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Background: Mastering fractions seems among the most critical mathematical skills for students to acquire in school as fraction understanding significantly predicts later mathematic achievements, but also broader academic and vocational prospects. As such, identifying longitudinal predictors of fraction understanding (e.g., mastery of numbers and operations) is highly relevant. However, almost all existing studies identifying more basic numerical skills as predictors of fraction understanding rest on data acquired in face‐to‐face testing—mostly in classrooms. Objectives: In this article, we evaluated whether results obtained in these previous studies generalized to data from the curriculum‐based online learning environment Bettermarks for mathematics used in schools in the Netherlands. Methods: We considered data from more than 5000 students who solved over 1 million mathematical problem sets on basic mathematical skills, fractions, but also algebra. Results and Conclusions: In line with previous findings, we found that fraction understanding was predicted significantly by more basic mathematical skills. Our analyses also indicated that algebra achievement was predicted significantly by fraction understanding beyond influences of more basic mathematical skills. Implications: Together, these findings generalized previous results based on face‐to‐face testing to the context of data from online learning environments and thus, indicate that data from such large‐scale online learning environments may well qualify to provide significant insights into the hierarchical development of mathematical skills. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Understanding fractions is one of the most difficult mathematical skill for students to learn in school.Longitudinal studies using face‐to‐face testing indicated that fraction understanding as well as achievements in algebra can robustly be predicted by prior mathematics skills. What this paper adds: We evaluated data from more than 5,000 Dutch students who performed over 1 million curriculum‐based mathematical problem sets in an online learning environment.Our analyses showed that fraction understanding as well as achievements in algebra and can be predicted by prior mathematics skills. Implications for practitioners: These results indicated that previous results from face‐to‐face testing generalize to data obtained from large‐scale online learning environments.Thus, these results open up a new avenue for research using online learning environments on the development of mathematical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Online and blended learning need an appropriate assessment strategy which ensures academic integrity. During the pandemic, many universities have chosen for online proctoring. Although some earlier examples suggest that online proctoring may reduce cheating, the potential side‐effects of proctoring are largely unknown. Objectives: Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of proctoring on students' self‐reported temptation to cheat and potentially undesirable side‐effects, including test anxiety, perceived exam difficulty, and performance. In addition, we examine which contextual and student characteristics affect test anxiety during online exams. Methods: For this, we collected four waves of survey data throughout a year of teaching during the pandemic at one faculty of a Dutch university, resulting in a total sample of 1760 students within 105 courses. Results and Conclusions: Multi‐level analyses showed that while proctoring had no effect on the temptation to cheat, exam difficulty or performance, students reported higher levels of test anxiety. Some learning strategies, internet literacy, access to a reliable technology and a dedicated study space as well as gender and financial stress affect their test anxiety. To conclude, the decision to use online proctoring needs to consider the undesirable side‐effect on test anxiety. We discuss practical implications for university administrators, educational designers and teachers to reduce test anxiety. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Proctoring is often used to ensure academic integrity in online exams.Some evidence shows that proctoring reduces cheating.Little is known about the potential negative side‐effects of proctoring. What this paper adds: The use of proctoring has no effect on the temptation to cheat.The use of proctoring results in increased test anxiety.Several student characteristics and contextual factors reduce text anxiety. Implications for practice: Consider potential negative side‐effects when choosing for proctoring.Time management and internet literacy training might reduce test anxiety.Simulating the exam environment might be used to reduce test anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Thirty years ago, it was suggested in the Edinburgh Declaration that medical school applicants should be selected not only on academic, but also on non-academic, attributes. The main rationale behind extending medical school selection procedures with the evaluation of (non-academic) personal qualities is that this will lead to the selection of students who will perform better as a doctor than those who are selected on the basis of academic measures only. A second rationale is the expectation that this will lead to a representative health workforce as a result of reduced adverse impact. The aims of this paper are (i) to describe what can be learned about the use of selection criteria other than grades from over 15 years of Dutch experience and (ii) to summarise current knowledge