This handbook was designed to assist practicing vocational educators in planning and preparing performance measures for evaluating the behavioral outcomes of instruction. It is particularly concerned with fulfilling the needs of individuals involved in manpower development and training programs. The nature of and need for performance testing is…

General objectives were to develop and implement computer-based procedures for obtaining validated data on the characteristics of vocational school students and to convert this data into counseling information. Two types of data-information conversion procedures were field-tested: similarity scores based on discriminant analysis, and success…

Brief annotations of currently available basic learning tests, which were either specifically designed for adults or modified for use with adults, are presented. Information given for each measure includes author; the source from which it may be obtained; the purpose of the instrument; the nature of the materials; groups for which it is intended;…

Black students from two cities and Mexican-American students, both male and female, showed small but consistent tendencies to perform better, relative to White groups, on three nontraditional measures: tests of inductive reasoning, spatial scanning, and associative memory. These measures showed somewhat less discrepancy between the groups than did…

This study attempts to determine whether the pattern of human abilities varies or remains constant over a range of ability levels. Scores on 12 aptitude and achievement tests for 11,743 subjects, subdivided into four groups according to intelligence and socioeconomic status, were used. A technique, developed by Joreskog, for simultaneously factor…

Results of a subtest of the Project Access battery, comparing the influence of race, sex and city on inductive reasoning items, are presented. The participating Junior High students represented three racial groups, Black, White, and Mexican Americans, from three cities, Los Angeles, Memphis, and Washington, D. C. The test, entitled Letter Groups,…

This report presents the logic and initial results of a program for the development of unique measures for assessing the potential of "low aptitude" personnel for certain Navy ratings. The logic is based on the conjecture that recruits who can learn a sample of the job requisites in a mini on-the-job training situation will demonstrate…

This report describes the development of a flexible model program of instruction that included curriculum elements, training objectives, instructional methods and procedures, and measures for evaluating both individual trainee needs and training achievement for Work Incentive Orientation Training. The research is part of an effort to prepare…

This report summarizes the results from the first year of a proposed three-year study into ability patterns for learning second languages in intensive training. The languages sampled were Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, German, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Before training, the students were administered these predictive…

Discusses the use of courseware designed to prepare high school students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Provides a review of six software packages specifically designed for this purpose. Discusses, as an alternative, a non-computer plan for SAT preparation. (TW)

Differences in interaction patterns between teachers and high/low achieving and high/low expectation students were examined in four grade 3 and six grade 6 classes, involving 237 students. Teachers interacted most frequently with high achieving/expectancy students, but spent more time waiting for and interacting with low achieving/expectancy…

Discussion of correspondence instruction and the role of the tutor focuses on a study at the University of Manitoba that investigated the relationship between correspondence students' attitudes toward the importance of telephone contact with their course tutors and the effects of providing such contact. (29 references) (LRW)

This study investigated the effect of reward structure and group ability composition on small group computer-assisted instruction. Junior high school students practiced algebra in mixed-ability or uniform-ability groups, and rewards were based on individual performance, group performance, or a combination of both. (29 references) (Author/LRW)

Describes a research program of four studies that investigated whether instructional media could be used to deliver persuasive messages effectively. Highlights include learner attitudes, aptitude treatment interaction, instructional media research, the effectiveness of various media types, learner characteristics, and suggestions for additional…

Discusses the use of mental ability tests for grouping science students. Describes a study which investigated the analytical skill items on the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test for field independent bias. Results indicated that the test is biased in favor of individuals with field independent perceptual orientation. (TW)