Search

Educational psychologists study changes over time that reflect academic, cognitive, emotional, and social development of students. The purpose of this article is to review the basic principles and procedures of the statistical applications used by educational psychologists to study change. While repeated measures ANOVA is widely used in empirical studies published recently in refereed journals, researchers are as likely to use growth-curve modeling or structural equation modeling to test their hypotheses. Both growth-curve modeling and structural equation modeling afford educational psychologists advantages in the analysis of change that overcome limitations of repeated measures ANOVA. A brief description of each statistical technique is provided with a summary of how the procedure has been applied by educational psychologists. Testing of assumptions, estimating effect sizes and power, and current statistical advances in the study of how individuals' affect, behavior, and cognition change are discussed. Keywords: repeated and related measures analysis of variance (ANOVA); post hoc comparisons; trend analysis; hierarchical linear modeling (HLM); growth-curve modeling; structural equation modeling (SEM); Rasch model

This experimental study tests the extent to which specially-designed curriculum materials supported teachers in using instructional strategies for English Language Learners (ELLs) as they implemented an innovative science curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students. Specifically, we examine the impact of a set of educative features—optional notes to the teacher suggesting strategies for use with ELLs—on teachers’ ( n = 15) use of strategies as they enacted the curriculum, on teachers’ ELL pedagogical knowledge, and on ELL’s science and vocabulary learning. Comparison teachers taught the same 40-session space science curriculum, but they did not have access to the educative features. We used observations to monitor fidelity to the main curriculum, and to document teachers’ use of instructional strategies with ELLs. Treatment teachers who had access to the features used more strategies to support ELLs in their classrooms, used a wider range of strategies and acquired more new strategies than did comparison teachers. While no differences were detected on student ( n = 358) science and vocabulary learning between treatment and comparison groups, correlation analysis illustrated close association between teacher strategy use and ELL’s learning. The results suggest potential for teacher learning from educative features and positive impact on ELL’s learning.

Much current research has focused on epistemic beliefs of students. However, teachers’ epistemic practices are also important to study because they may influence students’ epistemic beliefs. The standards for justification for different content areas necessitate that teachers use diverse pedagogical practices designed to help students develop justification for what it is they think they know. The purpose of this study is to pilot a new instrument designed to assess teachers’ beliefs about the usefulness of different pedagogical practices designed to teach students how to provide justification. Data for this study were collected from both preservice and inservice teachers. Results show that the Likert-type items developed for this study produced scores that were both internally consistent and somewhat stable over time. Participants’ descriptions of effective pedagogical practices relating to justification are similar to those evidenced by Likert-type items.

Computer analyses of text characteristics are often used by reading teachers, researchers, and policy makers when selecting texts for students. The authors of this article identify components of language, discourse, and cognition that underlie traditional automated metrics of text difficulty and their new Coh-Metrix system. Coh-Metrix analyzes texts on multiple measures of language and discourse that are aligned with multilevel theoretical frameworks of comprehension. The authors discuss five major factors that account for most of the variance in texts across grade levels and text categories: word concreteness, syntactic simplicity, referential cohesion, causal cohesion, and narrativity. They consider the importance of both quantitative and qualitative characteristics of texts for assigning the right text to the right student at the right time.

In this introduction, we discuss three potential challenges that may prevent researchers from writing causal or prescriptive claims. These topics relate to the difficulty in measuring latent constructs, the complexity of theoretical frameworks, and advances in statistical modeling procedures. We then provide a brief summary of the contributions of the special issue. We are grateful for the contributions that made this special issue possible, and we conclude our introduction by expressing our thanks to the authors and reviewers who helped us prepare this special issue.

