In studies of educational achievement, students' self-reported number of books in the family home is a frequently used proxy for social, cultural, and economic background. Absent hard evidence about what this variable captures or how well, its use has been motivated by strong associations with student outcomes. I show that these associations rest…

A study by Mullen and Tallent-Runnels (2006) found significance in the differences between online and traditional students' reports of instructors' academic support, instructors' demands, and students' satisfaction. They also recognized that the limitation to their study was their demographic data. In an original report funded by the Alfred P.…

One goal of basic research in education is to identify the variables of effective instruction. As this pursuit has been conceived, however, its theoretical problems make it unlikely that the effort will provide a clear picture of instructional variables, their interactions, or the kind of teacher training that is implied by instructional variables.

Despite the widespread belief in a positive influence of research on education, the empirical evidence is lacking (Hattie and Marsh 1996). Several authors have questioned the appropriateness of the operationalisation of both aspects of the relation between teaching and research. This article takes a closer look at the research questions in…

Shows that the variables "educational level" and "low personal involvement" can predict "no opinion" and "don't know" responses in polls. (RL)

This paper explores the relationship child health and educational achievement using data from the Ghanaian Living Standard Measurement Study (LSMS), as well as the reliability of such health-education studies in general. An analysis of the data indicated that: (1) the failure to control for estimation problems in the LSMS and other studies has led…

A study of predictors of academic success among Nigerian students in two U.S. universities encountered the problem of too small a sample despite methodological precautions. It raised the question of whether it is possible to establish general placement recommendations applicable to foreign students in different institutions and from different…

Argues that, in the assessment of school "effects," multiple indicators of school effectiveness are required, including scholastic attainment, classroom behavior, absenteeism, attitudes to learning, continuation in education, employment, and social functioning. Assesses empirical evidence on the extent to which schools may be effective…

An unsuccessful attempt to develop a standard battery of aptitude measures to distinguish practicing dentists is reinterpreted. A sample of 116 dentists showed few differences from the norm group on 22 potential predictors, with some differences counterintuitive. It is concluded that broad conceptualization of characteristics required to complete…

The authors question Burgoon's assumption that the acquisition of grades and the achievement of course goals are highly positively correlated. The major criticisms of Burgoon's study concern use of grades as measurements of success and the nature of the experimental population. The use of grades is criticized on the grounds that disparity existed…

Found low intercorrelations among social involvement, academic achievement, and occupational aspiration in a national sample of Black undergraduates attending predominantly White, State-supported universities. Suggests that future research on Black student success should explore factors internal to the person, institutional characteristics, and…

This article finds the empirical review of the intellectual effects of family factors by Lala Carr Steelman wanting because (1) it is selective and incomplete; (2) it ignores systematic aggregate effects; (3) it imposes linear analysis on nonmonotone relationships; and (4) it disregards most of the confounds identified by Steelman as crucial.…

The author responds to criticism by R. B. Zajonc on a review of the extant literature on the intellectual consequences of sibship size and birth order. (Author/LMO)

The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…

The non-response bias analysis of data from a stratified nationwide probability sample of high school seniors produced evidence in support of the hypothesis that nonrespondents tend to be of lower "educational level" than respondents. A partial-response bias analysis of the same data indicated that there were similarities between the biases of…