Empirical Bayes methods are shown to provide a practical alternative to standard least squares methods in fitting high dimensional models to sparse data. An example concerning prediction bias in educational testing is presented as an illustration. (Author)

Many educational questions of research interest focus on individual differences in attitudes and behaviors related to academic achievement, changes in such attitudes and behaviors over time, and the types of academic environments that facilitate or prevent development of achievement attitudes and behaviors at school. This paper, the first in a…

The report describes a mathematical modelling activity of a natural phenomenon (transmission of hereditary characters in a codominance case) using the concept of model as a theoretical instrument. The chosen tool enables us to show how the construction of a link between reality and a model is related to the evolution of the graphical…

In the Spring, 1996, issue of "CRESST Line," E. Baker and R. Linn commented that, in efforts to measure the progress of schools, "the fluctuations due to differences in the students themselves could conceal differences in instructional effects." This is particularly true in the context of the evaluation of adequate yearly…

The psychometric research done by G. Rasch between 1951 and 1959, which is explained and illustrated in this book, takes psychometrics from being purely descriptive to being a science of objective measurement. Individual centered statistics require models in which each individual is characterized separately and from which, given adequate data,…

This videotape contains a series of presentations by Benjamin D. Wright of the University of Chicago about the Rasch model and measurement in testing. The first presentation is excerpts from a workshop held in 1974 for educators from the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education. Dr. Wright's lectures were part of a…

This paper explores a framework for research on the development of the angle concept based on theories of abstraction. The framework suggests that children initially acquire a body of disconnected angle knowledge situated in everyday experiences, group the situations to form angle contexts, and then form an abstract angle concept. The framework is…

Financial, demographic, and socioeconomic data on Wisconsin school districts are employed to investigate the relationship among labeling children as handicapped, educational program determinations, and cost assessments. Analysis using two mathematical models indicates, among other things, that availability of fiscal resources leads to more…

Compares Illinois' funding formula with a mathematical model for resource compensating formulas. Describes the variables used (including district enrollment, wealth, tax effort, and state guaranteed valuation). Uses graphs to illustrate varying equity effects of the formula for K-12, K-8, and high school districts, both statewide and in selected…

Path analysis was used to provide a comprehensive test of the validity of Tinto's causal model of voluntary withdrawal from a postsecondary institution. This study also tests Tinto's hypothesis of compensatory interactions between social and academic integration and between institutional and goal commitment. (Author/PN)

A model is presented using examinee judgements in detecting ambiguous/misinterpreted items on teacher-made criterion-referenced tests. A computational example and guidelines for constructing domain categories and interpreting the indices are presented. (Author/PN)

Applications of an LR-1 parsing algorithm to intelligent programs for computer assisted instruction in symbolic logic and foreign languages are discussed. The system has been adequately used for diverse instructional applications, including analysis of student input, generation of pattern drills, and modeling the student's understanding of the…

Analysis of a survey of freshman women at a land-grant university included 12 possible determinants of student satisfaction, intent to leave the college, and dropout. The labor model seems applicable to colleges and universities, but is not sufficient to explain the dropout process. (MSE)

Develops a model of teacher salaries and teacher supply and demand, including production functions, occupational choice, budget constraints, and district income and tax rates, as an aid in analyzing educational finance reforms. Tests the model on Pennsylvania school district data, using three different assumptions about labor market competition…

Believing that examinee-by-item interaction should be conceptualized as true score variability rather than as a result of errors of measurement, Lu proposed a modification of Hoyt's analysis of variance reliability procedure. Via a computer simulation study, it is shown that Lu's approach does not separate interaction from error. (Author/RL)