Browsing by Subject "Assessment"
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Item A descriptive study of educational professionals’ knowledge of transition assessment for individuals(2012-08) Tucker, Kathryn; Lock, Robin; Brown, Donna; DiAndreth-Elkins, LeannTransition planning requires implementation and direction by the findings of transition assessment regarding the student's needs, strengths, preferences and interests as mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004 (IDEA, 2004). Limited research is currently available that addresses what assessment tools practitioners utilize to meet the mandates of transition assessment to aid in transition planning for students with intellectual disabilities. The descriptive study reported herein attempted to determine educators’ knowledge about transition assessment practices and what is being utilized, specifically with students with intellectual disabilities as they transition from secondary to postsecondary life. This study employed the replication of a previously published study.Item An analysis of the evaluation practices of employer-sponsored training in the financial services industry(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Gomez, Angela KayInstructional evaluation is essential for assessing the effectiveness of learning events. In today's economy, corporations are under great pressure to reduce expenses, and training budgets often feel the effects. The closure of in-house training programs, combined with the reduction of training budgets, could be seen as evidence of training professionals' inability to prove their worth in terms of organizational benefit. To solidify their value to an organization, training departments must assess the effectiveness of their programs and provide evidence that they are supporting the organization's goals. The purpose of this study was to determine how employer-sponsored training is evaluated in the financial services industry by firms affiliated with DALBAR, Inc., using Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model as a framework. The total population for this study consisted of all financial services organizations providing education and training. The target population was limited to the financial services organizations that subscribe to the services provided by DALBAR, Inc. Affiliation with DALBAR was considered an indicator of interest in raising standards of excellence within the financial services industry. Therefore, DALBAR affiliation was believed to represent organizations whose training personnel had current knowledge of industry practices and thereby would report higher usage of evaluation than the total population of other entities. Data was collected using a modified survey instrument. Patterns, trends, models and methods of training evaluation among these financial services organizations were examined. Finally, barriers to implementation of training evaluation were identified and explored. Recommendations for practice include increasing training department staff members' knowledge of evaluation theories and techniques, as well striving to make training evaluation a priority for the organization as a whole. Among the recommendations for future research is the execution of a qualitative study to be conducted through in-depth interviews with selected respondents to explore in greater detail the relationships between organizational characteristics and the implementation of higher levels of evaluation.Item An assessment of recruitment and training practices of the National FFA Livestock Career Development Event(2006-08) Rayfield, John; Fraze, Steven; Brashears, Michael T.; Davis, Chad S.; Lawver, David; Jackson, Samuel P.Career Development Events (CDE’s) are FFA activities that are used to showcase knowledge and skills gained by agricultural education students. These competitive venues are useful teaching tools for agricultural education teachers and can serve as a great recruitment opportunity for these teachers. This dissertation investigates and assesses recruitment and training practices used in 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. One hundred fifty-five FFA members from 40 states participated in this census study. Forty-three teams registered to participate in the 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. Ninety-three percent of the contest participants responded to the survey. The 2005 participants of the National FFA Livestock CDE completed a researcher-designed questionnaire. The first section contained demographic variables such as age, gender, and population of community. The second section of the survey dealt with how the students were recruited to be a member of their FFA chapter's livestock judging team. Students reported which factors were most important and least important in terms of their recruitment to the Livestock CDE team on a 16 question four-point Likert-type scale. The third section of the survey consisted of training practices that were used to train team members for the 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. Participants reported how beneficial certain training practices were in their preparation for the contest on 15 Likert-type scale items. The researcher found that there was a moderate correlation between the recruitment factor competitiveness and team emblem earned at the contest. There was also a moderate correlation between working out with college livestock judging teams as a training practice and team emblem and moderate correlations existed between the demographic variables of years of involvement in livestock judging, prior livestock judging experience, and 4-H and junior FFA livestock judging experience as they relate to team emblem. Communication scores had a substantial correlation with team emblem and cognitive and evaluation