This research examined students' responses to mathematics problem-solving tasks and applied a general multidimensional IRT model at the response category level. In doing so, cognitive processes were identified and modelled through item response modelling to extract more information than would be provided using conventional practices in scoring…

This article discusses 5 approaches that secondary researchers might use to obtain robust estimates in structural equation modeling analyses when using data that come from large survey programs. These survey programs usually collect data using complex sampling designs and estimates obtained from conventional analyses that ignore the dependencies…

It is likely difficult for academics to think of a college or university that does not have some program of general education (GE). Over the past century, GE's model of liberal learning has become so entrenched in U.S. universities that it is widely seen as the core of the national undergraduate curriculum. In a series of distributed courses that…

Mathematical problem solving has been the focus of much concern. This study investigated the relationship of various cognitive factors, attributions, and gender to the solution of mathematics problems by 100 high school seniors. The independent variables examined in this study included: (1) mathematics knowledge as measured by a score on the…

Children should be taught as early as possible how to handle disagreements with each other without letting their anger get out of control. As they get older, they should be helped to apply the conflict-solving methods they learned as children to the more complicated problems that appear in adolescence. Children's attitudes are influenced by all…

This guidebook describes how successful change happens and how change agents can organize their work to make it happen. It is designed to help change agents in various organizational settings understand the dimensions of the problem and the social situation; organize a plan for change; know what to look for and what to avoid in one's self, team,…

School based decision making (SBDM) has become one of the of hottest issues in education today. In SBDM the local governing body consists of parents, teachers, community members, and school administrators responsible for the legislative duties of running their school. Since most decision-making programs are geared for use in business settings…

Student modeling--the task of building dynamic models of student ability--is fraught with uncertainty, caused by such factors as multiple sources of student errors, careless errors and lucky guesses, learning and forgetting. Within the context of the Sherlock intelligent tutoring systems project, we have been experimenting with various ways of…

To negotiate a balance between an ideological concern for society's historical-economic development and an understanding of the individual's need for a sense of self-realization, social theory researchers should look to B. Dervin's "gap theory model" of communication. Adapted from Kenneth Burke, it offers a dynamic means of understanding…

The authors describe a program designed for enhancing family growth based on systems theory. The program, which requires the participation of parents and their children, uses social learning approaches and humanistic psychology to establish a supportive environment and to help families talk about their values. (SE)

The author argues that teaching students to program a computer enhances their logical reasoning, problem solving skills, understanding of models, and ability to examine one's work critically. (SD)

The use of quantitative decision making tools provides the decision maker with a range of alternatives among which to decide, permits acceptance and use of the optimal solution, and decreases risk. Training line administrators in the use of these tools can help school business officials obtain reliable information upon which to base district…

The greater organizational complexity of libraries and information centers in recent years has given rise to more complex problems for managers. To facilitate solutions, operations research (OR) techniques have been developed that consider the quantitative dimensions of problems along with their political and organizational aspects. Eight standard…

The teacher consultant's role in working with regular classroom teachers of students with mild to moderate learning or behavior problems is examined. The three-party interaction network in consultation is discussed along with five models of consultation: the expert model, the medical model, the mental health model, the collaboration model, and the…

An approach which is designed to help students better understand the utility of models in understanding and doing physics, specifically in a course in light and color, is described in this paper. Explanations are given and illustrations are provided of an analogue model of waves which assist in the creation of an abstract model to deduce Snell's…