Measuring non-cognitive predictors in high-stakes contexts: The effect of self-presentation on self-report instruments used in admission to higher education

Higher education institutions in the United States provide placement essay tests to ensure international students’ readiness for college courses. The high-stakes nature of placement tests makes educators and researchers seek significant components of differentiating levels of placement tests. This study investigated the prediction of two levels (i.e., low vs. intermediate) of 411 placement test essays written by Chinese international students and examined the influence of linguistic and demographic features on placement test levels through logistic regression. The results show that the type-token ratio (TTR), tokens, college type, and graduate status were significant indicators to differentiate students’ placement test essays. However, several demographic features were not statistically significant. The results may shed light on improving writing skills of Chinese international students who scored intermediate or low in the placement tests.

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The Clinical Utility of Personality Profiles of High-Risk Offenders in Rehabilitation

10.26686/wgtn.17006152.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Morgan K.A. Sissons

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

High Risk ◽

Personality Disorders ◽

Predictive Validity ◽

Clinical Relevance ◽

Clinical Utility ◽

Self Report ◽

Offender Rehabilitation ◽

Criminal Recidivism ◽

Self Presentation

<p>Personality disorders are common among high-risk offenders. These disorders may have relevance for their risk of offending, and they are likely to present barriers to their engagement in rehabilitation programmes. Co-morbidity between personality disorders - and the high frequency of clinical disorders in general - in offender samples complicate research on personality disorder in offender rehabilitation. One approach to understanding this heterogeneity is to use cluster analysis (CA). CA is an empirical strategy which is used to identify subgroups (clusters) of individuals who have similar scores on the variables used in the analysis. It has been used to empirically identify different patterns of personality and clinical psychopathology among incarcerated offenders. Two profiles frequently emerge in cluster analytic research on offender psychopathology profiles: an antisocial/narcissistic profile and a high-psychopathology profile. However, previous research has not empirically examined whether the identification of these profiles has clinical relevance for offender rehabilitation; that is, whether the profiles are simply descriptive, or whether they can provide useful information for the management and rehabilitation of offenders. In the current research, I used data collected from high risk offenders entering prison-based rehabilitation programmes to investigate the clinical utility of psychopathology clusters. Using a self-report measure of personality and clinical psychopathology - the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III - I identified three clusters: a low-psychopathology cluster (26% of the sample), a high-psychopathology cluster (35% of the sample), and an antisocial/narcissistic cluster (39% of the sample). The high-psychopathology and antisocial/narcissistic clusters in particular resembled high risk clusters found in previous research. To determine whether the three clusters had clinical relevance, I investigated cluster differences in criminal risk, treatment responsivity, and self-report predictive validity. I found evidence for cluster differences in criminal risk: men in the high-psychopathology and antisocial/narcissistic clusters had higher rates of criminal recidivism after release compared to men in the low-psychopathology cluster. However, I found that regardless of psychopathology, men in all three clusters made progress in treatment, and there was little evidence that clusters that reported more psychopathology were less engaged, or made less progress. In the final study I examined cluster differences in self-presentation style and the predictive validity of self-report. Results indicated that offenders who reported high levels of psychopathology had a more general tendency for negative self-presentation, and their self-report on risk-related measures was highly predictive of criminal recidivism. Combined, the results of this research show that cluster analysis of self-reported psychopathology can generate a parsimonious model of heterogeneity in offender samples. Importantly, the resulting clusters can also provide information for some of the most important tasks in offender management: assessment and treatment. The results suggest the highest risk offenders tend to report higher levels of psychopathology, and that offenders who report extensive psychopathology also have highly predictive risk-related self-report. Perhaps one of the most reassuring findings of the current research is that even offenders who report high levels of psychopathology appear to benefit from rehabilitation.</p>

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Lessons Learned from Research on Student Evaluation of Teaching in Higher Education

Student Feedback on Teaching in Schools ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-75150-0_15 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 237-256

Author(s):

Bob Uttl

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Effective Teaching ◽

Teaching Effectiveness ◽

Student Evaluation ◽

High Stakes ◽

Student Evaluation Of Teaching ◽

Knowledge Class ◽

Teaching Awards ◽

Student Preference ◽

Evaluation Of Teaching

AbstractIn higher education, anonymous student evaluation of teaching (SET) ratings are used to measure faculty’s teaching effectiveness and to make high-stakes decisions about hiring, firing, promotion, merit pay, and teaching awards. SET have many desirable properties: SET are quick and cheap to collect, SET means and standard deviations give aura of precision and scientific validity, and SET provide tangible seemingly objective numbers for both high-stake decisions and public accountability purposes. Unfortunately, SET as a measure of teaching effectiveness are fatally flawed. First, experts cannot agree what effective teaching is. They only agree that effective teaching ought to result in learning. Second, SET do not measure faculty’s teaching effectiveness as students do not learn more from more highly rated professors. Third, SET depend on many teaching effectiveness irrelevant factors (TEIFs) not attributable to the professor (e.g., students’ intelligence, students’ prior knowledge, class size, subject). Fourth, SET are influenced by student preference factors (SPFs) whose consideration violates human rights legislation (e.g., ethnicity, accent). Fifth, SET are easily manipulated by chocolates, course easiness, and other incentives. However, student ratings of professors can be used for very limited purposes such as formative feedback and raising alarm about ineffective teaching practices.

