scholarly journals IS ESP STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT FEASIBLE?

2019 ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Jolita Sliogeriene
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Standardized Assessment ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Current Assessment

This paper provides an overview of assessment practice as it relates to English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and which is used in a variety of higher education settings. The notion of benchmarking in ESP standardized assessment is discussed, and assessment standards leading to quality assurance are described. The challenge for educators is to agree on a common assessment framework in view of the ongoing debate on ESP benchmarking and unified assessment criteria (nationally or internationally), which is also compared to CEFR. The author uses case study analysis to focus on student assessment policy and practice in Alberta, Canada, as well as other selected countries. It is significant that, today, a number of ESP assessment models are based only partially on the main foreign language assessment principles. Accordingly, this paper provides an overview of such principles, their descriptors and best practice in ESP assessment. The main aim of the research is therefore to understand current assessment practices as well as to develop a standardized benchmarking for ESP teachers. The paper proposes a model of ESP standardized assessment based on the studied reference, ESP practices used in different countries, as well as standards of assessment in general.

scholarly journals A Case Study of the Manageability and Utility of Assessment in Three New Zealand Primary Schools 1993-2006

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Richard Young
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Curriculum Assessment ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Current Assessment

<p>This study is concerned with the manageability of assessment in New Zealand schools. In order for assessment to be effective in schools, it needs to be manageable. This is especially important for New Zealand schools in the light of the changes in administration and curriculum introduced in the early 1990s. These reforms which were termed Tomorrow's Schools introduced radical changes to New Zealand schools in the areas of governance, management, the curriculum, assessment, and quality assurance. In the area of assessment, primary schools were presented with a number of challenges which included a requirement to assess a highly structured curriculum with close to 1000 achievement objectives, many of which were open to different interpretation. There was also an expectation to assess against the structure of this new rapidly introduced curriculum, without any tools provided for such assessment. The New Zealand system also departed from other countries in that it made no distinction in terms of importance in teaching and assessment between what are usually considered the core activities of primary school education, literacy and numeracy, and other learning areas. In light of these challenges it is not surprising that a number of the assessment processes that schools developed and used were questionable in terms of manageability and utility. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of government policy and international movements in assessment on the manageability of assessment practice in New Zealand primary schools during the period 1990-2006. The research also examines what is meant by the terms manageability and utility when applied to the context of primary school assessment. By means of case study research, the investigation explores assessment practice in three Wellington primary schools during 2006-2007. The case studies sought to understand current assessment practices in terms of the reforms of the early nineties, as well as more recent developments in assessment in New Zealand. The research illustrated that while these three New Zealand schools still faced some major issues in terms of the manageability and utility of assessment, their views were more optimistic and positive than earlier research studies had reported.</p>

scholarly journals A Case Study of the Manageability and Utility of Assessment in Three New Zealand Primary Schools 1993-2006

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Richard Young
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Curriculum Assessment ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Current Assessment

<p>This study is concerned with the manageability of assessment in New Zealand schools. In order for assessment to be effective in schools, it needs to be manageable. This is especially important for New Zealand schools in the light of the changes in administration and curriculum introduced in the early 1990s. These reforms which were termed Tomorrow's Schools introduced radical changes to New Zealand schools in the areas of governance, management, the curriculum, assessment, and quality assurance. In the area of assessment, primary schools were presented with a number of challenges which included a requirement to assess a highly structured curriculum with close to 1000 achievement objectives, many of which were open to different interpretation. There was also an expectation to assess against the structure of this new rapidly introduced curriculum, without any tools provided for such assessment. The New Zealand system also departed from other countries in that it made no distinction in terms of importance in teaching and assessment between what are usually considered the core activities of primary school education, literacy and numeracy, and other learning areas. In light of these challenges it is not surprising that a number of the assessment processes that schools developed and used were questionable in terms of manageability and utility. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of government policy and international movements in assessment on the manageability of assessment practice in New Zealand primary schools during the period 1990-2006. The research also examines what is meant by the terms manageability and utility when applied to the context of primary school assessment. By means of case study research, the investigation explores assessment practice in three Wellington primary schools during 2006-2007. The case studies sought to understand current assessment practices in terms of the reforms of the early nineties, as well as more recent developments in assessment in New Zealand. The research illustrated that while these three New Zealand schools still faced some major issues in terms of the manageability and utility of assessment, their views were more optimistic and positive than earlier research studies had reported.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of student assessment practices in a medical college

