This article describes rational analyses and cognitive models of Web users developed within information foraging theory. This is done by following the rational analysis methodology of (a) characterizing the problems posed by the environment, (b) developing rational analyses of behavioral solutions to those problems, and (c) developing cognitive…

Quality of life (QOL) is usually assessed in terms of levels. This paper, in contrast, examines the structure of the quality of life of its subjects: two groups of children at risk, children who were kept at home and those who were removed from home. The social workers who made the decisions were asked to assess the children's quality of life…

Assessments of clinical skills of medical students rely increasingly on standardized patients demonstrating medical cases with faculty rating performance. The common finding of inconsistency of scores across cases is often referred to as case specificity. A multivariate generalizability model reveals that overall case specificity cannot explain…

This study presents a procedure for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) for dichotomous and polytomous items in testlet-based tests, whereby DIF is taken into account by adding DIF parameters into the Rasch testlet model. Simulations were conducted to assess recovery of the DIF and other parameters. Two independent variables, test type…

This paper brings together the pressing problem of alcohol abuse on college campuses on one of the most promising solution--stage-based interventions applied at multiple levels. The interventions fit the Transtheoretical Model, which construes behavior change as a process that unfolds over time and involves progress through a series of stages.…

A technologically literate individual should be able to use, manage, and understand technological concepts and systems. A technologically literate individual should also have the capacity to design, develop, control, use, and assess technological systems and processes. These abilities are essential elements of the universals of technology, as…

Discusses the Systemic Change Model for Leadership, Inclusion, and Mentoring (SLIM), designed to help directors of child care organizations lead successful systemic changes. The model includes recommendations for building caring, consistent relationships with the total system, staff empowerment, a mentoring program to help the director focus…

This article examines the implications of the Primary Strategy for primary school teachers. It focuses on the framework for learning and teaching across the curriculum (DfES, 2003, Chapter 3 "Excellent primary teaching") and questions whether the new framework is in fact a return to a "whole" curriculum approach. The key issues explored are:…

sequence of heterotypic continuity also emerged. ADHD was predicted by no other disorders, and exclusively predicted ODD. CD was predicted only by ODD. However, ODD was also directly predictive of future anxiety and depression, and anxiety predicted future depression as well. A specific test of the failure model of CD and depression supported that…

This article argues that the merger of simulations and problem-based learning (PBL) can enhance both active-learning strategies. Simulations benefit by using a PBL framework to promote student-directed learning and problem-solving skills to explain a simulated dilemma with multiple solutions. PBL benefits because simulations structure the…

This article describes the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) model of instruction and the critical components for its successful implementation and dissemination. It speculates about the future of PLTL and reflects on the lessons learned by the PLTL coalition as it evolved from a small consortium to a national network of about 160 faculty, fourteen…

The February 2005 issue of The Science Teacher (TST) reminded everyone that by learning how scientists study stars, students gain an understanding of how science measures things that can not be set up in lab, either because they are too big, too far away, or happened in a very distant past. The authors of "How Far are the Stars?" show how the…

This article describes both the process and products of a cooperative inquiry project between two educational researchers--one from literacy education and one from mathematics education. The collaboration took place in an undergraduate, inquiry-based mathematics classroom in which the researchers sought to develop a shared vision of learning and…

Cognitive load theory (CLT) has been successful in identifying instructional formats that are more effective and efficient than conventional problem solving in the initial, novice phase of skill acquisition. However, recent findings regarding the "expertise reversal effect" have begun to stimulate cognitive load theorists to broaden their horizon…

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the impact of estimation methods, actual latent trait distributions, and item pool characteristics on the performance of a simulated computerized adaptive testing (CAT) system. In this study, three estimation procedures are compared for accuracy of estimation: maximum likelihood estimation (MLE),…