Thursday, June 19, 2014

Psychology First Profession to Offer Outcome-based Board Exam in the Philippines

(photo source - http://prc.gov.ph/)
Dr. Imelda Virgina G. Villar, Board Member of the Board of Psychology of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in her presentation at the Orientation for the Psychology Licensure Exam
Psychology held on 18 June 2014 informed a full packed PSSC Auditorium that Psychology will be the first profession to offer Outcome-based Board Exam in the Philippines. Aside from the Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists and Psychometricians (BLEPP) being implemented this coming October for the first time is another milestone in the history of Psychology in the Philippines.

Dr. Villar presented the TOS for both exams. She also discussed The New Taxonomy (photo below) I marked it as framing questions since I am not so familiar about this. So I did some research and read
some stuff about it. Check below to know more about outcome based education and this new taxonomy. As you will notice in the TOS per subject/course there's the outcome,  weight and number of items (each item is equivalent to 1%). She emphasized that the lesser the test item (lower percentage) means it has to do with retrieval/recall of information (basic of the cognitive system), and test with more items and of higher percentage means more challenging and complex.

Outcome-based education is all about competence - not only knowing information and theories but being capable to apply those knowledge and information into particular situations and circumstances. So the board exam is not only multiple choice of factual information and theories but more of the practical applications of those information, data and theories in particular cases and situations. Wherein a single situation/case scenario  may have 4-6 questions that should be answered. Level 6 - self thinking system in the taxonomy is the highest gauge in measuring level of competency.

So in a way we are also correct to label that the framing of question will be such as well.









Dr. Mirriam P.Cue, the Chairman of the Board of Psychology of PRC discussed about the importance of using an outcome-based licensured board exam. Her anecdote was that of the story of her husband who employs topnotchers to their engineering firm but are not able to deal and address properly issues and concerns that would crops up simply because they know things and facts but may not necessarily know how to do and apply those information and facts they learned.

She also made mentioned during her talk that their basis on matters of ethics - is the Code of Ethics for Philippine Psychologist. So at least there's a clue on those "ethicas/ethical"outcomes.

She also mentioned on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order 46 s2012, called “Policy Standard to Enhance Quality Assurance in Philippine Higher Education through an Outcomes-Based and Typology-Based QA,”  so the emphasis on the outcame-based examination.

Also in line with the ASEAN economic integration next year (2015) where there will be free movements of goods, capitals and professionals the outcome-based approach is also seen as a way to be at par with Philippines ASEAN counterpart in particular that of complying with the standards being set for the ASEAN Qualification Reference Framework in order to utilize the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) to benefit Filipino professionals who could now work in countries where Philippines can enter into MRA.


The highlight of the forum was the question and answer portion. Below are some of the questions raised and answered:

1) How many hours allotted for the exam?
Ans - 2 hours per subject and 2 subjects per day, format will be multiple choice
(Program of the examination is still being finalized which will inform which subject will be scheduled for each day)

2) Which DSM will be used?
Ans - DSM 4-TR and DSM 5, but for Psychometrician it will be the basic (good to know both), plus ICD-10 (Chapter 5)

3) Will there be consultation in Visayas and Mindanao?
Ans - Schools in the regions can invite the speakers and provide provisions for their travel.

4) Which review center is accredited?
Ans - Dr. Villar - not encouraging to avail services of the review centers instead she encourage to attend review conducted in school. For Dr. Cue it is the prerogative of individual to do review at review centers or school. Dr. Hechanova stressed that PAP is not and will not endorse any review center.

5)  Where will be the venue?
Ans - It will be in Manila. But those in the regions with more than 50 examinees,  different schools may file their collective request for a regional exam to their PRC regional director who will submit the request to PRC Manila for consideration,

6) How many times can the board be taken?
Ans - Law is silent about it, so as many times.

7) Any recommended text books?
Ans - Different schools have their own textbooks so no recommended textbooks.


Audio recording of the presentations made by Dr. Villar and Dr. Cue is available for download with the link below.The two files are in  MP3 format and could be played with Windows Media Player/Goom/and other MP3 Players

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9L6cSSvjzAoS1U4cEhwV1VZcFU&usp=sharing

Part 1 - 16.7 MB - 18 mins playtime (download takes about 4 mins)
Part 2 - 95.3 MB - 1:43 mins playtime (download takes about 8 mins)


Dr. Cue wishes all test takers to join the Oath Taking on Dec 9, 2014. Board results are expected to be out in 10 working days after the exam. 