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 5048
Author(s):  
Omer A. Elfaki ◽  
Abdulaziz A. Alamri
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Current Assessment

Background: The importance of students’ assessment and its role in driving students learning are well recognized. Guidelines for good assessment practice have been developed. The GMC issued important recommendations related to assessment of students’ performance to be followed by medical schools in UK. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) developed standards emphasizing the importance of documenting students’ performance. The utility concept of an assessment tool had been proposed by Van der Vleuten stating a number of weighted criteria. Assessment of clinical competence was proposed to be well covered by the model of Miller. No single method of assessment can be recommended to be appropriate for all assessment purposes and all domains of competence. Therefore, multiple methods of assessment are required.Methods: There are 35 courses included in the MBBS program in the college of medicine, KKU. these are taught over five years in addition to a preparatory year and the internship year. the curriculum can still be described as discipline based. a survey was planned to study the current assessment situation. this is a cross-sectional descriptive study. the data collection methods used were survey and study of the documents of the courses. an online questionnaire was developed. the responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine frequencies, averages and percentages. the study was conducted during the period January-May 2014.Results: Twenty course coordinators responded to the survey (57%). Eleven of the courses covered were basic and nine were clinical. Multiple tests as well as multiple methods of continuous assessment were used in the courses studied. Some of the methods used for summative assessment are no longer recommended in current assessment practices in medical education. Real OSCE was used only in one clinical course. Standard setting methods were not used and a fixed pass mark was used instead.Conclusions: Important shortcomings in student assessment system in many of the courses studied were identified. Less educationally desirable assessment methods and practices are still used in some courses such as unattended single long case examination. More attention should be given to technical aspects of assessment.

scholarly journals Environmental management control systems for carbon emissions

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Di Giacomo ◽  
James Guthrie ◽  
Federica Farneti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose This paper aims to focus on a global consulting company and examine how it struggled to establish an effective environmental management control system for carbon emissions for its employees’ air travel. The organisation was motivated to reduce its carbon emissions both to comply with regulation and to enhance or maintain corporate reputation. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a case study approach, examining internal and external documents as well as conducting interviews with senior staff. Findings The case study investigates how Beta’s management implemented a system to reduce carbon emissions. The organisation focused on air travel, but the study finds that employee travel preferences did not radically change. Rather than reduction in carbon emissions, as planned by head office, air travel carbon emissions actually increased during the period, and, as a consequence, the reported reduction targets were significantly adjusted downwards to meet the new realities. Practical/implications The study has implications for both policy and practice for organisations seeking to improve their sustainability performance. Originality/value The study responds to calls in the literature to undertake research to identify how management practices might reduce negative sustainability impacts, as there is little evidence of what management practices and accounting tools are being adopted, particularly in relation to carbon emissions from air travel. The paper adds to the creation of new accounting, giving visibility to carbon emission management through case study analysis.

Scaffolding for cognitive and linguistic challenges in CLIL science assessments

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen Yi Lo ◽  
Wai-mei Lui ◽  
Mona Wong
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Assessment Tasks ◽  
Science Assessments ◽  
Linguistic Challenges ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Language Content

Abstract In Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes, students learn some non-language content subjects through a second/foreign language (L2), and their content knowledge is often assessed in their L2. It follows that students are likely to face challenges in both cognitive and linguistic aspects in assessments. Yet, there has been limited research exploring whether and how CLIL teachers help their students cope with those challenges. This multi-case study seeks to address this issue by investigating the instructional and assessment practices of two science teachers in Hong Kong secondary schools. The two teachers presented an interesting contrast – one teacher incorporated both implicit and explicit language instruction in her lessons, so her students were well prepared for the assessment tasks; the other teacher’s instructional and assessment practices were heavily content-oriented, and it is not sure whether students mastered both content and L2. These findings illuminate CLIL pedagogy and teacher education.

