Browsing by Subject "Assessment"

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14
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    The 2004 re-assessment of the South African sardine and anchovy populations to take account of revisions to earlier data and recent record abundances
    (National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2009) de Moor, Carryn L; Butterworth, Doug S
    Hydroacoustic surveys off the coast of South Africa over the early years of the 21st century indicated that both the sardine Sardinops sagax and anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus populations had simultaneously reached record abundances. The South African pelagic fishery is regulated using an Operational Management Procedure (OMP). The OMP in use at that time had been developed using data from the two populations prior to this rapid and substantial increase in abundances. This paper documents the revised assessments that were urgently required to provide a basis to update the OMP. These assessments resulted in a changed perception of the status and productivity of these populations. In particular, estimates of the stock-recruitment relationships and the extent of variation about them, which play a key role in evaluating risk when developing OMPs, altered substantially from estimates derived from earlier assessments.
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    2006 assessment of the toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) resource in the Prince Edward Islands vicinity
    (2006) Brandão, Anabela; Butterworth, Doug S
    The ASPM assessment of the Prince Edward Islands toothfish resource by Brandão and Butterworth (2005) that permitted annual fluctuations about a deterministic stockrecruitment relationship is updated to take account of further catch, GLM standardised CPUE and catch-at-length information that has become available for the years 2005 and 2006. The assessment allows for a second fleet to accommodate data from a pot fishery that operated in 2004 and 2005. Updated biological parameter values for Subarea 48.3 are incorporated and lead to less optimistic results. The resource is estimated to be at about 40% of its average pre-exploitation level in terms of spawning biomass. It is suggested that it would be prudent to restrict annual legal catches to 500 tonnes or less, unless a large proportion of the catch is to be taken by pots (which avoid the cetacean predation associated with longlining). Specific issues raised at WGFSA-SAM 2006 about this assessment are addressed.
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    Assessing adolescent diet and physical activity behaviour, knowledge and awareness in low- and middle-income countries: a systematised review of quantitative epidemiological tools
    (2022-05-14) Muzenda, Trish; Kamkuemah, Monika; Battersby, Jane; Oni, Tolu
    Purpose Quantitative epidemiological tools are routinely used to assess adolescent diet and physical activity (PA) constructs (behaviour, knowledge, and awareness) as risk factors for non-communicable diseases. This study sought to synthesize evidence on the quantitative epidemiological tools that have been used to assess adolescent diet and PA constructs in low to middle-income countries (LMIC). Methods A systematised review was conducted using 3 databases (EbscoHost, Scopus and Web of Science). Results We identified 292 LMIC studies assessing adolescent diet and PA. Identified studies predominantly explored behavioural (90%) constructs with a paucity of studies investigating knowledge and awareness. The majority of studies used subjective (94%) and self-administered (78%) tools. Only 39% of LMIC studies used tools validated for their contexts. Conclusions The findings highlight the need for more contextual tools for assessing adolescent diet and PA in LMICs. Diet and PA measurement tools used in future research will need to incorporate measures of knowledge and awareness for a more comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of diet and PA in adolescents. Furthermore, there is a need for more evidence on the reliability and validity of these tools for use, in both cross sectional and longitudinal studies, in LMIC contexts.
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    Clinical educators’ experiences of facilitating learning when speaking a different language from both the student and client
    (BioMed Central, 2017-11-02) Keeton, Nicola; Kathard, Harsha; Singh, Shajila
    Background: Worldwide there is an increasing responsibility for clinical educators to help students from different language backgrounds to develop the necessary skills to provide health care services to a linguistically diverse client base. This study describes the experiences of clinical educators who facilitate learning in contexts where they are not familiar with the language spoken between students and their clients. A part of the qualitative component of a larger mixed methods study is the focus of this paper. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants recruited from all audiology university programmes in South Africa. Thematic analysis allowed for an in depth exploration of the research question. Member checking was used to enhance credibility. It is hoped that the findings will inform training programmes and in so doing, optimize the learning of diverse students who may better be able to provide appropriate services to the linguistically diverse population they serve. Results: Participants experienced challenges with fair assessment of students and with ensuring appropriate client care when they were unable to speak the language shared between the client and the student. In the absence of formal guidelines, clinical educators developed unique coping strategies that they used on a case-by-case basis to assess students and ensure adequate client management when they experienced such language barriers while supervising. Coping strategies included engaging other students as interpreters, having students role-play parts of a session in English in advance and requesting real-time translations from the student during the session. They expressed concern about the fairness and efficacy of the coping strategies used. Conclusions: While clinical educators use unique strategies to assess students and to ensure suitable client care, dilemmas remain regarding the fairness of assessment and the ability to ensure the quality of client care.