on the issue of adverse impact in relation to non-grades-based selection. Methods A narrative review was undertaken of the (published) evidence that has resulted from non-grades-based school-specific selection procedures in the Netherlands and from recent explorations of the effect of the use of non-grades-based selection criteria on student diversity. Results The Dutch evidence is grouped into five key themes: the effect of participation in voluntary selection procedures, the assessment of pre-university extracurricular activities, the use of work samples, Dutch experiences with situational judgement tests and the effects of changing circumstances. This is followed by several lessons learned for medical schools that aim to increase their student diversity. Conclusion Over the last 30 years, important steps towards reliable and valid methods for measuring non-academic abilities have been taken. The current paper describes several lessons that can be learned from the steps taken in the Dutch context. The importance of sharing evidence gathered around the globe and building on this evidence to reach our goal of predicting who will be a good doctor is acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether computerized dynamic testing by utilizing a robot would lead to different patterns in children's (aged 6–9 years) potential for learning and strategy use when solving series‐completion tasks. The robot, in a "Wizard of Oz" setting, provided instructions and prompts during dynamic testing. It was found that a dynamic training resulted in greater accuracy and more correctly placed pieces at the post‐test than repeated testing only. Moreover, children who were dynamically trained appeared to use more heuristic strategies at the post‐test than their peers who were not trained. In general, observations showed that children were excited to work with the robot. All in all, the study revealed that computerized dynamic testing by means of a robot has much potential in tapping into children's potential for learning and strategy use. The implications of using a robot in educational assessment were stressed further in the discussion. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: ○Computerized dynamic testing provides information on children's potential for learning.○Computerized testing can be of help in the fine‐tuning of assessment outcomes.What this paper adds: ○Dynamic testing with a peer/table robot provides information on children's potential for learning.○Dynamic testing and training by a peer robot results in greater accuracy in solving an inductive reasoning task than repeated testing only.○Dynamically trained children show a more advanced use of analytic task solving than their peers who were not trained by a peer robot.○Dynamic testing with a peer/table robot provides detailed, step‐by‐step information regarding children's need for instruction during assessment.○Children were very eager to work with the peer/table robot. Implications for practice and/or policy: ○Detailed assessment information derived from dynamic testing may be more suitable to inform education.○Computerized testing with a peer/table provides a motivating testing environment for children who can work independently, in their own tempo, on a task.○In future, a peer/table robot may be of help in teaching/assessment situations in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task solving processes and changes in these processes have long been expected to provide valuable information about children's performance in school. This article used electronic tangibles (concrete materials that can be physically manipulated) and a dynamic testing format (pretest, training, and posttest) to investigate children's task solving processes and changes in these processes as a result of training. We also evaluated the value of process information for the prediction of school results. Participants were N = 253 children with a mean age of 7.8 years. Half of them received a graduated prompts training; the other half received repeated practice only. Three process measures were used: grouping behaviour, verbalized strategies, and completion time. Different measures showed different effects of training, with verbalized strategies showing the largest difference on the posttest between trained and untrained children. Although process measures were related to performance on our dynamic task and to math and reading performance in school, the amount of help provided during training provided the most predictive value to school results. We concluded that children's task solving processes provide valuable information, but the interpretation requires more research. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Dynamic testing provides information on a child's ability to learn.Solving process information provides indications for intervention.Computerized testing can be of great help in recording process information. What this paper adds: Process‐oriented dynamic testing provides explanatory information beyond traditional tests.The use of a tangible user interface (TUI) console uncovers valuable information on solving processes.Process measures are related to series completion performance, math, and reading.Need for instruction is the best predictor of math and reading ability.Implications for practice and/or policy: A framework for interpreting process information is necessary in dynamic testing.Process‐oriented dynamic testing may be more suitable to inform education.TUIs provide a more natural testing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In a country with open school choice and equal funding of schools, does where you