The primary purpose of this monograph is to describe how learning curves can be applied to vocational evaluation procedures to enhance the reliability and accuracy of performance prediction. Particular emphasis is placed on describing two techniques known as the "best 20 percent method" and the "Performance Analyzer and…

The objective of this study was to devise a methodology for predicting the return or nonreturn of a student for the spring semester, upon his completion of the fall term. Nineteen variables from existing student files were examined by several multivariate analyses to determine their ability to help in such a prediction. The random sample was of…

Student self-expectations are believed to exert a powerful influence on performance. Student perceptions and social comparisons during transfer students' (N=1362) first semester in a large state university were examined to determine variables that might be related to the formation of student performance expectations. Subjects completed…

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…

The utility of employing teacher reports about characteristics of students and their parents to assess family economic status was investigated using multiple regression analyses. The accuracy of teacher reports about parents' educational background was also explored, in addition to the effect of replacing missing data with logical, mean, or modal…

This report explores the validity of measures for eventual use in assessing attitudinal and cognitive skills of delinquent adolescents. Ten measures of a battery along with a reading test were administered to adolescent males, 14 to 18 years of age, held in pretrial detention. The 11 tests were validated against 37 criterion variables encompassing…

A description of the EMLAT, its content, norms used, types of questions and results. Statistical tables are included. The conclusion is that the EMLAT has predictive validity for achievement in French language whether the method used is traditional or audio-lingual. The first two subtests contribute most as predictors. (AMH)

A university economics department tested the commonly held opinion that college teachers can predict their students' eventual level of educational attainment from their personal observations of the student. A larger-than-anticipated margin of prediction error was revealed. (MSE)

Multinomial logic and multiple discriminant analyses are used to predict probabilities that individuals will attain several occupational categories based on individual characteristics and qualifications. The authors found that their results vary substantially from women's actual occupational distribution. They conclude that a significant portion…

Explored measuring psychic entropy (loss of motivation, unfocused attention, passivity, bad moods) in junior and senior high school students (N=22) and noted predictability of gender and grade using Psychic Entropy Measure for Adolescents. Found results did not support hypotheses that girls experience greater psychic entropy than boys or that…

Describes a study of basic skills testing in mathematics and reading. Examines the relationships between mathematics course performance and class standing, gender, age, transfer status, and math Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) scores; and reading course performance and verbal SAT, Nelson Denny Reading Test, and Degrees of Reading Power Test…

Describes a quantitative method for measuring probable success among university applicants, devised to introduce an admissions procedure at Beirut University College that will reduce failure and dropout rates. Predictor variables included type of high school, language of instruction, recommendations, sex, high school grades and major, and entrance…

The predictive validity and utility of assessment procedures can be increased by adding predictors to the prediction supplied by general ability tests. Of Jensen's early work comes the suggestion of focusing on the cognitive ability short-term memory (STM), especially for low-"g" Black children. Meta-analysis convincingly shows high…

This study examined second-term and second-year retention of freshmen (n=6,054) and nonfreshman transfer students (n=2,733) from DePaul University, a large, urban, private institution. The predictor variables included both achievement and noncognitive measures collected at DePaul and on the ACT Assessment. Two questions formed the basis for this…

An initial study of the revised (1985) Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ) of the College Board found it to be of sufficient accuracy to fulfill its intended purposes. This second phase examined the adequacy of the SDQ in terms of the predictive validity of its student academic self-report information against a criterion of first-year college…