stakes exams were introduced for school graduation, resulting in a minimum of 12 exams for secondary school graduation and university entry. The examination system reform in 2019 was limited to abolishing the school graduation exams and reducing the number of university admission exams. Fewer exams instigated the fear of decrease in student motivation and the deterioration of learning outcomes among some stakeholders. This article describes how centralised high-stakes assessments have become an integral part of the education system, cites available evidence on their impact, accounts for recent changes, and argues that overreliance on centralised high-stakes exams is due to complex educational, political and social processes that make it difficult to transform the system.

COVID-19 and university admission exams: A Bangladesh perspective

Background: Educational institutions have been closed in Bangladesh due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and board exams like Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, as well as university admission exams have been suspended. Secondary school students have been promoted based on past performance. As the time has come for students to take admission into universities, educational authorities must make decisions about the logistical and public health arrangements that could allow universities to conduct admission exams.Design and methods: The public health and lockdown policies were analyzed during the timeframe of 25th March to 15th October. Time series models of the trend of COVID-19 were prepared for the near future using the ARIMA technique, for the lockdown phase and the post lockdown phase. This was evaluated in juxtaposition with the restrictions relating to travel, work, schools, public gatherings, face masks, etc. The models were then used to forecast positivity rates for two weeks into the future.Results: The curve was not bent during the strict lockdown phase, but the post lockdown phase eventually saw a decline in positivity rates. The best models selected were ARIMA(0,1,7) for the lockdown stage, and ARIMA(7,1,0) for the post lockdown stage. AIC, BIC, RMSE, MAE, and MAPE criteria were used for model selection.Conclusions: Many restrictions of the lockdown phase have been continued until the present time, and disease case positivity rates have declined. However, the resumption of work and domestic travel has not prevented the control of the spread of the disease. It may therefore be possible to conduct in-person admission test exams for universities, while maintaining social distancing, face masks and other public health measures.

Covid-19 and University Admission Exams: A Bangladesh Perspective

Background: Educational institutions have been closed in Bangladesh due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and board exams like Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, as well as university admission exams have been suspended. Secondary school students have been promoted based on past performance. As the time has come for students to take admission into universities, educational authorities must make decisions about the logistical and public health arrangements that could allow universities to conduct admission exams.Design and methods: The public health and lockdown policies were analyzed during the timeframe of 25th March to 15th October. Time series models of the trend of COVID-19 were prepared for the near future using the ARIMA technique, for the lockdown phase and the post lockdown phase. This was evaluated in juxtaposition with the restrictions relating to travel, work, schools, public gatherings, face masks etc. The models were then used to forecast positivity rates for two weeks into the future.Results: The curve was not bent during the strict lockdown phase, but the post lockdown phase eventually saw a decline in positivity rates. The best models selected were ARIMA(0,1,7) for the lockdown stage, and ARIMA(7,1,0) for the post lockdown stage. AIC, BIC, RMSE, MAE, and MAPE criteria were used for model selection.Conclusions: Many restrictions of the lockdown phase have been continued until the present time, and disease case positivity rates have declined. However, the resumption of work and domestic travel has not prevented the control of the spread of the disease. It may therefore be possible to conduct in person admission test exams for universities, while maintaining social distancing, face masks and other public health measures.Significance for public healthThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted educational activities worldwide, moved classes to the online platform, and delayed exams, graduations and admissions. Bangladesh has one of the most conservative and risk averse policies when it comes to opening educational institutions during the pandemic. However, a prolonged and indefinite delay in allowing essential milestones like university admission exams can hamper the progress and competitiveness of millions of Bangladeshi students in their careers. If the spread of the disease is not increasing in the near future, it can be possible to organize university admission tests with proper health and safety arrangements, to enable students to continue their higher education journey. This study makes short term predictions of the progression of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, using ARIMA models, to advise educational authorities about policy and logistical measures to enable this journey.

