Despite the increasing use of virtual modalities in schools since the COVID-19 pandemic, no systematic tools exist to evaluate the process of online learning. We developed and validated an Online Learning Process Questionnaire (OLPQ) for assessing online at-home learning among 219 Hong Kong primary-school students and 474 caregivers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of caregivers' data classified the 58-item OLPQ into 11 subscales: (1) learning aims, (2) environmental structuring, (3) learning environment, (4) time management, (5) engagement in learning activities, (6) persistence, (7) interaction between teachers and students, (8) interaction among students, (9) feedback from the interface, (10) application of learning, and (11) meaning of learning under three learning phases. Confirmatory factor analysis of students' data further categorized the 11-subscale framework into three learning phases: preparatory, performance, and transfer. The OLPQ demonstrated excellent reliability and discriminant validity across caregiver (Cronbach's alpha = 0.98) and student samples (alpha = 0.98). These findings indicate that the OLPQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the online at-home learning process among both students and their caregivers. Copyright © 2023 Springer Nature.

Despite the increasing popularity of online learning in elementary and primary schools, it is unclear to which extent that students' attitudes toward online learning influence their learning progress and outcomes. In this study, the Online Learning Attitude Questionnaire (OLAQ) was developed and validated to measure students' online learning attitudes among 383 caregivers and 172 primary school students in Hong Kong. The caregiver data were analysed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability analysis to establish the factor structure, reliability. and discriminant validity of the OLAQ questionnaire. The student data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis to cross-validate the factor structure and confirm the reliability and discriminant validity of the OLAQ. The final 34-item OLAQ questionnaire comprises five subscales including (1) enjoyment, (2) development, (3) motivation, (4) utilization, and (5) anxiety. These results indicate that the OLAQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing primary school students' attitudes toward online learning. Copyright © 2023 Taylor & Francis.

Research reveals that generic skills are essential for supporting students to not only finish school education but also achieve transition to the workplace and adult life. However, a comprehensive literature review found limited studies have been done to develop an assessment tool for examining the generic skills of students with special educational needs (SEN). Based on two sub-studies, the current study aimed to develop a short form of the Generic Skills Teacher-Rating Scale (GSTS) to assess six generic skills (i.e., Collaboration, Communication, Problem-solving, Self-management, Information Technology, Critical thinking) of SEN students. A total of 231 Hong Kong students from six special schools (including primary and secondary levels) participated in the two studies. Both CFA and Rasch analyses support a six-factor solution of the GSTS with reasonably good model fit indices. Researchers and educators may view the GSTS as an assessment tool, adding more information on SEN students’ generic skills beyond classroom settings to understand the daily-life functioning of students in special education and inclusive education settings. Implications of the results and future directions are also discussed. Copyright © 2022 The Special Education Society of Hong Kong Ltd.

A significant challenge in studying formative assessment is the lack of suitable instruments for assessing teachers' formative assessment practices. This paper reports the development of the Teacher Formative Assessment Practice Scale (TFAPS) and its psychometric properties based on two samples of primary and secondary school teachers: one from Hong Kong (N = 449) and the other from Italy (N = 309). Exploratory factor analysis identified two distinct factors, including teacher-directed formative assessment (TdFA, six items) and student-directed formative assessment (SdFA, four items). The confirmatory factor analysis supported this two-factor structure. Rasch analysis provided further psychometric evidence regarding scale dimensionality and item quality. This study suggests that TFAPS is an appropriate instrument for assessing teachers' formative assessment practices, but the cultural influence on teachers' formative assessment practices should be noted in the applications of the instrument. Copyright © 2022 SAGE Publications.

