Evaluation of the Attitudes Toward Statistics Scale (ATS) of S. L. Wise (1985) was extended by examining scale responses in relation to: (1) the scale's factor structure; and (2) the correlation of ATS subscale scores with students' grades in statistics courses at several levels of graduate study, students' sex, and scores on measures of basic…

This study investigated factors that play a role in the fading effects of prekindergarten programs for economically disadvantaged children. The school adjustment of 1,284 low-income, minority children in prekindergarten and kindergarten programs funded by the government (i.e., Child Parent Center; Head Start) was traced through the third year of…

The advantages of applying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data are widely recognized. However, because CFA as traditionally applied to MTMM data incorporates single indicators of each scale (i.e., each trait/method combination), important weaknesses are the failure to: (1) correct appropriately for measurement…

The development of the Parent Attitudes toward School Effectiveness (PATSE) questionnaire was conducted in two phases. The pilot test form contained 47 items reflecting parents' attitudes toward 6 categories: (1) school and community relationships; (2) clear school mission; (3) high expectations; (4) safe and orderly environment; (5) instructional…

Items from two American instruments (Students' Evaluation of Educational Effectiveness, and the Endeavor instrument) designed to measure students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness were translated into Spanish and administered to a sample of Spanish university students. Most of the items were judged by the students to be appropriate; every…

The development and testing of an instrument for assessing dental students' attitudes toward the handicapped is presented. This instrument is easily administered (approximately 10 minutes) and scored, and possesses sound psychometric properties. Norms were derived from 826 students in 8 regionally-distributed dental schools. Content validity of…

The purpose of this study was to develop inventory items that measure the study habits and behaviors of adult students from a variety of college settings. There were two specific objectives: (1) to acquire as large and heterogeneous a sample as possible in order to factor out significant study behavior constructs for building a diagnostic and…

To ascertain the incidence of drug use in a rural area and to provide insight into the covariates of illegal drug use which might be useful in developing prevention programs, data were collected in the spring of 1981 from 2,060 or 83.2% of all students grades 8 through 12 in a southern Georgia county. Data were collected during regularly scheduled…

The Student's Perception of Ability Scale (SPAS) was developed in response to a need for a reliable and valid instrument to measure academic, rather than general, self-concept in elementary school children. This scale was designed for use with children in Grades 3 to 6. Descriptive data on the SPAS were discussed in terms of its substantive,…

The relationship between student reported achievements (SRA) and student ratings of their corresponding course and teacher was investigated, from responses to the Instructor and Course Evaluation Questionnaire. The SRA consisted of 10 commonly accepted concepts of cognitive and individual development; their average was used as a measure of…

A set of 65 evaluation questions was compiled from published instruments. A total of 200 undergraduate students rated both their best and worst teacher from the previous term. Each of the set of 65 items was rated twice for the best teacher and twice for the worst teacher, with order randomized. Factor analysis of ratings of the Best Teachers, the…

The School Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ) is a 105-item, multiple-choice instrument designed to measure five aspects of anxiety behavior: 1) Recitation Anxiety; 2) Test Anxiety; 3) Report Card Anxiety; 4) Achievement Anxiety; and 5) Failure Anxiety. The five scales are typically 13 or 14 items in length and have reliability in the middle to high…

An 80-item rating scale, drawn from faculty descriptions of students, was completed by 407 faculty for 398 students in 8 institutions to ascertain desirable traits beyond those directly related to academic achievement. The items, including a student desirability variable, together with SAT scores, high school rank, and freshman grade point…

This report, a continuation of the study described in TM 000 174 and TM 000 176, employs identical data and similar methods to determine the nature of desirability separate and apart from the rater's perception of the student's academic performance (rather than his actual performance). The results show an absorption in the faculty perception of…

Bayesian estimation procedures are summarized and numerically illustrated by means of simulation methods. Procedures of data generation for simulation purposes are also delineated and computationally demonstrated. The logistic model basic to the Bayesian estimation procedures is shown to be explicit with respect to the probability distribution…