Studies in Educational Evaluation最新文献

Despite extensive research on Assessment for Learning (AfL) in the classroom, the importance of contextual factors as perceived by teachers remains underexplored. This study examines the extent to which elements of the classroom context, in particular heterogeneity, influence the frequency of AfL. Using 2018 TALIS data from 47 countries, this study found that teachers who perceived higher levels of heterogeneity in their classrooms conducted more frequent classroom assessments. The degree of AfL was most significantly influenced by the perception of heterogeneity among academically gifted students, followed by socioeconomically disadvantaged students, immigrant students, students whose first language is different from the language of instruction, and students with behavioral problems. Interestingly, when teachers perceive a higher proportion of low-achieving students, the frequency of AfL tends to decrease. These findings suggest that AfL can be used not only as a tool in circumstances where learning processes are challenging, but also as an approach to understanding and addressing the diverse learning potentials and backgrounds in the classroom.

Small classes may affect students’ science achievement, but research evidence for small-class effects on science achievement in secondary education has been scarce. To fill this literature gap, this study examines small-class effects on 15-year-old students’ science achievement using the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 data from 26 countries including 24 European countries plus U.S. and Canada. To reduce confounding factors and estimation bias, propensity score analysis was conducted to control significant differences between students in small versus non-small classes on important observed covariates. Results indicate that the effects of small classes on science achievement were statistically significant and negative in 9 countries (e.g., Germany) whereas in other 17 countries small-class effects were non-significant. Fixed-effects meta-analysis was utilized to combine effect sizes, and findings reveal that the effects of small classes were significant and negative, suggesting that students in non-small classes had higher science achievement, but the overall effect size was small.

The current study evaluates effects of teaching factors and extended day programs regarding both average achievement and socioeconomic achievement gaps. Analyses are based on data from the National Educational Panel Study in Germany. The sample comprises 1523 students in 120 classes in 71 secondary schools. The investigation period covers fifth grade to seventh grade. The dependent variable is mathematics achievement. Data are analyzed using intercept-and-slope-as-outcome models. Analyzes on teaching factors reveal that classroom management and cognitive activation increase average achievement. Forming heterogenous groups within the classroom reduces socioeconomic achievement gaps. Analyzes on extended day programs reveal that tutoring reduces socioeconomic achievement gaps. Homework supervision reduces average achievement and increases socioeconomic achievement gaps. Enrichment programs increase socioeconomic achievement gaps. Implications for research, policy and practice are drawn.

A vast body of literature shows that school harassment is negatively associated with academic achievement, particularly in elementary and middle schools. Few studies have examined the influence of forms and frequencies of harassment—whether relational, verbal, cyber, or physical—on academic performance in high schools. We investigate how the how’s and when’s of harassment are associated with the academic achievement of adolescents over time in Chile, using standardized test scores of a sample of schoolchildren (n = 80,117) and fixed effect models. We find that being physically bullied and cyberbullied are linked to poor academic performance, whereas verbal and social abuse are not. These results underline the significance of working with disaggregated measures of harassment in school interventions at different stages.

Institutions of higher education engage in internal quality assurance for teaching and learning in order to demonstrate legitimacy in the face of (societal) expectations, as well as to maintain and improve the quality of education. While the topic of quality assurance in higher education is a growing academic specialty, the evidence base for its impact on educational quality remains limited. Developing a shared language and understanding of concepts that enable further investigation of this phenomenon are key. The systematic literature review was conducted to shed light on the conceptualisation of internal quality assurance for teaching and learning. The thematic analysis revealed three interconnected dimensions of internal quality assurance: purpose, people and process. Based on these findings, an all-inclusive definition and a conceptual model were developed: the 3P model. This model promotes taking a contextualised and integral approach towards internal quality assurance by aligning purposes, people, and processes.

This study investigates the key factors that impact the digitalized-education, and what those mean for the new and emerging educational models of learning. The research is based on state-of-the-art education and assessment models for learning such as Descriptive decision theory, Futures Literacy (FLF), and 8-Affordances framework that theoretically addresses both the need to use multidisciplinary components in identifying the several challenges and opportunities to the use of digital technologies in education (digitized-education) and improvement of the student's learning outcomes. Through a quasi-experimental study design and comparative analysis of the students’ evaluation of teaching (SET) dataset (n = 3178) collected in a higher education setting; the study applies a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and multiple comparisons (post-hoc) tests to determine the impact or association that the evaluation period (between 2019–2021) and type of school or discipline have on the students’ learning performance and evaluation. The results show that students’ satisfaction and experiences with digitized-education have exponentially grown in recent times, and mainly varied across the years, and marginally by discipline or school. In addition, the study empirically sheds light on the importance of the key findings and results by considering their pedagogical, technological, economic infrastructure, and ethical implications for the future of education and sustainable educational practice.

This study introduces the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Monitor, an 18-item instrument designed to assess the quality of formal learning opportunities (e.g. courses, workshops), for in-service teachers across all grade levels of general education. By evaluating these opportunities across four critical dimensions—clarity and structure, cognitive activation, collaboration, practical relevance—the TPD Monitor provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the effectiveness of professional development programs. Developed and validated with data from 2314 in-service teachers actively teaching in primary, secondary, special education, and vocational schools, each participating in one of 173 distinct TPD courses, this instrument is supported by multi-level confirmatory factor analysis that confirmed its structure, offering robust evidence of its validity and reliability. Furthermore, measurement invariance was achieved, allowing for meaningful comparisons between subgroups. The TPD Monitor is a valuable and practical tool enabling TPD providers to design effective courses and allowing to monitor and improve the quality of TPD programs.

Recent research on feedback processes posits that furthering students’ feedback literacy leads to scaffolded learning by effectively engaging them in seeking, understanding, and using feedback information. This study examined effects of a social-constructionist approach to feedback literacy on students’ development of feedback literacy, scaffolded learning, and resilience. Accordingly, we raised students’ awareness of feedback dynamics within the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), while engaged in collaborative writing with co-writers. A mixed-methods design was adopted comprising measures of feedback literacy, writing, and resilience before and after the intervention. Semi-structured interviews were also held to probe students’ post-intervention attitudes. Posttest scores and ratings showed significant improvement in the experimental group’s feedback literacy, writing proficiency, and resilience. Further, interviews revealed that feedback literate students developed positive perceptions of feedback processes arising from scaffolded writing and that their enhanced awareness brought them opportunities for engagement, collaboration, graduated scaffolding in the ZPD, and sustained motivation for writing.

Some German states recently reformed their tracking practices by reducing the number of secondary school track options from up to four to a two-path structure, in which students can continue their school career until they acquire the general university entrance qualification in both tracks (academic and comprehensive). We examine whether these de-tracking reforms were, as intended, associated with a change in students’ educational aspirations and whether they reduced socioeconomic disparities in students’ educational aspirations. We analyze representative data of around 65,000 ninth graders from states with and without reforms from pre- and post-reform periods (2012 to 2018), using a Difference-in-Differences approach and a regression of students’ educational aspirations on their socioeconomic backgrounds. Our results suggest that students’ educational aspirations have increased in the wake of the de-tracking reforms, but that socioeconomic disparities in students’ educational aspirations have increased rather than weakened. Implications for tracking practices and socioeconomic disparities are discussed.