scholarly journals Psychometric Report for the 2019 Knowledge for Teaching Early Elementary Mathematics (K-TEEM) Test

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Schoen ◽  
Xiaotong Yang ◽  
Gizem Solmaz
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Elementary Mathematics ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Early Elementary ◽  
Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Large Scale Field ◽  
The Impact

The 2019 Knowledge for Teaching Early Elementary Mathematics (2019 K-TEEM) test measures teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching early elementary mathematics. This report presents information about a large-scale field test of the 2019 K-TEEM test with 649 practicing educators. The report contains information about the development process used for the test; a description of the sample; descriptions of the procedures used for data entry, scoring of responses, and analysis of data; recommended scoring procedures; and findings regarding the distribution of test scores, standard error of measurement, and marginal reliability. The intended use of the data from the 2019 K-TEEM test is to serve as a measure of teacher knowledge that will be used in a randomized controlled trial to investigate the impact—and variation in impact—of a teacher professional-development program for early elementary teachers.

scholarly journals Overcoming challenges to data quality in the ASPREE clinical trial

Trials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica E. Lockery ◽  
◽  
Taya A. Collyer ◽  
Christopher M. Reid ◽  
Michael E. Ernst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Missing Data ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Large-scale studies risk generating inaccurate and missing data due to the complexity of data collection. Technology has the potential to improve data quality by providing operational support to data collectors. However, this potential is under-explored in community-based trials. The Aspirin in reducing events in the elderly (ASPREE) trial developed a data suite that was specifically designed to support data collectors: the ASPREE Web Accessible Relational Database (AWARD). This paper describes AWARD and the impact of system design on data quality. Methods AWARD’s operational requirements, conceptual design, key challenges and design solutions for data quality are presented. Impact of design features is assessed through comparison of baseline data collected prior to implementation of key functionality (n = 1000) with data collected post implementation (n = 18,114). Overall data quality is assessed according to data category. Results At baseline, implementation of user-driven functionality reduced staff error (from 0.3% to 0.01%), out-of-range data entry (from 0.14% to 0.04%) and protocol deviations (from 0.4% to 0.08%). In the longitudinal data set, which contained more than 39 million data values collected within AWARD, 96.6% of data values were entered within specified query range or found to be accurate upon querying. The remaining data were missing (3.4%). Participant non-attendance at scheduled study activity was the most common cause of missing data. Costs associated with cleaning data in ASPREE were lower than expected compared with reports from other trials. Conclusions Clinical trials undertake complex operational activity in order to collect data, but technology rarely provides sufficient support. We find the AWARD suite provides proof of principle that designing technology to support data collectors can mitigate known causes of poor data quality and produce higher-quality data. Health information technology (IT) products that support the conduct of scheduled activity in addition to traditional data entry will enhance community-based clinical trials. A standardised framework for reporting data quality would aid comparisons across clinical trials. Trial registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register, ISRCTN83772183. Registered on 3 March 2005.

Measuring the Effects of Professional Development on Teacher Knowledge: The Case of Developing Mathematical Ideas

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 479-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney A. Bell ◽  
Suzanne Wilson ◽  
Traci Higgins ◽  
D. Betsy McCoach
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Knowledge ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Model ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Mathematical Ideas ◽  
Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the impact of a nationally disseminated professional development program, Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI), on teachers' specialized knowledge for teaching mathematics and illustrates how such research could be conducted. Participants completing 2 DMI modules were compared with similar colleagues who had not taken DMI. Teacher knowledge was measured with multiple-choice items developed by the Learning Mathematics for Teaching project and open-ended items based on problems initially developed by DMI experts. After controlling for pretest scores, a hierarchical linear model identified statistically significant differences: The DMI group outperformed the comparison group on both assessments. Gains in teachers' scores on the more closely aligned measure were related to the degree of facilitator experience with DMI. This study adds to our understanding of the ways in which professional development program features, facilitators, and issues of scale interact in the development of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching. Study limitations and challenges are discussed.

Dietary Patterns: A New Therapeutic Approach for Depression?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Jesus ◽  
Tânia Silva ◽  
César Cagigal ◽  
Vera Martins ◽  
Carla Silva
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: The field of nutritional psychiatry is a fast-growing one. Although initially, it focused on the effects of vitamins and micronutrients in mental health, in the last decade, its focus also extended to the dietary patterns. The possibility of a dietary cost-effective intervention in the most common mental disorder, depression, cannot be overlooked due to its potential large-scale impact. Method: A classic review of the literature was conducted, and studies published between 2010 and 2018 focusing on the impact of dietary patterns in depression and depressive symptoms were included. Results: We found 10 studies that matched our criteria. Most studies showed an inverse association between healthy dietary patterns, rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and whole grains, and with low intake of processed and sugary foods, and depression and depressive symptoms throughout an array of age groups, although some authors reported statistical significance only in women. While most studies were of cross-sectional design, making it difficult to infer causality, a randomized controlled trial presented similar results. Discussion: he association between dietary patterns and depression is now well-established, although the exact etiological pathways are still unknown. Dietary intervention, with the implementation of healthier dietary patterns, closer to the traditional ones, can play an important role in the prevention and adjunctive therapy of depression and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: More large-scale randomized clinical trials need to be conducted, in order to confirm the association between high-quality dietary patterns and lower risk of depression and depressive symptoms.