Despite the critical role of formative assessment in instruction, there is a lack of theory-driven instruments that specifically assess teachers’ formative assessment literacy. This paper reports the development and validation of the Teacher Formative Assessment Literacy Scale (TFALS). The instrument was developed on a three-dimensional model of formative assessment, aiming at assessing the conceptual, practical, and socio-emotional aspects of formative assessment literacy. Survey data were collected from 585 teachers in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Exploratory factor analysis suggests a three-factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis supports this structure. Rasch analysis results further support its scale dimensionality and item quality. In addition, the relations between TFALS scores and teachers’ formative assessment practices demonstrate the instrument’s external validity. Overall, the results suggest that the TFALS is an appropriate instrument for assessing teachers’ formative assessment literacy. The potential of using the TFALS in research and practice is discussed. Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A significant challenge in studying formative assessment is the lack of suitable instruments for assessing teachers’ formative assessment practices. This paper reports the development of the Teacher Formative Assessment Practice Scale (TFAPS) and its psychometric properties based on two samples of primary and secondary school teachers: one from Hong Kong (N = 449) and the other from Italy (N = 309). Exploratory factor analysis identified two distinct factors, including teacher-directed formative assessment (TdFA, six items) and student-directed formative assessment (SdFA, four items). The confirmatory factor analysis supported this two-factor structure. Rasch analysis provided further psychometric evidence regarding scale dimensionality and item quality. This study suggests that TFAPS is an appropriate instrument for assessing teachers’ formative assessment practices, but the cultural influence on teachers’ formative assessment practices should be noted in the applications of the instrument. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).

While assessment for learning (AfL) has gained increasing international prominence, and has been strongly promulgated by an increasing number of education systems, current instruments designed to measure students' assessment for learning experience show a number of methodological shortcomings, such as lacking construct validity and low internal consistency of scales, or structural confirmations of the dimensionality of AfL constructs captured in the questionnaires have not been tested. This paper presents the development and validation of a psychometrically robust measure of assessment for learning experience in the Chinese higher education-the Assessment for Learning Experience Inventory (AFLEI). Two independent samples of 201 and 163 higher education students responded to the AFLEI. The data were then subjected to Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFAs) and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs), respectively. Results from both EFAs and CFAs provided support for a five-factor AfL experience inventory with a strong psychometric basis. The five clusters of AfL experience perceived by the Chinese university students are Teacher formal feedback and support, Interactive dialog and peer collaboration, Learning-oriented assessment, Active engagement with subject matter, and Students taking responsibility for their learning. The correlations between the five clusters of AfL experience and the 'deep learning approach' of the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) supported the concurrent validity of the AFLEI. The AFLEI can be used both as an evaluation tool to evaluate the extent to which university students experience AfL practices in university curriculum, and as a research tool to explore more deeply the relationships between AfL experience and student learning.
[Copyright of Asia-Pacific Education Researcher is the property of Springer.]

This research aimed to develop a short form of the Self-assessment Practices Scale (SaPS). Guided by a process model of self-assessment, the SaPS scale was designed to assess the actions students engage in during the self-assessment process. The data used for developing the original 20-item SaPS (SaPS-20), i.e., 1,416 Hong Kong students ranging from Primary 4 to Secondary 3, were reanalyzed, and a 12-item short form (SaPS-SF) was developed. Factor analysis and Rasch analysis were applied in complementary ways to examine the psychometric properties of the SaPS-SF. The results showed that factor structure of the original scale held in the SaPS-SF, and all items fitted the Rasch model requirements sufficiently and measured the constructs as theorized. The findings presented in this study facilitate the measurement of self-assessment practice in a parsimonious and effective way. Copyright © 2020 Yan.

Schools around the globe increasingly realized the importance of technology and its application in the education system. To guarantee a successful educational innovation, schools seek out different parties for valuable opinions. Among them, parents are the important feedback providers, because their attitudes are influential on children's academic performance. Moreover, their involvement and support are considered the key factor that facilitates an effective implementation of programming education at schools. This study aimed at developing and validating an instrument measuring parents' perceptions of programming education among P-12 schools in Hong Kong. We propose that parents; perceptions of programming education is a multidimensional construct which constitutes (a) understanding, (b) support, and (c) expectation. In total, 524 questionnaires were collected from the parents who attended programming workshops and seminars. Exploratory factor analysis shows evidence for the three-dimensional construct. Confirmatory factor analysis reconfirms the measurement structure. Implications of the study are discussed.
[Copyright of Journal of Educational Computing Research is the property of SAGE Publications. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0735633118783182]