In validating tests for course placement in college, the criterion variable is usually defined in terms of the grade earned in a particular standard course. This study considers the issue of interpreting incomplete (I) and withdrawal (W) grades either as unsuccessful outcomes or as missing data. The effects of either type of interpretation on…

This study investigated questions related to the length of video segments in interactive video programs: (1) the preferred segment length if learners decide how much information they want presented before stopping to answer question; (2) the relationship between segment length and direct recall of factual information when segment length is…

The purpose of the study described here was to determine the extent to which student teachers' performance, as assessed by their university supervisors, could be predicted from the following sets of measurements: (1) high school and college academic performance indexes; (2) self-reported attitudes, anxieties, and concerns about teaching; and (3)…

This study utilizes student enrollment data often available to institutional researchers in order to predict and explain time to degree. The population for the study included all 1992 bachelors degree graduates (n=868) of a state-supported comprehensive university in the Southeast. Block multiple regression based upon Astin's…

At Oregon's Lane Community College (LCC), all full-time students and students enrolled in English Composition (WR121) are required to take a 35-item writing placement test. Students with test scores deemed "marginal" (i.e, those scoring between 20 and 24 points) are advised to take a preparatory course (WR120) before enrolling in WR121,…

The redesigned Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ) provides information about the number of years of study and types of courses in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) examinees' academic backgrounds. This study used data from the 1987 National Sample Tape, which contains SDQ responses and score information from 100,000 seniors in the class of 1987.…

Changes from the expected life course can arise from at least three different reasons in longitudinal work: developmental novelty, errors in diagnosis, and errors in expectation. This longitudinal study examined the social development of 220 fourth graders and 475 seventh graders over a period of 10 years with over 98 percent of the original…

The effects of higher requirements for high school graduation on patterns of participation in secondary education among high school graduates and different patterns of course-taking among college-bound and non-college-bound students from 1969 to 1987 were studied. Data sets were from four national studies on high school students: (1) the…

The objective of this study was to investigate differential tendencies to avoid guessing as a function of three variables: (1) lingual-cultural-group; (2) gender; and (3) examination year. The Psychometric Entrance Test (PET) for universities in Israel was used, which is administered in Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Russian. The…

This study investigated the perceptions and attitudes of practicing teachers towards minimum competency testing for teachers. A 5-point Likert-type general attitude scale was constructed by standard procedure, using item analysis and factor analysis. Eight perspectives from which a teacher may perceive teacher minimum competency testing were…

A study investigated the use of a mathematical model to predict individuals' total active Hebrew vocabulary from samples of their written and spoken language. The model is based on a generalized inverse Gaussian distribution. The subjects were Israeli junior high school students from both high and low socioeconomic groups. Hebrew language samples…

This report examines the feasibility of collecting social indicator data on the: (1) status of women and minorities in education; (2) federal role in elementary and secondary education; and (3) condition of professional education. Previous projects conducted literature reviews and developed conceptual frameworks for these three topics, identifying…

Topics concerning the adult learner that are relevant to institutional researchers are addressed in four articles: marketing, predicting success for adult students, enrollment projection, and follow-up studies of adult learners. In "Institutional Research in Support of Marketing the Adult Student," Lydia Jurand notes the importance of…

In 1981-82, a study was conducted to determine why students left LaGuardia Community College (LCC) before completing the requirements for an associate degree. Interviews were conducted with dropout students over the course of the study, and questionnaires were administered to entering and continuing students to provide a comparative framework. The…

Studies are reviewed on early identification and remediation of "at risk" preschool, 1st-, and 2nd-grade children to prevent possible future reading failure. The research review identifies essential characteristics of reading and reading acquisition, explains difficulties in learning how to read, explores variables within the individual…