Background: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for children and adolescents (ICF CY) has been proposed as a possible framework for evaluating assessment and rehabilitation practice in children with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs).Aim: The aim of this case report is to describe an evaluative and diagnostic process based on the ICF CY framework for a SpLD patient to show its applicability to this kind of developmental problem.Method: A 10-year-old boy with difficulties in reading and writing was assessed both traditionally administering a set of cognitive and language test batteries and, innovatively, with the ICF CY checklist aimed to estimate the functioning profile of the child.Results: The reasons for implementing the recent ICF CY as a framework to assess SpLD in children and to set the goals of interventions were supported. Whereas traditional assessment gives a validated parameter to evaluate the cognitive level and specific difficulties in reading and writing, ICF CY enhances the traditional diagnosis embracing both impairment and social factors to consider when selecting appropriate goals to bring about change in the lives and in the school experiences of children with SpLD, and it gives important cues to teachers, rehabilitators and therapists.Conclusion: ICF CY gives caregivers the opportunities to work together not only to provide direct intervention with the child, but also to work in partnership with the child's family, friends, school and society.
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a relatively neglected psychological phenomenon that rarely appears in mainstream psychological journals or textbooks. To date, this field of inquiry has focused primarily on professional and amateur adult musicians or college level music students. With the exception of a small number of recent additions to the literature, there have been few studies examining the experience of MPA in younger musicians. In this paper, we review our work on MPA in general, and summarize our recent work with young musicians. We argue that the experience of MPA may begin early in a musical career and that the characteristics of this experience are qualitatively similar to those experienced by adult musicians. There are therefore compelling reasons to address MPA early and to take a strong preventive focus on a condition that to date shows persistence over time and only modest response to available treatments.
The paper focuses on the role of Virtual Learning Environments in the scope of different types of assessment in foreign language learning and teaching promoting learner autonomy and developing such key competences as learning to learn. Effective language education calls for a more learner-oriented approach to assessment and Learning Management Systems such as Moodle seem to respond to such needs in the computer assisted teaching/learning process.
This paper presents a potential monetary assessment of natural habitats based on a method worked out in 2003 in the Czech Republic. The assessment was prepared for the reclaimed flooded mining pit in Suszec. The analysis was focused on three variants of real and potential habitats from the reclaimed land. Natural values of the flooded mining pit have undergone changes due to afforestation reclamation activities. It has been calculated that the value of natural habitats expressed in numbers will decrease by 70.7% in comparison to the area prior to reclamation, whereas the monetary value of the natural habitats will decrease by 10,319,519.00 PLN. An important element of the assessment includes recognition, diagnosis and evaluation of the actual state of natural habitats by preparing a detailed inventory and determining the most valuable species of plants and animals as well as landscape values. Unfortunately, at present in Poland there is no clear and explicit method of estimating the assessment of lost natural value that would allow approximating the monetary value of a given terrain and determine the most favourable direction of its management. Application of monetary assessment of natural habitats requires its adjustment to Polish conditions. Due to the similarity of climate and geomorphological conditions in Central Europe, it is possible to adopt elements of habitat assessments used in the Czech Republic and in Germany. Natural habitat assessment will provide a solid base for preventing conflicts caused by the needs of economic development at the expense of local protection of the natural environment. As a result, it will be easier to achieve an agreement between different parties in the investment process, and, moreover, the assessment method will prevent additional financial losses, generated during the process of achieving functionality by the habitats. Correct analysis of the values of natural habitats may significantly reduce losses in the natural environment and aid in the selection and choice of the most relevant reclamation method.
The article introduces the Polish adaptation of the Work Regulatory Focus Scale. The authors tested its validity in three studies. Confi rmatory factor analyses vindicated the two-factor solution with a lowcorrelation between promotion and prevention scales and their relatively high reliability (Study 1). We observed the expected differences between dissimilar professions in the levels of regulatory foci (Study 2). Moreover, the tool allowed us to predict participants’ results in a different criterion – creativity (Study 3), by demonstrating that promotion-oriented participants are more original, fl uent and divergent in producing creative ideas than prevention-oriented participants. Implications for the results and the WRF Scale are discussed.
The aim of the article is to present selected aspects of academic assessment as an element of a hidden curriculum. Based on the literature on the subject, the results of the research will be presented showing how the assessment system, deep rooted in educational environment, generates unplanned educational outcomes, including a surface approach to learning and various strategies of coping. Proposals of alternative solutions in evaluation procedures will be presented, involving active involvement of students in designing, managing and checking the effects of their own work. The new assessment culture should support the learning process and reduce the gap between the explicit and hidden curriculum.