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    Evaluating harm associated with anti-malarial drugs: a survey of methods used by clinical researchers to elicit, assess and record participant-reported adverse events and related data
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2013) Allen, Elizabeth; Chandler, Clare; Mandimika, Nyaradzo; Pace, Cheryl; Mehta, Ushma; Barnes, Karen
    BACKGROUND:Participant reports of medical histories, adverse events (AE) and non-study drugs are integral to evaluating harm in clinical research. However, interpreting or synthesizing results is complicated if studies use different methods for ascertaining and assessing these data. To explore how these data are obtained in malaria drug studies, a descriptive online survey of clinical researchers was conducted during 2012 and 2013. METHODS: The survey was advertised through e-mails, collaborators and at conferences. Questions aimed to capture the detail, rationale and application of methods used to obtain relevant data within various study designs and populations. Closed responses were analysed using proportions, open responses through identifying repeating ideas and underlying concepts. RESULTS: Of fifty-two respondents from 25 counties, 87% worked at an investigational site and 75% reported about an interventional study. Studies employed a range of methods to elicit, assess and record participant-reported AEs and related data. Questioning about AEs in 31% of interventional studies was a combination of general (open questions about health) and structured (reference to specific health-related items), 26% used structured only and 18% general only. No observational studies used general questioning alone. A minority incorporated pictorial tools. Rationales for the questioning approach included: standardization of assessment or data capture, specificity or comprehensiveness of data sought, avoidance of suggestion, feasibility, and understanding participants' perceptions. Most respondents considered the approach they reported was optimal, though several reconsidered this. Four AE grading, and three causality assessment approaches were reported. Combining general and structured questions about non-study drug use were considered useful for revealing and identifying specific medicines, while pictures could enhance reports, particularly in areas of low literacy. CONCLUSIONS: It is critical to evaluate the safety of anti-malarial drugs being deployed in large, diverse populations. Many studies would be suitable for contributing to a larger body of evidence for answering questions on harm. However this survey showed that various methods are used to obtain relevant data, which could influence study results. As the best practices for obtaining such data are unclear, anti-malarial clinical researchers should work towards consensus about the selection and/or design of optimal methods.
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    Evaluating measurement properties of subjective cognitive decline self-reported outcome measures: a systematic review
    (2022-07-18) Ibnidris, Aliaa; Robinson, Janelle N; Stubbs, Marissa; Piumatti, Giovanni; Govia, Ishtar; Albanese, Emiliano
    Background Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is present in the early stage of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and is associated with an increased risk of further cognitive decline and AD dementia later in life. Early detection of at-risk groups with subjective complaints is critical for targeted dementia prevention at the earliest. Accurate assessment of SCD is crucial. However, current measures lack important psychometric evaluations and or reporting. Objectives To systematically evaluate measurement properties of self-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used to assess SCD in the older adult population with or at risk of AD. Methods and analysis We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 Checklist for reporting. We conducted a literature search, screened, and included validation studies of SCD based on self-reported questionnaires from both population-based and clinical studies, conducted in older adults (≥ 55). We critically appraised the included primary studies using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Results Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies reported psychometric properties of 17 SCD self-reported questionnaires. We extracted data on the structural validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and cross-cultural validity and found a widespread proneness to bias across studies, and a marked heterogeneity is assessed and reported measurement properties that prevented the consolidation of results. Conclusion Our findings suggest that available SCD questionnaires lack content validity evaluation. Currently available measurements of SCD lack development and validation standards. Further work is needed to develop and validate SCD self-reported measurement with good quality measurement properties.