scores both posted moderate correlations with their relationship to team emblem. Regression analysis was used to predict factors leading to a gold emblem placing at the National FFA Livestock CDE. Competitiveness and good study skills were significant recruitment factors in predicting team emblem. Working out with college livestock judging teams proved to be a positive training practice while video judging practices yielded negative significant results. Four demographic variables were significant in the regression model. Number of years involved in livestock judging, gender, and grade point average all showed a positive impact on predicting team emblem. Participants who reported they were best at judging cattle saw a negative impact on team emblem. Recommendations include developing a teacher resource guide for training CDE teams and distributing findings to current and pre-service agriculture education teachers. Further research is recommended to follow-up on participant’s post-secondary education choices and their career choice based on participation in the National FFA Livestock CDE.Item An assessment of recruitment and training practices of the National FFA Livestock Career Development Event(Texas Tech University, 2006-08) Rayfield, John; Fraze, Steven; Davis, Chad S.; Lawver, David; Jackson, Samuel P.; Brashears, Michael T.Career Development Events (CDE’s) are FFA activities that are used to showcase knowledge and skills gained by agricultural education students. These competitive venues are useful teaching tools for agricultural education teachers and can serve as a great recruitment opportunity for these teachers. This dissertation investigates and assesses recruitment and training practices used in 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. One hundred fifty-five FFA members from 40 states participated in this census study. Forty-three teams registered to participate in the 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. Ninety-three percent of the contest participants responded to the survey. The 2005 participants of the National FFA Livestock CDE completed a researcher-designed questionnaire. The first section contained demographic variables such as age, gender, and population of community. The second section of the survey dealt with how the students were recruited to be a member of their FFA chapter's livestock judging team. Students reported which factors were most important and least important in terms of their recruitment to the Livestock CDE team on a 16 question four-point Likert-type scale. The third section of the survey consisted of training practices that were used to train team members for the 2005 National FFA Livestock CDE. Participants reported how beneficial certain training practices were in their preparation for the contest on 15 Likert-type scale items. The researcher found that there was a moderate correlation between the recruitment factor competitiveness and team emblem earned at the contest. There was also a moderate correlation between working out with college livestock judging teams as a training practice and team emblem and moderate correlations existed between the demographic variables of years of involvement in livestock judging, prior livestock judging experience, and 4-H and junior FFA livestock judging experience as they relate to team emblem. Communication scores had a substantial correlation with team emblem and cognitive and evaluation scores both posted moderate correlations with their relationship to team emblem. Regression analysis was used to predict factors leading to a gold emblem placing at the National FFA Livestock CDE. Competitiveness and good study skills were significant recruitment factors in predicting team emblem. Working out with college livestock judging teams proved to be a positive training practice while video judging practices yielded negative significant results. Four demographic variables were significant in the regression model. Number of years involved in livestock judging, gender, and grade point average all showed a positive impact on predicting team emblem. Participants who reported they were best at judging cattle saw a negative impact on team emblem. Recommendations include developing a teacher resource guide for training CDE teams and distributing findings to current and pre-service agriculture education teachers. Further research is recommended to follow-up on participant’s post-secondary education choices and their career choice based on participation in the National FFA Livestock CDE.Item An assessment of the integration level of computer technology in communication studies at Baptist colleges and universities(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Chandler, Timothy B.; Butner, Bonita K.; Murray, John P.; Cejda, Brent D.Baptist institutions of higher learning were established originally as schools for training ministers, missionaries, and church musicians. Inclusion in the American way of life revealed to Baptists that colleges could not only cater to the middle-class but could lend an air of respectability to churches and denominations (Rudolph, 1990). As more and more Baptist schools have reached university classification they have transitioned into the 21st century education market and face the same technology issues confronting public institutions. For teachers and administrators in Baptist colleges and universities the subject of computer technology integration will become an increasingly important issue. As these schools seek to place students in graduate programs and in a marketplace where emphasis on technology skills is at a premium it will become incumbent upon undergraduate programs to prepare students for such a future. The purpose of this study is to discover the existing level of technology integration within communication