Log in
Research examining the best ways of identifying and diagnosing motor impairment in children has established a universal standard of assessment: the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). Co-authored by Sugden (University of Leeds), a complete new edition was developed in 2007. The second edition contains a new standardised test of motor impairment, a new criterion referenced checklist and a new intervention manual based on participation and learning, all informed by the authors' theoretical, empirical and professional research. The MABC is used in educational, health, and psychological services globally to provide detailed and accurate profiling of children 3 - 16 years, and through assessing children's motor skills and providing guidelines for intervention, it is used to determine strategies across the world to improve participation in activities in daily living for children with movement difficulties.
Border agencies, employers and universities use language tests to make decisions about immigration requests, job applications and university admissions. The two largest tests in the world have 4.5 million test takers per year. Good test design is crucial in determining the fairness, relevance and accuracy of the results. Our research has enabled us to create new tools that have been used to enhance quality control and develop assessment skills. We have created new scoring methods to make performance assessment more reliable, and developed theoretical frameworks to improve test development. Our research has impacted upon professional practice and training within examination boards.
Meaningful and useable definitions of language proficiency levels are essential for effective English curriculum design, language learning, teaching, and assessment. Since 2008 the socio-cognitive framework developed by the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) has had a major impact on international test providers, enabling them to clarify the proficiency levels underpinning their English language tests, particularly the criterial features distinguishing one proficiency level from another. It has enabled them to develop more valid, dependable and fair measurement tools and to increase numbers of candidates taking their tests. For millions of successful candidates these enhanced English tests improve job prospects, increase transnational mobility and open doors to educational and training opportunities. Accurate proficiency tests lead to better informed and more equitable decision-making processes in society.
Research by Utley and colleagues at the University of Leeds, which examined ways of identifying, diagnosing and assessing Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in children, led to an elaboration of the working definition of the condition - the Leeds Consensus Statement. Compared to other developmental disorders and impairments, DCD has been poorly understood with the previous diagnostic criteria causing confusion amongst clinicians and practitioners. The 2006 consensus statement provided a new universal standard in the diagnosis and assessment of DCD, together with clear principles to guide intervention. Its impact from 2008 onwards can be demonstrated through educational and health clinicians and practitioners across the world adopting the new standard and using it to diagnose DCD. Worldwide 4-6% of children born have DCD, since 2006 this is identified by the Leeds Consensus Statement.
The Adult Developmental coordination disorder Checklist (ADC) is the first screening tool developed specifically to identify the difficulties experienced by adults with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).
DCD was previously regarded as a childhood disorder. However, increasing evidence suggests that the motor difficulties experienced persist into adulthood. Previously, little information was being collected about how these difficulties present in adulthood or their impact on everyday living and there was no standardised screening tools for assessing the level of functional impairment.
The key impact of the ADC is that it is currently being used clinically nationally and internationally to clarify target areas for support.
Academic English language skills are essential if overseas students are to perform effectively in university/college contexts and to engage in study with relative independence and adequate comprehension. The Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) has developed a theoretically sound and practically efficient methodology for the construction and validation of tertiary-level Academic English tests used in the selection of millions of students by universities worldwide. Greater precision in language tests enables academic institutions to target their resources in ways that bring maximum benefit to students, both pre- and post-entry. CRELLA's research into how English is employed in academic contexts has led to significant improvements in test design and practice, and added to the commercial impact of both the existing tests to which they have contributed and the new tests they have created. Over £1.6 million was generated by our development of the Password test alone — see Section 4 below.
There are over 3 million dyslexic people in the UK. Without support, disproportionate numbers of dyslexic children end up with low literacy skills, unemployed, and with significantly higher incidence of mental health problems. Low literacy is a major cost both to schools and subsequently.
It is now well established that early identification and intervention is the most effective method of reducing these problems. Sheffield researchers have been pioneers in 'translational dyslexia' — developing theory and turning it into applied action. They were the first in the world to use the science of learning to develop a theory of dyslexia; the first to publish a normed screening test that could be used by teachers for effective early diagnosis; and the first to develop and validate a combined screening and support package that could be used by teachers for early intervention.
These innovations have led to impacts on a range of levels: the screening tests have been used for hundreds of thousands of children in the UK, and translated into eight further languages; and the interventions have been cited as examples of best practice for practitioners in England and Wales, and in India.
This case study details the impact of a pioneering theoretical approach to English language testing. Recognised as the most influential test validation theory in modern assessment, the socio-cognitive framework, conceived by Weir and O'Sullivan, and operationalized and developed further by O'Sullivan at the University of Roehampton, focuses on three key elements: the test taker (social), the test system (cognitive), and the scoring system (evaluative). This framework is applied to give a meaningful measure of a candidate's performance, appropriate to the underlying traits or abilities being assessed. This research has had a significant impact in two distinct phases: 1) through a series of commissioned projects since 2008, the research has had a significant impact on testing bodies, organisations and test takers internationally, and 2) it has underpinned the development of innovative new business products by a leading international educational and cultural organisation since 2012.
The modified shuttle test (MST), developed at the University of Ulster by Professor Bradley and colleagues, is an evidence-based exercise test that is having the following impacts:
Research into variable mechanical energy absorption, using Finite Element (FE) modelling and analysis, funded by Cellbond Ltd., led to a design specification for an Offset Deformable Barrier (ODB). Such barriers are used within the motor manufacturing industry to test vehicular safety. Based on the findings of our research, the barrier used in car crash tests has been redesigned. The design specification for the barrier has been adopted by the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP). All newly designed cars are tested with this type of barrier before they enter production. The use of FE modelling and virtual crash testing allows barriers to be designed with particular properties and for the crash testing cycle to be shortened.