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Related read


Outcomes-Based Education

http://www.mb.com.ph/outcomes-based-education/
So the outcome-based education has metamorphosed into Outcomes-Based Quality Assurance and later, Outcome-Based Teaching Learning (OBTL) which starts with clearly stating, not what the teacher is going to teach, but what the outcome of that teaching should be, what the learner is supposed to do and at what standard.  In the offing is the Outcomes-Based Teacher Education Curriculum (OBTEC) being pioneered by the National Center for Teacher Education, the Philippine Normal University, to produce innovative teachers, competent educational leaders, and proficient research scholars.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outcome-based_education
Methods of outcome-based education (OBE) are student-centered learning methods that focus on empirically measuring student performance (the "outcome"). OBE contrasts with traditional education, which primarily focuses on the resources that are available to the student, which are called inputs. While OBE implementations often incorporate a host of many progressive pedagogical models and ideas, such as reform mathematics, block scheduling, project-based learning and whole language reading, OBE in itself does not specify or require any particular style of teaching or learning. Instead, it requires the students to demonstrate the skills and course content that they are required to learn. However in practice, OBE generally promotes curricula and assessment based on constructivist methods and discourages traditional education approaches based on direct instruction of facts and standard methods.

Each independent education agency specifies its own outcomes and its own methods of measuring student achievement according to those outcomes. The results of these measurements can be used for different purposes. For example, one agency may use the information to determine how well the overall education system is performing, and another may use its assessments to determine whether an individual student has learned required material.

Outcomes
The emphasis in an OBE education system is on measured outcomes rather than "inputs," such as how many hours students spend in class, or what textbooks are provided. Outcomes may include a range of skills and knowledge, reduction of youth unemployment , return-on-investment. Generally, outcomes are expected to be concretely measurable, that is, "Student can run 50 meters in less than one minute" instead of "Student enjoys physical education class." A complete system of outcomes for a subject area normally includes everything from mere recitation of fact ("Students will name three tragedies written by Shakespeare") to complex analysis and interpretation ("Student will analyze the social context of a Shakespearean tragedy in an essay"). Writing appropriate and measurable outcomes can be very difficult, and the choice of specific outcomes is often a source of local controversies.

Each educational agency is responsible for setting its own outcomes. Under the OBE model, education agencies may specify any outcome (skills and knowledge), but not inputs (field trips, arrangement of the school day, teaching styles). Some popular models of outcomes include the National Science Education Standards and the NCTM's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics[dubious – discuss], as well as European Union's Rethinking Education.


http://tomasinoweb.org/2013/features/outcomes-based-education-onwards-the-future.tw
 As the term implies, the OBE focuses more on the outcomes of learning.
     While the focus before is more on the inputs of the teaching-learning process—aiming on teachers, their facilities and their resources, among others—the OBE focuses on the outputs of learning instead. Examples are competencies acquired and developed by students and how these things become concrete and measurable to be applied in the future.
     In planning the learning experiences of the students under OBE, teachers now create their class syllabi with the end in mind.

New Taxonomy

http://thekglawyerblog.com/ptblog/articles/from-bloom-to-marzano-a-new-taxonomy-of-educational-objectives-for-plt/

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://maine.gov/doe/cbp/taxonomieslearning.html


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQfjV4akEFcgFwFDqv4voyZuWNY7oA6-BiJ72vOh2_4jRgGzWAt


https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCczm-7Hew0ojxaudDl-dJZiuf05JvMXWu_LYzg-ZnBGXTYSsj


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Code of Ethics for Philippine Psychologists included in the licensure exam

image link - http://clinpsyc.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ethics.jpg


In the Orientation on the Psychology Licensure Exam that was hosted by PAP this morning, Dr. Cue, the Chair of the Board of Psychology of PRC made mentioned that the basis for their questions on matters pertaining to ethics on the ethical outcomes of the TOS will be the PAP  Code of Ethics posted below. So this document should be part of our review. 



 link source - http://www.pap.org.ph/includes/view/default/uploads/code_of_ethics_pdf.pdf

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Infographics - An Evolution of Mental Illness Treatment


An evolution of mental illness treatment

The infographics is silent about the use of DSM in diagnosing mental illness - so the prescription of psychoactive drugs. So much developments that took place in the 20th century that were not reflected in the infographics. Perhaps a separate one? Still a very nice presentation on the history of the treatment of mental illness.



Source - http://dailyinfographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/msr-evolution-mental-illness-treatment-640x3295.png

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Unang Taong Anibersaryo ng ating Blog


image source - http://www.qandun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/HappyAnniversary.175114211_large.jpg


Maligayang Anibersaryo sa ating Blog, sa mga bloggers natin at lalo na sa mga nagbabasa nitong ating blog! 
(Happy Anniversary to our Blog, to our bloggers and most especially to our readers!)

