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Action Research Project
Proposal
March 30, 2008
C. Barnes Gallagher
Overcoming Obstacles such as Idiomatic Barriers in
Respect to the GRE, a Standardized Test
OutsidePresentation
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Introduction Overview of GRE Challenge
Problem Description Problem Documentation
Setting: Population/group
selected for the study
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Introduction (continued)
Solution Strategy, Results
Recommendations for change Recommendations for future
researchers Solicitation of audience feedback
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Overview of GRE Challenge
OvercomingSocioeconomic
dilemmas
Focusing onProfessional
Workforces
Adapting,Advancing
Technology
Respondingto
idiomatic,
rationalconcerns
Prosperous Academic Goals, Achievements,Economy
Responsive Non-Profit Educational
Testing Service (ETS)
Viable, Communicative University System
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Overview
1. Problem Description
Many graduating and Graduate
University students avoid standardized
tests such as the GRE because they
fear poor scores that they known may
reflect controversial diverse dialects
and biases which fluctuate according tocultural and geographical areas.
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The problem is illustrated through verbalskills that have decreased by at least 50 pointsin 30 years, as well as a mere 2% of potential
examinees actually taking the exam.
Value for the GRE is solely linked to
acquired scores rather than essential skills that
the exam progressively instills and promotes(Bridgeman, Cline, & Hessinger, 2003, p. i).
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Objective Students will learn to value the exam as
a learning tool, and to correspond withETS regarding their concerns.
Results The intervention strategy will increase
verbal scores to 500-550, at least 50points greater than that which is themedian score, and an increased numberof examinees (500,000-1,000,000).
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2. Problem documentation By the year 2007, 15.34 million undergraduate University
seniors and 2.2 million graduate students had theopportunity to contribute to educational standards andstrengthen their academic skills by taking the Graduate
Record Exam which is offered by the New Jersey-basedEducational Testing Services (ETS) (Bridgeman, Cline, &Hessinger, 2003, p. i)
According to the Ethics Resource Center, approximately300,000 take the GRE each year (Pendell-Jones, 2003,
para. 1); this means that only ~ 2.31% of all undergraduateand graduate students actually take the exam each year.
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Key Assumptions
Students and teachers are aware of dialectic,idiomatic, demographic variations, and biases inherent
in an evolving language and increasing dependency on
tools provided by a technological revolution.
Most international students do not receive good
scores on the verbal section (Mupinga & Mupinga,
2005, p. 402).
Assessors of the exam express awareness of the
exams performance biases.
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Computerized testing has become the norm.
Key Assumptions(continued)
Of the 300,000 students who take the GRE each year,
41,000 are from China (Pendell-Jones, 2003, para. 1),and ~90% of Chinese test-takers did not feel that
purchasing the answer notes from other students could
constitute cheating (Pendell-Jones, 2003, para. 3).
75% of all students admit to cheating; 14% declare
that cheating is fair (Pendell-Jones, 2003, para. 11).
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Setting: population/groupselected for the study
According to the The National Data Book of The
2008 Statistical Abstract, U.S. Census Bureau, the
projection for 2008 is 13,677,000 public University
school students and 4,587,000 private college school
students (about 18 million altogether):
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s020
.
Our control group (3000 students) and action group
(3000 students) are composed of volunteer pupils who
are college students.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s0207.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s0207.pdf8/14/2019 ARP Presentation Regarding GRE Concerns
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Solution strategy or strategies
Attention must be directed to culturalpluralism and current dialectic, culturalissues of White and Asian-Americanfamilies, and Black and Hispanic families
who, despite their very low incomes, haveaddressed their concerns to agenciesprovided by ETS. The solution strategyincludes attention that must also bedirected to developing students who
represent 40 % of the children fromAlaska, New Mexico, Louisiana, andMississippi who live in impoverishedconditions (Barton, Coley, & EducationalTesting Service, 2007, p. 3).
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Verbal Scores: Action and Control Groups, Pre- and Post-Tests
Pre-Tests (3000 Examinees) Post-Tests (3000 Examinees)
800
700-799
600-699
500-599
400-499
300-399
200-299
Scores
Control Group Action Group
% # % #
1 30 3 90
1 30 3 90
19 570 40 1200
41 1230 42 1260
19 570 10 300
15 450 1 30
4 120 1 30
Control Group Action Group
% # % #
0 0 1 30
1 30 1 30
18 540 19 570
40 1200 33 990
20 600 22 660
16 480 18 540
5 150 6 180
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Initial Problem Analysis
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Final Analysis
Score Improvement
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Key Findings / Results 1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Pretest I Pretest II Posttest I Posttest II
Action
Control
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Key Findings / Results 2
Control Control Action Action
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Key Findings / Results 3
Condition Description
Action
Group
Control
Group
1 Corresponding with ETS True True
2 Daily Review of
Vocabulary, Etymology,
Quantitative Reasoning,
Analytical Writing
True False
3 Expressed Value through
Survey Results for the
GRE, a standardized
exam, as a learning tool.
True False
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Recommendations for change
The change is compelled by ETS associateswho project understanding for cultural
pluralism and a universally comprehensible
idiom and jargon as per the exams goals thatmust be extended to international studentswho otherwise may need to take the TOEFLfirst and be unable to achieve good scores onthe exams verbal section (Mupinga &Mupinga, 2005, p. 402).
The change includes the provision of studyguides that are offered free through the ETSonline site.
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Recommendations for future
researchers Recommendations include greater provision of the
new Internet-Based Testing (IBT) platform that isalso used for the Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL), as an improved learningintervention.
Recommendations include fair access by all potentialexaminees to the effective intervention that includes
the beta test offered through the IBT platform whichenables examinees to foresee topics that the finalcertified exam will cover.
Recommendations must refer to the security problemsarising due to repeated use of the same examination
problems and that which constitutes cheating.
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Questions
&
Discussion
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References
Barton, P. E., Coley, R. J., & Educational Testing Service (2007,
September). The family: America's smallest school [Policy
information report]. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from
http://www.ets.org/research/pic
Bridgeman, B., Cline, F., & Hessinger, J. (2003, May). GRE
research: Effect of extra time on GRE quantitative and verbalscores. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.ets.org/gre
Mupinga, E. E., & Mupinga, D. M. (2005, June). Perceptions of
international students toward Graduate Record Examination.
College Student Journal, 39, p. 402. Retrieved August 13, 2007,
from http://journals825.home.mindspring.com/csj/html
Pendell-Jones, A. (2003). Retrieved August 14, 2007, from
http://www.ethics.org/erc-publications/staff-articles.asp?aid=765
http://www.ets.org/grehttp://www.ethics.org/erc-publications/staff-articles.asp?aid=765http://www.ets.org/gre