Using a forced-choice matching-to-sample procedure five factors were varied: position of phoneme; contrast between words; type of phoneme; redundant visual cue; and allophonic variation. Performance improved significantly after four days of training for all but allophonic variation. Redundant visual cue greatly improved performance during training…

The effects of providing immediate feedback on an item-by-item basis to testees were investigated on several samples of undergraduates who were administered either adaptive or conventional tests. Results generally indicated that knowledge of results improved test performance. (JKS)

Providing examinees with advanced knowledge of the difficulty of an item led to an increase in test performance with no loss of reliability. This finding was consistent across several test formats. ( Author/JKS)

Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (I-E) and the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes were administered to 138 undergraduate students in a personalized system of instruction course. Results indicated that the I-E scale is related only to academic attitudes and that study habits are related to two measures of performance. (Author/JAC)

A study was conducted at a school of social work to determine the effectiveness of student decisions compared to faculty admissions decisions. Faculty predicted the performance of applicants they rated more successfully than did students. Clearly-determined admission criteria are needed to predict student performance. (SW)

Measures of abstract reasoning ability, degree of bidialectism, and reading performance were administered to Black, inner-city third and fifth graders. Abstract reasoning ability significantly affected reading performance while expressive proficiency in Standard English and Black English did not significantly affect scores. The importance of…

The results of a university adjustment survey and grade point averages (GPA) were presented for entering transfer students to a large state university. Eleven factors and GPAs were analyzed by GPA at last college, GPA expected at the university, size of last college, and type of last college. (Author/GDC)

Factor analyses of a 75-item self-report Academic Motivations Inventory produced a set of nine interpretable dimensions which partially summarize an academic motivation domain and which can be measured with adequate reliability. The factors are discussed in relation to prior studies of the structure of academic motivation, and further research is…

Students scoring in the upper and lower distributions of the Test Anxiety Scale solved anagrams under high stress (evaluative) and low stress (nonevaluative) conditions. The high-anxiety-stress group reported greater anxiety; rated themselves, their abilities, and the task more negatively; solved fewer anagrams; and estimated spending less time on…

Because teachers often do not use the small group mode, believing its academic performance is of poorer quality than that of individuals, a process has been developed that compares small group and individual performances. The procedure, which utilizes an objective test, group and individual responses, and teacher, self, and group evaluation, is…

Assesses the state of entry, performance, and credentialing in public service occupations. Discusses the current status of public administration and public affairs; special problems in the field of public administration; standards; recent federal activity; and future directions in public administration. (Author/DB)

Investigates how student ability, anxiety level, question wiseness, and relative difficulty of questions influence students' opinions of and performance on a chemistry examination. Examines strategies employed by students in selecting questions. Concludes that the major problem for test candidates is anxiety. (Author/DB)

Three studies are described in which choice reaction time (RT) was related to such psychometric ability measures as verbal comprehension, numerical reasoning, hidden figures, and progressive matrices tests. Fairly consistent negative correlations were found between these tests and choice RT when high school samples were used. (Author/CTM)

A modified Payne process and the JCAH intermediate outcome medical audits were applied to 6,980 cases in eight diagnostic categories within 22 hospitals, representing 1,321 attending physicians. The effects of item specificity, total number of items, outcome versus process indicators, and item weights on measurement characteristics of audit…

Performance differences were not significant between men and women in Earth Science classes with fixed assignment deadlines, nor were achievement differences significant for women in self-paced sections compared to fixed deadline men or women. Men performed higher than women in self-paced groups, and higher than men or women in other learning…