scholarly journals Social reports of an Italian provincial government: a longitudinal analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 580-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Farneti ◽  
James Guthrie ◽  
Marcello Canetto
Keyword(s):  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Environmental Disclosures

Purpose This paper aims to examine the non-financial information disclosed in social reports by an Italian provincial government over time to determine its relevance, contribution and evolution. Design/methodology/approach Through a case study analysis, the authors examine 10 years of social reports by one “best practice” Italian provincial government. The authors use content analysis to quantify the level of social and environmental disclosures and use a coding instrument based on the GRI guidelines. The authors use legitimacy theory as a framework. Findings The level of disclosure increased over the 10-year period, and the type of disclosures became more detailed. However, many of the economic, social and environmental elements set out in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines were not disclosed. Moreover, the social report was contingent on a few key factors. The authors find that there has been a decline in interest in social reports by local governments in Italy, suggesting that voluntary disclosure was perhaps a fad that no longer is of interest in Italian local government. Research limitations/implications This research is one case study so the findings are not generalisable. The findings suggest that there is a need for regulation in non-financial information disclosures, as the disclosures in the case study organisation were very much at the discretion of the organisation. This has implications for policymakers. Originality/value Unlike prior studies, this study takes a longitudinal approach to voluntary disclosure of non-financial information and focusses on the under-explored context of public sector organisations.

scholarly journals MYTHS AND REALITES OF STUDENT ASSESSMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION OF ARMENIA

2021 ◽  
pp. 200-210
Author(s):  
Gohar Muradyan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Process Assessment ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Academic Environments ◽  
Teaching Learning

Student assessment is an integral part of any teaching learning process. Assessment practices have a large number of functions to perform in the context of the teaching, learning process. This article challenges several myths about student assessment: that we know what we're grading, that we know what the results mean, that we can agree in practice on various criteria, which is possible to establish and apply unanimously. Despite these seeming difficulties, this article argues for the validity of assessments developed within particular academic environments in the higher learning institutes of Armenia. Do contemporary assessment practices perform these function: it is a critical question to be analysed. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse the myths and realities of the assessment practice in the higher education sector.

scholarly journals Is the Irish Defence Forces Developing the Necessary Capability to Meet the Operational Requirements of its UN CIMIC Roles? A Case Study of CIMIC Operations in Lebanon

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The United Nations

This article examines the Irish Defence Forces’ (DF) approach to contemporary Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) operations in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), seeking to discover whether or not the DF is developing the necessary capability to meet the operational requirements of its UN CIMIC roles. The paper focuses on the manner in which the DF selects and trains personnel for this operational task, and the degree to which this enables the organisation to meet UN requirements. The article explores international military best practice relating to pre-deployment training and examines Irish policy and practice, presenting the results of interviews conducted with relevant Irish personnel. The research demonstrates that, while there is no doubt that the DF is meeting the operational requirements of its UN CIMIC tasks, this may be the result of its soldiers’ collective attitudes and behaviour rather than by design. This suggests that Irish soldiers make good peacekeepers, but that this may not be closely connected to any pre-deployment training relating to CIMIC.

Causal Mechanisms and Process Tracing

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Goertz ◽  
James Mahoney
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Process Tracing ◽  
Causal Process ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
Multimethod Research ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Causal Mechanisms

This chapter examines how the qualitative and quantitative research traditions empirically assess theories about mechanisms when making causal inferences. In the qualitative paradigm, researchers carry out this assessment by attempting to observe causal mechanisms through process tracing and through the analysis of causal-process observations. In the qualitative paradigm, the within-case analysis of specific cases is combined with the effort to observe mechanisms. By contrast, statistical methods are not designed to observe mechanisms within particular cases. The chapter considers the importance of mechanisms in causal inference as well as the use of process tracing in multimethod vs. qualitative research. It shows that multimethod research, which integrates regression and case study analysis, is increasingly regarded as a best practice.

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