Receptive Vocabulary of CLIL and Non-CLIL Primary and Secondary School Learners

CLIL instruction has been reported to be beneficial for foreign language vocabulary learning since CLIL students show higher vocabulary profiles than students of their same age in traditional EFL contexts. However, to our knowledge, the receptive vocabulary knowledge of CLIL and non-CLIL learners at the end of primary and secondary education has not been examined yet. Hence, this study aims at comparing the receptive vocabulary size 79 CLIL primary learners with the receptive vocabulary knowledge of 331 non-CLIL learners at the end of primary and secondary school. Sex-based differences were also analysed. The 2k Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) was used for the purposes of the study. Results revealed that learners’ receptive vocabulary sizes lie within the most frequent 1000 words, non-CLIL secondary school students throw better results than primary students but the differences between the secondary group and the CLIL group are not statistically significant. As for sex-based differences, we found no significant differences among the groups. These findings led us to believe that the CLIL approach offers a benefit for vocabulary acquisition since CLIL learners have been exposed to the foreign language for a shorter period of time and the results are quite similar to their non-CLIL secondary school partners.

How Good Am I? Crude Self-Assessment vs. Examination

With the new academic year structure encouraging more in-term assessment to replace end-of-year examinations one of the problems we face is assessing students and keeping track of individual student learning without overloading the students and staff with excessive assessment burdens.
In the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, we have constructed a system that allows students to self-assess their capability on a simple Yes/No/Don’t Know scale against fine grained learning outcomes for a module. As the term progresses students update their record as appropriately, including selecting a Learnt option to reflect improvements they have gained as part of their studies.
In the system each of the learning outcomes are linked to the relevant teaching session (lectures and labs) and to online resources that students can access at any time. Students can structure their own learning experience to their needs and preferences in order to attain the learning outcomes.
The system keeps a history of the student’s record, allowing the lecturer to observe how the students’ abilities progress over the term and to compare it to assessment results. The system also keeps of any of the resource links that student has clicked on and the related learning outcome.
The initial work is comparing the accuracy of the student self-assessments with their performance in the related questions in the traditional end-of-year examination.

Dokumentation der Befragungsinstrumente der Interventionsstudie im Projekt “Conditions and Consequences of Classroom Assessment” (Co²CA)

Das im Rahmen des DFG-Schwerpunktprogramms „Kompetenzmodelle“ durchgeführte Projekt „Conditions and Consequences of Classroom Assessment“ (Co²CA) geht in vier Teilstudien der Frage nach, wie formatives Assessment im Unterricht gestaltet werden kann, um sowohl eine präzise Leistungsmessung zu ermöglichen als auch positive Wirkungen auf den Lehr-Lernprozess zu erreichen. Das Project Co²CA leistet damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erforschung zweier Kernelemente formativen Assessments – der detaillierten Diagnose von Schülerleistungen und der Nutzung der gewonnenen Informationen in Form lernförderlichen Feedbacks. Zentrale Idee von formativem Assessment (Lernbegleitende Leistungsbeurteilung und –rückmeldung) ist es mit Hilfe von Leistungsmessungen Informationen über den Lernstand der Schülerinnen und Schüler zu gewinnen und diese Informationen für die Gestaltung des weiteren Lehr- und Lernprozess zu nutzen. Den Lernenden kann auf Basis der Leistungsbeurteilung lernförderliches Feedback gegeben werden, um so die Diskrepanz zwischen Lernstand und Lernziel zu verringern. Die Kernelemente formativem Assessments bestehen also aus einer detaillierten Diagnose des Lernstandes und der Nutzung der gewonnen Informationen – z.B. in Form von Feedback. [...] Das vorliegende Skalenhandbuch dokumentiert die in der Unterrichtsstudie eingesetzten Befragungsinstrumente für Schülerinnen und Schüler sowie für Lehrkräfte. (DIPF/Autor)

Role of assessment components and recent adverse outcomes in risk estimation and prediction: use of the Short Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) in an adult secure inpatient mental health service

The Short Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability is a structured judgement tool used to inform risk estimation for multiple adverse outcomes. In research, risk estimates outperform the tool's strength and vulnerability scales for violence prediction. Little is known about what its’component parts contribute to the assignment of risk estimates and how those estimates fare in prediction of non-violent adverse outcomes compared with the structured components. START assessment and outcomes data from a secure mental health service (N=84) was collected. Binomial and multinomial regression analyses determined the contribution of selected elements of the START structured domain and recent adverse risk events to risk estimates and outcomes prediction for violence, self-harm/suicidality, victimisation, and self-neglect. START vulnerabilities and lifetime history of violence, predicted the violence risk estimate; self-harm and victimisation estimates were predicted only by corresponding recent adverse events. Recent adverse events uniquely predicted all corresponding outcomes, with the exception of self-neglect which was predicted by the strength scale. Only for victimisation did the risk estimate outperform prediction based on the START components and recent adverse events. In the absence of recent corresponding risk behaviour, restrictions imposed on the basis of START-informed risk estimates could be unwarranted and may be unethical.

