Within higher education systems, different institutions deliver different patterns of disciplines. A simple analysis of the structure of that pattern of disciplines across institutions in one higher education system uncovers a surprising relationship. That is, the key dimensions which describe that structure align nearly perfectly with dimensions…

The accountability of colleges and universities is a high priority for those making policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine institutional characteristics predicting retention rates, graduation rates and transfer-out rates using publicly available data from the US Department of Education. Using regression analysis, it was…

Examined the differential validity of biographical subgroups in terms of postcollege experience using Owens' Developmental-Integrative Model. College students (N=1,428) were statistically grouped into biodata subgroups. Seven years later, 484 subjects were assessed on postcollege behavior. Significant differences were found between the biodata…

Discriminant analysis of Holland's Self Directed Search and Vocational Preference Inventory significantly improved the predictive validity of his classification scheme, over the traditional method of assigning high point codes. These results were obtained with both an initial and a replication sample of undergraduates pursuing various degrees. The…

The conversion model of formal reasoning was examined for its ability to predict the decisions made by college students when solving concrete and abstract syllogisms. Results supported the model's contentions that reasoner's decisions reflect natural language processes in the encoding of syllogistic premises, and follow rationally from…

Discussed Holland's views that educational achievement relates to primary personality orientation in a predictable fashion. Primary code types of college males and females (N=536) were assessed. First-semester grade point averages for each code type and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores served as criterion indices. Mixed support emerged for…

Research directed toward examining clinical depression among college students requires valid criterion measures for identifying depressed individuals. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the most widely-used self-report screening instrument for identifying depressed college students, has been criticized for its heavy emphasis on cognitive items…

The aim of this study is to suggest an alternative to the essay testing method of assessing structural understanding of concepts, which suffers from time constraints and lack of scoring reliability. In this method, students' relationship judgments between concept pairs are examined directly rather than by means of multidimensional scaling analysis…

A procedure for predicting categorical outcomes using categorical predictor variables was described by Moonan. This paper describes a related technique which uses prior probabilities, updated by joint likelihoods, as classification criteria. The procedure differs from Moonan's in that the outcome having the greatest posterior probability is…

The sequential probability ratio test (SPRT), developed by Abraham Wald, is one statistical model available for making mastery decisions during computer-based criterion referenced tests. The predictive validity of the SPRT was empirically investigated with two different and relatively large item pools with heterogeneous item parameters. Graduate…