Achievement test characteristics

Achievement test have some important characteristic, UGC net exam have a question about it. An achievement test is a test of developed skill or knowledge. The most common type of achievement test is astandardized test developed to measure skills and knowledge learned in a given grade level, usually through planned instruction, such as training or classroom instruction. Achievement tests are often contrasted with tests that measure aptitude, a more general and stable cognitive trait.

Achievement test scores are often used in an educational system to determine what level of instruction for which a student is prepared. High achievement scores usually indicate a mastery of grade-level material, and the readiness for advanced instruction. Low achievement scores can indicate the need for remediation or repeating a course grade. Under No Child Left Behind, achievement tests have taken on an additional role of assessing proficiencyof students. Proficiency is defined as the amount of grade-appropriate knowledge and skills a student has acquired up to the point of testing. Better teaching practices are expected to increase the amount learned in a school year, and therefore to increase achievement scores, and yield more "proficient" students than before.

When writing achievement test items, writers usually begin with a list ofcontent standards (either written by content specialists or based on state-created content standards) which specify exactly what students are expected to learn in a given school year. The goal of item writers is to create test items that measure the most important skills and knowledge attained in a given grade-level. The number and type of test items written is determined by the grade-level content standards. Content validity is determined by the representativeness of the items included on the final test.

Effect of Validity and Reliability in Research.

The precision with which you measure things also has a major impact on sample size: the worse your measurements, the more subjects you need to lift the signal (the effect) out of the noise   (the errors in measurement). Precision is expressed as validity and reliability. Validity represents how  well a variable measures what it is supposed to. Validity is important in descriptive studies: if the validity of the main variables is poor; you may  need thousands rather than hundreds of subjects.

Reliability tells you how reproducible your measures are on a retest, so it impacts experimental studies. The more reliable a measure, the less subjects you need to see, a small change in the measure. For example, a controlled trial with 20 subjects in each group or a crossover with 10 subjects may be sufficient to characterize even a small effect, if the measure is highly reliable.

Video conferencing Impact on education - UGC NET EXAM

Videoconferencing (VC) is the conduct of a videoconference (also known as a video conference or videoteleconference) by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions. It has also been called 'visual collaboration' and is a type of groupware.

Videoconferencing differs from videophone calls in that it's designed to serve a conference or multiple locations rather than individuals.It is an intermediate form of videotelephony, first used commercially in Germany during the late-1930s and later in the United States during the early 1970s as part of AT&T's development of Picturephone technology.

With the introduction of relatively low cost, high capacity broadband telecommunication services in the late 1990s, coupled with powerful computing processors and video compression techniques, videoconferencing has made significant inroads in business, education, medicine and media.

Videoconferencing provides students with the opportunity to learn by participating in two-way communication forums. Furthermore, teachers and lecturers worldwide can be brought to remote or otherwise isolated educational facilities. Students from diverse communities and backgrounds can come together to learn about one another, although language barriers will continue to persist. Such students are able to explore, communicate, analyze and share information and ideas with one another. Through videoconferencing, students can visit other parts of the world to speak with their peers, and visit museums and educational facilities. Such virtual field trips can provide enriched learning opportunities to students, especially those in geographically isolated locations, and to the economically disadvantaged. Small schools can use these technologies to pool resources and provide courses, such as in foreign languages, which could not otherwise be offered.

A few examples of benefits that videoconferencing can provide in campus environments include:

1. faculty members keeping in touch with classes while attending conferences;
2. guest lecturers brought in classes from other institutions;
3. researchers collaborating with colleagues at other institutions on a regular basis without loss of time due to travel;
4. schools with multiple campuses collaborating and sharing professors;
5. schools from two separate nations engaging in cross-cultural exchanges;
6. faculty members participating in thesis defenses at other institutions;
7. administrators on tight schedules collaborating on budget preparation from different parts of campus;
8. faculty committee auditioning scholarship candidates;
9. researchers answering questions about grant proposals from agencies or review committees;
10. student interviews with an employers in other cities, 
11.  teleseminars.

What are the two main approaches in educational research ?

There are two main approaches in educational research. The first is a basic approach. This approach is also referred to as an academic research approach.The second approach is applied research  or a contract research approach. Both of these approaches have different purposes which influence the nature of the respective research.

Basic approach

Basic, or academic research focuses on the search for truth or the development of educational theory. Researchers with this background “design studies that can test, refine, modify, or develop theories”.Generally, these researchers are affiliated with an academic institution and are performing this research as part of their graduate or doctoral work.

Applied approach

The pursuit of information that can be directly applied to practice is aptly known as applied or contractual research.Researchers in this field are trying to find solutions to existing educational problems. The approach is much more utilitarian as it strives to find information that will directly influence practice.Applied researchers are commissioned by a sponsor and are responsible for addressing the needs presented by this employer. The goal of this research is “to determine the applicability of educational theory and principles by testing hypotheses within specific settings”

What is Educational research ?

Educational research refers to a variety of methods, in which individuals evaluate different aspects of education including: “student learning, teaching methods, teacher training, and classroom dynamics”.

