Compares the Bond and Tinker, and the Harris reading expectancy formulas, using 113 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Finds that the use of both formulas is desirable in clinical situations, but that the Harris formula is preferable if gains on standardized tests are the only criteria of success. (RL)

Argues that tests have always been used as a means of political and social control. Maintains that test results are unreliable, especially at the extremes, that their predictive power is weak and that language testers need to be skeptical and need to insist on complete information on candidates' backgrounds for selection decision making. (10…

Analysis of first-year roommate pairs found that versions of the Roommate Compatibility Questionnaire better predicted roommate conflict than did the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Discrepancies between perception of a roommate and descriptions of an ideal roommate predicted the most variance on a measure of roommate conflict. Discusses…

Describes features and benefits of the person-centered approach to studying personality, identifies unanswered questions, and suggests research directions. Benefits noted include focus on intraindividual structure, descriptive efficiency, use of types as moderator variables, predictive validity, and conceptual clarity and intuitive appeal.…

Examines the CDI-WORDS Short Form vocabulary checklist as an index of language production. The study focuses on the associations between this short form and directly observed measures of lexical production; the associations between short-form checklists administered at different ages; the predictive associations between short form scores and…

Examines the relationship among seven dimensions of self-concept and achievement in 563 African American fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Especially concerned with relative predictability of the self-concept scales. After controlling for socioeconomic status, social self-concept accounted for a significant amount of variability in achievement…

To identify classroom behaviors that differentiate primary-level students with learning disabilities (LD) from their nondisabled peers, two scales of 83 items each were devised and piloted. Two subscales and 18 individual items were found to discriminate students later classified as LD and those referred but not subsequently classified as LD.…

Two measures used for early detection of learning problems (Preschool Screening System and Denver Articulation Screening Exam) were tested for their predictive validity. Educational placement at the end of grade one was examined and compared to pre-kindergarten test scores on the two measures. Analysis found both measures to be valid. (Author/MSE)

Demonstrates how Bayesian reasoning can be used to adjust the length of computer-guided practice exercises and computer-based tests to help make mastery or nonmastery decisions. Individualization of instruction is discussed, and the results of an empirical study that used the sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) are presented. (25 references)…

Refutes MacLean's critique of two instruments: the Education Participation Scale and the Personality and Educational Environment Scale. Major arguments center on sample size, predictive validity, reliability, deficiency and growth motivation, research methodology, and inclusion of up-to-date research. (39 references) (SK)

Data from a sample of 811 workers who received an undergraduate business degree were analyzed to determine the relationship between grade point average and subsequent earnings. A significant positive relationship was found, for women as well as men, and the relationship was evident for the first job after graduation as well as five years later.…

Argues that the complex human behavior studied by educational researchers is by its nature unpredictable if not indeterminate. Concludes that research should focus on descriptions and interpretations of educational phenomena and not on the prediction and control of educational outcomes. (FMW)

This study examines the contribution of assessments of interpersonal behavior to the prediction of initial teacher success. Findings indicate that the widely used predictor of cognitive ability has limited predictive power. Evaluations of interpersonal skills, including oral intelligence, significantly contribute to the prediction of success in…

Finds that the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the Florida Kindergarten Screening Battery were highly similar as predictors of future reading ability for 59 5-year-old, low income, Mexican-American children. Perceptual performance subtests in both measures correlated better with reading ability than verbal subtests. (SV)

Evaluates the criterion validity of a curriculum-based assessment (CBA) to identify gifted children in rural areas. Compares CBA and standardized test scores for 286 kindergarten and first grade children. Concludes that the instruments' predictive validity is equivalent, but the CBA has practical advantages for rural school districts. 25…