The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to provide evaluative information on the recovery of model parameters and their standard errors for the two-parameter item response theory (IRT) model using different estimation methods by Mplus. The second is to provide easily accessible information for practitioners, instructors, and students…

Background: Effective classroom management is the cornerstone of successful teaching. Behavioural issues affect the classroom climate as well as the time available for learning. Pupil misbehaviours can also contribute to teacher stress and burn out resulting in teachers leaving the profession. It is important for us to understand more about pupil…

This study explored similarities and differences in the transition expectations of parents and youth. Independent samples of parents (N = 270) of transition-age youth with disabilities and students with disabilities (N = 242) were surveyed about the importance of achieving various adult goals, having specific types of transition-related training…

The construct of student engagement is increasingly prevalent in the field of education, serving as the foundation of dropout prevention and high school reform initiatives. The purpose of this study was to further examine 1 measure of student engagement, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), designed to measure 2 subtypes of student engagement:…

This study looked at the types of blog consulted by 1,298 Primary 4 students in Hong Kong and whether such consultation influenced performance on standardised tests of Chinese and English reading comprehension. When students were asked if they consulted Chinese and English blogs, 42% said they looked at Chinese blogs and 19% said they looked at…

In this article, we will discuss research-based teacher education as an organizing theme of teacher education. We will report the results of two surveys in which students expressed their attitudes towards the research-based approach and their experiences of research-based teacher education. The construct validity of the inventory was tested using…

Background: Medical schools use supplemental peer-teaching programs even though there is little research on students' actual experiences with this form of instruction. Purpose: To understand the student experience of being taught by peers instead of by faculty. Methods: We conducted focus groups with first- and second-year medical students…

This comprehensive "Handbook" focuses on the most used polytomous item response theory (IRT) models. These models help us understand the interaction between examinees and test questions where the questions have various response categories. The book reviews all of the major models and includes discussions about how and where the models…

The authors center their presentation of material around a conceptual understanding of psychometric issues, such as validity and reliability, and on purpose rather than procedure, the "why" rather than the "how to." Their goal is to introduce psychometric principles at a level that is deeper and more focused than found in introductory…

This study focuses on the relationship between teacher education and graduates' intended and actual entrance into teaching. Moreover, it explores how this relationship differs for two types of initial teacher training for secondary education. A hypothetical model of graduates' entrance into the teaching profession comprising empirically grounded…

Clerkships would benefit from teachers' improved understanding of the didactic aspects of their task. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that determine the teaching quality of clerkships and to examine the predictive value of these factors for students' global satisfaction. Thus, results would be further reflected to clinical…

Studies exploring school students' views about science have not always distinguished between different branches of science. Here, the views of 1395 secondary school students aged 11-16 about physics and, as a science comparator, biology were determined using a closed-form questionnaire. Over the period of secondary schooling a decreasing…

The authors examined co-occurrence among a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors: alcohol, smoking, marijuana, hard drugs, sexual activity, major and minor delinquency, direct and indirect aggression, and gambling. Using a large self-report survey of high school students, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the problem syndrome…

The purpose of this study was to examine positive influences and barriers associated with entering a music teacher education doctoral program. Practicing music educators (N = 63), were asked to rate 48 positive-influence items and 54 barrier items. The highest-ranked positive influence was "Training young teachers to provide worthwhile…

This study investigates whether significant differences exist across college undergraduates' grade levels, majors, gender, age levels, and income levels regarding their perceptions of visual aid usage in effective presentations. These differences were measured by subjecting 226 college undergraduates at a medium sized state university to a Visual…