Literature on psychological characteristics of abusive families suggests that psychometric assessments can be developed to screen parents for abusiveness. Advocates of primary prevention of child abuse have encouraged the development of such perinatal screening devices. However, social values define abusiveness, making its assessment especially…

Although studies on test anxiety are abundant in the research literature, there are few investigations of the relationship of stress to academic achievement. To test the hypothesis that maladaptive methods of coping with stress are related to academic achievement in greater magnitude than the relationship of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores,…

College students in introductory foreign language courses (French, German, and Spanish) were the subjects of a study to determine what if any correlation exists between ability and motivation on the one hand and achievement on the other in learning a second language. The ability measure (predicted grade point average) was found to correlate…

The American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program is reviewed in this four-part report in terms of its use at North Harris County College (NHCC). Part I briefly reviews the contents of the four ACT tests: English Usage, Mathematics Usage, Social Studies Reading, and Natural Science Reading. It goes on to discuss the stability, limitations, and…

To assess structural coupling in schools, investigators must first have measures with established reliability and validity levels. Structural coupling refers to the mechanisms and norms in organizations that influence interactions among individuals. For three structural coupling measurement techniques--participant observation, interviews, and…

Regression lines for the prediction of Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) scores by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and WISC Revised (WISC-R) intelligence quotients were compared across race, by the Potoff technique. Subjects were 36 black and 30 white children who were referred for psychological evaluation because of learning or…

A longitudinal study was conducted in three Maryland counties to determine the predictive validity of the Maryland Systematic Teacher Observation Instrument (MSTOI) and other initial assessment instruments as screening devices to identify kindergarten children with potential reading and/or learning difficulties. The MSTOI was also examined to…

Classical multiple regression was compared with Bayesian m-group regression, complete with cross-validation. The setting was a post-developmental studies situation in a comprehensive community college. A secondary purpose of the study was to incorporate an advisor prediction of grade point average (GPA) as input into both regression procedures.…

A recategorization system developed by Bannatyne to categorize subtest scatter from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) is used as an alternative to isolated analysis of each individual subtest. Reading disabled, learning disabled, and educable mentally handicapped students are categorized according to their performance…

TWO TYPES OF COUNSELING PROGRAMS WERE COMPARED BY RANDOM ASSIGNMENT OF 30 COUNSELORS TO TWO PRACTICUM TREATMENTS. FIFTEEN COUNSELORS RECEIVED 60 HOURS OF COUNSELING EXPERIENCE CONCENTRATED INTO THE LAST 3 MONTHS OF A YEAR-LONG TRAINING PROGRAM. ANOTHER 15 RECEIVED 60 HOURS DISTRIBUTED IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. SUPERVISING STAFF AND METHODS OF…

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) scores in kindergarten (MRTK) and grade one (MRT1) with the reading scores of the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) at the end of grades one (CTBSR1) and two (CTBSR2). A secondary purpose of the study was to determine whether the…

To evaluate the usefulness of standardized achievement tests in assessing pre-university academic achievement and aptitude, the Council of Ontario Universities administered tests to incoming freshmen at four Ontario universities, and also examined their high school and subsequent university performance. The tests were designed to measure…

A STUDY WAS MADE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO TYPES OF STUDY BEHAVIOR AND THREE KINDS OF LEARNING--KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION, AND APPLICATION. TWO STUDY BEHAVIOR SCALES WERE DEVELOPED BY HOMOGENEITY ANALYSIS, BEHAVIOR ONE REFLECTING DEMONSTRATED ACCEPTANCE OF THE ESTABLISHED COURSE CONTENT AND GOALS AND BEHAVIOR TWO REFLECTING THE TENDENCY OF…

This paper argues that the problems of minority and disadvantaged students at traditional colleges and universities are different from those students attending junior or community colleges. The goals and guidelines set up by the E.O.F. (Educational Opportunity Fund) Community Advisory Board at Rutgers University in Newark are delineated and…

The suppressor variable, a variable wholly uncorrelated with a criterion, but which nevertheless improves prediction because of its relationship with a predictor, is critically examined. For a suppressor so defined, formal identities are shown with part, partial, and multiple correlational procedures. It is demonstrated that if maximum prediction…