departments in Baptist colleges and universities in relation to communication studies curriculum. The results of this study are intended to provide recommendations for creating guidelines and procedural policies for implementing computer technology into a communication department for the purposes of instruction, administration, and assessment. Faculty and administrators from 53 member institutions of the Association of Baptist Schools and Colleges were the sample respondents and the data collected from their responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The dependent variable measured in this study is the level of computer technology integration in Baptist colleges and universities and how that is affected by the independent variables of faculty and administrator proficiency, the level of access by faculty and administrator, motivation level of faculty and administrator, confidence level of faculty and administrator, and the professional goals of faculty and administrator. This study has contributed to the research about the integration of computer technology in communication studies in Baptist colleges and universities in particular and about private liberal arts colleges in general. The findings conclude that faculty in Baptist institutions of higher learning involved in communication studies are in the process of integrating computer technology within their discipline. At this time there are no significant differences related to gender, age, rank, or years teaching which affect faculty in Baptist colleges and universities integration level of computer technology. It was found that there is a need for more time for development and training and more equipment if the process of integration is going to continue to evolve at these schools. While faculty perceive themselves to be generally proficient at using computer technology they did note a lack of confidence in troubleshooting problems and with developing higher-order integrated curriculum.Item An evidence-based practice assessment of efficacious diagnostics for bilingual children with suspected autism spectrum disorders(2016-05) Jauregui, Linda Beatriz; Bedore, Lisa M.; Sundarrajan, MadhuThe purpose of this study was to determine the best type of diagnostics to use in kindergarten aged bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using evidence-based practices. The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and American Speech Language and Hearing Association’s (ASHA) journal databases were used to find citations. The following outcome terms were used: diagnosis, assessment, screener, standard, Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, CAST, Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Primary Care Screener, Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale, Autism Behavior Checklist, Autism Quotient- Adolescent Version, Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Gilliam Asperger’s Disorder Scale, Krug Asperger’s Disorder Index, Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds, Social Communication Questionnaire. The Autism Diagnostics Interview-Revised was found to be the most efficacious screener for bilingual English-Spanish children.Item An examination of the combined use of the PAI and the M-FAST in detecting malingering among inmates(Texas Tech University, 2009-08) Gaines, Michelle V.; Morgan, Robert D.; Giles, Charles L.; Garos, Sheila; Clopton, James R.Severe mental illness is at least twice as common in correctional settings as in the general population (James & Glaze, 2006); however, mental health services resources remain limited in correctional settings (James & Glaze, 2006; Teplin, 1990). Complicating the issue of limited mental health resources, offenders in jails and prisons commonly feign symptoms of mental illness in order to receive treatment-related privileges (Rogers & Vitacco, 2002). Feigning inmates use mental health resources that would otherwise be allocated to genuinely mentally ill inmates, creating a need for clinicians to find efficient means of detecting feigning. The Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS; Rogers, Bagby, & Dickens,1992), is currently the most widely validated feigning detection instrument. However, clinician time required to administer and score the SIRS renders the instrument inefficient in settings with limited mental health resources. The current study examined the use of the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST; Miller, 2001) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) for increasing the efficiency of feigning detection. Archival data were examined from a male maximum-security correctional psychiatric inpatient sample (N = 100). Logistic regression analyses were performed using a combination of the M-FAST and PAI to distinguish inmates who feigned on the SIRS from non-feigning inmates. The variance in SIRS performance accounted for by the combined M-FAST/PAI model was large (93.6%) with high rates (94.7%) of classification accuracy. In addition, the M-FAST (92%) and the PAI (94.9%) individually performed well at classifying feigners and non-feigners. Consequently, logistic regression equations are presented for use as a clinical tool for calculating the probability that an individual would be classified as feigning on the SIRS, based on M-FAST and PAI scale scores.Item An Examination of the Predictive Validity of Curriculum-Embedded Measures for Kindergarten Students(2012-10-19) Oslund, EricThe purpose of the present research was to examine the predictive validity of curriculum-embedded mastery-check measures (CEMs) for kindergarten students in Tier 2 intervention. Two studies examined the predictive validity, parsimony, and changing role of CEMs using a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Study 1 examined the ability