Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of current PE teachers' perceptions of teacher evaluation systems. Method: A mixed methods approach was used and two sources of data collection were used: (a) a short survey of PE teachers (n = 22) in one urban school district and (b) a formal semistructured interview with 10…

Students need opportunities to be creative and express themselves while learning a new language, during both classroom activities and tests at the end of a term or unit. The focus of the author's practice when assessing students' knowledge is to use creative dialogue techniques as a way to prevent students from simply repeating a given dialogue…

Grounded theory is a popular methodological approach in social work research, especially by doctoral students conducting qualitative research. The approach, however, is not always used consistently or as originally designed, compromising the quality of the research. The aim of the current study is to assess the quality of recent Canadian social…

The normal-distribution-based likelihood ratio statistic T[subscript ml] = nF[subscript ml] is widely used for power analysis in structural Equation modeling (SEM). In such an analysis, power and sample size are computed by assuming that T[subscript ml] follows a central chi-square distribution under H[subscript 0] and a noncentral chi-square…

Since 2000, translator and interpreter trainers have been arguing against the use of a transmissionist approach and for the use of a transformationist approach. Such a change in instructional approach is rooted in a shift in trainers' beliefs from behaviourism to social constructivism/situated learning. Teachers' beliefs on the nature of knowledge…

The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental study on summative assessment in translation teaching. The paper emphasises the need to use, as an alternative to traditional assessment (i.e. the translation of a text under exam conditions), multidimensional assessment based on a range of criterion-referenced and competence-based assessment…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to add further knowledge about the usefulness of the Voice Range Profile (VRP) assessment in clinical settings and research by analyzing VRP dual-microphone equipment precision, reliability, and room effect. Method: Test-retest studies were conducted in an anechoic chamber and an office: (a) comparing sound…

Context is at the core of any statistical investigation, yet many statistics tasks barely require students to go beyond superficial consideration of the contexts the tasks are situated in. In this article, I discuss a framework for evaluating the level of interaction with context a task requires of students and how to modify tasks to increase the…

The number of articles showing dissatisfaction with the null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) framework has been progressively increasing over the years. Alternatives to NHST have been proposed and the Bayesian approach seems to have achieved the highest amount of visibility. In this last part of the special issue, a few alternative…

Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs) are behavioral assessment methods that combine the benefits of systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales. That is, DBRs involve the observation of operationally defined target behaviors during a prespecified observation period and the evaluation of those behaviors via brief ratings. In this way, DBR is…

This commentary will take an historical perspective on the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA) error analysis, discussing where it started, where it is today, and where it may be headed in the future. In addition, the commentary will compare and contrast the KTEA error analysis procedures that are rooted in psychometric methodology and…

Classical statistical tests are used in many disciplines such as education and psychology. Such tests are based on certain assumptions (e.g., normality and homoscedasticity) that are must to be met in order to produce accurate results. Violation of such assumptions is a common problem researchers encounter, particularly when analyzing real data.…

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of the evaluation system currently used in their district. This study was guided by the following research question: How do teachers perceive the teacher evaluation process in a Midwestern Teacher and student Advancement Program (TAP) school? The theoretical foundations used in this…

Recent literature places more emphasis on assessment comments rather than relying solely on scores. Both are variable, however, emanating from assessment judgements. One established source of variability is "contrast effects": scores are shifted away from the depicted level of competence in a preceding encounter. The shift could arise…

One of the leading frameworks in engineering education specifically associated with design based competencies is the CDIO framework. This has been incorporated internationally into many institutions offering engineering education courses. Characterized by four unique stages, the CDIO framework affords an ideal scenario to incorporate a continuous…