Two questions are investigated here: What should the unit of analysis be in investigations of educational effects and on what basis should the units be chosen Under what conditions can relationships among measurements on individuals be estimated from the relationships among measurements on aggregates of individuals? Models using standard analysis…

Describes a study of 38 students at Eastern Oregon State College which identified mathematics proficiency as the key student characteristic leading to successful completion of computer science courses, and developed a model that accounts for 82 percent of the variation in students' final grades in computer courses for use by advisers. (LRW)

A broad spectrum of methodologies pertinent to studies of schooling effects are reviewed. Methodological issues and problems are addressed according to a three-dimensional conceptual framework: (1) indicators of schooling effects; (2) study approaches; and (3) units of analysis. Problems and uses of status attainment and difference scores as…

Two issues in the controversy over the use, interpretation, validity, and relevance of student ratings are explored here: the definition of preferred teacher behavior in terms of the rating instrument used, and the relationship between the student's expected grade, grade point average, and the ratings recorded. The objectives of the present…