Conceptually expanding the curricular alignment model to understand the coherence of the graded summative assessment practices of teachers: issues and perspectives

Curricular alignment refers to the links of coherence, found in any teaching-learning process, between curriculum objectives, learning tasks and assessment approaches. This model makes it possible to understand the coherence of any assessment approach. By mobilizing data from a collaborative study carried out on eight secondary school teachers of mathematics and French, we will show, however, that its meaning is rather limited when it comes to understanding coherence in graded summative assessment practices and that, consequently, the model needs to be expanded conceptually. To this end, we will draw on an example of a summative test modelled in this way. Our findings demonstrate the relevance of analyzing summative assessment practices with the help of the expanded model, while considering the role that context plays in certain of its aspects.

Developing a Motivation Scale for Engineering Studies in a Francophone Context

Based on self-determination theory, this research presents the development of a scale to assess motivation for engineering studies in a Francophone context. Three phases of data collection were conducted (N = 462, 545 and 864) for a total of 1871 engineering students (59.2% female). Results from both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses support a seven-factor structure for the scale: 1) intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivations characterised by 2) identified regulation – altruism, 3) introjected regulation – ego, 4) introjected regulation – conscience, 5) external regulation – security, 6) external regulation – social prestige and, finally, 7) amotivation. The dimensions of altruism and security are specific to engineering studies. The scale meets generally accepted criteria for reliability and verifies different types of validity evidence.

Cognitive Diagnostic Analyses of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 Results

Despite the grand demand to receive diagnostic information about students’ difficulties in reading, there are very few tests specifically designed for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, many researches in cognitive diagnostic approach (CDA) use large-scale test results to provide fine and reliable diagnostic feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of students other than the total scores or percentiles ranks, which allow appropriate intervention. This study shows an example of the application of diagnostic modeling using data from 4,762 Canadian students who completed booklet 13 of the PIRLS test in 2011. The results highlight the potential for detailed diagnostic feedback of students’ strengths and weaknesses on the underlying skills identified in the test.

A Study on the Propensity to cheat in University Exams: Development and Validation Process of the Questionnaire on Cheating in University Exams (QCUE)

This paper presents the seven-step approach to maximizing the evidence of validity that led to the development of the Questionnaire sur la tricherie aux examens à l’université (QTEU) [Questionnaire on Cheating in University Exams (QCUE)]. Composed of 28 items divided into 7 factors (propensity to cheat in exams, peer influence, cheating methods, institutional context, perception of control, performance goal, and commitment to one’s studies), the QCUE design was based on a comprehensive conceptual analysis of the scientific literature on cheating in exams, and on the work of Frenette, Hébert, Thibodeau, and Ndinga (2018) on how to develop a questionnaire maximizing the accumulation of validity evidence. With good psychometric properties, the QCUE meets a need for a French-language questionnaire on the propensity to cheat in exams and allows to measure the scope of cheating among university students.

Assessing the Transfer of Nursing Competencies: Analysis of the effects of intermediate care training in a hospital setting

This research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of a training course in a hospital setting, using indicators of effect size and heterogeneity index. The evaluation focused on a training course in intermediate care for nurses. The course lasted 23 days and included clinical teaching at the patient’s bedside. The competencies were measured at the beginning and end of the training course, using an observation grid based on five domains: Clinical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Leader and Learner-Trainer. Cohen’s and Glass’s estimators demonstrated significant effects of training on the five domains while the heterogeneity index showed a reduction in behavioural disparities within the nursing group at the end of the training course. The discussion addresses issues relating to the boundaries used to interpret effect sizes.