scholarly journals Development and Validation of the Homeostasis Concept Inventory

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny L. McFarland ◽  
Rebecca M. Price ◽  
Mary Pat Wenderoth ◽  
Patrícia Martinková ◽  
William Cliff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Differential Item Analysis ◽  
Concept Framework ◽  
Better Than

We present the Homeostasis Concept Inventory (HCI), a 20-item multiple-choice instrument that assesses how well undergraduates understand this critical physiological concept. We used an iterative process to develop a set of questions based on elements in the Homeostasis Concept Framework. This process involved faculty experts and undergraduate students from associate’s colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, regional and research-intensive universities, and professional schools. Statistical results provided strong evidence for the validity and reliability of the HCI. We found that graduate students performed better than undergraduates, biology majors performed better than nonmajors, and students performed better after receiving instruction about homeostasis. We used differential item analysis to assess whether students from different genders, races/ethnicities, and English language status performed differently on individual items of the HCI. We found no evidence of differential item functioning, suggesting that the items do not incorporate cultural or gender biases that would impact students’ performance on the test. Instructors can use the HCI to guide their teaching and student learning of homeostasis, a core concept of physiology.

scholarly journals Aligning English Language Testing With Curriculum

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Palacio ◽  
Sandra Gaviria ◽  
James Dean Brown
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Test Design ◽  
Teaching Philosophy ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Testing Program ◽  
Reliability Estimates

<p>Frustrations with traditional testing led a group of teachers at the English for adults program at Universidad EAFIT (Colombia) to design tests aligned with the institutional teaching philosophy and classroom practices. This article reports on a study of an item-by-item evaluation of a series of English exams for validity and reliability in an effort to guarantee the quality of the process of test design. The study included descriptive statistics, item analysis, correlational analyses, reliability estimates, and validity analyses. The results show that the new tests are an excellent addition to the program and an improvement over traditional tests. Implications are discussed and recommendations given for the development of any institutional testing program.</p>

scholarly journals Performance on the Boston Naming Test in Bilinguals

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Sheppard ◽  
Shanna Kousaie ◽  
Laura Monetta ◽  
Vanessa Taler
Keyword(s):  
Item Analysis ◽  
Boston Naming Test ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Maximum Score ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Differential Item Analysis ◽  
Uniform Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Naming Test

AbstractObjectives: We examined performance on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in older and younger adults who were monolingual English or French speakers, or bilingual speakers of English and French (n=215). Methods: Monolingual participants completed the task in their native language, and bilingual participants completed the task in English, French, and bilingual (either-language) administrations. Results: Overall, younger and older monolingual French speakers performed worse than other groups; bilingual participants performed worst in the French administration and approximately two-thirds of bilingual participants performed better when responses were accepted in either language. Surprisingly, however, a subset of bilinguals performed worse when responses were accepted in either language as compared to their maximum score achieved in either English or French. This either-language disadvantage does not appear to be associated with the degree of balanced bilingualism, but instead appears to be related to overall naming abilities. Differential item analysis comparing language groups and the different administrations identified several items that displayed uniform and/or non-uniform differential item functioning (DIF). Conclusions: The BNT does not elicit equivalent performance in English and French, even when assessing naming performance in monolingual French speakers using the French version of the test. Scores were lower in French overall, and several items exhibited DIF. We recommend caution in interpreting performance on these items in bilingual speakers. Finally, not all bilinguals benefit from an either-language administration of the BNT. (JINS, 2015, 21, 350–363)

scholarly journals The Body Shape Questionnaire Is Not Invariant Across Sex: Evidence From Portuguese-Speaking University Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanderson Roberto da Silva ◽  
Viren Swami ◽  
Angela Nogueira Neves ◽  
João Marôco ◽  
Christopher N. Ochner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Differential Item Analysis ◽  
Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) is a widely used measure of body shape concerns that was originally designed for use with women but has more recently been used with boys and men. The latter use may be problematic, given that no previous study has demonstrated sex invariance for BSQ scores. To determine the extent to which BSQ scores are sex invariant, we asked Portuguese-speaking women ( n = 1,613) and men ( n = 871) to complete the full BSQ (34 items). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a hypothesized 32-item model of BSQ scores and shorter versions had acceptable fit indices in women and men, separately. However, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that these BSQ model scores had configural but not metric, scalar, or strict sex invariance. Differential item analysis indicated significant item-functioning differences on 19 of the 32 retained BSQ items. Thus, BSQ scores are not sex invariant, making problematic the results of previous studies that have compared latent BSQ scores across sex.

scholarly journals Development of aLacOperon Concept Inventory (LOCI)