Researchers have raised questions regarding the connection between learner familiarity with computers and performance on computerized tests virtually since interest arose in studying the applicability of computers for assessment purposes. However, despite this longstanding attention, at present, there has been a surprising lack of research that explores the connection between computer familiarity and performance on computerized tests that fall outside of the traditional multiple-choice discrete-point tests that have historically predominated in the fielf of testing and assessment. The current study aims to address this gap in previous research by examining the relationship between computer familiarity and computer-based test performance on a computer-based test of second language reading that is integrative rather than discrete-point. The study investigated the online reading ability of ESL students from one secondary school in a large city in western Canada (61 females and 59 males in the sample, ages 13-19, M=15.73). The students responded to a questionnaire about their computer familiarity and then completed an online multiple-choice cloze test. Contrary to other most other findings based on discrete-point tests, the results revealed that the familiarity variables do account for a small but significant amount of the variability in the computer-based test scores.
Background: The aim of the study is to clarify the beliefs and numerous doubts about the possible identification of personality in handwriting. The purpose of the described studies was to show an association between personality traits and handwriting features. The author aimed to verify whether or not there are any specific characteristics of writing in relation to personality traits. | Method: Two different studies have been described. A different number of subjects participated in the investigations and different techniques for personality assessment were used; however, the same set of handwriting features was analyzed in each study. In the first study the NEO-FFI (n=260) was used, while the EPQ-R (n=180) was used in the second study. The graphic characteristics of the handwriting samples were examined by forensic experts. | Results: The correlations between the personality traits and handwriting features were counted. The results showed that there were few significant correlations between handwriting parameters and personality traits, as measured by the NEO-FFI and EPQ-R. | Conclusions: No writing characteristics were specific to personality traits. There is no evidence for assessment of personality on the base of handwriting.
In this paper we describe how LAMS (Learning Activity Management System) might help English language teachers to design and implement e-Learning-oriented e-Assessment and to enhance the techniques they employ to provide complete assessment units embracing all linguistic skills. In doing so, we present an example of an assessment unit in which such an implementation can be seen through the combination of different resources LAMS provides, thus improving the design of didactic syllabuses.
In order for the local administration to satisfactorily fulfil its tasks, its functioning needs to be constantly perfectioned. Ideally, the modernisation should relate to an established pattern of good offices of the local government. The article presents the efforts made at the Urząd Miasta Częstochowy in order to improve management, by applying the Institutional Development Program.
Electronic portfolios have become popular in teacher education programs as they allow learners to document and reflect upon their work and learning process. This cross-sectional study examines data gathered from 19 primary and secondary EFL teachers enrolled in a postgraduate program. The study aims at understanding these teachers’ learning experiences while developing an electronic portfolio. A survey questionnaire with Likert-type, checkboxes-type and open-ended questions were used to collect data. The results indicated that teachers valued e-portfolios as an authentic and process-oriented assessment tool that involves reflection, documentation, and dissemination of their work.
Purpose: The study has two aims. One was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition risk factors among persons of advanced old age living in rural areas. The second was to assess an aggregate assessment of malnutrition risk in this group using the NSI Determine Checklist. Material and methods: Questionnaire surveys were carried out among a random-quota sample of 253 people over 75 years of age (175 women and 78 men), living in the rural part of Sokółka municipality in the Podlaskie Province, Poland. Results: 78.2% of the study group were at increased risk of malnutrition (50.8% at high risk; 27.4% at moderate). The most common risk factors included multi-drug therapy (63.6%), problems within the oral cavity or problems with teeth interfering with food intake (59.9%), eating alone (45.8%), difficulty doing shopping and preparing meals, and independent consumption (43.5%). Significantly more men than women admitted to drinking three or more glasses of alcohol daily (11.7% vs. 0.6%). More women admitted to eating alone (56.6% vs. 21.8%) and taking at least three medications daily (68.6% vs. 52.6%). Persons over 80 (57.7% of the study group) were significantly more likely than younger respondents to have problems with oral health (65.5% vs.52.3%), as well as difficulty doing food shopping, preparing meals, or eating them independently (50.0% vs. 34.6%). Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition risk factors among persons of advanced old age in rural areas is high, and as a result, aggregately assessed high risk of malnutrition affects as many as half of them. Introduction of relevant screening methods would help address this underestimated clinical problem and facilitate early nutritional intervention
The main objective of the research was to determine how temporary employees perceive the process of their onboarding in the context of the efficient performance of their responsibilities. The analysis covered the information obtained by the employee during onboarding, such as the employer’s expectations concerning the position in question, organization of work, procedures and values applied at the company, as well as work evaluation terms. A quantitative research was held based on a questionnaire filled in by 286 respondents. The study revealed that temporary employees had a good opinion of the methods of onboarding. It turned out that the opinion on onboarding, especially with respect to work organization, worsened with age. The study also determined that with increasing level of education, employees’ opinion worsened with regard to the completeness of information provided during onboarding and concerning work evaluation methods and the values applied at the company.
