Working with the entire junior class of a suburban, middle-class high school, researchers investigated the effects of family stability on student performance, using the Iowa Test of Educational Development as an achievement measure. A statistical test was applied to two groups of students, representing stability or lack of stability in the family…

Similarities and differences in the univariate and multivariate analysis of repeated measures designs are discussed, using a hypothetical data set studying the effects of practice on the algebra performance of four students to illustrate both methods. When data are analyzed through the univariate approach and the homogeneity assumption is…

The study involving 96 undergraduates with no previous experience with braille investigated variables (such as size of the braille symbols) affecting the learning of braille. Data were analyzed in terms of the number of correct responses, item difficulty, and error patterns. Visual Ss did better than haptic Ss on the regular bralle items but not…

To provide diagnostic feedback for college faculty, a faculty evaluation rating scale was developed and used by college students. The instrument consisted of 2 global items--rate the instructor, rate the course; 5 questions on general teaching characteristic--presentation, enthusiasm, discussion, organization, and personal attention; and 42 low…

One attributional model of achievement proposes that individuals attribute their own and others' performance outcomes to one or more of four causes, i.e., ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck, and that such attributions have motivational significance for subsequent achievement-related behavior. The effects of gender, level of resultant…

This paper is concerned with statistical issues in differential item functioning (DIF). Four subsets of large scale performance assessment data from the Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program-Revised (N=105,731; N=10,000; N=1,00; and N=100) were analyzed using three DIF detection methods for polytomous items to examine the congruence among the…

There is substantial evidence that the disposition of test takers is central to performance. This research extends previous work by replicating the experimental design of L. Wolf and J. Smith (1995) and conducting a secondary analysis of their data to attempt to demonstrate differential effect sizes for examinees reporting varying motivation…

Recent research on classroom achievement dynamics suggests a conflict of teacher/student values regarding effort expenditure. Student effort is clearly rewarded and the indifferences punished by teachers. From the student perspective, expending effort when risking failure is a potential threat because high effort/failure invites ascriptions to low…

The purpose of this study was to describe elementary preservice teachers' difficulties with understanding algebraic generalizations that were set in an authentic context. Fifty-eight preservice teachers enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course participated in the study. These students explored and practiced with authentic, hands-on…

The use of various physiological tests and measurements accurately predicts the performance ratings of female athletes. A study involving 180 female intercollegiate volleyball players, 142 female intercollegiate basketball players, and 115 female college-age nonathletes yielded a set of statistical differentials concerning arm length, lean weight…

An investigation to determine whether reading disabled children exhibit deviant oral language behaviors was undertaken in a study of 103 children in second, fourth, and sixth grades (in two groups, one reading disabled, one control). Four dependent measures (Developmental Sentence Scoring, Mean Length of Utterance, Type Token Ratio, and verbal…

This study was undertaken to determine the physical and motor fitness levels of elementary school students in Georgia. Components of the study included: (1) the students' physical and motor fitness levels when taught by physical education specialists and classroom teachers; (2) the relationship of motor performance variables to reading and…

Under a mastery learning system students can take successive parallel tests with study interspersed between tests until they demonstrate a minimal level of competency. For most students, such procedures increase final performance, yet some may experience repeated subjective failure. Self-worth theory predicts that repeated failure in the face of…

The effect of two student characteristics (sex and grade point average) and two class variables (educational level and expected grade) were investigated as they pertain to the validity of college student ratings of teaching effectiveness. Students completed the Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ) the last week of the semester. The TEQ…

School test performance is commonly summarized in terms of the percentage of students at or above a cut score (PAAC) that has been set on a test. Two approaches to estimating the standard errors for school PAACs were examined in this study: conditional standard errors and overall standard errors. The tests used were English language arts and…