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. ar24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Stefanski ◽  
Grant E. Gardner ◽  
Rebecca L. Seipelt-Thiemann
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Instructional Methods ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Lac Operon ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Class Testing

Concept inventories (CIs) are valuable tools for educators that assess student achievement and identify misconceptions held by students. Results of student responses can be used to adjust or develop new instructional methods for a given topic. The regulation of gene expression in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes is an important concept in genetics and one that is particularly challenging for undergraduate students. As part of a larger study examining instructional methods related to gene regulation, the authors developed a 12-item CI assessing student knowledge of the lac operon. Using an established protocol, the authors wrote open-ended questions and conducted in-class testing with undergraduate microbiology and genetics students to discover common errors made by students about the lac operon and to determine aspects of item validity. Using these results, we constructed a 12-item multiple-choice lac operon CI called the Lac Operon Concept Inventory (LOCI), The LOCI was reviewed by two experts in the field for content validity. The LOCI underwent item analysis and was assessed for reliability with a sample of undergraduate genetics students (n = 115). The data obtained were found to be valid and reliable (coefficient alpha = 0.994) with adequate discriminatory power and item difficulty.

scholarly journals Validasi School Burnout Inventory versi Bahasa Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-93
Author(s):  
Diniy Hidayatur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
School Burnout ◽  
Personal Inadequacy ◽  
Bahasa Indonesia

Burnout akademik merupakan sebuah kondisi yang dapat berdampak negatif pada para pelajar, baik secara akademik, pribadi, maupun sosial. Pencegahan terhadap dampak lanjutan yang tidak diinginkan melalui sebuah identifikasi dini. School Burnout Inventory merupakan salah satu instrumen berbahasa Inggris yang efektif untuk melakukan identifikasi dini. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui validitas dan reliabilitas School Burnout Inventory versi Bahasa Indonesia dalam konteks program sarjana, serta menguji jumlah faktor yang membentuknya. Proses adaptasi School Burnout Inventory dilakukan dengan menerjemahkannya ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan menyesuaikannya dengan konteks pendidikan di perguruan tinggi. Uji kesahihan terjemahan oleh ahli bahasa dan pakar dalam bidang burnout. Instrumen yang telah diadaptasi, disebarkan kepada 542 mahasiswa program sarjana (126 laki-laki dan 416 perempuan), yang dipilih secara acak secara online dan offline. Analisis data menggunakan analisis faktor eksploratori dan alpha Cronbach. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa School Burnout Inventory versi Bahasa Indonesia, sebagai keseluruhan instrumen maupun sebagai item per item, telah memenuhi kriteria validitas dan reliabilitas yang ditetapkan. Hasil pemfaktoran juga menunjukkan bahwa inventori ini dibentuk oleh dua faktor, di mana Item 1, 3, 4, 7, dan 9 terbentuk dari faktor 1 (kelelahan emosional) dan item 2, 5, 6, dan 8 terbentuk dari faktor 2 (sinisme). Dengan demikian, hasil tersebut mengeliminasi faktor 3 (penurunan pencapaian personal) yang tidak memiliki dukungan empiris yang memadai. The validation of School Burnout Inventory-Indonesian versionAcademic burnout can have negative effects on students both academically, personally, and socially. Therefore, early identification of this type of burnout is necessary to prevent further undesirable effects. The School Burnout Inventory is one of the English-language assessment tools to identify the academic burnout of students. The research aims to test the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the inventory in the context of the undergraduate program and to investigate its factor structure. The inventory adaptation process is carried out by translating it into Bahasa Indonesia and replacing certain technical terms with other terms that are better suited to the undergraduate context. The translation was evaluated for validity by asking for the judgment of a linguist and a burnout expert. The adapted instrument was then distributed online and offline to research subjects.  A  total of 542 undergraduate students (126 males     and 416 females) were selected at random to participate in the study. Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha were used to analyze the research data. The results showed that the School Burnout Inventory, as a whole inventory or as items, is valid and reliable. It was also found that the School Burnout Inventory comprises two factors, which items 1, 3, 4, 7, and 9 are derived from factor 1 (emotional exhaustion), while items 2, 5, 6, and 8 are from factor 2 (cynism). The results further suggest that factor 3 (personal inadequacy) needs to be excluded due to a lack of empirical evidence.

scholarly journals Assessing Undergraduate Students’ e-Learning Competencies: A Case Study of Higher Education Context in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Ati Suci Dian Martha ◽  
Kasiyah Junus ◽  
Harry Budi Santoso ◽  
Heru Suhartanto
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Learning Readiness ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Demographic Profiles ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Competencies

