Ice Is Hot and Water Is Dry

To monitor students’ progress and adapt instruction to students’ needs, teachers increasingly use repeated assessments of equivalent tests. The present study investigates whether equivalent reading tests can be successfully developed via rule-based item design. Based on theoretical considerations, we identified 3-item features for reading comprehension at the word, sentence, and text levels, respectively, which should influence the difficulty and time intensity of reading processes. Using optimal design algorithms, a design matrix was calculated, and four equivalent test forms of the German reading test series for second graders (quop-L2) were developed. A total of N = 7,751 students completed the tests. We estimated item difficulty and time intensity parameters as well as person ability and speed parameters using bivariate item response theory (IRT) models, and we investigated the influence of item features on item parameters. Results indicate that all item properties significantly affected either item difficulty or response time. Moreover, as indicated by the IRT-based test information functions and analyses of variance, the four different test forms showed similar levels of difficulty and time-intensity at the word, sentence, and text levels (all η2 < .002). Results were successfully cross-validated using a sample of N = 5,654 students.

Equivalent Test Method for Strong Electromagnetic Field Radiation Effect of EED

The present study proposed the equivalent test method for the strong electromagnetic field radiation of electric explosive devices (EEDs) of the weapon equipment to satisfy the military requirements of the electromagnetic radiation safety test, as well as the evaluation of the electric ignition, the electric initiation ammunition, or missiles. Under stable conditions, the ignition excitation test and the bridge wire temperature increase test were performed to determine the ignition temperature of the EED. As radiated by the strong electromagnetic field, the relationship between the temperature increase of the bridge wire and the electric field intensity of the EED was developed based on the theoretical analysis and the experimental test. Given the ignition temperature of the EED, the radiation field intensity of the EED at 50% ignition was determined. As compared with the 50% ignition field intensity of the EED directly radiated by the strong electromagnetic field, an error less than 1 dB was caused. On that basis, the correctness of the equivalent test method was verified. Accordingly, this method was suggested to act as an effective method and technical means to test and evaluate the electromagnetic radiation safety of ammunition and missiles in unfavorable electromagnetic environments.

Integration of various scales for measurement of insomnia

Background Scales for evaluating insomnia differ in number of items, response format, and result in different scores distributions and score ranges and may not facilitate meaningful comparisons. Objectives Transform ordinal item-scores of three scales of insomnia to continuous, equidistant, monotonic, normally distributed scores, avoiding limitations of summative scoring of Likert scales. Methods Equidistant item-scores by weighted sum using data-driven weights to different levels of different items, considering cell frequencies of Item-Levels matrix, followed by normalization and conversion to [1, 10]. Equivalent test-scores (as sum of transformed item- scores) for a pair of scales were found by Normal Probability curves. Empirical illustration given. Results Transformed test-scores are continuous, monotonic and followed Normal distribution with no outliers and tied scores. Such test-scores facilitate ranking, better classification and meaningful comparison of scales of different lengths and formats and finding equivalent score combinations of two scales. For a given value of transformed test-score of a scale, easy alternate method avoiding integration proposed to find equivalent scores of another scales. Equivalent scores of scales help to relate various cut-off scores of different scales and uniformity in interpretations. Integration of various scales of insomnia is achieved by finding one-to-one correspondence among the equivalent score of various scales with correlation over 0.99 Conclusion Resultant test-scores facilitated undertaking analysis in parametric set up. Considering the theoretical advantages including meaningfulness of operations, better comparison, use of such method of transforming scores of Likert items/test is recommended test and items, Future studies were suggested.

KOLABORASI GURU-DOSEN DALAM PENELITIAN TINDAKAN KELAS UNTUK MENINGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR SISWA

Lecturers have broad autonomy in developing instructional. With the characteristics possessed by these lecturers, collaboration between lecturers (team teaching) is a challenge that is sometimes not easy. However, in vocational learning, lecturer cooperation in learning is something that cannot be avoided. In the Classroom Action Research to SMK, researchers collaborated at partner schools of SMKN 5 Surakarta and SMKN I Mondokan Sragen. The type of research used is ethnographic research, which is a qualitative observation method used in social science that focuses on field studies and their interactions, and sees everything as unique. The method used in conducting the evaluation is the equivalent test, which is a test that aims to measure its reliability identically with the reference test. The conclusion that can be drawn in this PDS program is to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses in organizing the learning process for SMK. Pamong teachers who work together are senior teachers who have eaten a lot of salt in their teaching. Pamong teachers have adequate competence in teaching and educating students, on the other hand, senior teachers have limitations in developing learning innovations. This is where the role of PDS lecturers in completing the shortage of teachers. The innovation that the lecturers did was to provide guidance using e-learning in learning at SMK. This e-learning has many advantages in learning the millennial generation. By maintaining student motivation, the learning objectives will be better achieved.