How does Rasch modeling reveal difficulty and suitability level the fraction test question?

This article explains how to analyze test items in arithmetic operation with fractions to obtain the items' level of difficulty and fitness. Data were collected by using multiple-choice questions given to 50 fourth-grade students of an elementary school in Tasikmalaya city. The answers were then analyzed using the Rasch model and Winsteps 3.75 application, a combination of standard deviation (SD) and logit mean values (Mean). The score data of each person and question were used to estimate the pure score in the logit scale, indicating the level of difficulty of the test items. The categories were difficult (logit value +1 SD); very difficult (0.0 logit +1 SD); easy (0.0 logit -1 SD); very easy (logit value –SD). Three criteria were used to determine the level of difficulty and fitness of the questions: the Outfit Z-Standard/ZSTD value; Outfit Mean Square/MNSQ; and Point Measure Correlation. It resulted in a collection of test items suitable for use with several levels of difficulties, namely, difficult, very difficult, easy, and very easy, from the previous items, which had difficult, medium, and easy categories. Rasch model can help categorize questions and students' ability levels.

Perception of Dental Students towards the usage of Online Assessment during COVID -19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic have forced educational institutions to shift rapidly to distance and online learning. This study aims to explore attitude and perception of dental students towards online assessment during pandemic. Objective: To assess student’s perception, attitudes, and readiness toward online assessment. Methodology: A self constructed questionnaire including 10 questions was designed with 5 specialists, to improve the design ambiguity. The study was conducted through electronic media. Results: A total of 270 dental students answered the survey. The overall response rate was 70.68%. More than 50% students are well versed with online assessment. One fourth of the participants found convenience as the advantage while 64.7% students encountered technical issue as the limitation of online assessment. There was overall positive attitude towards usage of online assessment. Conclusions: This study showed acceptable levels of individual characteristics and system ability levels as well as the perceived importance of using online tools in dental education among the participants.

Use of Rasch Wright map to understand the quality of Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices for Uncomplicated Malaria (HKAPIUM)

The present study assessed the dimensionality and item difficulty targeting to person ability of HKAPIUM scale using Rasch Wright map approach. A HKAPIUM instrument (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.71) containing eighteen (18)-items was administered to 121 trained healthcare professionals involved in the management of uncomplicated malaria in 24 selected primary health care (PHC) facilities in Plateau state, Nigeria. The respondents filled and returned the instrument and the data was analyzed using Bond&Fox software®. The Rasch principal components analysis (Rasch-PCA) of the item residuals indicated variance explained values of 52 (knowledge), 41.1 (attitudes), and 55.4 (practices) and eigenvalues of the first contrast as 1.2, 1.8, and 1.5, respectively, which were within acceptable values thatindicated the unidimensionality of the three constructs of the HKAPIUM scale. The result showed moderate items difficulty levels for all the three constructs. The mean person ability levels of respondents with-respect-to knowledge-related items were low, while their mean person ability levels in endorsing the attitudes and practices-related items were good. The study revealed unidimensionality of the 3 constructs of HKAPIUM scale, with observed mismatch between item difficulty levels of the constructs with most of the person ability levels of the respondents.

Development

Many people describe being musical as a dream that was never realistically attainable because they were not born with the innate talent required. Is this true or can all people become musical? How can they—and their parents and teachers—know if they have “what it takes” to become a musician? These are the kinds of questions addressed by developmental psychology. This chapter explains foundational principles of human music development. It shows that human beings are essentially “hardwired” to be musical, and that there is a predictable progression in which children typically develop musical abilities. Through a combination of factors related to enculturation (informal musical experiences) and education, people develop to a great variety of musical ability levels. The experiences and education received as a child can be very consequential in determining the level of musicality a person will enjoy throughout life.

Contextualized English Reading Proficiency Toolkit (CERPT): Enhance Learners’ English Reading Proficiency

The Department of Education has introduced numerous intervention and remediation programs to address the reading needs of learners. Despite these, data showed that majority of the learners still have reading problems when they reach higher grade levels. Henceforth, the study experimented on the innovation – Contextualized English Reading Proficiency Toolkit (CERPT) to help the learners of Kibacania Elementary School improved their reading ability level. All the pupils were exposed to CERPT. A pre-experimental research design was employed in this study. Findings revealed that the learners’ reading ability level enhanced from frustration to instructional. There was a significant difference in the learners’ reading ability levels before and after exposure to CERPT. Thus, the study commends the use of CERPT to help in the improvement of the learners’ reading ability level.

Detection of Differential Item Functioning Using Mantel-Haenszel, Standardization Proportion and BILOG-MG Procedures

Differential item functioning (DIF) is a procedure to identify whether an item favours a particular group of respondents once they are matched on respective ability levels. There are numerous procedures reported in the literature to detect DIF, but the Mantel-Haenszel (MH), Standardized Proportion Difference (SPD), and BILOG-MG are frequently used to ensure the fairness of assessments. The aim of the present study was to compare procedural characteristics using empirical data. We found Mantel-Haenszel and standardized proportion difference provide comparable results while BILOG-MG has flagged a large number of items, but the magnitude of DIF was trivial from a test development perspective. The results also showed Mantel-Haenszel and standardized proportion difference index provide the effect size measure of DIF, which facilitates for further necessary actions, especially for item writers and practitioners.