Educational researchers have come to the consensus that educational research must be conducted in a rigorous and systematic way, although what this implies is often debated. There are a variety of disciplines which are each present to some degree in educational research. These include psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. The overlap in disciplines creates a broad range from which methodology can be drawn. The findings of educational research also need to be interpreted within the context in which they were discovered as they may not be applicable in every time or place

What are the Characteristics educational research ?

Gary Anderson outlined ten aspects of educational research:

Educational research attempts to solve a problem.

• Research involves gathering new data from primary or first-hand sources or using existing data for a  new purpose.
• Research is based upon observable experience or empirical evidence.
• Research demands accurate observation and description.
• Research generally employs carefully designed procedures and rigorous analysis.
• Research emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles or theories that will help in        understanding, prediction and/or control.
• Research requires expertise—familiarity with the field; competence in methodology; technical skill in    collecting and analyzing the data.
• Research attempts to find an objective, unbiased solution to the problem and takes great pains to validate the procedures employed.
• Research is a deliberate and unhurried activity which is directional but often refines the problem or questions as the research progresses.
• Research is carefully recorded and reported to other persons interested in the problem.

Audiovisual education

Audiovisual education or multimedia-based education (MBE) is instruction where particular attention is paid to the audio and visual presentation of the material with the goal of improving comprehension and retention.

After the use of training films and other visual aids during World War II, audiovisual technology gradually developed in sophistication and its use became more widespread in educational establishments such as schools, colleges, universities, museums and galleries, as well as at tourist destinations, such as the purpose-built circular cinema, Arromanches 360 , at Arromanches-les-Bains, which shows a 360° film presentation of the Normandy landings.

Children learn best by observing and copying the behaviors of adults. It is therefore evident that learning is more effective when sensory experiences are stimulated. These include pictures, slides, radios, videos and other audiovisual tools. According to the Webster dictionary, audio-visual aids is defined as ‘training or educational materials directed at both the senses of hearing and the sense of sight, films, recordings, photographs, etc. used in classroom instructions, library collections or the likes”. The concept of audiovisual aids is not new and can be traced back to seventeenth century when John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), a Bohemian educator, introduced pictures as teaching aids in his book Orbis Sensualium Pictus (“picture of the Sensual World”) that was illustrated with 150 drawings of everyday life. Similarly, Jean Rousseau (17122-1788) and JH Pestalozzi (1756-1827) advocated the use of visual and play materials in teaching. More recently, audiovisual aids were also widely used during and after World War II by the armed service. The successful use of picture and other visual aids in U.S armed forces during World War II proved the effectiveness of instructional tools.There are various types of audiovisual materials ranging from filmstrips, microforms, slides, projected opaque materials, tape recording and flashcards. In the current digital world, audiovisual aids have grown exponentially with several multimedia such as educational DVDs, PowerPoint, television educational series, youtube, and other online materials. The goal of audio-visual aids is to enhance teacher’s ability to present the lesson in simple, effective and easy to understand for the students. Audiovisual material make learning more permanent since students use more than one sense. It is important to create awareness for the state and federal ministry of education as policy makers in secondary schools of the need to inculcate audiovisual resource as main teaching pedagogy in curricula. The outcome is to promote the audiovisual material in secondary schools because they lack the resource to produce them. The visual instruction makes abstract ideas more concrete to the learners. This is to provide a basis for schools to understand the important roles in encouraging and supporting the use of audiovisual resource. In addition, studies have shown that there is significant difference between the use and non-use of audiovisual material in teaching and learning.

Objectives

1. To strengthen teachers skills in making teaching-learning process more effective
2. To attract and retain learners’ attention
3. To generate interest across different levels of students
4. To develop lesson plans that are simple and easy to follow
5. To make class more interactive and interesting
6. To focus on student-centered approach.

UGC NET 2016- JUNE: exam notification published

UGC NET exam notification published, the Central Board of Secondary Education announces holding of the National Eligibility Test (NET) on 10th July, 2016 (SUNDAY) for determining the eligibility of Indian nationals for the Eligibility for Assistant Professor only or Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Assistant Professor Both in Indian universities and colleges. CBSE will conduct NET in 83 subjects at 89 selected NET Examination Cities spread across the country.  

The candidates who qualify for the award of Junior Research Fellowship are eligible to pursue research in the subject of their post-graduation or in a related subject and are also eligible for Assistant Professor. The universities, institutions, IITs and other national organizations may select the JRF awardees for whole time research work in accordance with the procedure prescribed by them. The award of JRF and Eligibility for Assistant Professor both OR Eligibility for Assistant Professor only will depend on the performance of the candidate in all three papers of NET. However, the candidates qualifying exclusively for Assistant Professor will not be considered for award of JRF.

Subject Code

IMPOTENT DATES

Online Application Form Submission: 12th April 2016

Last date for Applying Online: 12th May 2016

Last date of submission of Fee through online generated Bank Challan, at any branch of (SYNDICATE/CANARA/ICICI/HDFC BANK) :13th May 2016

Correction in Particulars of application form on the website :17th to 23rd May, 2016

Which which of the following variables cannot be expressed in quantitative terms ? A) socioeconomic status , B)material status, C)numerical aptitude D)professional attitude

Socio-economic status