Within higher education systems, different institutions deliver different patterns of disciplines. A simple analysis of the structure of that pattern of disciplines across institutions in one higher education system uncovers a surprising relationship. That is, the key dimensions which describe that structure align nearly perfectly with dimensions…

This research study describes the correlations between student performance and examination format in a higher education teaching and research institution. The researchers employed a quantitative, correlational methodology utilizing linear regression analysis. The data was obtained from undergraduate student test scores over a three-year time span.…

This study contributes to the on-going discourse on calibration among University students. The study examines the understanding of student self-reflectivity in relation to class written tests and assignments, and of the fact that students' expected results rarely match the actual results. A quantitative research approach was adopted to collect…

This study explores the constructs that underpin three different measures of vocabulary knowledge and investigates the degree to which these three measures correlate with, and are able to predict, measures of second language (L2) listening and reading. Word frequency structured vocabulary tests tapping "receptive/orthographic (RecOrth)…

The accountability of colleges and universities is a high priority for those making policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine institutional characteristics predicting retention rates, graduation rates and transfer-out rates using publicly available data from the US Department of Education. Using regression analysis, it was…

Learning to program is a complex task, and the impact of different pedagogical approaches to teach this skill has been hard to measure. This study examined the performance data of seven cohorts of students (N = 1168) learning programming under three different pedagogical approaches. These pedagogical approaches varied either in the length of the…

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) of the American Council on Education is an example of a systematic program of social and educational research in which survey methods using questionnaires constitute a major technique for collecting data. This longitudinal research program is dedicated to the study of higher education,…

Most discriminant function analyses provide a table of hits and misses with respect to classifications. Cohen's kappa coefficient is shown to be applicable to these tables and useful for setting confidence limits for the accuracy of the discriminant prediction. (Author/JKS)

Three measures of person-fit (the extent to which an examinee's response pattern on a multiple-choice test is consistent with his ability as estimated by total score) were computed for students taking classroom tests under 12 different instructors at a comprehensive university. Supplementary questions on each test inquired concerning students'…

Generally, this paper aims to: (1) provide clarification, quantification, and some mathematical analysis to the statistical problem of restricted range in a college admissions situation; and (2) discuss various questions related to the problem of selection strategies. (Author/PN)

The results of a replication study are described that tested the predictive validity of a 34-item instrument designed to assess the fundamental constructs of Tinto's model of college student attrition. Potential institutional differences in faculty members' influence on retention were identified. (Author/MLW)

Nine methods of smoothing double-entry expectancy tables (tables that relate two predictor variables to probability of attaining success on a criterion) were compared using data for entering students at 85 colleges and universities. The smoothed tables were more accurate than those based on observed relative frequencies. (Author/CTM)

Changes were studied that occur when the correlations between the six Medical College Admission Test scales and the scores on the Part I examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners are corrected for restriction of range. (MLW)

This memorandum reports results of an analysis designed to obtain answers to the following questions: (1) How does the Overall High School Average compare with Converted Rank in Class as a predictor of Freshman Year Grades in college? and (2) Will more detailed information provided by analysis of high school records by subject help to improve…

A study of the predictive validity of Tinto's theory of college student attrition is described. Compensatory interaction between levels of goal and institutional commitment indicated that institutional commitment had its greatest positive influence on retention for students with low levels of commitment to completing a college degree, and vice…