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Psychometric characteristics of the abridged Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment-III are reported. Data are from a study of 525 New Zealand primary school teachers and from a second study of 692 Queensland primary school teachers. The abridged version of 27 statements using a positively packed response scale had good fit characteristics for primary teachers in both New Zealand ([X.sub.311.sup.2]=841.02; RMSEA = .057; TLI = .87) and Queensland ([X.sub.311.sup.2] = 1492.61; RMSEA = .074; TLI= .80). While providing information of similar quality to that of the original the abridged version is more efficient than the full scale.

Psychometric characteristics of the Student Information Literacy Self-efficacy Report based on responses from 498 students ages 9 to 12 years are reported. Students report their stir-efficacy (confidence and difficulty) in 11 different phases of being information literate, i.e., developing a topic, planning, self management, locating sources, selecting sources, retrieving information, analysing information, evaluating information, synthesising knowledge, presenting knowledge, and self-evaluation using a positively packed rating scale. The data were strongly internally consistent (Cronbach [alpha] = .95) with a test-retest reliability of .78. The 11 phases, factors measured by a matching pair of self-efficacy questions, were confirmed ([chi square] = 529.68; df = 198; RMSEA = .058; TLI = .940), Ratings were correlated low with teachers' ratings and test scores of information literacy skills and moderately correlated with academic self-concept. The test provides unique information about students' self-efficacy for information literacy. Its use in classrooms is warranted.

Self-report rating scales with balanced response formats, anchored with vague frequency of activity indicators, often elicit inadequate information, especially when respondents are inclined toward a generally positive attitude toward the psychological object being rated. This study used an unbalanced or positively packed rating scale with both frequency and agreement response anchors within the context of a questionnaire about studying and learning practices and conceptions for high school students (N=734). Psychometric characteristics and communication factors were investigated using 12 pairs of items for which both frequency and agreement response formats were used. Communication factors identified by Schwarz in i999 such as small changes in wording provided adequate explanation for changes in response rate or fit to the IRT measurement model for three pairs of items. Although psychometric evidence of the superiority of agreement over frequency response format was not conclusive, continued use of agreement anchors with a positively packed rating scale appears justified.

Abstract Learning requires intention and strategy on the part of a student. Deep intentions and methods are to do with transformation of knowledge for personal satisfaction while surface ones focus [...]

While significant progress has been made on understanding the effects of student self-assessment, the processes by which these effects occur are much less studied. The present research identified the actions involved in a cyclical self-assessment process. In this qualitative study, 17 undergraduate students from a teacher education institute took part in in-depth interviews focusing on the common actions students normally undertake to self-assess. The findings identified the following three actions that are commonly undertaken in the self-assessment process: (1) determining the performance criteria, (2) self-directed feedback seeking and (3) self-reflection. The paper discusses the implications of the findings and concludes with suggestions for promoting student self-assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) allows researchers to determine whether a research inventory elicits similar response patterns across samples. If statistical equivalence in responding is found, then scale score comparisons become possible and samples can be said to be from the same population. This paper illustrates the use of MGCFA by examining survey results relating to practising teachers' conceptions of feedback in two very different jurisdictions (Louisiana, USA,n = 308; New Zealand,n = 518), highlighting challenges which can occur when conducting this kind of cross-cultural research. As the two contexts had very different policies and practices around educational assessment, it was considered possible that a common research inventory may elicit non-equivalent responding, leading to non-invariance. Independent models for each group and a joint model for all participants were tested for invariance using MGCFA and all were inadmissible for one of the two groups. Inspection of joint model differences in item loadings, scale reliabilities, and scale inter-correlations established the extent of non-invariance. This paper discusses the implications of non-invariance within this particular study and identifies difficulties in using an inventory in cross-cultural settings. It also provides suggestions about how to increase the likelihood that a common factor structure can be recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study surveyed 1064 Chinese school teachers’ approaches to teaching and conceptions of assessment, and examined their inter-relationship using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Three approaches to teaching (i.e. Knowledge Transmission, Student-Focused, and Examination Preparation) and six conceptions of assessment (i.e. Student Development, Teaching Improvement, Examination, Control, School Accountability, and Irrelevance) were identified. Teachers indicated they used Student-Focused most frequently and this positively predicted the assessment purposes of Student Development and Teaching Improvement, while loading negatively on Control, School Accountability, and Irrelevance. The Knowledge Transmission teaching approach, in contrast, positively predicted the assessment purposes of Examination, School Accountability, Control, Student Development, and Teaching Improvement. Thus, despite a predominantly student-focused approach to teaching, knowledge transmission was seen as a teaching approach that contributed positively to student learning. Possible explanations for this anomalous result are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]