Presents a method of modeling the relevance relationship in information retrieval to answer the question of the theoretical limits of certain statistical methods. Hypergeometric probability distribution is used to construct an abstract model of a database of MEDLINE records, and results of tests of vector retrieval methods are reported. (28…

The effects of priors and amount of bias in the Bayesian approach to the estimation problem in item response models are examined using simulation studies. Different specifications of prior information have only modest effects on Bayesian estimates, which are less biased than joint maximum likelihood estimates for small samples. (TJH)

The authors describe the preliminary development and validation of the Authenticity in Relationships Scale. An initial pool of 37 items addressing various elements of the proposed definition of "relationship authenticity" was administered to 2 independent samples of undergraduates (N = 487) who acknowledged being in a current romantic…

This study of a national sample of elders served by the Independent Living Program for Older Individuals Who Are Blind found that, overall, they were highly satisfied with the quality and timeliness of services and help in achieving independent living goals. A slight improvement was found in their perceptions of functional outcomes from 1999 to…

We consider human performance on an optimal stopping problem where people are presented with a list of numbers independently chosen from a uniform distribution. People are told how many numbers are in the list, and how they were chosen. People are then shown the numbers one at a time, and are instructed to choose the maximum, subject to the…

In recent years, numerous studies in the field of service quality have been carried out. However, relatively few studies have addressed the specific context of higher education. The purpose of this study has been to examine what dimensions constitute quality in higher education and to compare these with the dimensions of quality that have been…

This research examines the reasons behind marketing majors' decision to select marketing as a major, where students have the option to select more than one major toward their undergraduate degree. Results of surveys conducted at two universities, one in Australia and one in New Zealand, provide some new findings as well as extending findings from…

Unfolding response models, a class of item response theory (IRT) models that assume a unimodal item response function (IRF), are often used for the measurement of attitudes. Verhelst and Verstralen (1993)and Andrich and Luo (1993) independently developed unfolding response models by relating the observed responses to a more common monotone IRT…

Evaluation is increasingly taken as a public good, as an activity aimed at development and betterment. At the same time, evaluation is increasingly integrated in accountability movements and in institutionalized systems for governance. It is also embedded in a consumer-oriented New Public Management ideology. Against this background, it is high…

In this study some alternative item selection criteria for adaptive testing are proposed. These criteria take into account the uncertainty of the ability estimates. A general weighted information criterion is suggested of which the usual maximum information criterion and the suggested alternative criteria are special cases. A simulation study was…

A total of 149 students enrolled in an undergraduate nursing research methods course participated in a study comparing three strategies for using formative evaluation (test feedback throughout a course) to predict students at risk of failure at summative evaluation (the final examination). Students took 12 weekly multiple-choice quizzes, which…

In this paper four classes of procedures for measuring the instructional sensitivity of reading comprehension test items are reviewed. True experimental designs are not recommended because some of the most important reading comprehension variables do not lend themselves to experimental manipulation. "Ex post facto" factorial designs are…

Differences between traditional linear regression and a Bayesian approach to classification are discussed. Classification consists of assigning subjects to one of several available treatments on the basis of their test scores when the success of each treatment is measured by a different criterion. Formulating this problem as an empirical Bayes…

The three-parameter logistic model discussed was used by CTB/McGraw-Hill in the development of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, Form U (CTBS/U) and the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS), published in the fall of 1981. The development, standardization, and scoring of the tests are described, particularly as these procedures were influenced by…

A simulation study to determine appropriate linking methods for adaptive testing items was designed. Three basic data sets for responses were created. These were randomly sampled, systematically sampled, and selected data sets. The evaluative criteria used were fidelity of parameter estimation, asymptotic ability estimates, root-mean-square error…