Sinimulan ang blog na ito dahil sa kakulangan ng mga impormasyon ukol sa Psychometrician Licensure Exam na noong nakaraang taon (2013) ay may mga balita na ipapatupad ito. Subalit malaking pasalamat ng lahat at hindi natuloy, nalungkot din syempre ang ilan na nag-review tapos maghihintay pa pala sila ng isang taon. 


Ilang araw at buwan din naming sinubaybayan ang mga websites ng CHED, PAP at PRC para sa mga announcements at makapigil hiningang paghihintay kung tuloy ba o di tuloy ang exam. Sa kalaunan lumabas din ang announcement na sa Oktubre 2014 na ito gagawin. 


Gayon din sa pagpasa ng mga requirements kailangan pang bisitahin ang PRC para malaman kung kailan pwedeng magpasa ng mga requirements para mag-board wala pa rin hanggang sa ngayon (as of writing)  mabasa sa webpage ng PRC at ng Board of Psychology ang ukol dito. Nadiskubre na lang natin nang  nakaraan na pwede na pala ang online application sa PRC subalit walang linaw pa noon kung kailan maaring magpasa at paano magpasa ng mga requirements - bagay na aming isusulat at i-blog kapag nagawa na namin. Kasalukuyang inihahanda pa namin ang mga kung anu-anong  mga requirements.


Kaya kung hindi ka handa ay malamang kung saan ka papapuntahin at ipapasa. Katulad na lang ng kwento ng isang kakilala na napapunta doon sa pagpapasahan ng requirements para sa nag-avail ng grandfather clause ng batas o RA 10029 - doon sa hindi kukuha ng board dahil sa matagal na nilang karanasan sa pag-practice ng psychology o bilang psychometrician (guidance counselors, teachers, psychometrician, etc). 


Paano naman ang mga nasa probinsiya malayo sa Manila, o kaya mga self-review lang at walang access sa mga impormasyon nakukuha tulad  ng mga nasa review centers. Kaya ito po ang naging dahilan natin para mag-blog - ang ibahagi sa inyo ang ilang mga ng kaalaman, impormasyon o update na nakukuha namin na napaka-dalang mabasa at makita offline man o online. 


Laking pasalamat din sa mga nagse-self-review at lumabas na ang Tables of Specificications (TOS). Ngayon mas alam na ang bagay na dapat aralin at i-review. Kung kaya't patuloy kami sa pag-aaral at pag-review para sa paggawa ng mga Review Guides at Quizzes.

Kaya sana po kasama din namin kayo na tumulong ipaalam ang ilang mahalagang mga impormasyon sa mga kapwa natin kukuha ng Licensure Exam para sa Psychometrician.


At sa ating unang taon,  nais nating ibahagi ang ilang infographics sa ibaba na  naabot na ng ating blog - mga statistics sa ating pageviews, traffic sources, posts, at iba pa. Kabilang ang posts na ito mayroong 109 posts na tayong nai-blog. May ibang buwan na masipag at naka-30 posts tayo, may buwan naman na 2 lang ang aming nai-post.


Pataas ang bilang ng nagbabasa ng blog. 
Hindi bumababa ng 500 ang pageview sa isang araw.


Pinakamaraming hits/pageviews ang post ukol sa 
Review Centers.


Syempre naman Pilipinas ang pinakamaraming 
mambabasa ng blog. Poland, hmmmm....


Marami gamit ang PC/laptop sa pagbabasa ng blog, subalit  pataas din ang bilang nang gamit ay ang kanilang tablet/smartphones at android ang OS.

  
I-google mo!
Google search ang pinagmumulan ng maraming 
traffic at pumapangalawa ang Facebook.



Kung gustong subaybayan ang ating mga blog posts at iba pang updates mangyari lang na idagdag kami sa mga sumusunod:









Job Descriptive Index


Job Descriptive Index (JDI) is a scale used widely in personnel psychology to measure five major factors associated with job satisfaction - the nature of the work itself, wages and salaries, attitudes towards supervisors, relations with co-workers, and opportunities for promotion. (Colman, A.M., Oxford Dictionary of Psychology)