Developmental TVET rhetoric in-action: the White Paper for post-school education and training in South Africa

This paper explores the extent to which latest developments in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training System in South Africa respond to key principles espoused for a developmental, democratic and inclusionary ideal. The White Paper for post school education and training approved by Cabinet in November, 2013 is referred to by the Minister as the “definitive statement of the governments vision for the post school system” and as such represents a crucial strategy document intended to chart the TVET direction to 2030. Using key theoretical constructs from development theory, this paper provides an assessment of the TVET strategy contained is the paper and explores the extent to which it does respond to the agenda defined by the promise. It is argued that the challenges outlined are not yet able to provide the blueprint for a TVET transformative vision. It is concluded that while the development rhetoric contained in the paper is plausible, the creative tinkering of the system is unlikely to lead to the radical revisioning necessary for a truly transformative TVET system. The underlying assumptions regarding purpose, impact and outcome will need to be carefully reconsidered if the system is to be responsive to the promises of the democratic developmental ideal to which the government is committed. (DIPF/Orig.)

Performance of protective factors assessment in risk prediction for adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

Protective factors are neglected in risk assessment in adult psychiatric and criminal justice populations. This review investigated the predictive efficacy of selected tools that assess protective factors. Five databases were searched using comprehensive terms for records up to June 2014, resulting in 17 studies (n = 2,198). Results were combined in a multilevel meta-analysis using the R (R Core Team, R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2015) metafor package (Viechtbauer, Journal of Statistical Software, 2010, 36, 1). Prediction of outcomes was poor relative to a reference category of violent offending, with the exception of prediction of discharge from secure units. There were no significant differences between the predictive efficacy of risk scales, protective scales, and summary judgments. Protective factor assessment may be clinically useful, but more development is required. Claims that use of these tools is therapeutically beneficial require testing.

2015-2016 ACCOUNTABILITY MANUAL : The Annual School and District Report Card System for South Carolina Public Schools and School Districts

State law requires that for school years 2014-15 and 2015-16 the EOC will not rate schools or districts but will instead report on student academic performance. The Education Oversight Committee must use the results of these assessments in school years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 to report on student academic performance in each school and district pursuant to Section 59-18-900. The state report card for school year 2015-16 will include assessment information and measurements that address the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.

RESULTS OF THE SELF-ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION LIBRARY CAREER WITH A VIEW TO THE REACREDITATION, 2008

Succinctly defines the terms "accreditation" and "recertification" in order to locate the reader (a) on the theme to develop. Also describes the process of self-assessment of Librarianship and Documentation Race towards the re-accreditation, focusing primarily on results obtained in the development of self-evaluation reports of the various sectors that make up the School. Finally, presents some conclusions both about the overall process of the various reports as described.

PART STUDY OF PERCEPTION OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN THE LIBRARY COMMUNITY: OPINION (AS) EMPLOYERS (AS) AND GRADUATES (AS) SCHOOL LIBRARY, DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

This article provides a brief description of some general aspects of self-evaluation process conducted in the School of Library, Documentation and Information from the National University of Costa Rica, to obtain accreditation from the career of Library and Documentation in 2005 and to achieve re-accreditation in 2009.The objective consists in a comparison between the two evaluation processes from the point of view of two specific sectors, employers and graduates, and presents the views provided by each of them as a partial analysis of the social impact assessment of educational programs in the community librarianship as a first input to raise awareness of the importance of these studies in the institutional and national level.

How teachers' perceptions affect the academic and language assessment of immigrant children

Recent research evidences inconsistencies in teachers' practice regarding skills assessment of L2 students. Scientific evidence supports that less experienced teachers have lower orientation toward multiple task-tests for non-native students. Research questions: Whether school teachers as having different teaching training and unequal teaching experience with non-native students perceive differently a four-skills scale. Purpose of the study: This study intends to analyse the importance degree between the four skills/tasks: reading, writing, speaking and listening, in the perspective of school teachers. Method: 77 teachers, aged 32-62, with (and without) experience in teaching and adapting materials for immigrant students, divided into six groups according to their scientific domain. Assessment tools included a scale for judgement of four academic tasks adapted from the original “Inventory of Undergraduate and Graduate Level: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Tasks (Rosenfeld, Leung & Ottman, 2001). Main Findings: 1) different degrees of importance attributed by teachers on tasks that should be included in academic and language test for immigrant students; 2) perceptions of teachers are determined by predictors in this order: scientific domain, experience with multicultural classes and lower prediction from teaching service and age; 3) different results between american and portuguese samples answering the same questionnaire.