Standardized observation systems seek to reliably measure a specific conceptualization of teaching quality, managing rater error through mechanisms such as certification, calibration, validation, and double-scoring. These mechanisms both support high quality scoring and generate the empirical evidence used to support the scoring inference (i.e.,…

The main purpose of this study is to examine the Type I error and statistical power ratios of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) techniques based on different theories under different conditions. For this purpose, a simulation study was conducted by using Mantel-Haenszel (MH), Logistic Regression (LR), Lord's [chi-squared], and Raju's Areas…

Attention checks detect inattentiveness by instructing respondents to perform a specific task. However, while respondents may correctly process the task, they may choose to not comply with the instructions. We investigated the issue of noncompliance in attention checks in two web surveys. In Study 1, we measured respondents' attitudes toward…

Reporting standard errors of equating has been advocated as a standard practice when conducting test equating. The two most widely applied procedures for standard errors of equating including the bootstrap method and the delta method are either computationally intensive or confined to the derivations of complicated formulas. In the current study,…

Temporality-driven covariate classification had limited impact on: the specification of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) by 85 novice analysts (medical undergraduates); or the risk of bias in DAG-informed multivariable models designed to generate causal inference from observational data. Only 71 students (83.5%) managed to complete the…

When an assessment undergoes changes to the administration or instrument, bridge studies are typically used to try to ensure comparability of scores before and after the change. Among the most common and powerful is the common population linking design, with the use of a linear transformation to link scores to the metric of the original…

In the process of measuring and assessing high-level cognitive skills, interference of rater errors in measurements brings about a constant concern and low objectivity. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of rater training on rater errors in the process of assessing individual performance. The study was conducted with a…

Educational institutions worldwide conduct summative examinations to evaluate academic performance of students. Such summative examinations are normally subjective in nature in higher education institutions and needs manual evaluation. However, the manual evaluation of subjective answer-scripts often suffers from evaluation anomalies and the…

The purpose of the current study was to determine the accuracy of the Fitbit Charge HR and Hexoskin smart shirt. Participants (n = 32, age: 23.5 ± 1.3 years) wore a Fitbit and Hexoskin while performing 14 activities in a laboratory and on a track (lying, sitting, standing, walking various speeds and inclines, jogging, and cycling). Steps, kcals,…

That rates of normative behaviors produced by sample surveys are higher than actual behavior warrants is well evidenced in the research literature. Less well understood is the source of this error. Twenty-five cognitive interviews were conducted to probe responses to a set of common, conventional survey questions about one such normative behavior:…

The present study uses the intuitive rules theory as a framework to examine whether some of the difficulties in dealing with errors and uncertainties observed among students in the university physics laboratory can stem from their use of intuitive rules. The study also examines the relationship between the use of intuitive rules and laboratory…

The purpose of this research is to first estimate the item and ability parameters and the standard error values related to those parameters obtained from Unidimensional Item Response Theory (UIRT), bifactor (BIF) and Testlet Response Theory models (TRT) in the tests including testlets, when the number of testlets, number of independent items, and…

This study investigates the nature of student errors in the context of problem solving and Dynamic Math Environments. This led to the development of the Problem Solving Action Identification Framework; this framework captures and defines all activities and errors associated with problem solving in a dynamic math environment. Found are three…

Evaluators of education interventions are increasingly designing studies to detect impacts much smaller than the 0.20 standard deviations that Cohen (1988) characterized as "small." While the need to detect smaller impacts is based on compelling arguments that such impacts are substantively meaningful, the drive to detect smaller impacts…

The design of research studies utilizing binary multilevel models must necessarily incorporate knowledge of multiple factors, including estimation method, variance component size, or number of predictors, in addition to sample sizes. This Monte Carlo study examined the performance of random effect binary outcome multilevel models under varying…