This final report describes a 3-year federally funded project designed to conduct an analysis of the factors that contribute to the performance of high intensity problem behaviors by students with severe disabilities. The project utilized a series of five integrated studies, which involved students with severe intellectual disabilities and the…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) is a periodic, integrated system of sample surveys on elementary and secondary schools in the United States that collects information on school and district administrators and teachers in public and private schools. This technical report is one in a series of methodological studies relating to the SASS of the…

A study was undertaken at a large, ethnically diverse community college in California to identify instructor and course factors associated with grade variability and grade differences by gender and race/ethnicity in mathematics courses. The study used a statistical procedure called hierarchical linear models (HLM) to analyze the relationship…

Several goodness of fit (GOF) criteria have been developed to assist the researcher in interpreting structural equation models. However, the determination of GOF for structural equation models is not as straightforward as that for other statistical approaches in multivariate procedures. The four GOF criteria used across the commonly used…

This study examined the impact of word processors on the writing of eighth grade students experienced in computer use. Four classes of students (n=111) were asked to write one expository paper on the computer and another paper on a similar theme by hand in a repeated measures research design that controlled for effects of order of writing (on or…

This paper presents a framework for understanding conditions of discovery learning in computer-based microworlds. It begins with a short discussion of problems related to a traditional type of microworld--i.e., learning tools for mathematics--using the Dienes Multibase Arithmetic blocks as an example. In this discussion, hypotheses are developed…

This study investigated continuing motivation for hard and easy tasks and subjects' judgements of selected learner characteristics purported to be related to learning and motivation. The data were collected through subjects' self-reports on a Student School and Work Survey questionnaire. The subjects were approximately 100 males and 100 females…

Field tests on an interpersonal skills instructional program, the Heartsmart Adventures, were conducted for the formative and summative evaluation in 14 classrooms in 7 schools of 394 students in grade 4 classes. The results indicate that the Heartsmart program is likely to provide an appealing, educationally relevant and worthwhile experience to…

A latent trait model is described that is appropriate for use with tests that measure more than one dimension, and its application to both real and simulated test data is demonstrated. Procedures for estimating the parameters of the model are presented. The research objectives are to determine whether the two-parameter logistic model more…

This study examined the efficacy of Judith Langer's PreReading Plan (PReP) with Hispanic and other high school students. Specifically, the study investigated (1) the effect the PReP has on learning when used with predominantly Anglo and Hispanic high school students in conjunction with a social studies textbook reading assignment; (2) whether…

A study assessed the impact of word processing on the writing of junior high school students, experienced in working with computers, for a number of tasks, including writing. Subjects, 111 eighth grade students in four communications arts classes at a Canadian middle-class suburban school, who had been using computers for writing for a year and a…

The study sought to identify clusters of variables potentially linked to departmental excellence in institutions of higher education, and to determine whether these clusters and combinations thereof could be used to generate rankings of programs which would be consistent with those based on reputation. It studied the interrelationship of…

Critical review of previous techniques for the measurement of an individual's self-concept (SC) is a necessary prelude to the development of more adequate methodologies. This paper focuses on recent methodological innovations in the study of the self, namely, those derived from cognitive social psychology. A view of the self as a cognitive…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of experimental research in counseling and counselor education published from 1976 through 1984. The focus of the study was the methodology and reporting of the research rather than its relevance. Time was the independent variable of interest and three 3-year spans were chosen for examination:…

A study was conducted to examine the effects of four independent variables, i.e., college, department, teacher, and course, on course completion rates at the City Colleges of Chicago. Three colleges were chosen as representative of the eight City Colleges, and the English, Business, and Mathematics Departments were chosen from the departments with…