Teachers' perceptions of behavior and social skills, peer and self-perceptions of social status, and academic achievement were examined for 239 kindergartners in the fall and spring. Students were classified as learning disabled (LD) prior to identification and low, average, and high achievers. Social difficulties of LD students are discussed.…

Examined discriminative validity of the Parent Rating Scale (PRS) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992, Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Services). Two groups were compared: a cohort with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) (n = 49) and children from the BASC-PRS standardization sample (n = 49) matched…

This study analyzed student characteristics that impact persistence among first-year students attending a large, metropolitan community college. The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshmen Survey was administered to first-time students during orientation. Factor analysis was used to classify students' personality and behavioral…

This study examined the impact of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on Korean TAFE (Technical and Further Education) college students in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading classroom in terms of their perceptions of learning environment and their reading performance. The study compared CALL and traditional reading classes over…

Salary and compensation of faculty in Illinois public colleges and universities were studied using a cluster analytic approach. Twenty-seven institutional variables were factor analyzed to obtain a smaller set of closely related variables. Factor scores were obtained for each of the 1,126 institutions of higher education. A cluster analysis was…

IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL EDUCATION AS COMPARED WITH NON-MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL EDUCATION, PHASE I OF THIS STUDY MATCHED 2 GROUPS, EACH OF 21 PRESCHOOL CHILDREN, ON INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT AND CERTAIN SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS. ONE GROUP ATTENDED A MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL AND THE OTHER A NON-MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL. THE…

A replicable process for improving instruction through the consistent use of student data collected before, during, and after instruction is proposed. A rational analysis of different types of error rates (theoretical, base, posttest, instructional) and discrimination indices (base, posttest) leads to a set of rules for identifying test items and…

A study of 912 Norwegian comprehensive school teachers, using a 74-item job stress rating scale to identify stressors in teachers' work and the General Health Questionnaire as an index of quality of life, identified nine stress factors, including work overload, pupils' misbehavior, change, organizational climate/staff relations. (MH)

The construct validities of the Self Description Questionnaire I, the Perceived Social Competence Scale, and the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control were assessed, using 508 seventh through ninth graders in Sydney (Australia). Factor analysis, multitrait-multimethod analyses, and patterns of correlations with additional…

The relatively large number of students who perform poorly in freshman chemistry courses signals the need for the identification of criteria that will result in correct placement decisions for incoming college students. Research findings have generally reported placement criteria that correlate significantly with performance in college chemistry…

The observable effects of curricular tracking were investigated for a cohort of students in six Vermont high schools during the years 1981-89. The outcome variable was persistence in school as predicted by grades in academic subjects from grade 4 through 9, or time of withdrawal, and the level of courses in which students were enrolled. Three…

This study used multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) to assess differences among subgroups defined in terms of sex and undergraduate major area, and ethnic group and undergraduate major area, with respect to patterns of performance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) item-type part scores. Special subscores based on item types included in the…

The Newark (New Jersey) School District's Twice-Retained Program was evaluated for 1985-86. This alternative program was designed for students in grades 1 through 8 who had a history of two or more grade retentions. It emphasized instruction in reading and mathematics and evaluated the pre- and post-program performance in those areas, as well as…

In-state and out-of-state choice pattern differences among students with regard to academic and economic variables and the impact that financial aid would have upon their choice are examined. A survey of Pennsylvania public and nonpublic high school seniors illustrated the role background variables play. (MLW)

The validity of assumptions that portfolios complement other assessment methods and yield more reliable and valid data than do traditional methods was studied. More specifically, focus was on examining whether: achievement level (characterized by scores, ranks, and group membership) varies significantly with differing definitions and usage of…