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    Further updates of an assessment of the Namibian hake resource, including both catch-at-age and catch-at-length information
    (2004) Rademeyer, Rebecca A; Butterworth, Doug S
    An earlier version of this paper was presented in February as an assessment of the Namibian hake resource based on both catch-at-age and catch-at-length information. Age-length keys for the Namibian hake are available for 1993, 1999 and 2000 and for those years, the catch-at-age data are used as input. For the years where no age-length keys are available, catch-at-length data have been used to fit the model. This follows the recommendation made by the January 2004 BENEFIT-NRF-BCLME Stock Assessment Workshop. More recent additions to the paper include examination of the effects of taking account of the January 2004 survey result, and of CPUE data from seven vessels that fished both before and after Namibian independence in 1990.
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    Predicting mortality among septic patients presenting to the emergency department–a cross sectional analysis using machine learning
    (2021-07-12) Karlsson, Adam; Stassen, Willem; Loutfi, Amy; Wallgren, Ulrika; Larsson, Eric; Kurland, Lisa
    Background Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, causing almost one fifth of all deaths worldwide. The aim of the current study was to identify variables predictive of 7- and 30-day mortality among variables reflective of the presentation of septic patients arriving to the emergency department (ED) using machine learning. Methods Retrospective cross-sectional design, including all patients arriving to the ED at Södersjukhuset in Sweden during 2013 and discharged with an International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 code corresponding to sepsis. All predictions were made using a Balanced Random Forest Classifier and 91 variables reflecting ED presentation. An exhaustive search was used to remove unnecessary variables in the final model. A 10-fold cross validation was performed and the accuracy was described using the mean value of the following: AUC, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, positive LR and negative LR. Results The study population included 445 septic patients, randomised to a training (n = 356, 80%) and a validation set (n = 89, 20%). The six most important variables for predicting 7-day mortality were: “fever”, “abnormal verbal response”, “low saturation”, “arrival by emergency medical services (EMS)”, “abnormal behaviour or level of consciousness” and “chills”. The model including these variables had an AUC of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80–0.86). The final model predicting 30-day mortality used similar six variables, however, including “breathing difficulties” instead of “abnormal behaviour or level of consciousness”. This model achieved an AUC = 0.80 (CI 95%, 0.78–0.82). Conclusions The results suggest that six specific variables were predictive of 7- and 30-day mortality with good accuracy which suggests that these symptoms, observations and mode of arrival may be important components to include along with vital signs in a future prediction tool of mortality among septic patients presenting to the ED. In addition, the Random Forests appears to be a suitable machine learning method on which to build future studies.
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    School-leaving and university entrance assessments in explaining performance in Engineering studies
    (South African Society for Engineering Education, 2018-02-16) Prince, Robert
    Only about 40% of South African first-time entering Engineering cohorts graduate within five years. An argument has been made that selection mechanisms will be needed to identify students who have the prior knowledge and ability needed to succeed in regular programmes and that selection tools such as Grade 12 results and other nationally or locally designed placement tests, such as the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs), be used for this purpose. The NBTs are a set of optional standardised tests that assess whether first-time applicants to South African universities are ready for the academic demands of tertiary education. The contribution of the NBTs to admission and placement has been investigated by a number of authors who have examined their effectiveness at forecasting success and for determining the need for additional academic support. None of these studies have focussed on Engineering or used dominance analysis as a method. This study focusses on cohorts from the Engineering and the Built Environment Faculty at a South African University. It uses linear regression and dominance analysis as well as categorical methods to investigate the contributions made by the national assessments in explaining higher education performance to inform Engineering admission, especially placement, policies as well as curriculum practices. The value of this information has significant potential to enhance retention and graduation if used appropriately. If South African universities are to continue to provide access, redress and success, particularly to students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they should consider not only students’ school-leaving performance but also their strengths and weaknesses as diagnosed through the NBTs.