Research Findings: All human activity, beyond the simplest of reflexes or biological reactions, is a manifestation of intentions. When those intentions are directed toward changes in one's understanding or performance, they can be labeled intentionality to learn. In this article, we overview particular premises about intentionality to learn and consider its relation to associated constructs (e.g., goals and plans). We also present a model that pertains specifically to intentionality to learn in academic domains (i.e., ILIAD). We position the components and the cognitive processing of information associated with the model (e.g., attention to academic and social cues) in reference to perception–action dynamics and to academic development, as well as to sociocultural and socioemotional variables (e.g., shared or negotiated goals). Practice or Policy: The article culminates with methodological considerations for the study of this construct, including the design of appropriate measures and selection of statist...

Drawing from multiple theoretical frameworks representing cognitive and educational psychology, we present a writing task and scoring system for measurement of students’ informative writing. Participants in this study were 72 fifth- and sixth-grade students who wrote compositions describing real-world problems and how mathematics, science, and social studies information could be used to solve those problems. Of the 72 students, 69 were able to craft a cohesive response that not only demonstrated planning in writing structure but also elaboration of relevant knowledge in one or more domains. Many-facet Rasch Modeling (MFRM) techniques were used to examine the reliability and validity of scores for the writing rating scale. Additionally, comparison of fifth- and sixth-grade responses supported the validity of scores, as did the results of a correlational analysis with scores from an overall interest measure. Recommendations for improving writing scoring systems based on the findings of this investigation are provided.

We look at three common research scenarios, one in the behavioral domain (i.e., disruptive behaviors) one in the cognitive domain (i.e., academic achievement), and one in the affective domain (i.e., anxiety and stress) for which school psychologists are asked to address important questions related to change. We list measurement and statistical considerations across these scenarios, including whether variables are manifest or latent, the scales of measurement, the dimensionality of measures, the units of analysis, the sample size, and the frequency or duration of time, given the primary nature of the variables under study. We suggest that researchers carefully consider whether assumptions can be met employing classical general linear models, or whether contemporary alternatives, such as hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), should be recommended for the more appropriate handling of data. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 535–542, 2007.

The term resource broker is offered to assist counselors with data-driven programs. A resource broker is a school professional who functions as an active force to identify, provide access to, and ensure the utilization of resources that enhance student development. A case is presented here for school counselors, as resource brokers, to include teacher efficacy in program assessments when data show inequities in student access to rigorous academic classes.

Numerous research studies have highlighted the significant impact of domain knowledge and individual interest on learning. However, much of this prior research has neglected several important issues regarding the dynamic interplay of domain knowledge and individual interest both within and between domains as well as across developmental stages of learners. Situated within the Model of Domain Learning, this investigation seeks to respond to those issues. We studied the scores of 267 undergraduate and graduate students representing a variety of majors and programs. Results indicate that domain knowledge and individual interest are related differently for the domains of statistics and psychology. Further, findings indicate that when examining multiple domains of learning (e.g., statistics and psychology), the relationship between domain knowledge and interest changes as an artifact of both students’ academic level of preparation in undergraduate and graduate programs and their academic specialization. Based on these results, we offer implications for future research.

This study describes the use of generalizability theory (GT) and many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM) to evaluate psychometric properties of responses obtained from an assessment designed to measure complex problem-solving skills. The assessment revolved around the school activity of kickball. The task required of each student was to decide on a team T-shirt based on visual characteristics of the T-shirts and written descriptions of other T-shirt characteristics. Forty-four fourth-grade students, comprising the control group of a longitudinal research project to foster complex problem-solving skills of disadvantaged urban youth, participated in this study. Results indicate both measurement techniques agree on the relative magnitudes of variation among the facets but differ on how to handle the sources of variation.

The development of the Social Studies Interest Inventory–Interest in Reading Materials is described in this study. Two hundred sixty-three middle school students and 320 high school students enrolled in an urban school district in a New England state participated in the study. The 15-item inventory used a 5-point Likert scale to assess student interest in reading materials related to the discipline of social studies. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of student scores yielded three dimensions of interest for social studies reading materials: (a) Textbook Materials, (b) Creative Materials, and (c) News Materials. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the derived factor structure. By comparing the three factor scores, it is determined that students reported significantly more interest in reading Creative Materials than they did Textbook or News Materials. Based on these results, suggestions are offered for future research and practice.

