Evaluating model fit in two-level Mokken scale analysis

Currently, two-level Mokken scale analysis for clustered test data is being developed. This paper contributes to this development by providing model-fit procedures for two-level Mokken scale analysis. New theoretical insights suggested that the existing model-fit procedure from traditional (one-level) Mokken scale analyses can be used for investigating model fit at both level 1 (respondent level) and level 2 (cluster level) of two-level Mokken scale analysis. However, the traditional model-fit procedure requires some modifications before it can be used at level 2. In this paper, we made these modifications and investigated the resulting model-fit procedure. For two model assumptions, monotonicity and invariant item ordering, we investigated the false-positive count and the sensitivity count of the level 2 model-fit procedure, with respect to the number of model violations detected, and the number of detected model violations deemed statistically significant. For monotonicity, the detection of model violations was satisfactory, but the significance test lacked power. For invariant item ordering, both aspects were satisfactory

The effects of guided elaboration in a CSCL programme on the learning outcomes of primary school students from Dutch and immigrant families

This study examined the effects of guided elaboration on students’ learning outcomes in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The programme provided students with feedback on their elaborations, and students reflected on this feedback. It was expected that students in the experimental (elaboration) programme would show better learning gains and that students from immigrant families would especially benefit. Two hundred primary school students of 9 different schools participated. The research can be characterized as a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, control group design. In a multilevel regression analysis, no main effect of the intervention was found. However, there was a significant differential effect of the intervention; students from immigrant families in the experimental programme outperformed their counterparts in the control group. It can be concluded that guided elaboration in a CSCL programme through feedback and reflection is a promising approach. Keywords: CSCL; outcomes; participatio