Read more here - http://www.siop.org/tip/july10/06jdi.aspx

About the scales
For more than 50 years, the Job Descriptive Index and related scales have been continually developed and refined by the university’s noted Job Descriptive Index Research Group. Comprised of numerous faculty members and Ph.D. students, members of the research group have used their expertise in psychology, scientific research methods, and organizational behavior to study workplace attitudes and behaviors using these scales. To encourage the use of the scales, the scales are available for you to use free of charge. Products and services related to our scales are available for purchase, and proceeds help to fund efforts in the future.
  • The Job Descriptive Index is designed to measure employees' satisfaction with their jobs. The JDI is a “facet” measure of job satisfaction, meaning that participants are asked to think about specific facets of their job and rate their satisfaction with those specific facets. The JDI is comprised of five facets, including satisfaction with: coworkers, the work itself, pay, opportunities for promotion, and supervision.
  • The Job In General is also designed to measure employees’ satisfaction with their jobs. The JIG is a measure of global satisfaction, meaning that participants are asked to think about how satisfied they are with their job in a broad, overall sense.
  • The Abridged Job Descriptive Index and Abridged Job in General are shortened versions of the original scales. The abridged versions maintain adequate reliability, while reducing the administration time.
  • The Stress in General is designed to measure employees’ general level of workplace stress. Participants are asked to think about whether or not particular stress-related descriptors are characteristic of their job.
  • The Trust in Management is designed to measure employees’ feelings of trust toward senior management in their organization. Analysis of the scale revealed four factors (components) of trust: ability, benevolence, consistency, and integrity.
User’s Manuals, Automated Scoring Services, Norm-Referenced Scoring, and other services
It is strongly recommended that researchers and workplace professionals acquire the Quick Reference Guide prior to administering the JDI or other scales. These documents describe the development, validity, and reliability of the scales, as well as the proper administration, scoring, and interpretation of the scales. We offer solutions that can help you quickly recode your data for interpretation (automated scoring) and even compare scores from your sample to scores obtained from a large-scale, nationally-representative sample of United States workers (norm-referenced scoring).

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Psychometrician Licensure Exam Online Quiz Reviewer

Updated 28 October 2014

Practice Quiz

1) Psychological Assessment 
testmoz.com/321862
Quiz passcode - tagumpay

2) Abnormal Psychology 
testmoz.com/320019
Quiz passcode - mabuhay





Blog updated last 10 June 2014


Below are the results  of the quizzes as of  9 June 2014

Industrial Psychology
N= 57
Average Score
32%

Abnormal Psychology
N= 83
Average Score
51%

Theories of Personality
N= 35
Average Score
79%

Psychological Assessment
N=28
Average Score
57%

(N is the total test takers, it is okay to take the quiz as many times you want and continue to use a single user name so we do not count your test as different person. Average score, average of all the results from among the test takers - there are few exceptional/high scores and low scores and majority of the middle scores). Will make a new blog entry with graphical presentations.

Industrial psychology - difficulty lies on the names and dates. Check the TOS and basing from it, the exam will be more theoretical not factual/historical. Will be making new quizzes that are more TOS compliant. Watch out for them!

===========================

Below are the links of our Psychometrician Licensure Exam Online Quiz Reviewer, very short quiz of 20 items. Please note that these quizzes were made prior to the release of the Tables of Specifications (TOS) - the outline, topics or coverage of the licensure exam.


1) Psychological Assessment 
testmoz.com/321862
Quiz passcode - tagumpay

2) Industrial Psychology 
testmoz.com/320688
Quiz passcode: pag-asa

3) Abnormal Psychology 
testmoz.com/320019
Quiz passcode - mabuhay

4) Theories of Personality
https://testmoz.com/321176
Quiz passcode - kalayaan

We would like to solicit support from you should you want to help improve these quizzes  and share also with others who are doing self-review. You might want to add questions for the quizzes and share notes about the topics/subjects.

Please do not forget to sign-up here to get more information and updates about the Psychometrician Licensure Exam - http://psychometricpinas.blogspot.com/2014/06/sign-up-and-get-download-links-to-our.html

Also, try to comment and give us feedback on the comment section below of this blog or this FB link - 

We just created a google groups for our review. Please check your email for those who already signed up. Unfortunately if you are not using  gmail account you have to create one,  otherwise you will not be able to join the group.  Check your spam mail inbox for the invitation. 

What's the advantage of a google group? It will be much easier for us to go back to the discussions unlike in Facebook that it is so difficult to review and get back to the thread of the discussion because of new updates. Since this is an open forum and group discussion we hope that you can actively participate and interact with the rest of the members. Post questions and answer questions and give your opinions and ideas backed up with source and references to make it credible. We have to keep the focus and refrain spamming the group with unrelated topics, otherwise moderators will ban you.


For many of us doing self-review helping each other will make our review much better and easier.