The authors conducted 2 studies to investigate the categorization of students' correct and incorrect responses to domain-specific analogy problems. In Study 1, participants were 6th graders who generated answers to classical analogy problems in the domain of human biology (e.g., cabin:log::skeleton:-) Study 2 focused on the analogical problem solving of undergraduates working in the domain of educational psychology. The basis for categorizing responses in both studies was a 7-level hierarchical response model proposed by P. A. Alexander (1990). Cross-study results provided support for the response categories and for their hierarchical nature, Study 1 indicated that students' answers to analogies were nonrandom in that there were within-subject error preferences. In Study 2, student responses reflected training in domain concepts and strategic processes, and the direction of changes matched expectations of the ordered hierarchical response scheme.

This study examined the effects of curriculum compacting on the achievement test seores of a national sample of 336 high ability students from second through sixth grade heterogeneous classrooms in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Curriculum compacting is a strategy for eliminating curricular material that students have already mastered and replacing it with more appropriate learning activities. Teachers from three treatment and control groups in this experimental study selected one to two students from their classes who demonstrated superior ability and advanced content knowledge prior to instruction. They were able to eliminate between 40%-50% of curricula for these students across content areas. Pre and post student achievement was examined using the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and out-of-grade-level (one grade higher) tests were used to guard against ceiling effects. The results indicated that the achievement test scores of students whose curriculum was compacted did not differ significantly from students whose curriculum was not compacted. These findings from a national study minimize teachers' fears about declines in students' achievement test scores due to compacting.

We begin with a discussion of contemporary approaches to assessment highlighting their reliance on a static, linear model of knowledgeable performance. Next we describe an ecological psychology approach to problem solving. Then, we propose the adoption of an agent-environment interaction as the unit of analysis. We continue by describing the problem-solving process from an ecological psychology perspective, to clarify the “intentional unit”. We close with a discussion of functional validity, the value added by access to assessment information during the problem-solving process.

Two experiments examined the interrelationship of subhect-matter knowledge, interest, and recall in the field of human immunology/human biology and assessed cross-domain performance in the field of physics. Framed by a stage model of domain learning, cluster-analytic methods were used to group individuals on the basis of their performance on cognitive and affective measures in immunology. Resulting cluster profiles were compared with predictions expected form the stage model. Performance for students in these clusters was compated with their performance on similar measures in the field of physics. in experiment 1,30 premedical students and 17 graduate students in educational psychology served as participants. Results revealed 3 unique clusters of students that tended to conform to predictions of the doamin learning model. individuals' knowledge, interest, and recall of immunology generally paralleled their performance in the domain of physics. Experiment 2 sought to thest and extend the findings of the initial experiment. Participants were 78 undergraduate students in education. Although 4 clusters emerged, patterns in knowledge, interest, and recall were similar to those revealed in Experiment 1.

This article presents the perspective that chaos theory may provide a more flexible, nonlinear, and effective model and basis for the preparation and education of counselors than competing linear-causal models.

Sixty-six studies were reviewed that met several a priori criteria. Specifically, the studies had to be empirical investigations that related to a particular academic domain and that involved connected discourse presented either in traditional written form or on computer. In addition, the studies had to incorporate some measure of both knowledge and interest. The resulting body of literature was first summarized and analyzed in terms of the domains chosen, the subjects selected, the nature of the texts used, the manner in which knowledge and interest were assessed, and the principal outcomes reported. Next, from this analysis, six premises were proposed as guides for future research and practice. Finally, concluding remarks were advanced that address the overall significance of text-processing research that interactively considers the domain of knowledge and the interest of the reader.

