Background: The MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) is a widely used patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) which assesses dysphagia-related quality of life (QoL) in head and neck cancer (HNC). Despite its common use in HNC research and clinical practice, few of its psychometric properties have been reappraised since its inception. The aim of…

Researchers have used different measures to examine participants' second-language (L2) proficiency, yet it remains unclear how these different measures influence research results on the effect of L2 proficiency on the target variable. The present research explored the modulation effect of four different measures of L2 Chinese proficiency on…

This issue's featured article, "Assessment and Learning: Fields Apart" (Baird, Andrich, Hopfenbeck, and Stobart 2017) raises issues that are of basic importance for the disciplines of assessment and teaching and learning theory. In this commentary, Alex Scharaschkin restricts his remarks to a few areas. He considers the idea of a…

The United States and the United Kingdom have used standardized high-stakes testing as a measurement of students' cognitive level to determine success in the 21st century. Standardized tests have given teachers guidance to help them determine what to teach students and how to teach to the test. With such increased emphasis on high-stakes…

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can be at risk of bias. Using data from a RCT, we considered the impact of post-randomisation bias. We compared the trial primary outcome, which was administered blindly, with the secondary outcome, which was not administered blindly. From 44 schools, 522 children were randomised to receive a one-to-one maths…

The idea that validity should be considered a property of inferences, rather than of assessments, has developed slowly over the past century. In early writings about the validity of educational assessments, validity was defined as a property of an assessment. The most common definition was that an assessment was valid to the extent that it…

An A-level General Studies candidate expresses frustration that questions in the administered examination have little relevance for environmental issues. Argues that the General Studies category is a good fit for environmental studies as students could better apply concerns about environmental issues through the broadening experiences afforded by…

Argues that criteria for grading essay questions in geography examinations must be explicit and must reflect the kinds of knowledge and abilities sought after in British undergraduate geography courses. Proposes evaluative criteria designed to encourage and assess critical thinking. Enjoins other geographers to further the debate. (CH)