This dissertation examines whether Tennessee's adoption of PBF as part of base appropriations for public higher education institutions in 2010 is associated with changes in STEM degree production patterns at public four-year universities. The study investigates the policy impact on the total number of degrees awarded, the number and proportion of…

This report describes initial findings from a study conducted across three California school districts during the 2021-22 school year of science curriculum materials that were designed to promote learning as called for by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The study, led by WestEd, was an independent randomized controlled trial to…

Background: The communicative effectiveness of persons with aphasia (PWA) has been assessed through a range of functional communication measures. However, variability in interpretations of what is covered by the term "functional communication" may have resulted in challenges to the implementation of appropriate and consistent…

The rapid growth of private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in Namibia has highlighted significant challenges in managing academic staff performance. This study explores these challenges through a qualitative, phenomenological approach, using semi-structured interviews with 19 participants, including academic staff, human resource (HR)…

Vocational teachers must address provincial curricular outcomes, vocational accreditation requirements, and current vocational practices in their teaching and assessment. In doing so, they must prepare their students for the written summative assessments required for trade certification while teaching the students the technical skills necessary…

Several AI-aided screening tools have emerged to tackle the ever-expanding body of literature. These tools employ active learning, where algorithms sort abstracts based on human feedback. However, researchers using these tools face a crucial dilemma: When should they stop screening without knowing the proportion of relevant studies? Although…

This article examines a national policy of performance-related pay for teachers in the educational context of England, as understood in relation to the concept of New Public Management. Using a mixed methods approach employing surveys and in-depth interviews, the article considers the perspectives of working teachers, thus engaging directly with…

Competency-based learning (CBL) systems are becoming more common in K-12 schools across the United States. A range of studies demonstrate the effectiveness of CBL for students, but less research focuses on the manner in which CBL is being adopted in teacher education. This self-study, using Reform-Oriented Collaborative Inquiry protocol, offers…

An assessment for learning approach is foundational for student learning. The necessity to shift teaching and learning online as a response to COVID-19 has propelled digital assessment into the mainstream within higher education institutions. User experience is a common indicator of effectiveness of technologically enhanced initiatives; however,…

Field education is the most challenging aspect of social work education and there are unprecedented challenges currently measuring good practice with quality outcomes. Thus, it's important to have competency-based key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess social work professional practice. This study is a national, mixed-methods Delphi research…

Psychological literacy refers to the ability of a psychology student to use psychological knowledge, rather than merely "learn" it, in the context of personal, social, and organizational issues. Embedding psychological literacy in assessment is a critical step in helping students develop this capacity. This report presents an innovative…

Executive functions (EFs) are cognitive skills that begin developing in early life and are crucial for children's overall development and daily task performance. Generally, EFs are assessed through standardized neuropsychological tests, which may not always accurately capture real-world application. To overcome this limitation, alternative methods…

The inequitable distribution of principal effectiveness raises concern among policymakers. Principal sorting likely contributes to wider achievement and opportunity gaps between low- and high-need schools. As a possible policy tool, policymakers proposed performance-based compensation systems (PBCS). Tennessee was one of the states that supported…

This article troubles a pervasive concept within higher education studies: authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is well-established within higher education, and yet its common usage leaves it limited in possibility. Often understood as a practice focused on tasks, where assessments represent a 'reality' beyond universities, authentic…

With increasing calls for authentic assessment in higher education, the reference point for authenticity has been questioned. Typically, researchers define authenticity in relation to purposes of higher education, which are contested. Advancing the notion of educational authenticity rather than professional, societal, disciplinary, or…