Comparison of direct (a survey) and indirect (mock petition drive) attitude measures regarding opening a group home for people with mental retardation in the neighborhood found that the survey was not a very reliable predictor of how people would react when asked whether they agreed or objected to such a group home. (DB)

Characterized the methodology of case studies, using examples from science education, with regard to their potential for the analysis of innovation and formulation of emerging trends. The theoretical and empirical support of evaluation will generate a call for negotiation as the formula that regulates the assessment of a program's efficiency and…

Studied the relationship of alcohol expectancies to college drinking domains in 315 college students. Results demonstrate the concurrent validity of the College Alcohol Problem Scale with three subscales of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire and the Drinking Context Scale. Implications for prevention and early intervention are noted. (EMK)

Random regression models were used to investigate the role of initial severity in the outcome of four treatments for major depression: cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, imipramine plus clinical management, and placebo plus clinical management. Initial severity of depression and impairment of functioning significantly…

Investigates the ability of personality characteristics (achievement, conscientiousness, and resiliency), high school GPA, and Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) score to predict cumulative college GPA and retention (N=844). In predicting college GPA, conscientiousness added significant incremental variance to high school GPA and SAT.…

This paper proposes a new analysis of consumption inequality using relational methods, derived from network images of social structure. We combine structural analysis with theoretical concerns in consumer research to propose a relational theory of consumption space, to construct a stratification indicator, and to demonstrate its analytical…

All first-year students who entered the University of Missouri-Columbia as animal science majors between the fall of 1998 and 2004 (n = 619) had the opportunity to participate in a residentially-based Freshmen Interest Group (FIG) and/or a learning community specifically designed for them. The odds of graduating is significant for all three…

The underlying aim of the work related in this article, was to define Design Patterns for recording and analyzing usage in learning systems. The implied "bottom-up" approach when defining a Design Pattern brought us to examine data collected in our learning system through different lights: (1) the data type, (2) the human roles involved…

This study explores factors that predict learner satisfaction and transfer of learning in an online educational program at a multinational corporation, established to improve organizational learning by providing training in technical skills. A mixed-methods design was used, selecting both quantitative methods (utilizing survey research) and…

An overview of national and international research on school effectiveness is provided in this paper. Following an introduction, the first section examines some national studies, with a focus on the differences in empirical evidence for effective school factors. These studies are similar in that they are outcome-oriented, seek factors of school…

A didactic example is provided, using a Monte Carlo method, of how differential item functioning (DIF) can be eliminated (and thus better understood) when the complete latent space is used. The main source of DIF is that the matching single criterion used in some DIF procedures, Mantel Haenszel or Simultaneous Item Bias (SIBTEST), does not account…

This paper discusses two techniques for improving the predictive validity of personality measures: (1) measuring dispositional levels of private self-consciousness, that is, one's tendency to habitually reflect on covert aspects of the self such as thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and motives; and (2) priming trait-relevant knowledge (temporarily…

A wide variety of potential indicators of graduate student performance are reviewed. Based on research literature, experience with recent and current research projects, and conversations with graduate faculty members and administrators, the various indicators are considered in two ways. First, they are analyzed within the framework of the…

The paper describes how five indicators were developed to measure the comparative degree of commitment of a group of community colleges to their vocational-technical areas. The criteria of a "good" measure are developed, the findings of a pilot study are displayed, the indicators critiqued, and alternatives suggested. (Author)

A statistical comparison of American College Test (ACT) or Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for predicting first semester grade point averages (GPA) for beginning freshmen at Brigham Young University, when used with a high school GPA as a fixed independent variable, showed little or no difference. Other comparisons were by sex and geographic area.…