In this study, we explored the influence of subject-matter knowledge and interest on college students' comprehension of scientific exposition. Two forms of subject-matter knowledge were considered: Passage-specific (i.e., topic) knowledge and general (i.e., domain) knowledge. College students read two passages from physics, one dealing with Stephen Hawking and Grand Unification Theory, and one about the search for the truth quark. Students' topic knowledge and domain knowledge were tested before reading the passages. After reading each passage, students rated their interest in what they read. Comprehension measures were then completed for each passage. We performed regression analyses to determine the effects of subject-matter knowledge and interest on the comprehension scores for each passage. For the more technical Quarks passage, domain knowledge and interest were both significant predictors of comprehension. For the more personally-involving Hawking passage, topic knowledge, domain knowledge, and interest were significant predictors of comprehension performance. Overall, students were more interested in less abstruse and more personally-involving information for both passages.

In this investigation, we analyzed the role domain knowledge, analogic reasoning ability, and interactive knowledge play in the comprehension of scientific exposition. Data from three experiments involving sixth graders, high-school students, and college undergraduates are examined via regression and discriminant analysis procedures. The dependent variables in these analyses were student scores on expository passages on topics in human biology/immunology each prepared in two versions: with and without supporting analogy. The independent variables were subjects' performance on: (a) multiple-choice tests of human biology/immunology terminology (domain knowledge test), (b) figural analogy items from the Advanced Progressive Matrices (analogic reasoning test), and (c) A:B::C:? analogy problems composed of human biology/human immunology terms (interactive knowledge test). Results showed that the variables predicting performance on the nonanalogic and analogic versions and the variables discriminating between above-average and below-average performers differed across the grade levels with less integration of content knowledge and analogic reasoning ability occurring for college students. Implications of these results for theory and practice are discussed.

We investigated the effects of domain-specific and strategic knowledge on analogy performance for 128 gifted and nongifted sixth grade and high-school students. A cognitive battery consisted of a figural analogy measure, a human biology multiple-choice test, and a human biology analogy task. On the basis of these tasks, we determined that males and females were comparable on all dependent measures, except on A:B::C:? analogy problems in which all terms were drawn from human biology. Further, gifted students consistently outperformed their nongifted peers on all cognitive tasks. There were also significant main effects for grade on all criterion measures with the exception of the addition/deletion items on the strategic knowledge test. Implications of these findings for assessment and instruction of strategic and domain-specific knowledge are offered.

In this article, the authors describe the results of three experiments designed to examine the effect training has on students' domain-specific and strategic knowledge. Three groups of sixth graders participated in Experiment I. Subjects were low in competence in either human biological knowledge, or analogical reasoning, or both. In Experiment II, high schoolers of varied levels of competence in human biology/human immunology were studied. Subjects in Experiment III were college undergraduates, and the knowledge domain of interest was human immunology. As in Experiment I, the strategy trained in Experiments II and III was analogical reasoning. Science instruction in human biology or human immunology was given to certain groups, while strategy instruction in analogical reasoning was offered to other groups. Training was delivered via a direct instruction model. Certain treatment subjects in all experiments received both science and analogy instruction. Results indicate that, although both domain and strategy knowledge can be effectively trained at certain ages or with students of differing competence levels, domain-specific knowledge appears easier to transmit than general strategy knowledge. Further, gender seems to play an important role in the acquisition or utilization of such knowledge.

This study assessed the development of analogical reasoning of 4- and 5-year-olds. Subjects were 60 preschoolers, ages 48 months to 71 months. Performance of geometric analogy problems was measured at monthly intervals with the Test of Analogical Reasoning in Children. Results indicated that the children were generally stable in their reasoning performance. There was a significant linear upward trend in performance for less proficient, nontrained reasoners, but post hoc analysis indicated a significant difference only between the first testing and all other testings. Generally, less proficient reasoners used a naive, nonanalogical strategy in completing the geometric analogy problems. Explicit training of the less proficient reasoners had a significant, positive effect on performance that was maintained for several months. Finally, it was determined that the nontrained children who became more proficient in analogical reasoning were significantly older than those who did not.