live matter for your educational outcomes? This paper addresses this question using recent data from a study of secondary school students in the Netherlands. Drawing on the international literature, the paper first outlines how the neighbourhood context may be relevant for young peoples' educational opportunities and outcomes, paying special attention to the role that the school may play in the observed relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and educational outcomes. The analysis examines whether there are any educational benefits of living in a neighbourhood with a high socio-economic status, over and above individual background characteristics, and if so, whether these benefits can be attributed to the characteristics of the schools that youth attend. The findings are summarised and discussed with reference to the wider literature. Based on the findings, suggestions for future research at the intersection of young people, the neighbourhood and school are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, virtually no studies have examined toddlers' non‐response in developmental tasks. This study investigates data from 3667 toddlers to address (1) whether two aspects of non‐response (completion and engagement) are separable, (2) how stable these aspects are from ages two to three, (3) how non‐response relates to background characteristics, and (4) whether non‐response at ages two and three predicts early academic skills at age six. Structural equation modelling shows that completion and engagement are separable constructs, relatively stable across age, and related to several background characteristics. Especially engagement predicts later academic performance. Results show that non‐response in behavioural tasks in toddlers is not random, increasing the likelihood of sampling bias and lack of generalizability in developmental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Ethnic minority students find that their ethnicity negatively affects the evaluation of their capacities and their feelings in medical school. This study tests whether ethnic minority and majority students differ in their 'self‐regulatory focus' in clinical training, that is, their ways to approach goals, due to differences in social learning experiences. Self‐regulatory focus consists of a promotion and prevention focus. People who are prone to stereotypes and unfair treatments are more likely to have a prevention focus and conceal certain identity aspects. The objectives of the study are to test whether ethnic minority students, as compared with ethnic majority students, are equally likely to have a promotion focus, but more likely to have a prevention focus in clinical training due to more negative social learning experiences (Hypothesis 1), and whether the relationship between student ethnicity and clinical evaluations can be explained by students' gender, social learning experiences, self‐regulatory focus and impression management (Hypothesis 2). Methods: Survey and clinical evaluation data of 312 (71.2% female) clerks were collected and grouped into 215 ethnic majority (69.4%) and 95 ethnic minority students (30.6%). Students' social learning experiences were measured as perceptions of unfair treatment, trust in supervisors and social academic fit. Self‐regulatory focus (general and work specific) and impression management were also measured. A parallel mediation model (Hypothesis 1) and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used (Hypothesis 2). Results: Ethnic minority students had higher perceptions of unfair treatment and lower trust in their supervisors in clinical training. They were more prevention focused in clinical training, but this was not mediated by having more negative social learning experiences. Lower clinical evaluations for ethnic minority students were unexplained. Promotion focus in clinical training and trust in supervisors positively relate to clinical grades. Conclusion: Student ethnicity predicts social learning experiences, self‐regulatory focus and grades in clinical training. The hidden curriculum plausibly plays a role here. van Andel et al. demonstrate that systematic differences between ethnic minority and majority students can be predicted based on social learning experiences, self‐regulatory focus and clinical grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of two local calamities—an explosion at a firework factory in the city of Enschede on 13 May and afire at a discotheque on 1 January 2001 during a New Years Eve party in the town of Volendam—on the educational achievement of children at the end of their primary education. Based on a quasi-experimental design with both control groups and pre-tests, we found that in the three years following the two tragedies, the test scores of girls in those areas closest to the events were on average 0.2 standard deviations lower. This corresponds to a downward shift in the distribution of girls' test scores. Boys' test scores, meanwhile, were not significantly affected by the disasters, and nor were the scores of pupils from nearby areas. In the three years following the calamities, girls' test scores in one of the areas (Volendam) have slowly recovered, although they remain well below their pre-event level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles and identities of professionals have undergone significant transformation in an ever‐globalising world shaped by neoliberal values. In the field of education, standardisation and outcome‐based quality measures have become the norm. Teachers are held accountable through their students' results, with their work subject to ongoing surveillance (performance‐based accountability). This has changed the nature of teachers' tasks, and what it means to be a "good teacher". Based on 20 teacher interviews across six primary schools in the Netherlands, this study examines teachers' practices and beliefs, asking: do they experience role discrepancy? What responses do we see as a result? And, what does this reveal about teachers' sense of professionalism today? Findings show that all teachers experience the pressure of high workloads and the need to prioritise tasks. Whereas a small minority of respondents understand performative tasks as having a crucial function of supporting student learning and achievement, others experienced a discrepancy between these performative tasks and the tasks they believed to be at the heart of good teaching. Confronted with this, teachers responded in different ways; either incorporating all tasks into their schedule, or feeling forced to choose between them. Beyond this, findings indicate that teachers' understandings of key aspects of the profession, such as autonomy, are changing in response to the policy environment. This supports conceptualisations of professions and professionalism as not only "being changed by" external reform, but changing from within. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article analyzes the causal effect of class size on scholastic performance in Dutch primary schools. In 1997 the Dutch government committed to undertake a major investment to reduce average class size in primary schools. It is likely that parents who care more about their children's achievement in school are more inclined to base their choices on class size. If that is the case and the degree to which parents care about their children's achievement has an own independent effect on children's school performance but is unobserved, then the class size effect will be biased downwards. Secondly, if there is more than one class at a particular grade level, the size and composition of each class depend on choices made by the school. Reduction of class size causes two changes. One change is that the number of pupils per teacher decreases. This allows the teacher to spend more teaching time per pupil which is likely to improve the pupils' achievement. A second change caused by reducing class size is that the number of classmates one has is reduced. If pupils do not only learn from their teacher but also from their classmates, this change may harm the pupils' achievement. Social cognitive learning theory strongly suggests that pupils' achievement may benefit from a larger number of classmates with similar levels of cognitive ability.

The motivation for this article was the main finding of an earlier study, which concludes that choice‐driven education systems—in the study represented by England and Sweden—are particularly beneficial for immigrants in that they provide them with many opportunities to pursue their generally high educational ambitions. We extend this analysis by including two countries with performance‐driven education systems: Germany and the Netherlands. Our study specifically aims to explore whether it is true that choice‐driven systems are more beneficial for immigrants or whether immigrants can also succeed in more stratified and selective education systems. Using longitudinal data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU), we show that there are no differences in (gross) transition rates between immigrants and natives in Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, but immigrants' optimistic choices are more pronounced in England. However, these differences diminish once we account for achievement and students' socioeconomic background in the analyses. Regarding the underlying mechanisms, we find that educational aspirations have an (equally) strong, universal impact, while anticipated discrimination plays a minor role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether and to what extent vocational personality types based on Holland (1994) correlate with and explain unique variance of academic success among 117 undergraduate civil engineering students by using the Self‐Directed Search–Form R, 4th Edition. Findings indicated that the majority of participants' 1st‐letter code was Realistic (39.3%), 2nd‐letter code was Investigative (24.8%), and 3rd‐letter code was Social (21.4%), compared with Holland's 3‐letter codes for civil engineering (Investigative, Realistic, Enterprising). The study also calculated the degree of congruence between personality type and occupational environment. For career counselors, the findings underscore the importance of using congruence scores to predict engineering students' academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigates the causal relationships between reading and print exposure and investigates whether the amount children read outside school determines how well they read, or vice versa. Previous findings from behavioural studies suggest that reading predicts print exposure. Here, we use twin‐data and apply the behaviour‐genetic approach of direction of causality modelling, suggested by Heath et al. (), to investigate the causal relationships between these two traits. Method: Partial data were available for a large sample of twin children (N = 11,559) and 262 siblings, all enrolled in the Netherlands Twin Register. Children were assessed around 7.5 years of age. Mothers completed questionnaires reporting children's time spent on reading activities and reading ability. Additional information on reading ability was available through teacher ratings and performance on national reading tests. For siblings reading test, results