Identifying the Students’ Needs for Guidance at Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School

The purpose of this study is to identify the needs of vocational and technical Anatolian high school students for guidance. A mixed research methodology is employed in this descriptive study. With the guidance needs analysis survey, quantitative data was collected about the needs of students for guidance from a total of 2228 participants including 1437 students, 304 teachers and 487 parents. The qualitative data in the research were collected from school counsellors employed in vocational and technical high schools, from the heads of guidance services employed in guidance research centres, from psychological guidance and counselling specialists working in the Ministry of National Education, from psychological counsellors representing Turkish Psychological Counselling and Guidance Association and those engaged by educational unions. The research revealed findings that the students need intensive guidance on topics such as identification of future career goals, learning effective studying methods, self-knowledge of interests and abilities, knowledge of professions and their basic requirements, focusing attention during lessons, protection from addiction, knowledge of developmental features of adolescence, university admission exams and opportunities for higher education. Furthermore, it was revealed that the guidance needs of the students were not met sufficiently, they needed services in all areas of personal-social, educational and career guidance, female students needed guidance services more than male students, and students felt more need of guidance services at higher grades. In line with the results of the study, further recommendations are presented to provide for the guidance needs of students.

Lise Son Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Sosyal Hizmet Mesleğine İlişkin Görüşleri

Amaç: Lise son sınıf öğrencilerinin sosyal hizmet mesle-ğiyle ilgili görüşlerinin belirlenmesidir. Yöntem: Çalışma Ankara’da bulunan altı lisede 450 (301 kız, 149 erkek) son sınıf öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde frekans dağılımı (f) ve ki- kare (χ2) analizleri kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Öğrencilerin yarıdan fazlasının (%62,4) sosyal hizmet mesleği ile ilgili bilgisi yoktur. Büyük bölümünün (%94,7) okullarında meslek tanıtılmamıştır. Yarıdan fazlası (%59,6) mesleğin toplumdaki imajını düşük bulmaktadır. Bü-yük bölümü (%69,8) üniversiteye giriş sınavında sosyal hizmeti tercih etmeyi düşünmemektedir. Tercih etmeme nedenleri ara-sında ilk sırada mesleğin toplumda değerinin anlaşılamamış olması yer almaktadır. Sonuç: Mesleğin tanıtıldığı okullardaki öğrenciler, mesleğin toplumdaki imajının yüksek olduğunu düşünenler üniversiteye giriş sınavında bölümü tercih etme eğilimindedirler. Öneri: Liselerde mesleği tanıtıcı etkinliklerin düzenlenmesi, mesleğin toplumdaki imajını yükseltici çalışma-lar yapılması önemli görülmektedir.

Placement of department of health management in university admission exam and public personel recruitment: Assessment of 2016

With this study it is aimed to analyze that the quota of health management departmant in university exam, the number of instructor and the quota of central public recruitment of them. In this context 2016 application and preference guide of student selection and placement system and public personnel selection exam is used. There are 55 universities that have undergraduate health management department including 31 public and 24 private universities. Totally 5883 quota is set for students, 4630 of them for public universities and 1253 of them for private universities. It is found that students placed to all of the public universities quota and to most of the private universities quota. When the number of instructor is examined it is obsereved that there are 144 instructor including 22 professors, 30 associate professors and 92 assistant professors in public universities; there are 74 instructor including 21 professors, 13 associate professors and 40 assistant professors in private universities. Besides it is observed that 24.817 personnel were recruited in central recruitment in 2016, but there was not reserved any quota not even one for them who has graduated from health management department. It is suggested that the quota of student admission to university and personnel recruitment to public should be planned considering the necessities of public and private sector according to human resources management principles. When looked at the perspective that professionalisation especially in health sector which is very influential for human life directly is indispensible truth, it is evaluated that employment of health management educated professionals in public more would be benefical for qualified health service.