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Too Anxious to Talk: Social Anxiety, Academic Communication, and Students’ Experiences in Higher Education

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders ◽

10.1177/10634266211060079 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106342662110600

Author(s):

Kristen A. Archbell ◽

Robert J. Coplan

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Student Outcomes ◽

Emotional Functioning ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Gender Effects ◽

Self Report ◽

Student Experiences ◽

Academic Communication

Social anxiety is related to a host of negative student outcomes in the educational context, including physical symptoms of anxiety, reduced cognitive functioning, and poor academic performance. Despite the prevalence of social anxiety, little is known about mechanisms that may underlie associations between social anxiety and outcomes in the context of higher education. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate a conceptual model linking social anxiety, communication with peers and instructors, students’ experiences (i.e., engagement, connectedness, and satisfaction), and indices of socio-emotional functioning at university. Participants were N = 1,073 undergraduate students ( Mage = 20.3 years, SD = 3.49) who completed a series of self-report measures. Among the results, social anxiety was negatively related to communication with instructors, socio-emotional functioning, and student experiences, and academic communication accounted for significant variance in the links between social anxiety and student experiences. In addition, there was at least some evidence that student experiences partially mediated the association between social anxiety and socio-emotional functioning. Gender effects suggest that social anxiety is related to less communication with instructors, lower engagement and satisfaction, and poorer socio-emotional functioning among females compared with males. Results are situated within current literature examining social anxiety in education. The discussion provides concrete suggestions for educational practitioners to increase support for students who experience social anxiety.

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Navigating the Landscape of the STEM Professoriate

Women's Influence on Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity in STEM Fields - Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-8870-2.ch002 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 22-65

Author(s):

Pamela M. Leggett-Robinson ◽

Brandi Campbell Villa

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Literature Review ◽

Women Of Color ◽

Institutional Racism ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Self Presentation ◽

Science Technology ◽

Trade Magazines ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Theses And Dissertations

In 1976, the challenges faced by women of color who pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields were first brought to national attention. Forty-two years later, the authors re-examine the challenges, barriers, and successes of women of color in STEM higher education. This chapter examines the landscape of the STEM professoriate through a literature review (journals, trade magazines, theses, and dissertations) and reflective shorts and quotes from women of color navigating the STEM professoriate. The literature review spans a 10-year period (2008-2018). Both the review and the reflections focus on the areas of STEM belonging, self-presentation, stereotyping, institutional racism, discrimination, and tokenism as challenges faced by women of color in the STEM professoriate. Additionally, mechanisms used by women of color to navigate and succeed despite these barriers, such as mentoring, are explored throughout.

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Regulation of cognition: Validation of a short scale for Portuguese first-year university students

Anales de Psicología ◽

10.6018/analesps.389361 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 313-319

Author(s):

Rui Bártolo-Ribeiro ◽

Francisco Peixoto ◽

Joana Casanova ◽

Leandro Almeida

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Academic Achievement ◽

University Students ◽

Metacognitive Awareness ◽

Self Report ◽

Dimensional Structure ◽

Short Version ◽

First Year ◽

Regulation Of Cognition ◽

Metacognitive Awareness Inventory

La calidad del aprendizaje en la Educación Superior depende, especialmente, de las habilidades de los estudiantes para regular su cognición. Esta regulación requiere habilidades cognitivas y metacognitivas, así como dimensiones motivacionales. Dada su relevancia en el rendimiento académico y el desarrollo de habilidades para el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida, es importante aumentar la investigación en el campo. Este estudio pretende adaptar y validar una versión abreviada da dimensión Regulación de la Cognición del Metacognitive Awareness Inventory para estudiantes universitarios portugueses de primer año. Se empleó una muestra de 360 estudiantes y se identificó una estructura tridimensional (Planificación, 4 ítems; Estrategias, 7 ítems; y Monitoreo y evaluación, 7 ítems) con un factor de segundo orden (Regulación de la cognición). Los valores de consistencia interna de la escala reducida son aceptables para una escala de autoinforme y las correlaciones con el logro académico al final del primer año de la universidad garantizan su validez predictiva. Esta versión abreviada para medir la regulación de la cognición puede usarse en investigación junto con otros instrumentos en estudios más amplios y puede funcionar como una herramienta de diagnóstico para ayudar a los estudiantes en los desafíos de aprendizaje de la enseñanza superior. The quality of learning in Higher Education is particularly dependent on students' skills in regulating their cognition. This regulation requires cognitive and metacognitive skills as well as motivational dimensions. Due to its relevance in explaining students' academic achievement and developing lifelong learning skills, it´s important to increase research in the area. This study aims to adapt and validate a short version of the Regulation of Cognition of Metacognitive Awareness Inventory to first-year Portuguese university students. A sample of 360 students was considered and was identified a three-dimensional structure (Planning, 4 items; Strategies, 7 items; and Monitoring and evaluation, 7 items) with a second-order factor (Regulation of Cognition). The internal consistency values of the reduced scale are within the acceptable parameters for a self-report scale and the correlations with academic achievement at the end of the first year of the university guarantee the predictive validity of the scale. This short version of regulation of cognition measure allows its use in research with other instruments in larger studies and can function as a diagnostic / screening tool to help students in higher education learning challenges.