The Importance of Similarity: How Gender Congruence Matters for the Impact of Leadership Training

2021 ◽  
pp. 009539972110642
Author(s):  
Trine H. Fjendbo ◽  
Christian B. Jacobsen ◽  
Seung-Ho An
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Training ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Perceived Leadership ◽  
Scale Field ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Large Scale Field ◽  
The Impact

Leadership training is key to promoting more active leadership, but the effects of leadership training can depend on the gender context. Gender congruence between manager and employee can affect how the manager employs leadership behaviors adapted from training and how employees perceive leadership behavior. Quantitative data on 474 managers’ 4,833 employees before and after a large-scale field experiment with leadership training enable us to examine changes in employee-perceived leadership following training. The results show that gender congruence between manager and employee is associated with stronger leadership training effects on employee-perceived leadership behaviors. Female gender congruence shows the most pronounced effects.

Let’s tweet again? Social networks and literature achievement in high school students

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-64
Author(s):  
Gian Paolo Barbetta ◽  
Paolo Canino ◽  
Stefano Cima
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
School Students ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Internet Connections ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The availability of cheap Wi-Fi internet connections has encouraged schools to adopt Web 2.0 platforms for teaching, with the intention of stimulating students’ academic achievement and participation in school. Moreover, during the recent explosion of the SARS-CoV-2 crisis that forced many countries to close schools (as well as offices and factories), the widespread diffusion of these applications kept school systems going. Despite their widespread use as teaching tools, the effect of adopting Web 2.0 platforms on students’ performance has never been rigorously tested. We fill this gap in the literature by analyzing the impact of using Twitter as a teaching tool on high school students’ literature skills. Based on a large-scale, randomized controlled trial that involved 70 schools and about 1,500 students, we find that using Twitter to teach literature has an overall negative effect on students’ average achievement, reducing standardized test scores by about 25 percent of a standard deviation. The negative effect is stronger on students who usually perform better.

Overcoming the Challenges of Experimental Research: Lessons From a Criminal Justice Case Study Involving TASER Exposure

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Todak ◽  
Michael D. White ◽  
Lisa M. Dario ◽  
Andrea R. Borrego
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Human Subjects Research ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To provide guidance to criminologists for conducting experiments in light of two common discouraging factors: the belief that they are overly time-consuming and the belief that they can compromise the ethical principles of human subjects’ research. Method: A case study approach is used, based on a large-scale randomized controlled trial experiment in which we exposed participants to a 5-s TASER shock, to describe how the authors overcame ethical, methodological, and logistical difficulties. Results: We derive four pieces of advice from our experiences carrying out this experimental trial: (1) know your limitations, (2) employ pilot testing, (3) remain flexible and patient, and (4) “hold the line” to maintain the integrity of the research and the safety of human subjects. Conclusions: Criminologists have an obligation to provide the best possible evidence regarding the impact and consequences of criminal justice practices and programs. Experiments, considered by many to be the gold standard of empirical research methodologies, should be used whenever possible in order to fulfill this obligation.

scholarly journals The evaluation of Suchana, a large-scale development program to prevent chronic undernutrition in north-eastern Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuzhat Choudhury ◽  
Mohammad Jyoti Raihan ◽  
S M Tanvir Ahmed ◽  
Kazi Eliza Islam ◽  
Vanessa Self ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Service Delivery Systems ◽  
Administrative Unit ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Evidence of the impact of community-based nutrition programs is uncommon for two main reasons: the lack of untreated controls, and implementation does not account for the evaluation design. Suchana is a large-scale program to prevent malnutrition in children in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh by improving the livelihoods and nutrition knowledge of poor and very poor households. Suchana is being implemented in 157 unions, the smallest administrative unit of government, in two districts of Sylhet. Suchana will deliver a package of interventions to poor people in about 40 randomly selected new unions annually over four years, until all are covered. All beneficiaries will receive the normal government nutrition services. For evaluation purposes the last 40 unions will act as a control for the first 40 intervention unions. The remaining unions will receive the program but will not take part in the evaluation. A baseline survey was conducted in both intervention and control unions; it will be repeated after three years to estimate the impact on the prevalence of stunted children and other indicators.This stepped wedge design has several advantages for both the implementation and evaluation of services, as well as some disadvantages. The units of delivery are randomized, which controls for other influences on outcomes; the program supports government service delivery systems, so it is replicable and scalable; and the program can be improved over time as lessons are learned. The main disadvantages are the difficulty of estimating the impact of each component of the program, and the geographical distribution of unions, which increases program delivery costs. Stepped implementation allows a cluster randomized trial to be achieved within a large-scale poverty alleviation program and phased-in and scaled-up over a period of time. This paper may encourage evaluators to consider how to estimate attributable impact by using stepped implementation, which allows the counterfactual group eventually to be treated.

scholarly journals Recommending teams promotes prosocial lending in online microfinance

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (52) ◽  
pp. 14944-14948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ai ◽  
Roy Chen ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Qiaozhu Mei ◽  
Webb Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Group Membership ◽  
Behavioral Mechanism ◽  
Scale Field ◽  
Large Scale Field ◽  
The Impact

This paper reports the results of a large-scale field experiment designed to test the hypothesis that group membership can increase participation and prosocial lending for an online crowdlending community, Kiva. The experiment uses variations on a simple email manipulation to encourage Kiva members to join a lending team, testing which types of team recommendation emails are most likely to get members to join teams as well as the subsequent impact on lending. We find that emails do increase the likelihood that a lender joins a team, and that joining a team increases lending in a short window (1 wk) following our intervention. The impact on lending is large relative to median lender lifetime loans. We also find that lenders are more likely to join teams recommended based on location similarity rather than team status. Our results suggest team recommendation can be an effective behavioral mechanism to increase prosocial lending.

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