The purpose of this paper is to compare the precision of direct and indirect measures of writing assessment using the test information functions from a graded response Item Response Theory (IRT) model. Subjects were 192 sophomore English students from a parochial high school in Wisconsin. Both direct and indirect measures of writing ability were…

In order to evaluate time management practices among managers of large academic libraries, questionnaires were mailed to 189 library directors. A total of 158 surveys were returned for a response rate of 82%. Items used to collect data in the questionnaire were based on time management literature and were grouped into five categories: (1) a…

This study examines the general hypothesis that surveys can be used to elicit reliable and valid student ratings of the effectiveness of most aspects of the delivery of the academic programs in which they are enrolled, and reports data on test-retest reliability for upper division majors as well as on the reliability with which ratings…

Classroom researchers are frequently urged to provide evidence of the reliability of their data. In the case of observational data, three approaches to this have emerged: observer agreement, generalizability theory, and measurement error. Generalizability theory provides the most powerful approach given an adequate data collection design, but…

Data were collected for this study of the relationship between television watching and family life via a recording device (C-Box) consisting of a television set and a video camera. Designed for the study, this device was installed in 20 homes for one week to record the viewing area in front of the television set together with information on…

The effects of interactive television (ITV) learning on the attitudes and achievement of different types of learners were investigated using as subjects 97 students who were taking courses at remote sites through the University of Southern Maine ITV system. First, a Likert-type scale for measuring learner preferences was developed and validated.…

A study was conducted in the San Diego Community College District to evaluate English placement test data for a correlation between test scores and grades in English courses districtwide and to evaluate placement test cutoff scores. Following from Phase I of the project which involved a pilot study conducted at Mesa College between fall 1982 and…

This report presents results of a concurrent validation study for the Chicago District Council of Carpenters Apprentice and Trainee Program. Its purpose was to develop a fair screening device for applicant selection. Advanced apprentice carpenters in three specialities--construction, cabinet making, and floor covering--were administered the Ball…

The Inductive Reasoning and Analytical Reasoning tests of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation have been analyzed in a factorial study including marker tests for two commonly recognized reasoning factors, induction (three tests) and logical reasoning (two tests). The primary purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the Johnson…

To help elementary school teachers decide whether writing is beneficial to their students' comprehension, and if it is, which activities are the most effective, a study examined research which dealt with whether the writing performed by elementary school students helps them to comprehend better their own and others' written works. Included are 33…

This study was designed to explore the concurrent validity of the Spiritual Well-being Scale (SWB). Ninety first-year student volunteers at an evangelical seminary served as subjects. As part of a larger study, the students completed the SWB and the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS). The SWB Scale is a 20-item self-report scale. Ten items…

Two analytic models, each with different implications for data analysis, have been used in behavioral science research for assessing attitudinal congruency. The term relative congruence applies to the family of agreement indices which, although functions of the absolute index, are formulated relative to chance expectations. The term absolute…

The stability of annual normal curve equivalent (NCE) on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills over a period of six years was established in a previous study of status (position within a reference group). This study investigated the relationship between status stability and student achievement level. Third grade students in a suburban school district who…

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between leadership style and administrative stress in the rural principalship. Administrative stress was examined in terms of boundary-spanning, role-based, conflict-mediating, and task-based stressors, using measures of both frequency and intensity. The potential role of…

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between semantic memory or integration and general ability. The main hypotheses are as follows: (1) the ability to memorize meaningless materials will not correlate with general ability; (2) the ability to abstract meaning from semantically related propositions will correlate with…