This article will examine the validity of existing assessment procedures in the UK and compare and contrast these models with other possible assessment and accreditation models. It will also examine the possibilities for quality assessment (QA) procedures offered by the use of digital technologies. Implicit in this descriptive and analytical process will be an examination of the linkages between these models of assessment and the opportunity for professional registration. Issues addressed in this article will be: the status quo in the assessment and registration of interpreters and translators for the public sector in the UK; the impact of new social, political and economic realities on the existing assessment and registration regime; the opportunities and/or threats to quality norms represented by online digital technologies. The material will be of particular interest to: end users of interpreter and translator services in the public sector; interpreting and translation test developers and QA procedure designers; interpreting and translating practitioners, in-service and aspiring
The study presents a secondary analysis of the “Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes, Generic Skills Strand”, the international study of critical thinking skills (OECD, 2012). National secondary analyses include a comparison of student teachers (n = 110) and students of other study programmes (n = 413) in critical thinking and investigates a potential relation of contextual characteristics with their critical thinking performance. Performance Task and Multiple Choice Questions were used to measure critical thinking skills and a Contextual Questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data, and subjectively evaluated characteristics related to test-taking motivation and coursework. The main results showed that student teachers scored lower in critical thinking performance than students of other study programmes.
We have investigated the relationship between performance in sports exercises and perceived difficulties in physical ability tasks for boys and girls. In order to assess physical abilities in sport, we conducted experiments concerning methods for self-evaluating the difficulty of physical ability required in sports exercises through implementation of creative vaulting tasks in addition to Eurofit and Evareg tests. Based on a hypothesis that specific physical abilities could predict performance in physical education for boys and girls, we distinguished the relationship between genders concerning perceived difficulty for varied ability tasks. Although sporting exercises performance was high among boys rather than girls, there was no significant difference in perceived difficulties of physical tasks between genders. We highlight how perceived difficulties among students appears to have resulted in higher student motivation levels, and increased desire to improve performance for more effective learning and teaching experience. We recommend that methods of perceiving difficulties in sport exercises need more exploration for better practices.
Physical fitness and health are two concepts that more and more evidence show their close relationship. The main aim of this paper is to provide an assessment protocol accessible, affordable and easy to apply, to assess fitness and health. To test the protocol, a total amount of 115 participants (59 men and 56 women) aged 25.9 years were assessed. The assessment protocol is designed and tested for application in a population over 18 years of age. It was used to assess the University of Balearic Islands community users. Based on evidence and validated tests (Alpha and Afisal test batteries, Stepping Queen College Test), the following measures for the design of the protocol for assessing the level of fitness and health were recorded: anthropometry (weight, BMI, body fat, waist circumference), fitness (lower extremity strength, upper body endurance, hand grip strength, maximum oxygen intake, flexibility), and blood pressure. The assessment protocol include the previous action of the reception of the participant (explanation and administering of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) and an ending action where a report of the results obtained and individual recommendations to improve the overall fitness and health level is provided to each participant.
Experts as well as uninitiated public often call for more simple methods of company evaluation, respectively the assessment of the financial health of the company. Currently, there are many methods that enable to identify the financial situation of the company. It is primarily the assembling of the financial ratios of Schmalenbach's society (Synek, 2009, 2010), the assembling of so called new indicators that attempt to evaluate the company financial health within the one simple value (added economic value, added market value and others), and assembling of methods of the complex evaluation of an enterprise based on ratio indicators. Financial Analysis by Schmalenbach's society is built on exact inputs (unfortunately features of the past), but interpretation of the results is very complicated and based on the recommendations and experiences of the evaluator. In relation to the interpretation of results, this financial analysis of financial ratios can be assessed as a benchmarking model. The second group of indicators has a very simple informative value - the result is given as one number, which can be apprised totally objectively by evaluator. The input data are derived from the degree of the risk in most such methods, and therefore distorted by the subjective perspective of the evaluator or of expert view of agencies. The last group (Altman's index, IN indexes, and others) are built on the mutual relation of ratios indicators and of development of business environment at the time of creation of each method. There is currently no method or system of methods that would give a totally reliable and easily interpretable result. The paper will focus the third group of indicators and will analyse the de ciencies that predispose the selected methods to fail in today's business environment.
The article describes the results from the comparative analysis of the acquired clinical skills’ assessment of undergraduate medical students in an innovative problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional curriculum. Attention is paid on the fact that even partially introduced in part of the early phases of the curriculum the PBL format of education has its impact on the future clinical functioning of the medical students. The PBL students performed better in comparison with their peers from the traditional track in regard to: the complete history taking as gathering data for the family history, available contacts with acute infectious diseases and known allergies to foods, drugs and other substances; and the use of more laboratory and other tests for building a diagnostic plan.
This paper presents a validation study of a new questionnaire of self-control as an individual trait. The questionnaire has two parallel versions, one based on self-reports (AS-36) and another one based on informant reports (AS-36-3). Each version consists of three subscales, called Inhibition (12 items), Switching (12 items), and Goal Monitoring (12 items). Eight samples of participants (N = 935 altogether) took part in the validation study. Both versions obtained satisfactory indices of internal consistency, assessed with Cronbach’s alpha and split-half coefficients. Selfcontrol assessed with this scale proved to be entirely independent of general intelligence. However, AS-36 and AS-36-3 scores tended to correlate with other self-report measures of trait self control, such as Tangney, Baumeister, and Boone’s (2004) self-control scale. We conclude that AS-36 is a valid and reliable tool, suitable for assessment of self-control in both research and diagnostic settings.
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