were available. Results: The reading ability of the twins was comparable to that of the siblings and national norms, showing that twin findings can be generalized to the population. A measurement model was specified with two latent variables, Reading Ability and Print Exposure, which correlated.41. Heritability analyses showed that Reading Ability was highly heritable, while genetic and environmental influences were equally important for Print Exposure. We exploited the fact that the two constructs differ in genetic architecture and fitted direction of causality models. The results supported a causal relationship running from Reading Ability to Print Exposure. Conclusions: How much and how well children read are moderately correlated. Individual differences in print exposure are less heritable than individual differences in reading ability. Importantly, the present results suggest that it is the children's reading ability that determines how much they choose to read, rather than vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intellectually disabled (ID) students in secondary education are often taught in an individual setting where video instruction is used. Especially, when the instruction is about complex assignments, many students may forget parts of it. In this study, we tried to find out if prompting ID students to explain video instruction would help them to improve their performance. Research with regular students indicated that explaining instructional materials can be effective (Roy & Chi, 2005). In a first experiment with 41 ID students in Dutch secondary education, we varied the complexity of assignments and compared students who first watched and then explained video instruction of assignments (n=21) with students who watched twice but were not required to explain (n=20). It turned out that only for complex assignments, explaining to another person was more effective for students' task performance than just watch video instruction. In the second experiment with 58 ID students, we repeated the study with complex assignments. The students in the experimental group (n=29) improved more after explaining video instructions than the students who only watched videos (n=29). The experimental group also had a more complete mental representation of an assignment and could better assess how well they had performed it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities across the world have recently experienced a number of serious cases of academic misconduct. In the public and academic debates, one dominant explanation exists for the fraudulent behaviour of university staff. Academic misconduct is considered to be the logical behavioural consequence of output-oriented management practices, based on performance incentives. This article puts this explanation to the test. Based on our analysis of a dataset of employees in Dutch higher education (N = 4,775) from 2010 and 2012, we argue that performance indicators have a positive impact on higher education professionals' perception of integrity in their work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Despite evidence for the predictive value of both pre-admission characteristics and past performance at medical school, their relative contribution to predicting medical school performance has not been thoroughly investigated. Objectives This study was designed to determine the relative importance of pre-admission characteristics and past performance in medical school in predicting student performance in pre-clinical and clinical training. Methods This longitudinal prospective study followed six cohorts of students admitted to a Dutch, 6-year, undergraduate medical course during 2002-2007 ( n = 2357). Four prediction models were developed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Main outcome measures were 'Year 1 course completion within 1 year' (models 1a, 1b), 'Pre-clinical course completion within 4 years' (model 2) and 'Achievement of at least three of five clerkship grades of ≥ 8.0' (model 3). Pre-admission characteristics (models 1a, 1b, 2, 3) and past performance at medical school (models 1b, 2, 3) were included as predictor variables. Results In model 1a - including pre-admission characteristics only - the strongest predictor for Year 1 course completion was pre-university grade point average ( GPA). Success factors were 'selected by admission testing' and 'age > 21 years'; risk factors were 'Surinamese/Antillean background', 'foreign pre-university degree', 'doctor parent' and male gender. In model 1b, number of attempts and GPA at 4 months were the strongest predictors for Year 1 course completion, and male gender remained a risk factor. Year 1 GPA was the strongest predictor for pre-clinical course completion, whereas being male or aged 19-21 years were risk factors. Pre-clinical course GPA positively predicted clinical performance, whereas being non-Dutch or a first-generation university student were important risk factors for lower clinical grades. Nagelkerke's R2 ranged from 0.16 to 0.62. Conclusions This study not only confirms the importance of past performance as a predictor of future performance in pre-clinical training, but also reveals the importance of a student's background as a predictor in clinical training. These findings have important practical implications for selection and support during medical school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND An intervention was designed that combined physical activity with learning activities. It was based upon evidence for positive effects of moderate to vigorous physical activity ( MVPA) on academic achievement. The aim of this study was