Critically examining common statistical approaches and their strengths and weaknesses is an important step in advancing recreation and leisure sciences. To continue this critical examination and to inform methodological decision making, this study compared three approaches to determine how alternative approaches may result in contradictory…

This Center for American Progress report examines whether states' adoption of standards-based policies predicts low-income students' NAEP achievement trends in fourth and eighth grade math and reading throughout the 2003-2013 decade. The report claims to analyze changes across five separate two-year intervals, but it only reports findings for…

This case study of the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland demonstrates the need to consider course sequencing in the communication curriculum. The investigation assessed whether the order in which undergraduates took courses predicted grade performance. Students' (N = 6,166) grade data from earlier courses were used to…

Four commonly employed procedures were repeatedly applied to computer-simulated samples to provide comparative data pertaining to two questions: (a) which procedure can be expected to produce and equation that yields the most accurate predictions for the population, and (b) which procedure is most likely to identify the optimal set of independent…

The scientist who uses the experimental form does so in order to explain that which is verified through prediction. The prerequisites for prediction include a universe that is ordered, stable, independent, and knowable. Some assumptions of the predictive argument with respect to communication research are: the operating elements of the message are…

Most personality tests are based on concepts assessing typical performance, and tests of this sort have not been generally successful in predicting criterion behaviors with useful levels of efficiency. Ability tests, which call for maximal performance, have been much more successful as predictors of criterion outcomes. (Editor)

Discusses why agentic and idiographic approaches (in combination with more typical nomothetic, nonagentic studies) may enhance the predictive accuracy of psychological experiments. Presents study on exercise behavior of 42 college student subjects and analyzes it from 3 perspectives: nonagentic-nomothetic, nonagentic-idiographic, and…

The present study was conducted to establish a scoring key for the Guilford Zimmerman Temperament Survey appropriate for predicting academic performance. Results point to the utility of non-cognitive measures in predicting academic performance, particularly when scoring keys tailored to the specific situation are empirically derived. Suggestions…

Studied predictability of therapeutic outcome of an alcoholism treatment program. Data analyzed by a mathematically oriented linear regression approach and by a clinically oriented retrospective parametric approach showed different predictors. Suggested that the parametric clinical approach be used to explain why therapy succeeded or failed.…

Reviews issues of reliability (especially test-retest reliability) in newborn assessment, discusses predictive models based on newborn assessment, and presents information on modifications of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale which may help in pursuing fruitful questions involving prediction of development. (Author/BH)

The use of various physiological tests and measurements accurately predicts the performance ratings of female athletes. A study involving 180 female intercollegiate volleyball players, 142 female intercollegiate basketball players, and 115 female college-age nonathletes yielded a set of statistical differentials concerning arm length, lean weight…

This study explores extent to which postgraduate students are able to learn from holist and serialist learning materials and extent to which such competence is predictable by questionnaires. Results indicate 2 of 26 students scored equally well on holist and serialist competence tests, and such competence is predictable from questionnaires. (MBR)

In forecasting its fall credit headcounts, the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) utilizes the Component Yield Method (CYM), an enrollment projection model developed by the college's planning analyst in the early 1980's. By disaggregating enrolled students into multiple groups, each with an…

This article (1) examines the role of idiographic theory in contemporary personality assessment and behavioral prediction methodology, (2) reviews critically empirical studies designed to evaluate the idiographic theory of individual differences in predictability, and (3) presents new data on conclusions that have been advanced toward an…

This paper describes a methodology used in an on-going retention study at New York University (NYU) to identify a series of easily measured factors affecting student departure decisions. Three logistic regression models for predicting student retention were developed, each containing data available at three distinct times during the first…