Joseph J. Pedulla

Performance Differences According to Test Mode and Computer Familiarity on a Practice Graduate Record Exam

Ideally, test performance is unrelated to the mode in which the test is administered. This study investigated the relationships between test mode (paper and pencil vs. computerized with editorial control and computerized without editorial control) and computer familiarity (lower, moderate, and higher) with test performance on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE was administered to 222 undergraduates stratified by gender and randomly assigned to the three test mode groups. With self-reported grade point average as a covariate in a MANCOVA, the authors found that examinees in the paper-and-pencil group outperformed the computerized-without-editorial-control group on all subtests. The computerized-with-editorial-control group outperformed the computerized-without-editorial-control group on the Analytical subtest only. The authors also found a significant main effect for computer familiarity on the Analytical and Quantitative subtests. A significant interaction between computer familiarity and test mode on the Quantitative subtest confounded the main effect for that subtest. The subtests were dramatically more speeded in the computerized forms. The results emphasize the importance of evaluating time constraints when converting exams from paper-and-pencil to computer-delivery mode.

Do Teacher Ratings and Standardized Test Results of Students Yield the Same Information

Teachers in Ireland (n = 170) rated students (n = 2,617) on IQ, mathematics, and English, as well as on 12 social and academic classroom behaviors. Factor analysis of IQ, mathematics, and English standardized test scores, together with the 15 teacher ratings, showed that there is overlap between ratings and test results but that the information obtained is not redundant. Three factors were identified: one was comprised primarily of the social behaviors; a second was comprised of the academic classroom behaviors and teacher ratings on IQ, mathematics, and English; and the third was comprised of the test scores in IQ, mathematics, and English together with the corresponding teacher ratings.

Predictors of teacher satisfaction with online professional development: evidence from the USA’s e‐Learning for Educators initiative

Online professional development (OPD) is proliferating in an effort to eliminate barriers to high‐quality in‐service teacher training. Using the Internet as a vehicle for continuing professional development, however, introduces new concerns largely absent in its face‐to‐face counterpart. For example, evidence from the USA’s e‐Learning for Educators (EfE) initiative suggests that some OPD participants do not complete the online courses in which they enrol. In response to this evidence, the present study (N = 3998) investigates factors associated with teacher satisfaction with OPD via secondary analysis of EfE evaluation data. After considering participant variables, factors examined previously in the e‐learning and professional development satisfaction literatures as well as novel predictors, a blockwise ordinary least squares regression model explains a considerably large share of the variance in participants’ satisfaction with OPD (48.1%). Implications for the design and implementation of OPD and the training of facilitators to increase satisfaction are discussed.

An accountability model for initial teacher education

The pressure for accountability in higher education is extremely high. Some advocate accountability systems that use standardised measures of student learning and non‐cognitive outcomes; others argue that locally developed measures provide a better fit with the unique mission of institutions. We first describe a general ‘proof of possibility’ accountability model for initial teacher education that relies upon locally developed, programme‐specific assessments. We then illustrate how such a model may respond to claims made by an institution, demonstrate student learning, and inform programmatic changes.

Do digital divisions still persist in schools? Access to technology and technical skills of teachers in high needs schools in the United States of America

Technology use in schools has great potential to improve student learning outcomes. However, it is imperative that teachers possess a set of technical skills required to implement high‐quality technologies in the classroom. Research conducted during the late 1990s and the early 2000s had pointed to the existence of a digital divide that existed in schools within the United States of America (USA), with higher‐needs schools typically having less access to technology than their lower needs counterparts. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there is any indication of current differences in technology access, skills and classroom integration practices as reported by teachers participating in an online professional development initiative. The researchers found that, while significant differences existed between teachers in high need and non‐high need schools in the USA, context is a vital component of considering any persisting digital divides.