Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSetting standards: a comparison of two Rasch-Model methods( 1998)Standard setting is an important issue in education. This study has applied two Rasch model techniques, Angoffs sum of probability and Andrich's pairwise comparison, to set cutoff scores for a Tasmanian Year 9 Link Test at year 3, year 5 and year 8 level. The main focus of the study was to examine methods of setting cutoff scores in the context of the National Profiles. The study also aimed at examining the relative difficulty of two parts of the Link Test on Mathematics for Year 9 students in Tasmania. Standard setting issues were analysed in the light of criterion referenced assessment in terms of their purposes and implications in education and measurement. Review of previous standard setting methods was also done. The two methods applied in the study were Angoff's sum of probabilities and Andrich's pairwise comparison. Both are popular in the educational context for establishing cutoff scores and examining the difficulty levels of tests. The findings produced by the sum of probability method have shown that cutoff score at each level of part 1 was higher than that of part 2, so that part 2 of the Link Test was more difficult than part 1. It was consistent with the item estimates produced by the pairwise comparison method. The correlations were high and significant at 0.05 level. It was consistent to those findings by Andrich and Titmanis (1997). However, the correlations between item difficulty estimates established by the pairwise comparison and empirical data were low from 0.39. The study has shown the possibility of using the two Rasch model techniques, sum of probability and pairwise comparison to establish cutoff score and examine the relative difficulty of the tests. Pairwise comparison method could be used as a mean of checking the validity of the proposed standards. It was shown that further research in this field should be done.
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ItemThe effects of a monitoring and assessment program on the learning and teaching processes of the primary classroom( 1995)This study investigated the effects of a monitoring and assessment program on the learning and teaching processes of the primary classroom focused on recording formats. Teachers used the recording formats to gain specific information about student progress in language learning. Specifically the researcher sought to determine whether the use of the recording formats had an impact in any way on learning and teaching, and if so, the nature and extent of this impact. The teachers who participated in this study found that the formats they implemented were of significant use in the classroom. In order for teachers to collect valuable assessment information, teachers had to plan tasks and activities that were open - ended and allowed for the children to work independently. Consequently the children in classes became less dependent on the teacher, were able to work more effectively in groups and improved their problem - solving skills. By using the recording formats, teachers gained specific assessment information that gave them an accurate picture of what an individual child could do. "The Further Support Needed" section of the recording formats allowed teachers to move the students forward and plan activities that were directly related to improving learning. This did not occur as frequently before the introduction of the formats. Support, both within the school and from outside facilitators, was vital. Teachers felt more able to observe and record student progress when there was another teacher present. They found discussion with colleagues and others useful in clarifying concerns, and were better able to "know what to look for" when monitoring and assessing. There is evidence from this study that the information collected by teachers was of value when reporting student progress to parents, in both the interview situation and written reports. Teachers felt they could more accurately report because they had built up a collection of information about how a child wrote, read, listened and spoke. This information was gathered in different contexts and learning areas and allowed teachers to gather tangible evidence. Time constraints caused frustration for the majority of teachers. Teachers overwhelmingly found the formats of use, but indicated that interruptions, changes in routine, and similar happenings reduced the amount of time they felt they needed to use them fully. Teachers did not include student self - assessment in the collecting of assessment information. This could be due to the fact that none of the questions in the questionnaire specifically asked for this.