to describe the program implementation and effects on academic achievement after 1 year. METHODS Second- and third-grade classes of 6 elementary schools were included in the study. The intervention group participated in physically active academic lessons and the control group in regular classroom lessons. Implementation measures were obtained and the children were pretested and posttested on mathematics and reading. RESULTS Teacher observations and self-reports indicated that the lessons were implemented as planned. Classroom observations showed that children's on-task behavior during the lessons was above 70%. On the basis of heart rate measures, on average 64% of the lesson time was spent in MVPA. Posttest mathematics and reading scores of third-grade children who participated in the intervention were significantly higher in comparison with control children. Posttest mathematics scores of second-grade children in the intervention condition were significantly lower in comparison with control children. CONCLUSIONS The intervention program was successfully implemented and the lessons contributed to the academic outcomes of third-grade children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In countries with high differentiation between academic and vocational education, an individual's future prospects are strongly determined by the educational track to which he or she is assigned. This large-scale, cross-sectional study focuses on low-performing students in academic tracks who face being moved to a vocational track. If more is understood about these students, measures could be taken to improve their performance and keep them within academic education. The study investigates performance patterns in academic tracks in the first three years of secondary school in the Netherlands. By identifying patterns that reveal how competence levels in different domains are related at different stages of development and by comparing low performers with other students, the study sheds light on individual and educational aspects that may be amenable to intervention. School grades were analysed for 1596 students. School performance was found to reflect three domains- languages (language of schooling and modern foreign languages), social studies and science and math-that appear to interact in a process of co-construction. General language skills were robustly related to performance in other domains-particularly social studies-throughout the first three years of secondary school. By comparison, proficiency specifically in the language of schooling was less strongly related to social studies and science and math performance after the first year. Suggestions are given as to how educators and curriculum developers could use these insights to accommodate individual and developmental differences and to develop learning materials that may help low performers keep on track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study was conducted to: (i) analyse whether students admitted to one medical school based on top pre-university grades, a voluntary multifaceted selection process, or lottery, respectively, differed in study performance; (ii) examine whether students who were accepted in the multifaceted selection process outperformed their rejected peers, and (iii) analyse whether participation in the multifaceted selection procedure was related to performance. Methods We examined knowledge test and professionalism scores, study progress and dropout in three cohorts of medical students admitted to the University of Groningen, the Netherlands in 2009, 2010 and 2011 ( n = 1055). We divided the lottery-admitted group into, respectively, students who had not participated and students who had been rejected in the multifaceted selection process. We used ancova modelling, logistic regression and Bonferroni post hoc multiple-comparison tests and controlled for gender and cohort. Results The top pre-university grade group achieved higher knowledge test scores and more Year 1 course credits than all other groups (p < 0.05). This group received the highest possible professionalism score more often than the lottery-admitted group that had not participated in the multifaceted selection process (p < 0.05). The group of students accepted in the multifaceted selection process obtained higher written test scores than the lottery-admitted group that had not participated (p < 0.05) and achieved the highest possible professionalism score more often than both lottery-admitted groups. The lottery-admitted group that had not participated in the multifaceted selection process earned fewer Year 1 and 2 course credits than all other groups (p < 0.05). Dropout rates differed among the groups (p < 0.05), but correction for multiple comparisons rendered all pairwise differences non-significant. Conclusions A top pre-university grade point average was the best predictor of performance. For so-called non-academic performance, the multifaceted selection process was efficient in identifying applicants with suitable skills. Participation in the multifaceted selection procedure seems to be predictive of higher performance. Further research is needed to assess whether our results are generalisable to other medical schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the effects of the combined use of an interactive whiteboard ( IWB) and a virtual learning environment ( VLE) on mathematics performance and motivation. Lessons taught with an IWB were made available on the VLE, so that they could be consulted regardless of time and place. Students' mathematics performance was monitored during one school year and their motivation for mathematics