This paper focuses on a critical analysis and reanalysis of two earlier multisection validity meta-analyses of student ratings of instruction. The reanalysis is based on a sharpening of criteria for: (1) including studies in the meta-analysis; (2) defining key study characteristics that influence results; and (3) calculating the correlational…

This study investigated learners' preconceptions of interactive video (IV), instructional television (ITV), and television (TV), and compared three treatment groups on learners' perceptions of invested mental effort and achievement on a test of recall and inference. The three treatments consisted of an IV lesson that included practice questions…

The aim of this study was to describe and compare the socio-economic factors that can be expected to influence the education system in Portugal, where urbanization has been very slow. The report examines basic needs in Portugal's 18 districts and makes recommendations about resource allocation to planners of adult education programs. Extensive…

Two techniques for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) of test items are compared: (1) item response theory (IRT), using the three-parameter model; and (2) Mantel-Haenszel chi square techniques (MHCS). The steps necessary for identifying differentially functioning items are identified for both approaches. Using data from the 1988…

A survey of college sophomores (N=671) at Georgetown University (District of Columbia) was conducted to measure the extent of their participation in intellectual pursuits and other complementary or competing activities. Principal components analysis was used to identify questions which measured underlying tendencies, and weighted indexes were…

This was a replicative study that was initiated with a journeyman level certification instrument for an international union, when industry monitors were observed suggesting to examinees to "go with your first response." The question arose whether this was a researched-based practice. If not, wouldn't this practice inject constant error…

The Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) is a 50-item multiple choice instrument designed to assess the ability of college students to use English. In this study, based upon a sample of 45 students, the TSWE was revalidated with writing samples. The coefficient of 0.54 was most impressive given that the TSWE scores were restricted to those…

The role of pragmatic particles such as "you know,""I guess," and "man," which occur primarily in spontaneous speech are examined. Pragmatic particles and impromptu speech are defined in terms of prototypes and the social and cognitive causes for the two phenomena are discussed. A distinction is made between core and…

The power of the Slingerland Screening Tests was examined, and a discrepant performance index was developed between cognitive measures to predict early school achievement and class placement for children at risk for specific language disabilities. Subjects were two successive cohorts of entering kindergarten children for whom Slingerland Tests…

Four methods for determining the dimensionality of a set of test items were compared: (1) linear factor analysis; (2) residual analysis; (3) nonlinear factor analysis; and (4) Bejar's method. Five artificial test data sets (for 40 items and 1500 examinees) were generated, consistent with the three-parameter logistic model and the assumption of…

This paper discusses distribution theory and power computations for four common "tests of combined significance." These tests are calculated using one-sided sample probabilities or p values from independent studies (or hypothesis tests), and provide an overall significance level for the series of results. Noncentral asymptotic sampling…

The goal of this research was to predict from a recruit's responses to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) items whether the recruit would pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The data consisted of the responses (correct/incorrect) of 1,020 Navy recruits to 200 items of the ASVAB together with the scores of these…

In this paper four classes of procedures for measuring the instructional sensitivity of reading comprehension test items are reviewed. True experimental designs are not recommended because some of the most important reading comprehension variables do not lend themselves to experimental manipulation. "Ex post facto" factorial designs are…

After a brief introduction identifying current issues and trends in research on class size, this brochure reviews five recent studies bearing on the relationship of class size to educational effectiveness. Part 1 is a review of two interrelated and highly controversial "meta-analyses" or statistical integrations of research findings on…

Scales constructed under procedures and criteria outlined by the various traditional and latent trait methods were examined as to whether they varied in characteristics related to scale quality. Scales were constructed from a common pool of items analyzed in full form according to Likert and a one-parameter Rasch model for non-dichotomous data.…