of CEMs gathered throughout the kindergarten year to predict end-of-kindergarten latent reading outcomes. Study 2 examined the ability of kindergarten CEMs to predict end-of-first and end-of-second grade latent reading outcomes. Study 1 used SEM with two latent outcomes (i.e., phonemic and decoding) composed of diverse measures of early reading skills gathered at the end of kindergarten. Findings indicated moderate to large effects, as measured by variance explained, for CEMs on predicting phonemic and decoding outcomes. For CEMs gathered at four time points throughout the kindergarten year, a parsimonious set of subtests emerged. In addition, the role of CEMs changed throughout the year as predictors reaching statistical significance were increasingly difficult. Findings indicated that an increased amount of variance could be explained on the outcomes measures as the year progressed. Study 2 used one latent reading outcome factor gathered at the end of first and second grades. Findings for the end of first grade indicated that parsimonious sets of predictors from CEMs administered at three times during the kindergarten year predicted end-of-first grade outcomes. Additionally, the role of indicators changed during the year and the amount of variance explained increased from the first to third CEM. Results for the end of second grade indicated the variance explained on the outcome measure increased from the first CEM to the third CEM. When considering near-significant results, a pattern emerged demonstrating parsimonious subsets of indicators that changed during the kindergarten year. Findings from both studies provided support for the predictive validity of CEMs gathered during kindergarten for students in Tier 2 intervention. Results from both studies demonstrated statistically significant subsets of predictors that emerged and changed during the kindergarten year congruent with reading development, which can be useful for informing educational decisions.Item Assessing personality using a virtual simulation : a research proposal(2011-05) Quick, Daniel Ryan; Sherry, Alissa René; Schallert, DianeOne of the primary goals of personality assessment is to provide meaningful information regarding an individual’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Given the interaction between the individual and the context, however, there is much debate as to how well personality tests do what they intend. In this paper, the limitations of text-based personality assessments are examined, and the use of virtual simulations as an alternative to conventional tests is explored. A research study is proposed comparing a virtual test with a written test on a variety of criteria. Modern technology and the growing popularity of gaming suggest that researchers may find virtual simulations as a more immersive, flexible, and accurate forms of assessment.Item Assessing the economic revitalization impact of urban design improvements: the Texas Main Street Program(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Ozdil, Taner RecepThe relationship between urban design and economic activity is seldom studied through empirical studies with a large number of cases due, in part, to the implicit and intangible nature of design. This study was intended to understand, analyze, and evaluate the complex relationship between the design and the economic revitalization of downtown districts with reference to the 78 active Texas Main Street Program districts. First, the design, promotion, organization, and economic restructuring components of the Main Street Program's comprehensive four-point approach were investigated. Next, the economic changes that occurred within those districts were analyzed from 1997-2001. Finally, employment, the number of jobs, the number of business establishments, the number of sales tax permits, the retail sales volume, and the commercial property values were compared for the same time period among three categories of cities: those active in the Main Street Program, those formerly active but now inactive, and those who have not participated. Findings revealed that several positive changes occurred in design, promotion, organization, and economic restructuring components of the four-point approach within the active Texas Main Street districts. It appears that these changes produced several positive outcomes for the physical, social, and economical environment of the active Main Street districts. Moreover, the findings suggests that these changes in the Main Street districts resulted in an increased economic activity, not only within the Main Street district by generating jobs, or producing private and/or public investment, but also across the Main Street city by creating community wide economic activity in most of the variables that were under investigation. The results indicate that the Texas Main Street Program, part of which is urban design oriented, is having a positive effect on economic activity within the active Main Street districts.Item Assessing Visuospatial Neglect in Children with Brain Injury(2014-05-28) Wahlberg, Andrea ChristineVisuospatial neglect (VSN), the failure to report, respond, or orient to novel or meaningful visual stimuli presented in a specific location, is a frequently occurring outcome following stroke. VSN can negatively impact the functions of daily life and is an important predictor for long term outcomes. The phenomenon is frequently studied in adult populations; however, the nature and incidence of VSN following childhood stroke is virtually unknown. Current research investigating the neuroanatomical correlates of VSN and hypothesized models of dysfunction all assume a fully mature brain and thus lack a developmental perspective. Similarly, current neuropsychological measures used to assess VSN are almost exclusively