was followed for 3 years. There was no relation between frequency of being taught with an IWB and mathematics performance. However, students' motivation for mathematics appeared to be positively related to the combination of lessons made for the IWB and availability of these lessons on the VLE. This availability was also the main reason for students' appreciation of the VLE. Students appeared to use the VLE mostly to prepare for tests and examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working memory and inductive reasoning ability each appear related to children's achievement in math and reading. Dynamic measures of reasoning, based on an assessment procedure including feedback, may provide additional predictive value. The aim of this study was to investigate whether working memory and dynamic measures of analogical reasoning are unique predictors of children's concurrent and subsequent reading and math achievement. School children (N = 188, M = 7.1 years, SD = 11 months) were administered a dynamic test of analogical reasoning comprising a pretest-training-posttest design. Pretest performance measures static reasoning ability, whereas posttest performance and feedback-needs during training are considered dynamic measures. Verbal and visuo-spatial working memories were assessed prior to dynamic testing. Performance on national reading and math achievement tests were gathered at two time points within one school year. A multilevel mixed-effects model indicated that verbal (but not visuo-spatial) working memory and dynamic reasoning measures formed unique predictors of concurrent and subsequent achievement in math and reading. Verbal working memory efficiency and performance on a dynamic test of analogical reasoning were both positively related to math and reading achievement in children in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Dynamic assessment, in addition to working memory assessment, may be useful for educational psychologists when attempting to gauge children's future school performance. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly educated ethnic minority entrants in Western countries need more time to find a job compared to their Western ethnic majority counterparts. The present study examined whether this differential job access is partly explained by the way ethnic minorities present themselves in their résumés. To this end, a comparison between 100 non-Western ethnic minority graduate résumés and 100 native Western ethnic majority graduate résumés was made. Non-Western ethnic minorities score significantly lower on reported organisational internships, leadership experiences, and extracurricular activities. Although most effects were small, these differences in résumé content resulted in lower job suitability ratings for non-Western ethnic minorities compared to Western ethnic majorities, as judged by professional recruiters/HR experts. Résumé presentation (e.g. layout and grammar) also was a significant predictor of job suitability ratings, but no ethnicity effects were found in these résumé characteristics. Because rater effects which may be related to hiring discrimination were controlled for, it can be concluded that the reported human capital in résumés can explain differential job access of ethnic minority compared to ethnic majority graduates. Theoretical and practical implications for assessing ethnic minorities upon organisational entry are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Studies from the UK have shown that children with Down syndrome acquire more academic skills in regular education. Does this likewise hold true for the Dutch situation, even after the effect of selective placement has been taken into account? Method In 2006, an extensive questionnaire was sent to 160 parents of (specially and regularly placed) children with Down syndrome (born 1993-2000) in primary education in the Netherlands with a response rate of 76%. Questions were related to the child's school history, academic and non-academic skills, intelligence quotient, parental educational level, the extent to which parents worked on academics with their child at home, and the amount of academic instructional time at school. Academic skills were predicted with the other variables as independents. Results For the children in regular schools much more time proved to be spent on academics. Academic performance appeared to be predicted reasonably well on the basis of age, non-academic skills, parental educational level and the extent to which parents worked at home on academics. However, more variance could be predicted when the total amount of years that the child spent in regular education was added, especially regarding reading and to a lesser extent regarding writing and math. In addition, we could prove that this finding could not be accounted for by endogenity. Conclusion Regularly placed children with Down syndrome learn more academics. However, this is not a straight consequence of inclusive placement and age alone, but is also determined by factors such as cognitive functioning, non-academic skills, parental educational level and the extent to which parents worked at home on academics. Nevertheless, it could be proven that the more advanced academic skills of the regularly placed children are not only due to selective placement. The positive effect of regular school on academics appeared to be most pronounced for reading skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2011: 45: 987-994 Context Medical students often fail to finish medical school within the designated time. An academic dismissal (AD) policy aims to enforce satisfactory progress and