Augmented reality (AR), a cutting-edge technology, has the potential to change the way students learn by superimposing virtual items and information onto the real environment. Through more immersive and interesting interactions with digital content, AR might help students better understand difficult concepts and boost their drive to learn. As a…

The meaningful investigation of many problems in statistics can be solved through Monte Carlo methods. Monte Carlo studies can help solve problems that are mathematically intractable through the analysis of random samples from populations whose characteristics are known to the researcher. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the values of a statistic are…

This demonstration of the use of a computer simulation research method based on the System Dynamics modeling technique for studying distance education reviews research methods in distance education, including the broad categories of conceptual and case studies, and presents a rationale for the application of systems research in this area. The…

The Mantel-Haenszel (MH) procedure has become one of the most popular procedures for detecting differential item functioning (DIF). One of the most troublesome criticisms of this procedure is that while detection rates for uniform DIF are very good, the procedure is not sensitive to non-uniform DIF. In this study, examinee responses were generated…

The relationship between cognitive psychologists and researchers in artificial intelligence carries substantial benefits for both. An ongoing investigation in causal reasoning in medical problem solving systems illustrates this interaction. This paper traces a dialectic of sorts in which three different types of causal resaoning for medical…

Mothers' behavioral intentions about using physical punishment were examined to reveal influences on their selection of responses to child misbehaviors. Participants were 55 middle-class, mostly college-educated mothers of 3-to-4-year-old children. A total of 31 children were girls. Mothers operated a computer program which presented, in a random…

By definition, differential item functioning (DIF) refers to unequal probabilities of a correct response to a test item by examinees from two groups when controlled for their ability differences. Simulation results are presented for an attempt to purify a test by separating out multidimensional items under the assumption that the intent of the…

This study was designed to look for patterns of parental behavior by assessing styles of child rearing in a novel way--through responses on an interactive computer program simulating an average day in the life of a mother and a preschooler. Presented to each subject (39 mothers of preschoolers and a control group of non-mothers) were 30 common…

This investigation examined the value of using a multimethod-multisource approach to assess high-technology training systems. The research strategy was utilized to provide empirical information on the instructional effectiveness of the Reserve Component Virtual Training Program (RCVTP), which was developed to improve the training of Army National…

The effects of varying degrees of correlation between abilities and of various correlation configurations between item parameters on ability and item parameter estimation using the three parameter logistic model were examined. Ten two-trait configurations and one unidimensional test configuration for 30 item tests were simulated. Each…

This paper presents the results of a study on the effects of using 3 simulators with 14 computer science majors enrolled in an undergraduate computer architecture course. Three ability groups (high, medium, and low) were formed based on the students' quality point averages for prior computer science courses. Analyses of data from a pretest, a…

Equating tests from different calibrations under item response theory (IRT) requires calculation of the slope and intercept of the appropriate linear transformation. Two methods have been proposed recently for equating graded response items under IRT, a test characteristic curve method and a minimum chi-square method. These two methods are…

Whether item response theory (IRT) is useful to the small-scale testing practitioner is examined. The stability of IRT item parameters is evaluated with respect to the classical item parameters (i.e., p-values, biserials) obtained from the same data set. Previous research investigating the effect of sample size on IRT parameter estimation has…

The central purpose of the present study was to evaluate several statistical techniques (analysis of variance (ANOVA) on raw gains, standardized ANOVA, standard analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and z-score ANOVA) under various quasi-experimental conditions (three levels of reliability, three levels of sample size, three levels of gain, and the…

High and low level questions as determined by a panel of evaluators were combined with corrective feedback and attribute isolation feedback to form four versions of a computer-based science lesson. The sample consisted of 154 high school chemistry students in a suburban high school. The primary hypothesis was that students who received high level…