developed and normed with adult populations. While some individual adult tests have been modified for use with children, no standardized battery to assess VSN in young children currently exists. The present study investigated the reliability and validity of a five-task neuropsychological testing battery, the Pediatric Visuospatial Neglect Battery, developed at the Children?s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to assess VSN in young children ages 2-6 following stroke. Although there were some exceptions, the reliability estimates of task scores obtained from the present sample were generally low. With regard to criterion-related validity, sensitivity to detect brain injury was generally poor while specificity was high. Some of the low reliability and validity estimates were due to measurement problems of the calculated variables. These variables can be reexamined and likely improved in future studies. In other instances, modifications to the tasks are recommended. Specific recommendations for improving the five existing tasks are provided as well as suggestions for additional tasks that could potentially be added to the battery in future administrations. Although somewhat disappointing, low initial reliability and validity estimates are part and parcel to test development. This study represents an important first step in developing a standardized battery to detect VSN in children. With refinement and additional testing, the Pediatric Visuospatial Neglect Battery may soon become an excellent instrument for investigating the VSN phenomenon in children.Item Assessment and accountability: factors that influence the participation and performance of students with an emotional disturbance on a statewide accountability assessment in math(2009-05-15) Harvey, Kimberly TempleEducational policy mandates student participation in statewide accountability assessments with the expectation that students achieve proficiency on content objectives. Demonstrating proficiency may be most difficult for students with an Emotional Disturbance (ED) who experience poor school outcomes. This study examined the participation and performance of students with ED on a regular statewide accountability assessment in math and examined the relationship between student and school level factors to student participation and performance. In the study, 34% of the students with ED participated and met proficiency standards on the regular statewide assessment in math. Student level factors examined were grade level, gender, ethnicity, and intelligence. School level factors were school-wide socioeconomic status and instructional setting for math; ethnicity, intelligence, and instructional setting associated with participation; grade level, ethnicity, and intelligence associated with performance. Level of intelligence was the only factor predictive of both participation and performance on the regular statewide accountability assessment in math.Item Assessment and analytical framework for sport literacy : a case of college basketball(2016-12) Kim, Kyungun; Hunt, Thomas M.; Sparvero, Emily Suzanne, 1975-; Todd, Janice S; Castelli, Darla M; Ozyurtcu, Tolga; Green, B. ChristineThis dissertation aims to develop an analytical framework for measuring sport literacy from a case study of college basketball literacy. The dissertation is motivated by the recognition of the importance of sport literacy as an essential concept for fan development and the lack of empirical research on the development of an assessment tool. The goals of this dissertation are twofold: 1) to build a conceptual framework that explains the necessary components for sport spectating, and 2) to develop an assessment that can measure the sport literacy of college students. To accomplish these goals, I constructed two sequential studies within the context of college basketball. The first study proposes a conceptual model of sport literacy through a multiple case study design method (Eisenhardt, 1989). Data were collected from multiple sources including expert interviews, scenario plays, and documentary evidence. Multiple comparisons and inductive analyses allowed the discovery of relevant knowledge categories and components. In the second study, I developed a college basketball literacy assessment (CBLA). The instrumentation process was guided by the evidence-centered design method (Mislevy & Riconscente, 2006). Initially, 51 items were generated with the aid of six content experts including basketball players, coaches, and fans. These items were reviewed by an additional group of experts to establish the content validity. Through the expert reviews and pilot testing, 40 items were finalized for the CBLA. A total of 382 responses from college students were used to evaluate the CBLA. Using the Rasch model, all 40 items were calibrated to examine psychometric properties of the assessment. The results supported the construct validity of the CBLA, showing acceptable unidimensionality, fit statistics, differential item functioning, etc. All except one item showed good fit statistics within the model. The results also demonstrated that the level of sport literacy has moderate and significant correlations with team identification and intention to watch the game. These findings prompt a re-thinking of developing strategies to recruit and retain spectators for a given sport. In conclusion, the results of this dissertation provide theoretical and empirical justification for developing the sport literacy assessment and highlight the importance of improving sport literacy as a solution for enhancing the intercollegiate sport spectating experience.Item Assessment of skills and expression in music performance(2012-08) Lewis, Jeremy; Wass, Kevin; Decker, James T.; Matzen, Max; Shinn, AlanThe purpose of this document is to