To investigate differences in the writing processes of novice and expert writers, a test of writing skills was developed that required subjects to write a business letter in defense of a particular system of public transportation in response to a letter objecting to that system. In the first of three experiments, significant differences were found…

This paper provides a brief overview of three direct measures of writing assessment--holistic, analytic, and primary trait scoring--and several variations and combinations of the three. It then relates these measures to eight types of educational decisions: (1) diagnosis of individual learner strengths and weaknesses, (2) student placement, (3)…

This study surveys secondary teachers and students in the state of Mississippi about the status of, and their attitudes toward, psychology courses. The results are compared with those of a similar survey conducted in Florida. In 1975, a four-page questionnaire was mailed to 375 schools in Mississippi. Of these, 198, or 52.8 percent, were filled…

RECENTLY MUCH ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE SUBJECT OF CONCEPT FORMATION IN CHILDREN. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL PERCEPTION IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS, AND ONE IMPORTANT PART OF SPATIAL PERCEPTION IS HAPTIC PERCEPTION--THE RECOGNITION OF OBJECTS BY TOUCH. THIS STUDY IS A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RETENTION OF HAPTIC ABILITIES…

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP OF READING METHOD AND COMPOSITION AND TO DISCOVER A WAY TO EVALUATE FIRST- GRADE COMPOSITION. PARTICIPANTS WERE 779 LOW INCOME, FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN FROM SIX CITIES. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS IN SOCIAL BACKGROUND, MATURATION, INTELLIGENCE,…

The Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP) is a joint USOE-NIE panel which reviews the evidence of effectiveness submitted for a variety of educational products and practices developed through federally supported programs. Studies show that school superintendents and other adopters prefer to initiate changes where there is assurance that benefits…

The introductory chapter considers how the major education issues treated came to be defined and what operational processes were utilized to address the issues. Then, some observations and generalizations are made concerning the varying perspectives and approaches utilized by the authors in attacking the issues. To assist readers in relating to…

The assessment and evaluation programs of Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, and Michigan, and the development and implementation of steps they initiated to progress toward the goal of accountability are described in detail in this report. Following the introduction, section 2 discusses the laws enacted by the four states that are the basis for their…

British evulative studies in education have taken different approaches from those in America. Although there has been some interchange of ideas, the social context in the two countries is different, requiring different mechanisms for the initiation, implementation, and followup of educational evaluation. There are still lessons to be learned in…

The following rural sociological research needs were identified: (1) acceptance of general sociological theory and methodology for use in "Rural" research; (2) recognition of bench marks and probable base lines in rural sociological research; (3) collection of widely scattered reports for examination and perhaps respecification; (4) establishment…

Tabulated and analyzed data from two questionnaires returned by 84 (92.3 percent) industrial arts educators and 20 (35 percent) selected industries, were used to determine the offerings in automation and cybernetics at industrial arts teacher education institutions and to compare these offerings with current practices in industry. Conclusions…

An experiment was performed to test the effectiveness of a comparative approach of teaching world cultures to secondary school students. With the comparative approach, cross-cultural comparisons are employed rather than the traditional presentation of one culture at a time. It was hypothesized that students receiving a comparative curriculum would…

Research studied the effectiveness of class lecture as compared to telelecture, and the association between amount learned and the personal and situational factors of age, level of education, time of day, and attitude. Pretests and posttests collected level of knowledge and personal information from 71 women during a short course on Money…

A computer-assisted simulation of experiments in eyelid conditioning was conducted as part of an introductory psychology course. This instructional format was then compared with a traditional instructor-led seminar and with a seminar in which computer-produced information obtained elswhere was used. A total of 120 students participated in 11…

The purpose of the Colorado Evaluation Project was to field test the Common Status Measures at grades four and eleven in conjunction with a statewide assessment program based on objective-referenced testing instruments developed by the Colorado Department of Education for grades kindergarten, three, six, nine, and twelve. The evaluation was…