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Factors affecting assignment completion in higher education

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/jarhe-12-2019-0309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1251-1264 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wuttiporn Suamuang ◽

Surachai Suksakulchai ◽

Elizabeth Murphy

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Time Management ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Self Report ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Potential Range ◽

Task Orientation ◽

Content Type ◽

Future Studies ◽

Assignment Completion

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to simultaneously investigate a variety of factors related to assignment completion (AC) (i.e. task orientation, cooperation, teacher feedback, time management and time spent on AC).Design/methodology/approachThe study relied on a self-report survey to assess students' perceptions in relation to six variables. Participants included 1,106 undergraduate students from six public Thai universities. Analysis involved structural equation modeling.FindingsThis study provided new results related to task orientation as the strongest predictor of AC and time management. Cooperation and feedback improved AC with time management as an intervening variable. Time management and feedback did not predict time spent on AC.Research limitations/implicationsFuture studies might explore the potential range of assignments that, for example, count for a higher portion of the grade versus those that are less or unimportant in terms of the course. Future studies might also look at the role of group assignments in relation to completion. Semi-structured interviews or observations might provide insights into how students manage their time and why task orientation has the most effect on AC. Future research might investigate more specifically at what point time management does or does not affect completion. In general, given the growth of online learning and contexts in which students may be increasingly called on to complete assignments independently, factors such as those investigated in this study will require more attention in varying countries and contexts, generically and for individual subjects.Practical implicationsInstructional designers and instructors can promote task orientation through reliance on strategic scaffolding. For designing a task-oriented environment, instructors need to offer challenging assignments. Instructors should also assign work that encourages motivation, effort and achievement. To ensure that cooperative learning positively affects time management, instructors and designers can allot specific in-class time for completion of tasks, reliance on flipped classroom activities and student conversations regarding time restrictions and time-management skills. Instructors can be supported to help them provide appropriate types of feedback, as well as ideas for implementing the feedback in practice.Originality/valueLittle research has been conducted on AC in higher education. Those studies that have been conducted have focused on the elementary and secondary levels. Furthermore, studies have not always taken into account the complex relationships between different factors that can potentially influence AC.

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Connecting K-12 Schools in Higher Education

Online and Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-935-9.ch043 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 506-511

Author(s):

Laura A.B. Dell

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Distance Learning ◽

High School Teachers ◽

Instructional Television ◽

Learning Technology ◽

High Stakes ◽

Elementary And Secondary Education ◽

K 12 ◽

E Mail ◽

Innovative Techniques

Videoconferencing is the latest distance learning technology to hit K-12 (elementary and secondary) education. Distance learning in all of its forms—including correspondence courses, Internet, e-mail, radio, phone/fax, instructional television, videotape, and videoconferencing—is helping elementary and high schools across the country bring new, relevant, and expert content into classrooms. Students and teachers are able to work and learn with those who they can only connect with through technology. Distance learning allows students to participate in classes located at a far away school, connect to expert college or government researchers, and converse with others who live in a different culture than their own. High stakes government testing and increased teacher accountability are pushing elementary, middle, and high school teachers to engage students by finding new resources and using innovative techniques in the classroom.

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Connecting K-12 Schools in Higher Education

Encyclopedia of Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-555-9.ch056 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 374-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura A.B. Dell

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Distance Learning ◽

High School Teachers ◽

Instructional Television ◽

Learning Technology ◽

High Stakes ◽

Elementary And Secondary Education ◽

K 12 ◽

E Mail ◽

Innovative Techniques

Videoconferencing is the latest distance learning technology to hit K-12 (elementary and secondary) education. Distance learning in all of its forms—including correspondence courses, Internet, e-mail, radio, phone/fax, instructional television, videotape, and videoconferencing—is helping elementary and high schools across the country bring new, relevant, and expert content into classrooms. Students and teachers are able to work and learn with those who they can only connect with through technology. Distance learning allows students to participate in classes located at a far away school, connect to expert college or government researchers, and converse with others who live in a different culture than their own. High stakes government testing and increased teacher accountability are pushing elementary, middle, and high school teachers to engage students by finding new resources and using innovative techniques in the classroom.

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