guide students and instructors of music through the process of assessing their performance skill-levels through the use of direct assessment. This project investigates and defines the process of effectively assessing the musical skills, both expressive and technical, of a performer as well as those required to execute a work of music at a high level. The assessments are executed through the use of rubrics specifically designed for each of the three areas; skills of the performer, skills required for the piece of music, and musical expression. This three-part approach to assessment should be used as a means for performers to enhance their practice habits.Item Bilingual reading assessment : identification of English language learners at risk for reading disorders(2012-05) Finelli-Thomsen, Allegra Joy; Peña, Elizabeth D.Children who are English Language Learners (ELLs) are often falsely identified with reading disorders. Similarly, some ELLs with true reading disorders are overlooked because it is assumed that they are still acquiring the necessary reading skills in English. This review of current bilingual assessment literature focuses on the use of early screening tasks to identify potential reading disorders among ELLs. These assessment tasks cover phonological, letter naming, rapid naming, sequencing and reading skill sets. This review synthesizes current research findings to determine which tasks are the most appropriate for assessing future reading disorders among children from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Results were mixed. Further research is needed to determine the best methods for reading assessment of ELLs.Item Bureaucratic access points(2012-05) Sternemann, Daniel Thomas; Jones, Bryan D.; Sparrow, Bartholomew H.This paper studies how organizational mission influences policy implementation. Interagency conflicts and bureaucratic challenges affecting implementation are largely due to different missions and different assessment measures. The focus of this investigation is the relationship between humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) agencies and associated Department of Defense (DOD) medical components. Access point theory is important to this study, for it helps us understand how successful policy implementation is enabled in the midst of bureaucratic conflicts and challenges. The notion of access points has traditionally involved lobbyists and interest groups accessing elected officials and their staffs. I ask what is the effect of lobbyists and interest groups accessing bureaucrats directly in the policy implementation process and its subsequent evaluation. More importantly, I argue that bureaucrats take advantage of access points to other bureaucrats during policy implementation proceedings. This study offers the novel perspective that access points for HA/DR bureaucrats, to include those in the DOD, are readily available during the punctuating event (i.e., the natural disaster itself) and may be evaluated through the notions of timing, efficiency, and the information and capabilities they possess and can leverage during these punctuations. Simply stated, bureaucratic access points theory helps us understand how policies are successfully implemented in the midst of bureaucratic conflicts and challenges.Item Children’s experience of therapeutic assessment techniques within school-based assessment(2012-08) Kuhlman, Jamie Thomas; Sherry, Alissa René; Tharinger, Deborah J.; Ainslie, Ricardo; Cawthorn, Stephanie; Finn, StephenThis dissertation examined students‘ experience with school assessment infused with Therapeutic Assessment (TA) techniques. Nine assessors from the school district were assigned to one of two groups, TA-infused group and the assessment-as-usual group. Those in the TA-infused group were trained in collaborative assessment practices based on Finn‘s model of TA with children (TA-C), specifically collaborative interviews, extended inquiries, and collaborative oral and written feedback (Finn, 2007). Thirty-three students from a medium sized public school district in central Texas completed the study in its entirety. It was hypothesized that those in the TA-infused group, compared with the assessment-as-usual group, would report learning more about themselves, experiencing a more positive relationship with the assessor, feeling more positive about the assessment process, feeling more collaborated with, and having greater perceptions of parental understanding. It was also hypothesized that those in the TA-infused group would report an increase in positive feelings and a decrease negative in feelings about themselves and their challenge when compared with the assessment-as-usual group. Additionally, it was hypothesized that those in the TA-infused group would report an increase in positive attitudes toward school after the intervention when compared with the assessment-as-usual group. Outcomes were measured by the Child‘s Experience of Assessment Survey (CEAS), the Children‘s Positive and Negative Affect Scale (CPNE-S), and the Attitude to School (ATS) subtest of the BASC-2-SRP. A descriptive discriminate analysis was conducted using the five subscales of the CEAS to measure the first hypotheses. RM ANOVAs were run on the CPNE-S and the ATS to analyze the second and third hypotheses. Additionally, a qualitative interview was conducted with participants. Analyses yielded no statistically significant results between the groups. Qualitative interviews indicated that both groups were satisfied with the assessment process. Additionally, those in the TA-infused group all reported positive reactions to the collaborative written feedback. Specifically, those that received a fable reported liking the fable and feeling that it related to their lives. Those that received a letter reported learning