Introduction to the large-scale assessment study, the Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (ERCE 2019) with R.

Group Submission Type: Pre-conference Workshop

Description of Session

Purpose. The present workshop will introduce participants to the UNESCO’s fourth Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study [Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo] (ERCE 2019).

The course is aimed at graduate students, emerging researchers, and continuing researchers interested in educational research. ERCE 2019 is an international large scale assessment study, that collects representative samples of 3rd and 6th grade students, from 16 Latin-American countries. Students are assessed in math, language, and science (only at 6th grade), and collects context and background information from students, teachers, school principals, and student’s families via questionnaires. Moreover, the present study includes a module collecting self-reports of socioemotional constructs, including empathy, openness to diversity and self-regulation at school. Similarly, the present study includes different of school practices such as classroom disruption, support for students learning, and class organization. In summary, ERCE 2019 is large scale assessment study, containing valuable information for any researcher interested in Latin-American educational systems, school effectiveness research, educational inequalities, learning environments research, school psychology, among other disciplines.

Learning objectives. The participants will learn how to load the study data, produce descriptive results matching study reports, fit regression models and multilevel models to assess research question and relevant hypotheses for policy research.

Additionally, participants will be introduced to the different features most common large-scale studies have such as complex sample design and complex assessment design (plausible values). These different features are transferable knowledge for researchers using secondary data.

After completing the workshop participants should be able to:

Access the ERCE 2019 data, via R, and load it in the R environment for further use

Generate descriptive results, making use of the study design. Thus, matching study descriptive reports, and producing generalizable statistical results to the participating countries.

Fit regression and multilevel models to study the association of different covariates to a dependent variable of interest. These includes dependent variables represented with plausible values and observed variables.

Delivery plan. Through a five-hour workshop, participants will have hands on experience regarding how to access the study data, documentation, and how to use the statistical software programming language R for these purposes. The workshop includes presentations, and walkthrough examples with reproducible R code to load data, generate descriptive, fit regression models, and multilevel models using R.

All materials will be shared with the participants, in such a way, that a user can run a generated example, and obtained the expected results in their own laptop or computer machines, thus conforming to reproducible code.

Code and materials will be shared via a github link [1]. Before the workshop, the participants will have to install R, R Studio, and different R packages to run the shared code and obtained the expected results.

Participants should have basic knowledge of R, and quantitative research knowledge. Theoretical fundamentals of statistics are out of the scope of the current workshop. Instead, the present workshop is tailored introduce the ERCE 2019 study materials for researchers interested in using large scale assessment studies for their own research.

[1]: "https://github.com/dacarras/cies_2023_erce_2019" currently empty.

Sub Unit

• Pre-Conference Workshops, Book launches, and Visual Art Exhibits / Pre-Conference Workshop

Workshop Organizers

• Diego Carrasco, Centro de Medición MIDE UC, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

• Ernesto Treviño, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

• Carlos Cayumán, UNESCO

Presenter

• Andres Sandoval-Hernandez, University of Bath