Popular item response theory (IRT) models are considered complex, mainly due to the inclusion of a random factor variable (latent variable). The random factor variable represents the incidental parameter problem since the number of parameters increases when including data of new persons. Therefore, IRT models require a specific estimation method…

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) are routinely used for evaluation of instructional faculty in universities. However, studies have shown that SET use often contributes to inequities in tenure, promotion and salary outcomes, especially for women and underrepresented groups. Research suggests a need for a universal conceptualization of…

Along with discussing bibliometric analyses' limitations and potential biases, this paper addresses the growing need for comprehensive guidelines in evaluating bibliometric research by providing systematic frameworks for both peer reviewers and readers. While numerous publications provide guidance on implementing bibliometric methods, there is a…

Peer feedback is commonly used in higher education for both practical and pedagogical reasons. However, peer feedback has been criticized by teachers, researchers, and students for being superficial, harsh, uncritical, and/or detached from learning objectives. This study contributes to the existing literature on how to enhance the effectiveness of…

Student self-assessment has received considerable research interest. While several review articles have mapped self-assessment studies, there remains a need to synthesise the insights from field and the differing views and approaches within. In this critical meta-review, we conduct a discourse analysis of 28 earlier review studies concerning…

The purpose of this study was to construct a comprehensive, national profile of music teacher licensure practices. Our objectives in this research were a) to construct a descriptive, national profile of legislative policy about music teacher licensure, b) to identify licensure parameters required of music teacher candidates, and c) to identify…

All internal evaluation units of public sector agencies face tradeoffs arising from the tension within the "independence-accountability-learning" nexus. Most such units are not independent, unlike the World Bank unit, which was ostensibly independent from its inception half a century ago. But new archival evidence reveals that between…

Collaborative approaches to evaluation (CAE) are evaluations where evaluators engage with program community members to coproduce evaluation knowledge. There has been much written about CAE theory and a plethora of empirical studies have been published. Yet little is known about the extent to which CAE practice corresponds with theory. This study…

Teachers' conceptions of fairness influence their approaches to assessment. Perceptions of fairness underpin how teachers legitimate their values and provide reasons for teachers to defend assessment decisions and actions. This study therefore examined fairness conceptions at a critical stage in teachers' journey towards assessment capacity: their…

The improvement of existing science education interventions and the development of new ones requires cohesive, large-scale evaluation and testing that inform what works, for whom, and in what context. Systems approaches to design, implement, and evaluate interventions require knowledge, skills, and expertise in studying humans alongside the lived…

Critical thinking encompasses a complex interplay of cognitive skills, knowledge, and dispositions. In this systematic-narrative review, we analyze performance-based assessments of critical thinking in higher education. The aim is to explore how prior peer-reviewed empirical studies conceptualize and assess critical thinking, the methods and…

This systematic review investigates the impact of concept mapping on students' critical thinking (CT) skills by analyzing 17 empirical studies involving 1,363 students. Despite widespread claims that concept mapping enhances CT--defined here as analysis, evaluation, inference, deduction, and induction--the findings are mixed, largely due to…

Meta-analyses of educational research findings frequently involve statistically dependent effect size estimates. Meta-analysts have often addressed dependence issues using ad hoc approaches that involve modifying the data to conform to the assumptions of models for independent effect size estimates, such as by aggregating estimates to obtain one…

In applied universities, innovation and entrepreneurship education (IEE) has entered a new era of comprehensive integration of professional education. However, as a novel educational activity, the evaluation of professional innovation integration still lacks reasonable appraisal standards. This article is based on the basic theory of the…

The "LFK" index has been promoted as an improved method to detect bias in meta-analysis. Putatively, its performance does not depend on the number of studies in the meta-analysis. We conducted a simulation study, comparing the "LFK" index test to three standard tests for funnel plot asymmetry in settings with smaller or larger…