more about themselves, appreciating a written record of the feedback, and feeling positively about their relationship with the assessor. Further research is needed to understand the effects of collaborative techniques within school assessments, particularly the effects of the different forms of written feedback.Item Client perceptions of community mental health providers' multicultural counseling competence(2013-08) Ihorn, Shasta Marie; Carlson, Cindy I., 1949-As the population of the United States becomes more diverse, it is important that research be done to inform the implementation of psychological services that meet the needs of a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups. One current limitation to research in multicultural counseling competence (MCC) is the lack of reliable and valid measures that consider the perspectives of the client. The standardized measures currently available are self-report measures completed by practitioners regarding their own perceived competence. These self-report measures are based largely on the well-regarded MCC guidelines set forth by Sue and colleagues (1992). Unfortunately, these measures present an incomplete (and possibly erroneous) representation of MCC as experienced by the client. The current study outlines the development of a measure meant to meet this need--the Client Experience of Provider Cultural Competence (CEPCCI)--and investigates the relationship between provider and client perceptions of the providers' abilities in this area. The CEPCCI is anchored in Sue et al.'s (1992) well-regarded theory on cultural competence and a qualitative study of client perceptions of multicultural counseling competence (Davis, 2007). The resulting scale consists of 38 items loading on one subscale with demonstrated content and construct validity and good reliability. A significant correlation between provider and client perceptions of the providers' multicultural counseling competence was also found. The need to obtain a consumer perspective on practitioner MCC is well-documented in the literature, and the present study has created a measure to fill this gap. This measure will open up a wider range of possibilities for research in MCC, as well as allowing providers of mental health services a way to assess their performance and progress in this area.Item Closing the loop on assessment : an analysis of the use of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement(2010-05) Wilson, Grant Warren; Bumphus, Walter G.; Roueche, John E.; Cary, Lisa J.; Nolte, Walter; Johnson, Christine; McClenney, Kay M.Accountability in community colleges, like all institutions of higher education, is a movement that has grown over the past several years. Consequently, colleges are generating a great deal of assessment data, both locally developed and nationally benchmarked. One national survey is the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). CCSSE is an appropriate focus for this study because many community colleges are concerned about the lack of comparative data that would enable them to make more comprehensive evaluations of their programs. This is a case study of a college in Wyoming and its use of the CCSSE data after the college received the results of the survey. A Wyoming college is the focus because it performed adequately on the CCSSE measures and was not currently under any economic pressures that may have affected colleges in other parts of the country during the time frame of the study.Item Combining systems thinking, model-based reasoning, and project-based learning to advance student agency, increase student engagement and understanding, and provide an authentic and accurate method of assessing student competencies in a high school aquatic science course(2013-08) Ryan, Douglas Wayne; Stroup, Walter M.; Petrosino, Anthony JScience elective courses for high school seniors provide an opportunity to engage students in rigorous, relevant instruction that requires students to employ a broad range of science knowledge and skills from previous courses toward real world problems with relevance to students’ current and future life experiences. The goal of this work is to provide teachers of high school science courses with a methodology for the introduction of strong STEM components into traditional science courses, particularly model eliciting activities, system dynamics, and engineering based design challenges. Employing these instructional methods in an aquatic science course produced an effective, engaging curriculum that increased students understanding of science content and provided students with the tools to analyze, evaluate and design solutions to real world problems. Teaching the concept of system dynamics early in the course gave students tools, including causal loop diagrams, to create useful models for analyzing interactions in complex systems. Student creation of such models proved an effective instructional method for teaching science content and the nature of scientific processes. Students displayed the ability to apply these techniques, once taught, to a diverse set of problems and expressed an intention to continue to use these skills both personally and professionally in the future. Having students create, analyze, and discuss their own models of complex systems provided the teacher with an effective method for both formative and summative assessment of student knowledge and comprehension. The models provided a more authentic and accurate evaluation of student knowledge and understanding than a written test or multiple choice response exam alone. Student use of software modeling tools, such as STELLA, can be added to these methods, providing students with the ability to add the concepts of rate and flow to their models.
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