Addresses the problem of improving transfer of training from the seminar setting to participants' work setting and proposes use of a post-seminar lay-consultant program offering encouragement and technical counselling to participants. The training of 16 lay people as consultants and implementation of a consultant program for seminar participants…

Two studies on the relationship between taking a commercial coaching course and performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) are reported. In both studies, one on repeating examinees and another on first-time examinees, differences in scores favoring coached examinees were found on the science knowledge and problems subtests.…

This study investigated the attitudes of faculty members toward the reliability and validity of student ratings and its uses for administrative purposes, i.e., promotion and tenure considerations. The effects of background and organizational variables were also researched. (Author/LMO)

Data drawn from a qualitative study of teachers' perceptions of work stress is presented. Linkages between teacher stress and teacher performance are firmly established. Study data are discussed in terms of the Performance Adaptation Syndrome, a term used to describe the deleterious effects of prolonged work stress on instructional ability.…

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to derive the dimensions underlying student ratings of instruction. A weighted MDS revealed that departmental affiliation, course structure, and intensity of teaching were particularly salient to the raters. The findings are discussed in light of the current literature on student ratings of instruction.…

Three year trends in the law grade averages of nonminority, Black, and Chicano students were studied in two sets of law schools enrolling more than 900 Black students and more than 300 Chicano students. Reasons for the differential improvements in grades are considered, including statistical artifacts and substantive factors. (Author/BS)

Presents the theory of general language proficiency and looks at the construct validation of cloze tests and C-tests. Describes the defects of classical cloze procedures. Gives an example of the C-Test and discusses its empirical validity. Concludes that C-tests are authentic tests of the construct of general language proficiency.

Analyzes a group of children who had been matched for English proficiency and socioeconomic status at the beginning of a school year but who differed in their school achievement at the end of that year. Considers competence in morphology, syntax, and vocabulary; verbosity; patterns of social interaction; first language performance; and personality…

Recent research on formative and summative evaluation concluded that: (1) student ratings are most common and increasing in popularity; (2) student ratings are reliable; (3) evaluations influence salary, tenure, and promotion; (4) evaluations improve teaching effectiveness; (5) faculty satisfaction varies with institutional context; and (6)…

Investigated attributes of 61 online searchers that were believed to affect quality of search results: creativity level (measured using two self-report inventories); intelligence level (approximated from GRE verbal and quantitative scores); and personality traits in regard to masculinity, femininity, and self-esteem (measured using…

The validity of elementary school pupil ratings of the teaching performance of 33 student teachers was examined using the nine competencies of the Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments. Ratings of college supervisors and supervising teachers were criteria for contrast of validity coefficients of student ratings. (Author/BS)

Techniques for new teachers to use to achieve and maintain quality instruction include questioning techniques, approaches to developing student mental skills, classroom communication strategies, and improvements in teacher evaluation forms and techniques. (MSE)

The influence of item arrangement on students' total test performance was investigated. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The main finding within the context of this study was that item arrangements based on item difficulties did not influence achievement examination performance. (Author/DWH)

An approach to course evaluation that distills a number of student perceptions of the course and using the resulting list of problems as a basis for student-teacher discussion is outlined, and its application in formative evaluation of University of Cape Town courses is described. (MSE)

The teaching approaches and attitudes toward teaching of University of Queensland faculty rated superior under one rating system are examined, including professional and personal skills and attitudes such as subject area competence, ability to communicate knowledge in various classroom contexts, and commitment to facilitating learning in…