Discusses instruments for measuring interest in biology: "Interest in Science Topics"; "Learning Mode Preference"; "Interest in Scientific Activities"; "Activities Motives Inventory"; "Interest in Social Aspects of Science"; "Career Orientation Inventory"; and "Attitude toward Biology Study." Concludes that interest in biology may be…

Evaluates 20 potential indicators of residential segregation using census data on Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, and non-Hispanic Whites in 60 U.S. metropolitan areas. Factor-analyzes the results to select a single best indicator for each of five dimensions of residential segregation. Contains 69 references and 22 statistical formulas. (SV)

Description of the development of a theoretically based instrument--the Computer Aversion Scale (CAVS)--to measure negative reactions to computers, focuses on the use of microcomputers in the mental health field. Previous efforts to assess computer anxiety are reviewed, and studies testing the reliability and validity of the CAVS are described.…

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate the factorial validity across gender of the Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) subscales measuring general, school, English, and mathematics self-concepts. When administered to 516 male/475 female 11th/12th graders in Ottawa (Canada), the questionnaire demonstrated…

Focuses on the factors that teachers identified in interviews as responsible for their nonimplementation of a Greek English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) innovation. The article argues that knowledge of these factors could assist in the improvement of the Greek EFL and provide a guiding framework for the development and evaluation of…

Principal factor analysis and promax rotations were performed on Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores of 2,339 clinically referred Dutch children. Dutch syndromes were very similar to the CBCL cross-informant syndromes derived by T. M. Aschenbach (1991), supporting the cross-cultural generalizability of the CBCL cross-informant syndromes. (SLD)

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test first- and second-order factor models on cognitive abilities and their invariance across samples of 234 male and 225 female secondary school students. Factor models suggest that males and females may use different problem-solving strategies for spatial analogies, matrices, and numerical problems. (SLD)

Examines the process of consonant cluster reduction in the English of residents of a San Antonio, Texas, "barrio." The author compares Tejano patterns of "/-t,d/" deletion with the pan-English pattern. Results suggest a pattern of convergence and divergence. The study shows that Mexican American English exhibits regional and…

Summarizes findings from a study that used multidimensional scaling to examine the inherent complexity of vocational aspirations as a measurement construct. Uncovered the perceptual dimensions underlying college students' expressions of vocational aspirations when these aspirations were distinguished as preferences and as expectations.…

Examines the drop-out factor in adult language classes. It is argued that when focusing on the learner as an individual, it is important to consider the social reality of the learning situation. The first task is to identify the motivational factors confronting teachers in the language classroom and to find ways to support the student's motivation…

A survey investigated the importance of 22 institutional attributes to 1,574 potential students of a university business school. Effects of student variables (public vs. private high schools, class rank, suburban vs. rural high schools, gender) were also considered. Factor analysis is found useful for research on college choice. (MSE)

A method is proposed for constructing a population covariance matrix as the sum of a particular model plus a nonstochastic residual matrix, with the stipulation that the model holds with a prespecified lack of fit. The procedure is considered promising for Monte Carlo studies. (SLD)

A two-level model for factor analysis is defined, and formulas for a scoring algorithm for this model are derived. A simple noniterative method based on decomposition of total sums of the squares and cross-products is discussed and illustrated with simulated data and data from the Second International Mathematics Study. (SLD)

Scrutinizes the assessment of students' practical skills, in an honors-level biology examination, for construct validity utilizing both correlational and factor analytical methods to explore relationships between students' practical (laboratory) and theoretical (written) performances. Indicates that teacher assessment of practical skills resulted…

Investigates relationships among measures of second-language proficiency (SLP), foreign-language aptitude, verbal intelligence and reasoning in 160 Japanese college students studying English. The factor analysis of several different SLP test scores was examined, and the relationship between a general SLP factor and a hypothetical general cognitive…