The COVID-19 pandemic that occurred in early 2020 around the world has implications for Indonesia’s education sector. This pandemic led to the Indonesian government policy to study from home at all academic levels using a distance learning approach. Studies on e-learning preparedness in Indonesia involving more comprehensive samples of universities during the pandemic are still limited. This study extended samples from several public and private universities in Indonesia to get a broader picture of e-learning readiness in various faculties with diverse university online learning cultures. This study used Rasch analysis to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis to identify responses based on students’ demographic profiles. The results show that most students were ready to study online, but a few were not ready. Moreover, the results show significant differences in students’ e-learning readiness based on the academic year at university, the field of study, the level of organizational e-learning culture of the university, gender, and region. This work provides an insight into student readiness to study online, especially in higher education in Indonesia. The article presents the implications of online learning practices in universities and recommendations for future e-learning research.

scholarly journals Adaptation of Star Properties Concept InventoryYıldız Özellikleri Kavram Envanteri uyarlama çalışması

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 2021
Author(s):  
Emrah Oğuzhan Dinçer ◽  
Derya Çobanoğlu Aktan
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Alpha Coefficient ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers

The aim of this study is to adapt “Star Properties Concept Inventory-SPCI” developed by Bailey, Johnson, Prather, and Slater (2012) into Turkish, and to make validity and reliability analyses of the inventory. The original inventory is consisted of 22 items. The study is conducted with the participation of 386 students from three different universities. Preservice science teachers and fourth grade astronomy students are formed this research group.  Cronbach’s alpha coefficient is determined as 0.82 for the inventory. As a result of item analysis of data gained from application of inventory; item discrimination indexes are found between 0.07 and 0.73, item difficulty indexes are found between 0.13 and 0.75.  While the average of test is found as 7.27, the average difficulty is 0.33. The content validity is determined by taking expert opinions.Extended English abstract is in the end of PDF (TURKISH) file.  ÖzetBu çalışmanın amacı, Bailey, Johnson, Prather ve Slater (2012) tarafından geliştirilen “Star Properties Concept Inventory-SPCI” Yıldız Özellikleri Kavram Envanterini (YÖKE) Türkçeye uyarlamak ve Türkçe uyarlamanın güvenirlik ve geçerlik çalışmasını yapmaktır. Envanterin orijinali 22 sorudan oluşmaktadır. Araştırma üç farklı üniversiteden toplam 386 öğrencinin katılımı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma örneklemi, astronomi bölümü dördüncü sınıf öğrencileri ile fen ve teknoloji öğretmen adaylarından oluşmaktadır.  Cronbach alfa katsayısı ölçme aracı için 0.82 olarak belirlenmiştir. Kavram testinin uygulanması sonucu elde edilen verilerin madde analizi sonucunda maddelerin ayırıcılık güçlerinin 0.07 ile 0.73 arasında, madde güçlük indislerinin de 0.13 ile 0.75 arasında olduğu bulunmuştur. Testin ortalaması 7.27 bulunurken, testin ortalama güçlüğü de 0.33’tür. Testin kapsam geçerliği uzman görüşleri alınarak belirlenmiştir.

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

Needs Analysis and Teachers' Perceptions: A Study of the English Undergraduate Students

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Visual Aids ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Teaching Aids

Needs Analysis in the context of language-learning-teaching is an important process to design a certain course and syllabus. It helps course designers to set objectives, choose content, method of instruction, appropriate teaching aids, and classroom activities for different courses. This paper reports the perceptions of the researchers on the English language learning needs of the English undergraduate students of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Pakistan. The data is based on the researchers’ personal experience and first-hand observation of the population as the researchers have been teaching in the target context for about a decade. Furthermore, the researchers have always been in discussion with their students and colleagues about the target students’ English learning needs, preferred learning styles, motivation in learning English, interest, strengths/weaknesses, and attitude toward English learning in the target setting. Learners’ assignments, exam answer sheets, and presentations have also been used is a source of data collection. A needs analysis model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) has been applied in order to analyze the data. The results show that the students lack well grammatical sentences, have poor spellings, capitalization problems, limited vocabulary, unaware of collocations, poor/slow reading comprehension, and lack of effective presentation skills. Furthermore, most of the students have a lack of involvement in classroom activities and feel shy about speaking the English language. It was reported that the provision of authentic material, interesting activities, suitable audio-visual aids, relevant texts, language labs, and other logistic arrangements can better help them in learning the English language. The findings demonstrate that the students wished to have a learner-centered-course that helps them excel in their academic life and learning the English language.

British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Students’ Manual: A Critical Analysis of the Coursebook Taught at Pakistani Universities

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching Principles ◽  
Language Needs

English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.

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