In 1981 a study was conducted at Kings River Community College to determine whether there were student characteristics that could help predict success in a college-level calculus course (Math Analysis I). Subjects for the study included all students enrolled in Math Analysis I in fall 1979 or fall 1980. Student records were examined to establish…

A study among white college undergraduates investigated the kinds of activities that promote interracial contact, and the extent to which interracial contact in high school determines interracial contact in college. Results indicated that school sponsored activities both in high school and at the university level encourage contact between students…

Predictors of academic staff administrators' job change were studied based on a conceptual framework derived from Rosabeth Kanter's work on opportunity. Questionnaire data from higher education administrators who had been employed between 1973 and 1978 following the application of affirmative action to higher education were analyzed. "Academic…

A project was organized to understand and identify basic variations in reading ability by its information processing components. Focusing on three major processing levels in reading--word analysis, discourse analysis, and integration of word/discourse analysis--preliminary research identified perceptual and cognitive skill components of reading…

To help administrators improve school efficiency in a time of financial constraints, this document reviews research on school productivity, points out possible improvements suggested by the research, and discusses several problems in measuring school costs and effectiveness. The author first explains the analytical concepts of school productivity,…

Reported are results of a study that examined the relationships between university students' entry characteristics and achievement in biology. Variables judged most likely to be predictors of achievement were: (1) scholastic aptitude (quantitative and verbal); (2) level of cognitive development; (3) locus of control; (4) grade point average; (5)…

Reported are results of a replicated study designed to examine the relationships between university students' entry characteristics and achievement in biological science. Variables selected for examination included scholastic aptitude test (SAT) scores (quantitative and verbal); locus of control; grade point average; and achievement motivation.…

Student absenteeism is a major concern for elementary and secondary school educators. This paper annotates 59 articles and reports dealing with the causes of, effects of, and solutions to student absenteeism. A brief glossary first defines l4 terms used in the literature. The author then surveys l4 publications on the causes of absenteeism,…

College students may be influenced by a variety of factors when choosing a major. Mathematics anxiety has received substantial attention, but has not been considered as a factor in choice of college major. The relationship between mathematics anxiety and the academic majors chosen by new freshmen prior to enrollment was investigated for a group of…

Students entering the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as freshmen in 1967-72 were followed for approximately six years after their initial enrollment to determine the number who received their bachelor's degrees from the institution. For all six freshmen classes combined, 49.9 percent received their degrees within four years, 64.8…

Issues associated with the ACT (American College Testing) Assessment Program illustrate the need to assess college entrance examinations in terms of the variety of common predictive uses such as estimation of first year grade point average (GPA), or chances of obtaining a C average after certain semesters or in specific courses. Test developers…

The performance of all 200,000 examinees on the Professional and Administrative Career Examination (PACE) in fiscal year 1975, its first year of administration, is presented in l0 graphs and l00 tables. The data describe the ratings obtained by six groups of competitors: by series of written test, by Veteran Preference status, by Outstanding…

Three categories of dependent variables used in classroom research were defined: (1) academic--behavior related to a specific academic area, achievement, or test performance; (2) deportmental--behavior related to classroom conduct, such as paying attention to teacher, whispering, and following instructions; and (3) other--including thumbsucking,…

Progress that has been made in second language research in the last two years and future directions in the research methodology of second language studies are discussed. In order to examine the continuation and expansion of current research, the research reported by Schumann (1976) is compared with current research as represented by the titles of…

Presented is an abstract of a study done to try to determine a set of variables which are capable of accounting for a significant amount of variation in algebra achievement in each of two instructional formats. Tables representing final grade distributions, initial comparison of groups, and comparability of volunteer subgroup variables are…