Apatite-Forming Ability of Flowable vs. Putty Formulations of Newly Developed Bioactive Glass-Containing Endodontic Cement

This study compared the apatite-forming ability (AFA) levels of flowable and putty formulations of Nishika Canal Sealer BG Multi (F-NBG and P-NBG, respectively) and attempted to clarify the cause of differences in the AFA levels of F-NBG and P-NBG. NBG samples were aged in simulated body fluid (SBF) or 1-, 5-, or 10-g/L bovine serum albumin-containing SBF (BSA-SBF) and analyzed in terms of their ultrastructures, elemental compositions, and Raman spectra to identify apatite formation. The phosphate ion consumption rates of NBG samples in the media were evaluated as an indicator of apatite growth. The original elemental composition, calcium ion release, and alkalizing ability levels of F-NBG and P-NBG were also evaluated. Apparent apatite formation was detected on all NBG samples except F-NBG aged in 10-g/L BSA-SBF. P-NBG consumed phosphate ions faster than F-NBG. As-prepared P-NBG showed more silicon elements on its surface than as-prepared F-NBG. P-NBG released more calcium ions than F-NBG, although their alkalizing ability levels did not differ statistically. In conclusion, the AFA of P-NBG was greater than that of F-NBG, probably because of the greater ability of P-NBG to expose silanol groups on the surface and release calcium ions.

Using the PODCI to Measure Motor Function and Parent Expectations in Children with Cerbral Palsy

Objective Involving parents in the evaluation of their child with cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with enhanced neurodevelopmental outcomes. The pediatric outcomes data collection instrument (PODCI) is a patient-reported outcome measure primarily used to assess motor function following orthopedic surgical intervention or for older children with more independent motor function. The PODCI expectations scale has infrequently been reported in previous studies. This study aims to determine the relationship between parent-reported motor performance using the PODCI and motor capacity assessed by pediatric therapists for young children with CP across all ability levels and to explore the use of the PODCI expectations scale for quantifying therapy-related parent expectations. Methods This prospective cohort study included 108 participants with CP, 2 to 8 years of age, gross motor function classification systems (GMFCS) levels I to V. Measures included the PODCI, gross motor function measure (GMFM), and GMFCS. Results There were moderate (r = 0.513) to large (r = 0.885) relationships between PODCI and GMFM scores. PODCI scores were significantly different across GMFCS levels. Weak, significant relationships (r = −0.28) were found between function expectations scores and measures of function. Conclusion The PODCI, GMFM, and GMFCS provide different, but strongly related, information about the abilities of young children. The GMFM measures motor capacity. Parents report daily function and health-related quality of life for their child using the PODCI. Parent expectations for intervention outcomes may relate to a child’s motor function. Impact These study results are consistent with those for older children with greater independent mobility, indicating an opportunity for expanded use of the PODCI for measuring motor performance for younger children with CP across all ability levels. A strategy is provided for using the PODCI expectations scale to quantify parent therapy-related expectations in future research and clinical settings. Therapy-related expectations may relate to child outcomes.

Composing Music in Special Education

Composition is an important and creative part of any child’s music education, yet many music educators feel unprepared to teach composition to students with special needs. This article explores the value of incorporating music composition in a special education classroom and outlines two compositional lessons based on creating a musical scenery. The first lesson took place in a classroom with seven students, ages six to twenty-three, and the follow-up lesson involved fourteen students, ages four to twenty-three, all possessing a wide range of ability levels. By encouraging students to collaborate and freely compose, teachers can guide students with special needs beyond playing precomposed music and into creative thinking and building an overall sense of confidence, community, and musicianship.

The Contribution of Vocabulary, Grammar, and Phonological Awareness Across a Continuum of Narrative Ability Levels in Young Children

Purpose Narrative skill represents a higher-level linguistic skill that shows incremental development in the preschool years. During these years, there are considerable individual differences in this skill, with some children being highly skilled narrators (i.e., precocious) relative to peers of their age. In this study, we explored the contribution of three lower-level language skills to a range of narrative abilities, from children performing below expected levels for their age to those performing much higher than the expected levels for their age. We speculated that individual differences in lower-level skills would contribute meaningfully to variability in narrative skills. Method Using a sample of 336 children between 3 and 6 years of age ( M = 4.27 years, SD = 0.65), both multiple regression and quantile regression approaches were used to explore how vocabulary, grammar, and phonological awareness account for variance in children's “narrative ability index” (NAI), an index of how children scored on the Narrative Assessment Protocol–Second Edition relative to the expected performance for their age. Results Multiple regression results indicated that lower-level language skills explained a significant amount of variance (approximately 13%) in children's NAI scores. Quantile regression results indicated that phonological awareness and vocabulary accounted for significant variance in children's NAI scores at lower quantiles. At the median quantile, vocabulary and grammar accounted for significant variance in children's NAI scores. For precocious narrators, only vocabulary accounted for a significant amount of variance in children's NAI scores. Conclusion Results indicate that lower-level language skills work in conjunction to support narrative skills at different ability levels, improving understanding of how lower-level language skills contribute across a spectrum of higher-level linguistic abilities.