This study is aimed at presenting a critical overview of recent research studies on the use of educational online games as collaborative learning environments in Tertiary Education (TE), namely higher education and vocational training, with a view to identifying: a) the elements that online games should include in order to support fruitful and…

A new child has the potential for adding dimension and enrichment to the parents' and acquaintances' lives. Simulation development metaphorically mirrors pregnancy, birth, parental guidance, and maturation. An individual begins with a desire for enjoyment and future possibilities. Nurturers of simulation are aided by setting the following broad…

The intercultural reality of the global marketplace necessitates effective intercultural communication and diplomatic skills training. An effective educational strategy must emphasize a balanced enhancement of learners' conceptual understanding of intercultural communication, their attitudes toward cultural differences, and the skills required for…

Large scale surveys usually employ a complex sampling design and as a consequence, no standard methods for estimation of the standard errors associated with the estimates of population means are available. Resampling methods, such as jackknife or bootstrap, are often used, with reference to their properties of robustness and reduction of bias. A…

The usefulness of a goodness-of-fit index proposed by R. P. McDonald (1989) was investigated with regard to assessing the dimensionality of item response matrices. The m subscript k index, which is based on an estimate of the noncentrality parameter of the noncentral chi-square distribution, possesses several advantages over traditional tests of…

When examinees are allowed to review responses on an adaptive test, can they "cheat" the adaptive algorithm in order to take an easier test and improve their performance? Theoretically, deliberately answering items incorrectly will lower the examinee ability estimate and easy test items will be administered. If review is then allowed,…

This publication is designed for both classroom teachers and nonformal educators of young people in grades 6 through 12. It can provide a 6- to 8-week course of study on the watershed with students participating in activities as they are ordered in the guide, or activities may be used in any order with educators selecting those appropriate for the…

A method is proposed to assess the importance of differential item functioning (DIF) by estimating the largest possible fraction of the population in which DIF does not occur, or equivalently, the smallest possible portion of the population in which DIF may occur. The approach is based on latent class (C. C. Clogg, 1981) or mixture concepts, and…

This study examined the robustness of the estimation of fixed-effects in multilevel analysis, as might occur in the conduct of school-effects studies with outlying schools. Outlying values for both intercepts and slopes for individual schools were modeled separately to determine the effects of extreme values of second-level variables on the…

Recent advances in psychometrics and computer technology encourage the development of model-based methods of individualized testing on a microcomputer, where each examinee receives short tests and where the number of pretest items that can be administered is severely restricted. On-line (i.e., data is collected on operational equipment) methods…

Chronological age is a marker in time but it fails to measure accurately the performance or behavioral characteristics of individuals. This paper models the complexity of aging by using a system model and a human function paradigm. These models help facilitate representation of older adults, integrate research agendas, and enhance remediative…

A simulation study was performed to determine whether a group's average percent correct in a content domain could be accurately estimated for groups taking a single test form and not the entire domain of items. Six Item Response Theory (IRT) -based domain score estimation methods were evaluated, under conditions of few items per content area per…

Although computerized adaptive tests acquire their efficiency by successively selecting items that provide optimal measurement at each examinee's estimated level of ability, operational testing programs will typically consider additional factors in item selection. In practice, items are generally selected with regard to at least three, often…

In this paper it is shown that differential item functioning can be evaluated using the Lagrange multiplier test or C. R. Rao's efficient score test. The test is presented in the framework of a number of item response theory (IRT) models such as the Rasch model, the one-parameter logistic model, the two-parameter logistic model, the generalized…

This study developed a model to simulate nonmodel-fitting responses in a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) environment, and to examine the effectiveness of the model. The underlying idea was to simulate examinees' test behaviors realistically. This study simulated a situation in which examinees are exposed to or are coached on test items before…