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    Summary of the data and information available for the assessment of breeding stock C of the Southern Hemisphere humpback whales
    (2008) Johnston, Susan J
    • Fair amount of evidence to suggest three possible substocks C1 (Mozambique, and South African East Coast migration corridor), C2 (Mayote, Comores and other Islands of the Mozambique Channel) and C3 (Madagascan waters including Antongil Bay) • SC/A06/HW38 – suggests separation of C1 from the other, and lumping C2 and C3 • C2 considered small
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    Towards developing a consensus assessment framework for global emergency medicine fellowships
    (2019-11-11) Jahn, Haiko K; Kwan, James; O’Reilly, Gerard; Geduld, Heike; Douglass, Katherine; Tenner, Andrea; Wallis, Lee; Tupesis, Janis; Mowafi, Hani O
    Abstract Background The number of Global Emergency Medicine (GEM) Fellowship training programs are increasing worldwide. Despite the increasing number of GEM fellowships, there is not an agreed upon approach for assessment of GEM trainees. Main body In order to study the lack of standardized assessment in GEM fellowship training, a working group was established between the International EM Fellowship Consortium (IEMFC) and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM). A needs assessment survey of IEMFC members and a review were undertaken to identify assessment tools currently in use by GEM fellowship programs; what relevant frameworks exist; and common elements used by programs with a wide diversity of emphases. A consensus framework was developed through iterative working group discussions. Thirty-two of 40 GEM fellowships responded (80% response). There is variability in the use and format of formal assessment between programs. Thirty programs reported training GEM fellows in the last 3 years (94%). Eighteen (56%) reported only informal assessments of trainees. Twenty-seven (84%) reported regular meetings for assessment of trainees. Eleven (34%) reported use of a structured assessment of any sort for GEM fellows and, of these, only 2 (18%) used validated instruments modified from general EM residency assessment tools. Only 3 (27%) programs reported incorporation of formal written feedback from partners in other countries. Using these results along with a review of the available assessment tools in GEM the working group developed a set of principles to guide GEM fellowship assessments along with a sample assessment for use by GEM fellowship programs seeking to create their own customized assessments. Conclusion There are currently no widely used assessment frameworks for GEM fellowship training. The working group made recommendations for developing standardized assessments aligned with competencies defined by the programs, that characterize goals and objectives of training, and document progress of trainees towards achieving those goals. Frameworks used should include perspectives of multiple stakeholders including partners in other countries where trainees conduct field work. Future work may evaluate the usability, validity and reliability of assessment frameworks in GEM fellowship training.
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    Towards Validation of South African Communicative Development Inventories: An object naming/identification task for South African English and Afrikaans
    (2022) Husselmann, Nicole; Pascoe, Michelle; Southwood, Frenette
    Background: South Africa is a country rich in diversity, with language constituting a large proportion of this diversity as the country has eleven official languages with Afrikaans, isiXhosa and South African English (SAE) being the provincial languages of the Western Cape. Research on language acquisition in South Africa is limited, but vital for the early identification, assessment and management of children who are not developing language in a typical way. A recent project in South Africa has led to the development of Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs) in several of the country's official languages. MB-CDIs are parent-report questionnaires about young children's language acquisition. It is challenging to validate these MB-CDIs in the local context as there are few other language assessments available for comparative purposes. Aims and Objectives: This project aimed to develop a protocol for language assessments that can be used as part of the validation process for the MB-CDIs in South African languages. The objectives were (1) to devise a protocol for an object naming and object identification task for use with six South African languages (Afrikaans, isiXhosa, SAE, Sesotho, Setswana, and Xitsonga); (2) to describe the expressive and receptive language of children acquiring SAE based on assessment with two different tools/approaches (the object naming/identification task and parent-report MB-CDI); and (3) to describe the expressive and receptive language of children acquiring Afrikaans based on assessment with two different tools/approaches (the object naming/identification task and parent-report MB-CDI). Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods, descriptive-linguistic approach. The first objective relied on literature only and no participants were needed. I devised a protocol for a novel object naming/identification task1 which could be used to validate the MB-CDIs in six languages (Afrikaans, isiXhosa, SAE, Sesotho, Setswana, and Xitsonga). For objectives 2 and 3, focusing solely on SAE and Afrikaans, I used the protocol to devise an object naming/identification task to be used with each language, respectively. Participants (toddlercaregiver dyads) were recruited and a pilot study undertaken in which the object naming/identification task was administered to each child participant. I collected parental report data by either administering the MB-CDI in SAE and Afrikaans manually to the adult participants (parents/guardians of the children), or by providing them with a link to the online version of the MB-CDI which they were able to complete in their own time. A total of 35 dyads were included in this study: 17 child and 17 adult participants for SAE and 18 child and 18 adult participants for Afrikaans. Results: SAE: The descriptive statistics suggested variability in the overall scores on both the object naming/identification task and the MB-CDI. Correlations between the 25 items in the object naming/identification task and the same 25 items in the MB-CDI indicated a significant correlation between the two assessments overall (r=0.928; p<0.05) and a significant correlation was indicated for toddlers only (r=0.935; p<0.05) and a significant correlation was indicated for toddlers only (r=0.901; p< 0.01). Correlations between the object naming/identification task and the entire MB-CDI indicated a significant correlation (r=0.901; p< 0.01) for overall vocabulary scores. Internal reliability scores for only the 25 items included in the object naming/identification task and the 25 items in the MB-CDI also indicated a high internal consistency for the language domains (α=0.911). For the gesture domain, a reasonable but lower internal consistency (α=0.673) was found. Internal reliability scores overall indicated a high internal consistency for the language domains (α=0.947). In contrast, the internal consistency indicated for the gesture domain was not satisfactory (α=0.293). Afrikaans: The descriptive statistics indicated variability among scores obtained on the MB-CDI and the object naming/identification task. Correlations between the 25 items included in the object naming/identification task and only the same 25 items included in the MB-CDI, indicated a strong correlation (r=0.906; p< 0.01). No correlation was found for infants only (r=0.692; p< 0.05) and a significant correlation was indicated for toddlers only (r=0.901; p< 0.01). Correlations between the object naming/identification task and the entire MB-CDI indicated a strong correlation for overall vocabulary scores (r=0.909; p< 0.01). Internal reliability scores on only the 25 items included in both assessments indicated a high internal consistency for the language domains (α=0.960). Internal reliability scores between the object naming/identification task and the entire MB-CDI indicated a high internal consistency for the language domains (α=0.950). Similarly, a strong internal consistency was found for the gesture domain (α=0.914). Conclusion: The findings indicate that when correlating the responses to the 25 items included in the object naming/identification task and the MB-CDI only, as well as from the entire vocabulary and gesture sections of the MB-CDI, there is high concurrent validity between the two assessments overall for both SAE and Afrikaans. Focusing on toddlers and infants more specifically, although high concurrent validity was found overall, the findings for both SAE and Afrikaans suggest that there is high concurrent validity for both assessments for toddlers, but no correlation between the assessments for infants. High internal consistency indicated reliability for both assessments for SAE and Afrikaans. The object naming/identification task, which was developed and piloted in this study, has the potential to be used as a measure to validate full MB-CDIs in SAE and Afrikaans. Furthermore, it has the potential to be used as a valid and reliable screening tool in its own right, although further refinement is needed for the infant component of the task. The protocol developed in the first objective of this study can now be applied to other local languages, ultimately contributing to the creation of a valid and reliable set of assessments of young children's early language development in South Africa.
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    What should history teachers know? assessing history students authentically at the conclusion of the PGCE year
    (2014) Siebörger, Rob
    For many years the author has concluded a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) History Education course by choice with a formal written examination (albeit an unusual one - it doesn't have a time limit, for instance). When somewhat bemused students each year ask "Why?", the answer given is so that they will be assessed while working completely on their own under similar pressure to that which they will experience when preparing material for the classroom the following year. The article provides illustrations of the examination and students' answers. It considers how student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge may be assessed in history, how the knowledge and understanding of history may be assessed together with core history teaching abilities, and the interaction of history skills and content. It raises, also, issues of formative andsummative assessment and lower and higher order thinking, and poses questions about testing the knowledge of in-service teachers.
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    Why a management procedure approach? Some positives and negatives
    (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2007) Butterworth, Doug S
    The origin of the management procedure (MP) approach (sometimes termed management strategy evaluation), with its simulation testing of feedback-control algorithms as a necessary and structured basis for dealing with the inevitable uncertainties associated with fisheries assessments, is briefly reviewed. Also discussed are the advantages that overcome some of the difficulties of the “traditional” approach of coupling an annual “best” assessment to some harvest control rule, such as a failure to consider longer-term trade-offs properly. The MP approach does, however, also have disadvantages, such as the length of time typically required for its development and an argued inflexibility after implementation. Solutions that have been developed to overcome some of these difficulties are discussed.