A Scaling of Preservice Teachers’ Motivational Factors in Choosing the Teaching Profession

In this research, the reasons of preservice teachers’ choice of the teaching profession has been studied using the method of pair-wise comparison. Data was acquired by 1137 preservice teachers studying in various departments of seven different universities in Turkey. Overall, it was found that preservice teachers have chosen the teaching profession due to easy work conditions. It was found that female preservice teachers chose the teaching profession because of their sympathy towards it, whereas male preservice teachers chose it since their university admission exam scores were just enough for teaching programs. According to the departments of faculties of education, it was determined that psychological counseling and guidance department preservice teachers chose the teaching profession since it ensured employment, Turkish and English teaching department preservice teachers chose it since they liked it, primary school teachers and primary Math preservice teachers chose it because the work conditions were convenient. According to the places they lived in and the departments, there was no hierarchy regarding reasons why they choose the teaching profession. When the reasons of choosing the teaching profession according to level of income were examined the results that the first reason was the same in all three departments. While this was the seventh reason for the preservice teachers who had teachers in their families, it was the eighth reason for the preservice teachers who didn’t have any relatives who are teachers.

The validity of critical thinking tests for predicting degree performance: A longitudinal study

This study explored the validity of using critical thinking tests to predict final psychology degree marks over and above that already predicted by traditional admission exams (A-levels). Participants were a longitudinal sample of 109 psychology students from a university in the United Kingdom. The outcome measures were: total degree marks; and end of year marks. The predictor measures were: university admission exam results (A-levels); critical thinking test scores (skills & dispositions); and non-verbal intelligence scores. Hierarchical regressions showed A-levels significantly predicted 10% of the final degree score and the 11-item measure of ‘inference skills’ from the California Critical Thinking Skills Test significantly predicted an additional 6% of degree outcome variance. The findings from this study should inform decisions about the precise measurement constructs included in aptitude tests used in the higher education admission process.

Spatial Training using Digital Tablets

Abstract The spatial skills are a core competency in the new engineering degrees belonging to the European Space for Higher Education. This work aims to find out the improvement of spatial abilities using a workshop held on digital tablets (iPad). For this purpose, the choice of a web-based spatial training course for mobile phones developed at University of Laguna for mobile phones was adapted for this research having in mind the dimensions of the digital tablet. The hypothesis is that expanding the size of the screen strengthens the spatial abilities of students also improving satisfaction rather than previous experiences. The workshop installed in a learning virtual environment (moodle) and has several difficulty levels. The pilot test for this material took place on agricultural engineering students during 2011-2012. Using the iPad given to every student, the workshop happened outside class hours. For measuring the spatial skills before and after the workshop, we used different technical drawing exercises used in the Spanish university admission exams over the last few years. Besides, students answered a questionnaire for assessing their opinion regarding course's format.

Alternative models of entrance exams and access to higher education: the case of the Czech Republic

The study compares the potential effects of a university admission exam model based on program-specific knowledge and an alternative model relying on general study aptitude (GSA) in the context of a strongly stratified educational system with considerable excess of demand over supply of university education. Using results of the Sonda Maturant 1998 survey, we show that in the specific context of the Czech Republic, displaying the above characteristics in the given period, an admission exam model based on general study aptitude tests may improve the access of talented individuals with lower socioeconomic status to university education. Our simulations show that with the GSA model (provided the model assumptions are met), the relative chances of an applicant with a university-educated father would be only by one-fourth higher than the relative chances of a student with a less educated father, as compared to the more than a one-third difference in case of the model emphasizing program-specific knowledge. The odds ratio for the GSA model is by 28% points lower for mother’s education.

Mood changes in the course of preparation for the Brazilian university admission exam - a longitudinal study

Academic examinations are an important source of stress for students. This study is intended to assess senior high school students' mood changes during the preparation for a very important academic examination, the Brazilian university admission examination. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form was used to assess the students three times in the course of the months preceding the examination. ANOVA for repeated measures showed that Negative Affect increased as the examination approached, and that this increment was already present months before the examination took place. A single conditionally independent random effect model showed that time spent studying was associated with fluctuations in mood. Teenagers, in preparation for a very important examination, may present mood disturbances associated with both the proximity of the examination and their study load months before the examination actually takes place. Other stressing factors may play a role in these findings and should be further investigated.