![]() | Ruth Childs Professor phone: (416) 978-1079 email: ruth.childs@utoronto.ca website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruth_Childs Departments: Leadership, Higher and Adult Education Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education | |
Research Overview Ruth Childs conducts research on the design and equity of large-scale assessments, admissions processes, and other evaluation systems. Her most recent large research projects investigated how elementary students deal with uncertainty when answering multiple-choice questions and what Ontario's universities are doing to improve access for underrepresented groups. She holds the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement. Academic History PhD in Quantitative Psychology from University of North Carolina BSc in Psychology from Duke University Teaching Overview Professor Childs teaches courses in research design, survey research, assessment, and evaluation. Representative Publications Paabo, M., Brijmohan, A., Klubi, T., Evans-Tokaryk, T., & Childs, R. A. (2019). Participation in peer-led supplemental instruction groups, academic performance, and time to graduation. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025119826287 Fraser, C., Herman, J., Elgie, S., & Childs, R. A. (2018). How school leaders search for and use evidence. Educational Research, 60(4), 390-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2018.1533791 Childs, R. A., Broomes, O., & Herbert, M. B. (2018). Deciding whether to respond: A latent class analysis of nonresponse on Ontario’s Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 64, 70-87. von Bergmann, H., & Childs, R. A. (2017). Creating a test blueprint for a progress testing program: A paired-comparisons approach. Medical Teacher, 40(3), 267-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2017.1403015 Childs, R. A., Hanson, M. D., Carnegie-Douglas, S., & Archbold, A. (2016). Investigating the effects of access initiatives for underrepresented groups. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2016.1231720 Childs, R. A., Ferguson, A. K., Herbert, M. B., Broad, K., & Zhang, J. (2016). Evaluating admission criteria effects for underrepresented groups. Higher Education Research and Development, 35, 658-668. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2015.1137877 Emenogu, B. C., Falenchuk, O., & Childs, R. A. (2010). The effect of missing data treatment on Mantel-Haenszel DIF detection. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 56, 458-468. Childs, R. A., Jaciw, A. P., & Saunders, K. (2007). Scoring guide alignment: Combining scorer judgments with item parameter estimates to set cut points. International Journal of Testing, 7, 243-254. Childs, R. A., Dunn, J. L., van Barneveld, C., & Jaciw, A. P. (2007). Does it matter if you “kill” the patient or order too many tests? Scoring alternatives for a test of clinical reasoning skills. International Journal of Testing, 7, 127-139. Childs, R. A., & Bower, B. (2006). Teacher testing and certification: An historical perspective from Ontario. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 38, 279-291. Childs, R. A., & Oppler, S. H. (2000). Implications of test dimensionality for unidimensional IRT scoring: An investigation of a high-stakes testing program. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60, 939-955. |