An exploration into the criteria used in assessing design activities with adaptive comparative judgment in technology education

peer-reviewedThe use of design assignments for teaching, learning, and assessment is considered a signature of technology education. However, there are difficulties in the valid and reliable assessment of features of quality within designerly outputs. In light of recent educational reforms in Ireland, which see the introduction of classroom-based assessments centring on design in the technology subjects, it is paramount that the implementation of design assessment is critically considered. An exploratory study was conducted with a first year cohort of initial technology teacher education students (N = 126) which involved them completing a design assignment and subsequent assessment process through the use of adaptive comparative judgement (ACJ). In considering the use of ACJ as a potential tool for design assessment at post-primary level, data analysis focused on criteria used for assessment. Results indicate that quantitative variables, i.e. the amount of work done, can significantly predict performance (R2 = .333, p < .001), however qualitative findings suggest that quantity may simply align with quality. Further results illustrate a significant yet practically meaningless bias may exist in the judgement of work through ACJ (ϕ = .082, p < .01) and that there was need to use varying criteria in the assessment of design outputs

Harmonization of human biomonitoring studies in Europe: characteristics of the HBM4EU-aligned studies participants

Human biomonitoring has become a pivotal tool for supporting chemicals' policies. It provides information on real-life human exposures and is increasingly used to prioritize chemicals of health concern and to evaluate the success of chemical policies. Europe has launched the ambitious REACH program in 2007 to improve the protection of human health and the environment. In October 2020 the EU commission published its new chemicals strategy for sustainability towards a toxic-free environment. The European Parliament called upon the commission to collect human biomonitoring data to support chemical's risk assessment and risk management. This manuscript describes the organization of the first HBM4EU-aligned studies that obtain comparable human biomonitoring (HBM) data of European citizens to monitor their internal exposure to environmental chemicals. The HBM4EU-aligned studies build on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies. The HBM4EU-aligned studies focus on three age groups: children, teenagers, and adults. The participants are recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11 to 12 primary sampling units that are geographically distributed across Europe. Urine samples are collected in all age groups, and blood samples are collected in children and teenagers. Auxiliary information on socio-demographics, lifestyle, health status, environment, and diet is collected using questionnaires. In total, biological samples from 3137 children aged 6-12 years are collected for the analysis of biomarkers for phthalates, HEXAMOLL((R)) DINCH, and flame retardants. Samples from 2950 teenagers aged 12-18 years are collected for the analysis of biomarkers for phthalates, Hexamoll((R)) DINCH, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), and samples from 3522 adults aged 20-39 years are collected for the analysis of cadmium, bisphenols, and metabolites of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The children's group consists of 50.4% boys and 49.5% girls, of which 44.1% live in cities, 29.0% live in towns/suburbs, and 26.8% live in rural areas. The teenagers' group includes 50.6% girls and 49.4% boys, with 37.7% of residents in cities, 31.2% in towns/suburbs, and 30.2% in rural areas. The adult group consists of 52.6% women and 47.4% men, 71.9% live in cities, 14.2% in towns/suburbs, and only 13.4% live in rural areas. The study population approaches the characteristics of the general European population based on age-matched EUROSTAT EU-28, 2017 data; however, individuals who obtained no to lower educational level (ISCED 0-2) are underrepresented. The data on internal human exposure to priority chemicals from this unique cohort will provide a baseline for Europe's strategy towards a non-toxic environment and challenges and recommendations to improve the sampling frame for future EU-wide HBM surveys are discussed

Assessing students’ perceptions of fit between secondary and higher education: a validation study of the SPFQ

Supporting first-year students to adjust to their new academic environment is a crucial task in higher education. Investigating students’ perceptions of fit between secondary and higher education could give higher education institutions valuable information for student feedback and support, when captured in a reliable and valid way. This study examines the construct validity, reliability and criterion-related validity of the Students’ Perceived Fit Questionnaire (SPFQ) by using a longitudinal dataset (N = 930, first-year students). The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure measuring students’ perceptions of: 1) the extent to which secondary education prepared them for higher education in terms of content knowledge; 2) resemblance in the teaching approach between secondary and higher education and 3) the need to adapt to their higher education study programme. Concerning the criterion-related validity, it was found that first-year students who experience similarities in teaching approach are more likely to persist in their studies. Furthermore, our results indicated that first-year students who experienced less need to adapt to their higher education study programme felt more self-efficacious regarding their own learning and, consequently, were more likely to persist in their studies

Integrating human health into wetland management for the Inner Niger Delta, Mali

Livelihood and water-related diseases are strongly linked to wetland management. The majority of wetland stakeholders in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali considered human health and sanitation the most important criteria of a list of challenges and water-related pressures. Yet, a methodology to integrate health risks and opportunities into wetland management plans has previously not been proposed, despite the clear links and substantial real-life challenges. In this paper, a framework is presented to do this in data-poor context structured around the process to evaluate and prioritise the appropriateness of management options to improve human health. In the data-poor context of the Inner Niger Delta, the selection of criteria and indicators, and the scoring of management options against these criteria and indicators has been done by a panel of stakeholders. Criteria were chosen to reflect the often difficult conditions in which management options need to be implemented and thus focused on the effectiveness and feasibility of management options to reduce the disease burden and the two major pathways for environmental disease transmission, namely contaminated water (pathogens) and stagnant water (parasites and organisms that can transmit them) at three wetland scales: urban areas, urban wetland and rural wetland. The feasibility for the sustainable implementation of a management option refers to the required institutional capacity and is scored by means of the concept of “adaptive capacity”. The presented framework uses rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, to promote mutual understanding and to achieve an integrated assessment of the appropriateness of management options

Learning styles, motivation and performance: differences between two school levels in Dutch secondary education

In the Netherlands, the difference between senior general secondary and pre-university education is a major issue in political debates. Educationalists claim that most curriculum programmes, pedagogy and educational materials for secondary education use pre-university as a norm; senior general secondary education is understood as simply a lower level of pre-university education. In this study, differences in learning styles of students from both school levels were examined as well as the moderating role of learning styles in school motivation and performance. Subjects were a convenient sample of 204 students from a secondary school in medium-sized city in the western part the Netherlands. Students’ learning style was measured by the Learning Style Inventory; school motivation and performance were both also measured by self-report items. Students of senior general secondary education differ from student of pre-university education in school motivation and performance, showing less motivation and lower performances for the former group of students. No differences in learning style were found. However, differences between students from senior general secondary education and pre-university education) in both school motivation and school performance were explained in different way by learning style. Interpretations of a different learning environment in both school levels are discussed