There have been increasing calls for applied researchers to see and utilize effect sizes as the primary outcomes of their research. However, this sometimes places a methodological burden on researchers whose primary interests are substantive. Motivated by a desire to help applied researchers better report effect sizes and their confidence…

This study attempts to find out students' expectations from mobile learning (m-learning) applications. The relationship between students' grade levels (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and their preferred m-learning application characteristics were analyzed. A questionnaire on students' preferences in m-learning applications was used as the…

Applications (apps) for hand-held devices, such as IPads and smart phones, are in great supply. Many of these focus on mathematics. A recent search revealed more than 4,000 apps for mathematics education. The ease of access and the fact that they are generally low cost, often free, means that they are readily available to the general population…

This paper focuses on mobile device usage of students in higher education. While more and more students embrace mobile devices in their daily life, institutions attempt to profit from those devices for educational purposes. It is therefore crucial for institutional development to identify students' needs and how mobile devices may facilitate these…

Minitab is a statistical computing system which uses simple language, produces clear output, and keeps track of bookkeeping automatically. Error checking with English diagnostics and inclusion of several default options help to facilitate use of the system by students. Minitab II is an improved and expanded version of the original Minitab which…

A computer-assisted program has been developed for the selection of statistics or statistical techniques by both students and researchers. Based on Andrews, Klem, Davidson, O'Malley and Rodgers "A Guide for Selecting Statistical Techniques for Analyzing Social Science Data," this FORTRAN-compiled interactive computer program was…

This paper describes a personal computer spreadsheet set up to carry out hierarchical log-linear analyses, a type of analysis useful for institutional research into multidimensional frequency tables formed from categorical variables such as faculty rank, student class level, gender, or retention status. The spreadsheet provides a concrete vehicle…

Three methods of transforming unordered categorical response variables are described. One is a method using dummy binary variables. The second method analyzes all categorical variables simultaneously and is based on an eigenanalysis of frequency patterns scaled relative to within-groups variance, jointly developed by J. E. Overall and J. A.…

Researchers persist in using stepwise regression in spite of problems with this approach. As noted by B. Thompson (1995), three problems accompany the use of stepwise applications. The first is that computer packages may use incorrect degrees of freedom in their computations, resulting in a greater likelihood of obtaining a spurious statistical…

Use of existing computer software within the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), offering the mechanism for an automatic management information system, is described. A historical database on students, staff, and costs was developed for eight Australian colleges. The system compiles and tabulates a wide range of reports. (MSE)

End-user statistical computing is one way to improve the productivity of researchers; it does so by providing them with a statistical computing environment and with guidance on its appropriate use. Critical success factors include: (1) ease of use; (2) software correctness and robustness; (3) compatibility with system resources; (4) training and…

In latent trait theory the latent space, or space of the hypothetical construct, is usually represented by some unidimensional or multi-dimensional continuum of real numbers. Like the latent space, the item response can either be treated as a discrete variable or as a continuous variable. Latent trait theory relates the item response to the latent…

The use of Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), a type of microcomputer application software, to analyze open-ended survey questions is discussed. Using open-ended questions allows researchers to ask respondents to express themselves freely about their attitudes and beliefs. This approach also can elicit a precise answer even though the…

A microcomputer spreadsheet software package can be used for a variety of tasks to manage a program or research project and to cut costs in evaluation. LOTUS 1 2 3 is a versatile, commonly available, and well-known electronic spreadsheet package. Spreadsheets were originally designed to emulate financial ledgers and balance sheets. They are useful…

The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) is presented as the single most appropriate statistical package to use as an aid in teaching statistics. A brief review of literature in which SAS is compared to SPSS, BMDP, and other packages is followed by six examples which demonstrate features unique to SAS which have pedagogical utility. Of particular…