Misconceptions, shown to be prevalent in students even at the college level, may affect the cognitive process of making predictions in biology. The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify students' misconceptions about important biological concepts; (2) identify students' cognitive behaviors associated with making predictions about these…

A computer-based attention reduction model of training is presented, and associated issues related to instructional systems design are outlined. Attention reduction training (ART) is based on the dual task assessment procedure developed by researchers in the area of memory. The technique involves having subjects respond to two tasks…

The effect of dimensionality on an adaptive test's ability estimation was examined. Two-dimensional data sets, which differed from one another in the interdimensional ability association, the correlation among the difficulty parameters, and whether the item discriminations were or were not confounded with item difficulty, were generated for 1,600…

What a multivariate contrast analysis should entail and how such an analysis should be conducted are discussed. The three questions encompassing a contrast analysis are: (1) whether the contrast effects are generalizable; (2) which variables contribute most to the contrast effects; and (3) what is the construct underlying the contrast effects.…

A basic problem in preparing group counseling leaders is providing an instructional program which gives both information about group work and experience in leading groups. The Structured Counseling Role Interpersonal Phased Transactions (SCRIPT) format attempts to reduce this problem. Frequently, students are required or expected to participate in…

According to a recent survey, the quality of educational software is the single most stated concern of computer educators in Canada. Only a small fraction of the educational software is evaluated. The evaluation approaches that have emerged to deal with this problem are subjective and unreliable, and they do not provide an overall impression of a…

In keeping with current Department of Defense policies on integrated diagnostics and a reduced reliance on paper-based documentation, the concept of a portable, expert-system-based job aid and training device was proposed to assist inexperienced electronics maintenance technicians in learning to maintain sophisticated equipment. A prototype was…

Problems involved in providing practical research experience in research methods courses are discussed. The two points in the research process where time is most critical are selecting measures and data collection. This paper suggests using a data base from previous research and having students conduct simulated studies based on randomly selected…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that large within-examinee item difficulty variability had on estimates of the proportion of consistent classification of examinees into mastery categories over two test administrations. The classification consistency estimate was based on a single test administration from an estimation procedure…

The first goal of this research project was to demonstrate the use of computer assisted video instruction (CAVI) for teaching mildly handicapped students school to community transition skills. Two CAVI learning modules were developed on asking for help and budgeting. The first includes eight lessons focusing on questions of why, when, who, what,…

The purpose of this teaching unit is to approach elementary probability problems in three ways. First, actual trials are performed and results are recorded. Second, a simple computer simulation of the problem provided on diskette and written for Apple IIe and IIc computers, is run several times. Finally, the mathematical solution of the problem is…

This report describes the Intelligent Maintenance Training System (IMTS), a set of software tools for composing and delivering simulation-based technical training. The goal in developing IMTS was to generate instructional interactions from device models composed of instances of generic objects. Problem selection in IMTS relies on the use of a…

A collection of seven essays about current topics involving social studies curriculum is presented in this document. "Priorities in the Social Studies" considers curriculum-related issues and social problems that need to be addressed. "The Student and the Psychology of Learning" suggests criteria that should be considered by teachers when…

The use of new extension of standard Item Response Theory (IRT) modeling of dichotomous items to include external variables is proposed. External variables may appear both as categorical grouping variables and as continuous variables; this requires the formulation of a model for the relationships between the external variables and the response…

Presented in this manual is a one-week training program designed to help women's organizations (campus-based centers and other organizations) address needs related to power and leadership, organizational development, program and budget planning, and negotiation and communication skills. The guide is divided into eleven sections dealing with the…