The use of ability testing for job selection has become widespread in the Federal Government and in the U.S. Employment Service, which assists private sector employers. The justification for the practice is based largely on research findings claiming a high level of validity for such tests in predicting job performance. More recently, such claims…

This study of the application of cognitive style theory to the development of computer-based instruction explored two questions, i.e., whether computer-based courseware can be designed to address specific learner characteristics, and, if so, which characteristics. Several factors involved in the optimization of instruction are described: learner…

This study concentrates on the development and estimation of measurement properties of the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES). Three university faculties in education and psychology developed a pool of routine, frequent academic behaviors of college students. The pool was examined by seven graduate teaching assistants and trimmed and…

This chapter considers the social and cultural implications of instructional development, and suggests that the success or failure of a project can best be predicted from improvements in relevant social analysis combined with a competent technical analysis, rather than formal analytic and evaluative analyses alone. Recent developments in the…

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) offers the opportunity to replace paper-and-pencil aptitude tests such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery with shorter, more accurate, and more secure computer-administered tests. Its potential advantages need to be verified by experimental administration of automated tests to military recruit…

The Skills Map, a comprehensive classification of occupations based on their competency requirements, was developed to assess the employability of individuals and of various groups of individuals in different types of occupations. The data on which it was based were the ratings of required worker traits as given by the Dictionary of Occupational…

A study examined high and low achieving readers' performance with six phonic generalizations, using real and nonsense words. Eighteen first and second grade students were divided into higher level and lower level readers on the basis of their scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Three real words and four nonsense words for each of the six…

To facilitate the design of an admissions test for students wishing to study public relations at West Virginia University (Morgantown), a study used data from the academic records of 2,100 students and graduates and their performance on the Journalism Proficiency Examination. The measure used was their academic and professional success compared to…

Many factors influence prospective graduate students' choice of a graduate school, including the chances of gaining admission. This study examines the perceptions of a representative sample of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test takers who were asked to indicate their views of the importance of eight widely considered factors in graduate…

Sixty seventh and eighth grade students participated in a study that investigated students' viewpoints and attitudes toward reading and the relationship of each of these to their reading achievement. The reading ability of the subjects was determined by scores on the reading subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test, and attitudes toward reading…

Data from the Joint Council on Economic Education's National Assessment of Economic Education (NAEE) Survey, gathered during the 1986-87 school year, provide material for a large-sample study of a broad variety of determinants of economic understanding and attitudes at the precollege level. The NAEE Survey, consisting of four questionnaires,…

The interaction between fluid aptitude and two levels of instructional method (expository and discovery) was investigated. The methods differed in the completeness of the support provided for cognitive processing of procedural knowledge. Four performance outcomes were measured--immediate and delayed recall, and near and far transfer of the…

This report presents findings of a study of effective placement programs, both secondary and postsecondary, which identified elements that contribute to program success. The analysis begins with a look at who operates the placement services, what their backgrounds are, and their similarities and differences in terms of philosophies, opinions, and…

The aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) design focuses on teacher effectiveness and on how the effectiveness of the teacher interacts with the stable characteristics of the student. The underlying assumptions of the ATI design are similar to and an extension of other teacher effectiveness research designs, such as the process-product design. The…

The relationships between a diverse set of individual difference, demographic, and aptitude variables; and a set of student attitudes and behaviors pertinent to experiences in large lecture classes were examined. The sample was 4300 students enrolled in 33 lecture classes at a large university. The relationship between the set of individual…