The learning sciences community's interest in learning analytics (LA) has been growing steadily over the past several years. Three recent symposia on the theme (at the American Educational Research Association 2011 and 2012 annual conferences, and the International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2012), organized by Paulo Blikstein, led…

A two-step procedure is proposed for detecting behavioral patterns in observational data in evaluation research. Latent class analysis is used to derive a classification of single observations at the variable level. The second step uses the probabilities that each observation falls into latent classes to derive behavioral preference scores. (SLD)

Computer-assisted direct behavioral observation is proposed to aid sensory integration therapy. This allows the occupational therapist to quantify data, devise and answer research questions, and assess progress. Advice is given on establishing a behavior taxonomy. Computer-assisted direct behavioral observation is examined and found valuable for…

An empirically based paradigm for assessment and taxonomy of child, adolescent, and young adult behavioral and emotional problems is outlined, and the standardization procedures used to assess problems reported by different informants for large clinical samples are discussed. The application of the paradigm to new cases is considered. (SLD)

One aspect of ethological methodology, behavioral categorization, is applied to the study of young children's social behavior in preschool classrooms. Studies are reviewed and recommendations for future use of ethological methods, with specific reference to categorizing children's play, are offered. (LB)

If research on personality is to be productive and progressive, it is necessary to make objectives explicit and to link abstractions with common experiences. Six levels of classification outline these objectives. Level 1 involves the characterization and classification of persons. Level 2 studies attributes. Level 3 is concerned with inferred…

This article illustrates how a cluster analysis can be conducted, validated, and interpreted. Data normed for a behavioral assessment instrument with 14 scales on a nationally representative sample of U.S. school children were utilized. The discussion explores the similarity index, cluster method, cluster typology, cluster validity, cluster…

This study examines quantification of the instructional process through the use of Markov chaining, and by considering the transition probabilities within a framework provided by the taxonomy used, attempts to obtain information about behavior sequences common to all lessons. (Author/DLG)

This study is intended to provide the methodology for a full-scale study which will develop a model of physician behavior in the practice of physical medicine, evaluate the adequacy of residency training in this field, and analyze the role of paramedical personnel in rehabilitation. Regular staff members of the Commission on Education in Physical…

Criteria and methods for developing a taxonomy for different situational categories are presented. (CK)

This paper reviews the literature on positive and negative aspects of diagnostic classification of children, or labeling. It reviews the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which mandated that special education must be available to all children with disabilities. Definitional issues in diagnostic labeling of students with learning…

To generate a useful means of analyzing think-aloud protocols of individual students, and to determine the extent to which practical information might be derived from transcripts and videotapes, this project focused on the problem-solving behaviors of 17 sixth-grade students videotaped while solving routine textbook word problems. Using a…