The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which mastery testing contributes to instructional effectiveness and to determine the size of its effects in different outcome areas, such as aptitude and instructional time. A meta-analytic methodology was used to integrate findings from experimental studies. Twenty studies examined…

Changing socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic forces have caused educational nonparticipation among adults to be treated as a social issue. Recent research has attempted to combine dispositional, situational, and environmental factors into composite models of participation. These models have suggested the following categories of deterrence…

This study addresses the test-disclosure-related need for more Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test editions in a situation where the number of examinees is stable or declining. Equating is used to guarantee that examinees of different test editions are treated equitably. The data collection designs used in this study were: (1)…

High personnel loss rates among recruits who have signed up for the Army's Delayed Entry Program (DEP) are becoming an increasing problem for DEP program managers. Therefore, a research project was conducted to examine DEP loss as a function of sociodemography and policy variables at the microdata level. Two DEP loss models were created. The first…

This paper demonstrates the relationship between the concept of unidimensionality and direction of an item in a multidimensional space. The basic premise is that if items that measure in the same direction are combined to form a test, that test will meet the item response theory requirements of unidimensionality. This will be true even if the…

This paper focuses on the questions which arise as test practitioners monitor score scales derived from latent trait theory. Large scale assessment programs are dynamic and constantly challenge the assumptions and limits of latent trait models. Even though testing programs evolve, test scores must remain reliable indicators of progress.…

This paper presents an instructional model for thinking skills and discusses implementing the model. Based on a unitary theory of human cognition and some basic assumptions about the conditions for successfully intervening in public education, the model can be implemented at any grade level within any instructional framework. Currently used models…

This module contains resource materials designed to help vocational education teachers develop a comprehensive and useful syllabus. (These materials supplement the videotape on "Developing a Syllabus.") Materials in the packet include a list of what to include in the syllabus, a model to use in developing or updating a syllabus, a syllabus…

Policymaking has been studied from a variety of conceptual perspectives. The political bargaining model, used in conjunction with the broader systems framework, constitutes a familiar approach to research regarding education policymaking at the state level. This paper focuses on the conceptual implications of a study which applied that approach to…

This study investigates the extent to which the higher order factors of symbolic and semantic content are differentiated. The main concern is an expository description of the use of confirmatory factor analysis in establishing factorial validity. Reanalyzed data originally collected in 1968 involved a sample of 197 tenth, eleventh and twelfth…

This guide is intended to assist Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) program policymakers, planners, and program operators develop JTPA programs and activities. Discussed first are JTPA participant eligibility criteria and ways of assuring that competing groups can receive services in an equitable manner that is consistent with the intent of JTPA.…

An analysis of longitudinal data on a sample of low-income mothers and children was conducted to identify maternal characteristics during pregnancy and infancy that predict child school adaptation during kindergarten. The sample consisted of low-income mothers recruited while receiving prenatal services from public health clinics. The children,…

In this five-part essay, a project concerning development education at the secondary school level in the Netherlands is discussed. The project, entitled Educational Project Development Cooperation (EPOS), will work closely with schools and develop teaching-learning packages and model core curricula to teach students about the moral responsibility…

The Teacher Enrichment/Awareness Curriculum Hierarchy (TEACH) stresses the interactions among and interrelatedness of subject matter (content and skills), teaching methods, the organization of the classroom instructional process, and instructional materials and resources. The model presented is used to help social studies teachers use a global…

The SIMILE model for teaching thinking skills is described and protocol materials that used the model to teach the concept of power are presented. Thinking skills in the SIMILE model include imaging, dissection, conceptualization, definition, relational analysis, and analogy. When teaching thinking skills using the SIMILE model, curriculum…