Martha Koch

Email: mkoch@uottawa.ca

Position
PhD Candidate, Measurement and Evaluation

Research Interests
Validity Theory
Research Methodology
Educational Assessment

PhD Research:
Under the direction of Dr. Christine Suurtamm, I am in the process of establishing the parameters for my dissertation research which is tentatively titled ‘Reconceptualizing validity: Implications of multiple uses of large-scale assessment results’. This research project continues my work in educational measurement focused on the concept of validity and will focus on specific assessment practices related to the use of large-scale assessment results which challenge current dominant views of validity within educational measurement.

Background Information:
I began my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University at Kingston where I completed a Bachelor of Arts in psychology as well as a Bachelor of Education degree. Following a brief period as a classroom teacher at the intermediate level in the Ottawa public school system, I began my graduate studies at the University of Ottawa in the Measurement and Evaluation program. I completed my Master of Arts in Education in 1994 under the direction of Dr. Bruno Zumbo. While my thesis research was a Monte Carlo study in the area of robust statistics, the M.A. program also fueled my interest in both quantitative and qualitative research methodology.

Since the completion of my Master’s degree, I have had the opportunity to further explore research methodologies through my involvement in projects in a number of different research institutions. These projects include an investigation of methods for validating tests with small sample sizes, a series of empirical studies to validate a test of academic English-language proficiency and a large-scale study of the implementation of an educational reform initiative in the province of Ontario. I am currently involved in the Curriculum Implementation in Intermediate Mathematics (CIIM) study being undertaken in the PI Lab.

In addition to my academic and research interests, I have been teaching as a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Education since 1999. I have taught courses both at the Master’s level and in the Bachelor of Education program including courses in learning theories, curriculum and evaluation, and the development of classroom assessment tools.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information about my research projects, publications and conference presentations.