Yin Burgess, a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina (UofSC), in the College of Education’s Educational Research and Measurement Program, recently presented a research paper at the 28th Annual Conference of the South Carolina Educators for the Practical Use of Research (SCEPUR). Her paper, “Examination of Item Quality in a State-wide Music Assessment Program Using Rasch Methodology Abstract” was awarded SCEPUR’s Distinguished Paper Award.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English Education, from Guangzhou University, China; Master of Arts in Educational Studies, from Concord University, Canada; Burgess said, knowing that "UofSC’s educational research and measurement program is a renowned one,” made it an easy decision to attend UofSC for her doctoral degree.
The Office of Program Evaluation (OPE) and the SC Educational Policy Center, both affiliated with the College of Education, provide students with a multitude of hands-on opportunities to apply what they have learned in class to the real world. Burgess’ focus is on assessment and measurement with particular research interests in structural equation modeling, Rasch modeling, classroom assessment, performance assessment, and survey studies. She considers having the opportunity to see the impact of her research when she visits local schools, as the highlight of her time at UofSC.
Burgess’ advice offered to students when making a decision to attend UofSC at any undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral level is to “establish a goal prior to entering a program, yet allow flexibility in achieving it.” She continues to tell students, “Choose a field about which you have passion. Passion is paramount in the pursuit of any goal. Without it, you risk becoming complacent and loosing focus on your goals.”
With graduation set for 2018, Burgess is anxious to apply her knowledge at a college or university conducting institutional or educational research, as well as teaching students.
On a personal note, Burgess enjoys gardening, watching movies, and learning foreign languages.