Samuel Ball (educator)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Ball BA
MEd
PhD
, FAPA (9 January 1933 – 9 December 2009) was an Australian researcher and academic in the field of education. He was employed by ETS (Educational Testing Service
) in Princeton, New Jersey
where he conducted research and carried out several major program evaluation studies, before returning to Australia where he held a number of positions including adjudicator for the game show Sale of the Century
. During his career he authored many books.
. Other celebrated luminaries include Australian Prime Minister John Howard
and cricket
great Bob Simpson
.
His initial qualification for teaching came from Balmain's
Teachers College. Early in his career, he taught in a primary school in Sydney, before finishing his Sydney University
Arts degree at night, and leaving for the US for further study. He completed his Ph.D. at University of Iowa
, and went to New York where he worked at the Teacher's College, Columbia University
.
Sesame Street
and then The Electric Company
for Children's Television Workshop. In 1978, he left ETS to assume a professorship at the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. While at Sydney, from 1979 to 1984, Ball was editor of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Educational Psychology, the preeminent scholarly publication in the field of learning sciences.
Positions held:
Ball was the original adjudicator for Sale of the Century
as it aired for the first time in Australia in 1980. He would write the questions and producers would pick questions they liked and card them for airing. In close decisions Tony Barber
would ask 'Professor Sam' to adjudicate.
Consultancy work was completed for the UN in Africa and the Philippines.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
MEd
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, FAPA (9 January 1933 – 9 December 2009) was an Australian researcher and academic in the field of education. He was employed by ETS (Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
) in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
where he conducted research and carried out several major program evaluation studies, before returning to Australia where he held a number of positions including adjudicator for the game show Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century (Australian game show)
$ale of the Century was an Australian game show that aired on the Nine Network from 14 July 1980 – 29 November 2001. Tony Barber hosted an early version of Sale of the Century under the title of Temptation from 1970–1976, and was also the initial host of Sale, replaced by Glenn Ridge in 1991...
. During his career he authored many books.
Education
His early education included time spent at Canterbury Boys' High SchoolCanterbury Boys' High School
Canterbury Boys' High School is a public, secondary, day school for boys, located in Canterbury, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located near the Canterbury Park Racecourse and next to Canterbury Girl's High School.Established in January 1918 as the Canterbury...
. Other celebrated luminaries include Australian Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
great Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson (cricketer)
Robert Baddeley Simpson AO is a former cricketer who played for New South Wales, Western Australia and Australia, captaining the national team from 1963–64 until 1967–68, and again in 1977–78. He later had a highly successful term as the coach of the Australian team...
.
His initial qualification for teaching came from Balmain's
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
Teachers College. Early in his career, he taught in a primary school in Sydney, before finishing his Sydney University
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
Arts degree at night, and leaving for the US for further study. He completed his Ph.D. at University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, and went to New York where he worked at the Teacher's College, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Career
At ETS, Ball conducted what are today considered classic evaluations of the impact on learning of children's educational television, studying the effects of first, Jim Henson'sJim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
and then The Electric Company
The Electric Company
The Electric Company is an educational American children's television series that was produced by the Children's Television Workshop for PBS in the United States. PBS broadcast 780 episodes over the course of its six seasons from October 25, 1971 to April 15, 1977...
for Children's Television Workshop. In 1978, he left ETS to assume a professorship at the University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. While at Sydney, from 1979 to 1984, Ball was editor of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Educational Psychology, the preeminent scholarly publication in the field of learning sciences.
Positions held:
- Senior Research Psychologist, Educational Testing ServiceEducational Testing ServiceEducational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
c. 1968–78 - Professor of Education, University of SydneyUniversity of SydneyThe University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
1978–93 - Chair of Academic Board, University of Sydney 1988–91
- Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community Affairs), University of Sydney 1991–93
- Chief Executive, Victorian Board of Studies 1993–99
- Professorial Fellow, Melbourne University 2000–03
Ball was the original adjudicator for Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century (Australian game show)
$ale of the Century was an Australian game show that aired on the Nine Network from 14 July 1980 – 29 November 2001. Tony Barber hosted an early version of Sale of the Century under the title of Temptation from 1970–1976, and was also the initial host of Sale, replaced by Glenn Ridge in 1991...
as it aired for the first time in Australia in 1980. He would write the questions and producers would pick questions they liked and card them for airing. In close decisions Tony Barber
Tony Barber
Anthony "Tony" Ferraro Barber is an Australian game show host and television personality.-Early life:...
would ask 'Professor Sam' to adjudicate.
Consultancy work was completed for the UN in Africa and the Philippines.
Published works
- Motivation in Education. Academic Press, March 1977. ISBN 012077450X.
- The Second Year of Sesame Street: A Continuing Evaluation. By BOGATZ, GERRY A., and BALL, SAMUEL. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, 1971.
- Sesame Street summative research: some implications for education and child development. By Samuel Ball. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, 1972. ASINAsínAsín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
B0006W2LS6. - Research on Sesame Street: Some implications for compensatory education. By Samuel Ball. Educational Resources Information Center, 1972. ASINAsínAsín is a municipality located in the Cinco Villas comarca of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, located a few kilometers west of Orés. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 106 inhabitants....
B0006W0VDS. - Encyclopedia of Educational Evaluation: Concepts and Techniques for Evaluating Education and Training Programs. By Scarvia B. Anderson, Samuel Ball, Richard T. Murphy. Review author[s]: Daniel L. Stufflebeam. The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 47, No. 6 (Nov.–Dec., 1976), pp. 741–745. DOIDigital object identifierA digital object identifier is a character string used to uniquely identify an object such as an electronic document. Metadata about the object is stored in association with the DOI name and this metadata may include a location, such as a URL, where the object can be found...
10.2307/1979133.