The article presents a multi-faceted theory of "ideal high school student" traits. The trait system, as defined by several theories, is a translation of the teachers' belief system into educational objectives. The study focused on Bloom's taxonomies and the structural validity of its principles, using Similarity Structure Analysis. Aware of the…

In many European languages, the words "assessment" and "evaluation" are synonymous, but in English the two terms are used differently. Educational "assessment" is learner-focused and part of professional pedagogy, relating directly to the accountability of practitioners and schools to learners and their families.…

The vagueness of the educational aims of Israel's Education Act of 1953 made the translation of general objectives into functional objectives necessary. General objectives were translated into more precisely defined behavioral objectives by Israel experts. The level of public acceptance of the behavioral statements was assessed. (BJG)

A properly chosen test model defines the kind of dependence of the observable behavior on underlying abilities of the persons tested in the form of a data-adequate theory. The limitations and potential of several test models are detailed; and they are critically compared as an aspect of empirical evaluation. (Author/MV)

Israeli "external" high schools prepare students for external matriculation examination, providing them with a second chance to retain the matriculation certificate necessary for higher education. A study of the degree to which these schools fulfill second chance hopes is described, focusing on the problem of goal definition in…

The educational goals and objectives provide a reference for curriculum designers, teachers, and educators, and they are required for evaluation or accreditation processes. This article presents a systematic method to state the learning objectives and analyze the consistency of a secondary school science program developed in Spain. The method is…

The relationship between instruction and a test is defined as a parallel content-valid relation. This article describes the PLANA procedure, which approaches the problem of content validity by applying constructional rules for producing or judging the content validity relationship between the instructional objective and the items. (BW)

Articulates a framework that can place the Outcomes Based Education movement in a historical context and by so doing advance its discourse on assessment. Reviews the development and structure of the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (B. Bloom et al., 1956) and the structure of Student Outcome Statements in Western Australia and explores the…

It is suggested that educational objectives lack clarity since they are caught between the paradigms of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A qualitative evaluation process is proposed, wherein rationale theory is compared to practice. Quantitative information may constitute part of the data, but is not an objective in itself. (AEF)

A social learning model focusing on intrinsic outcomes of vocational programs is proposed. It would assess technical skills and knowledge, communication skills and literacy, and personal skills and attitudes. Instruments should be devised to measure characteristics of the learning setting, learner involved activities, and nature of consequences of…

The study aimed to determine if students in a redesigned course, firstly, hold different perceptions of the assessment demands and, secondly, adjusted their learning strategies towards deeper learning. Contrary to expectations, the students in the original assignment-based (ABL) course (n = 406 students) adopted more deep- learning strategies and…

This article reviews research to identify factors that seem to account for vocational education's limited impact on economic returns. Methods are suggested in which evaluation may direct vocational programs toward a synthesis of educational goals. Students' job skill development and intellectual growth should be the objectives of vocational…

This paper discusses the advantages of non-competitive assessment, which has as its basic concern that only the performance of a particular student is observed, and then only his or her most recent performance. The most common forms of non-competitive assessment are (1) descriptive and (2) goal-based or work-based. (LMO)

An exploratory study involving the use of the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) in relating learning outcomes to student perceptions of classroom individualization and actual-preferred congruence is reported. Findings suggest actual-preferred interaction was important in predicting cognitive outcomes. (Author/RL)

For five years, from 1995 until 2000, a group of eight educators and researchers met twice annually in Syracuse, NY, for the purpose of revising Bloom's Taxonomy. Based in part on the structure of educational objectives, in part on advances in cognitive psychology, and in part on numerous other attempts to classify educational objectives that were…