The "k"-means clustering method, while widely embraced in college student typology research, is often misunderstood and misapplied. Many researchers regard "k"-means as a near-universal solution for uncovering homogeneous student groups, believing its success hinges primarily on the selection of an appropriate "k."…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the general trends of master dissertations written in Social Studies Education and performed in 2008-2014 years in terms of thematic and methodology. Document review was performed in study. The study group was included in all the master's thesis recorded at thesis database of Higher Education Council…

In the last 15 years, writing center scholars have increasingly called for more evidence to validate writing centers' practices. Work by Paula Gillespie (2002), Neal Lerner (2009), and Isabelle Thompson et al. (2009) underscore this need. Missing from these discussions, however, is a thorough understanding of the past and current research…

A growing methodology, known as the systems factorial technology (SFT), is being developed to diagnose the types of information-processing architectures (serial, parallel, or coactive) and stopping rules (exhaustive or self-terminating) that operate in tasks of multidimensional perception. Whereas most previous applications of SFT have been in…

The Education Trust research report "Stuck Schools" suggests a framework for identifying chronically low-performing schools in need of turnaround. The study uses Maryland and Indiana to show that some low-performing schools make progress while others remain stagnant. The report has four serious problems of reliability and validity,…

This article describes the strengths and weaknesses of different models of classification (primarily monothetic and polythetic) and then focuses on cluster analysis as a method of pursuing a polythetic model. Design features that need to be incorporated in a cluster analytic study are discussed in relation to theory formulation, internal validity,…

Adopting the position, expressed by A. P. Bochner in his critique of small group communication research, that placing measurement in a secondary role increases the danger of accepting the claims of experiments with excessive error, this paper examines nine current quantitative small-group communication studies. Using a schema developed by J. F.…

The choice of a cutting score for criterion-related tests influences decisions related to classifying people into dichotomous categories. This paper proposes an empirical methodology for determining the best cutting score when there is information about the test score frequency distribution of test-takers defined as actually successful and…

Describes an approach to automatically classify and evaluate publicly accessible World Wide Web sites. Outlines a research methodology for model building and validation, develops a set of criteria for classifying Web sites, and compares manual versus automated evaluation. (Author/LRW)

For successful classification of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, major issues include (1) the need for explicit studies of identification criteria; (2) the need for systematic sampling strategies; (3) development of hypothetical classifications; and (4) systematic assessment of reliability and validity of hypothetical…

This report reviews the personnel literature on the development of job families to illustrate and provide examples of varied approaches to the taxonomic issues of objective, content, and method in job family construction. This booklet first examines the definition of job families and then briefly discusses the potential utility of job families.…

Discriminant analysis (DA) is a multivariate technique concerned with either prediction/classification (predictive discriminant analysis) or distinguishing among groups (descriptive discriminant analysis). DA has many potential applications in gifted education research, including investigation of identification procedures in order to obtain…

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 commentary responds to a critique (EC 601 711) of a paper (EC 211 387) concerning use of cluster analysis to develop a taxonomy of lifestyles of families with severely mentally retarded children. The commentary considers the model to be useful in social science inquiry, and properly validated when using cluster analytic techniques. (JDD)

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…