to enable early identification and timely support or referral of struggling students. In this study, we assessed whether the implementation of an AD policy improved study progress in the first 2 years of medical school. Additionally, we analysed its effect on the help-seeking behaviour of struggling students. Methods We compared two AD cohorts (entering in 2005 and 2006, respectively) and two non-AD cohorts (entering in 2003 and 2004, respectively) on dropout rates, Year 1 curriculum completion rates and the percentage of students with an optimal study rate (i.e. all modules completed) at 1 and 2 years after enrolment. We also measured the effect on study progress of attending the support meetings offered. Results The AD ( n = 809) and non-AD cohorts ( n = 809) did not differ significantly in dropout rate at 5 months, in Year 1 completion rate at 2 years and in the percentage of optimally performing students at 1 year after enrolment. At 2 years after enrolment, more students from the AD cohorts had left and more non-AD students demonstrated optimal performance, but effect sizes (ESs) for these differences were small. Voluntary support at 4 months was attended by AD students more often than by non-AD students (68.9% versus 39.8%; χ2(1) = 43.95, p < 0.001, ES = 0.29). The AD students who attended the support meetings completed the Year 1 curriculum more often than those who did not (73.4% versus 52.5%; χ2(1) = 10.92, p < 0.001, ES = 0.20). Attending the obligatory support meeting at 7 months had a similar effect (70.5% versus 33.3%; χ2(1) = 13.60, p < 0.001, ES = 0.23). Conclusions The presence of an AD policy did not lead to earlier dropout, higher completion rates or an improved study rate during the first 2 years at medical school. However, uptake of the support offered increased to almost 70%. Although support participants finished the Year 1 curriculum more often than non-participants, the current support system was not sufficient to improve overall study progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine the effectiveness of single-point benchmarking and longitudinal benchmarking for inter-school educational evaluation. Methods We carried out a mixed, longitudinal, cross-sectional study using data from 24 annual measurement moments (4 tests × 6 year groups) over 4 years for 4 annual progress tests assessing the graduation-level knowledge of all students from 3 co-operating medical schools. Participants included undergraduate medical students (about 5000) from 3 medical schools. The main outcome measures involved between-school comparisons of progress test results based on different benchmarking methods. Results Variations in relative school performance across different tests and year groups indicate instability and low reliability of single-point benchmarking, which is subject to distortions as a result of school-test and year group-test interaction effects. Deviations of school means from the overall mean follow an irregular, noisy pattern obscuring systematic between-school differences. The longitudinal benchmarking method results in suppression of noise and revelation of systematic differences. The pattern of a school’s cumulative deviations per year group gives a credible reflection of the relative performance of year groups. Conclusions Even with highly comparable curricula, single-point benchmarking can result in distortion of the results of comparisons. If longitudinal data are available, the information contained in a school’s cumulative deviations from the overall mean can be used. In such a case, the mean test score across schools is a useful benchmark for cross-institutional comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cross-cultural research on minority school achievement yields mixed findings on the motivational impact of future goal setting for students from disadvantaged minority groups. Relevant and recent motivational research, integrating Future Time Perspective Theory with Self-Determination Theory, has not yet been validated among minority students. Aims. To replicate across cultures the known motivational benefits of perceived instrumentality and internal regulation by distant future goals; to clarify when and how the future motivates minority students' educational performance. Sample. Participants in this study were 279 minority students (100 of Turkish and 179 of Moroccan origin) and 229 native Dutch students in Dutch secondary schools. Methods. Participants rated the importance of future goals, their perceptions of instrumentality, their task motivation and learning strategies. Dependent measures and their functional relations with future goal setting were simultaneously validated across minority and non-minority students, using structural equation modelling in multiple groups. Results. As expected, Positive Perceived Instrumentality for the future increases task motivation and (indirectly) adaptive learning of both minority and non-minority students. But especially internally regulating future goals are strongly related to more task motivation and indirectly to more adaptive learning strategies. Conclusion. Our findings throw new light on the role of future goal setting in minority school careers: distant future goals enhance minority and non-minority students' motivation and learning, if students perceive positive instrumentality and if their schoolwork is internally regulated by future goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Selection and Study Performance: Comparing Three Admission Processes Within One Medical School" by N.R. Schripsema, A.M. van Trigt, J.C.C. Borleffs, and J. Cohen-Schotanus in volume 48 of the periodical.