Students must be sufficiently motivated in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes of their college courses. Research in education and psychology has found motivation to be context-dependent. Therefore, students' motivation is likely to differ from one semester to the next according to which courses students are taking. However, there are…

Boehm's classification of test items on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) was examined from a factor analytic perspective. A single, general factor related to the acquisition of basic verbal concepts best described the instrument. This factor was constant across the two forms of the BTBC. (Author/GK)

A three-year combined sample of 103 master's level counseling students was administered five measures of cognitive complexity, selected on the bases of previous factor analytic research and their potential relevance to counseling research. The instruments were designed to measure the processing of social stimuli, and included the Interconcept…

This investigation provided empirical data and addressed theoretical issues regarding the Educational Set Scale (ESS) and theory. An expanded model is proposed and directions for future research are suggested. (Author/GK)

This report is part of a general study of Reference Measures for Cognitive and Noncognitive Factors. The main activity being reported is the development of "factor-referenced" or "marker" tests for several recently identified cognitive factors. A secondary activity involves the study of possible relationships to factors already…

Traditionally, studies investigating the relationship between mental abilities tests and performance on learning tasks have attempted to establish a direct relationship between these two domains by use of factor analytic techniques. It is suggested that an alternative approach can be formulated in terms of an information processing analysis of…

The Goldstein-Scheerer Tests of Abstract and Concrete Thinking are reviewed. This evaluative summary supplements several reviews in the Mental Measurements Yearbook series. The Goldstein-Scheerer tests are used by clinicians and researchers to distinguish normal individuals (those able to engage in two qualitatively different levels of cognitive…

The development of psychological methods for assessing the abilities of deaf students could aid in the formation of educational programs and the provision of vocational guidance. A battery of tests designed to measure a wide range of functions was administered to all eighth grade students, average age 15, in schools for the deaf in Sweden. All…