Human Development & Quantitative Methodology
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2248
The departments within the College of Education were reorganized and renamed as of July 1, 2011. This department incorporates the former departments of Measurement, Statistics & Evaluation; Human Development; and the Institute for Child Study.
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Item Three young Korean children's English language learning in two American preschool classrooms(2010) Yi, Sunkyoung; Klein, Elisa L; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the process of English language learning through social interactions in a preschool. Three Korean ELLs in two American preschool classrooms were observed over the course of one school year, and their interactions were analyzed using qualitative methods to describe and explain how their learning developed over time. ELLs developed English skills using five types of actions and interactions. Non-communicative action (NCA), private speech (PS), Non-verbal communication (NVC), and Non-responses (NR) were used while ELLs became accustomed to their classroom routines and members. As the children understood routines and interactions, they employed verbal communication (VC) by access and initiation with the teachers and peers; descriptions and attention-getting were mostly used to communicate with others. Three steps of language learning were identified: 1) children actively participated through observation and listening; 2) peer involvement or teachers scaffolding provided understanding and competence through reoccurring instructions and themes; 3) English competencies developed through everyday social interactions with other children. Joint-attention (Yawkey & Miller, 1984) or mutual involvement (Camoinoni, 1979) played a central role in maintaining interactions. For mutual involvement to occur, ELLs had to find cooperative and loyal peers. To build such friendships, ELLs had to use other-centered strategies at the beginning of the school year and become avid observers and active participants. Social relationships thus were essential to facilitate social interactions and shared understanding. Play types (cooperative, parallel, and solitary), selection of friends or play partners, and attitudes toward peers influenced friendship-building and the development of English language comprehensions.Item UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN INVOLVED IN TECHNOLOGY DESIGN PROCESSES(2010) Guha, Mona Leigh; Druin, Allison; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Technology has become ubiquitous not only in the lives of adults, but also in the lives of children. For every technology, there is a process by which it is designed. In many cases, children are involved in these design processes. This study examined the social and cognitive experiences of children who were integrally involved in a technology design process in partnership with adults. This research study employed a Vygotskian lens with a case study research method, to understand the cognitive and social experiences of child technology design partners over a one-year period of design and partnership. Artifact analysis, participant observation, and interviews were used to collect and analyze data. Results from this study demonstrated that children involved in technology design process in partnership with adults experienced social and cognitive experiences which fall into the areas of relationships, enjoyment, confidence, communication, collaboration, skills, and content.Item An Integrated Item Response Model for Evaluating Individual Students' Growth in Educational Achievement(2009) Koran, Jennifer; Hancock, Gregory R.; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Measuring continuous change or growth in individual students' academic abilities over time currently uses several statistical models or transformations to move from data representing a student's correct or incorrect responses on individual test items to inferences about the form and quantity of changes in the student's underlying ability. This study proposed and investigated a single integrated model of underlying growth within an Item Response Theory framework as a potential alternative to this approach. A Monte Carlo investigation explored parameter recovery for marginal maximum likelihood estimates via the Expectation-Maximization algorithm under variations of several conditions, including the form of the underlying growth trajectory, the amount of inter-individual variation in the rate(s) of growth, the sample size, the number of items at each time point, and the selection of items administered across time points. A real data illustration with mathematics assessment data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study showed the practical use of this integrated model for measuring gains in academic achievement. Overall, this exploration of an integrated model approach contributed to a better understanding of the appropriate use of growth models to draw valid inferences about students' academic growth over time.Item A General Method for Estimating the Classification Reliability of Complex Decisions Based on Configural Combinations of Multiple Assessment Scores(2007-01-24) Douglas, Karen; Mislevy, Robert; Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study presents a general method for estimating the classification reliability of complex decisions based on multiple scores from a single test administration. The proposed method consists of four steps that can be applied to a variety of measurement models and configural rules for combining test scores: Step 1: Fit a measurement model to the observed data. Step 2: Simulate replicate distributions of plausible observed scores based on the measurement model. Step 3: Construct a contingency table that shows the congruence between true and replicate scores for decision accuracy, and two replicate scores for decision consistency. Step 4: Calculate measures to characterize agreement in the contingency tables. Using a classical test theory model, a simulation study explores the effect of increasing the number of tests, strength of relationship among tests, and number of opportunities to pass on classification accuracy and consistency. Next the model is applied to actual data from the GED Testing Service to illustrate the utility of the method for informing practical decisions. Simulation results support the validity of the method for estimating classification reliability, and the method provides credible estimation of classification reliability for the GED Tests. Application of configural rules results in complex findings which sometimes show different results for classification accuracy and consistency. Unexpected findings support the value of using the method to explore classification reliability as a means of improving decision rules. Highlighted findings: 1) The compensatory rule (in which test scores are added) performs consistently well across almost all conditions; 2) Conjunctive and complementary rules frequently show opposite results; 3) Including more tests in the decision rule influences classification reliability differently depending on the rule; 4) Combining scores from highly-related tests increases classification reliability; 5) Providing multiple opportunities to pass yields mixed results. Future studies are suggested to explore use of other measurement models, varying levels of test reliability, modeling multiple attempts in which learning occurs between testings; and in-depth study of incorrectly classified examinees.