Several methods for dealing with incomplete multivariate data and ways to examine the effectiveness of these methods are discussed. It is concluded that pairwise and listwise deletions are among the least effective methods in terms of approximating the results, whereas estimates based on correlational procedures generally produce the most accurate…

The effects of different instructors and student Myers-Briggs Type Inventory personality characteristics on the accuracy of predicting 1041 introductory English composition grades from a single regression equation were investigated. Results suggested that grades were inflated in classes with high means and deflated in classes with low means.…

The predictive validity of the California Achievement Test, Reading (CAT-R) was examined for 480 Hispanic and Anglo pupils in Grades 2 and 3. The validity of the CAT-R as a predictor for reading for combined groups of Hispanic and Anglo pupils appeared to be limited. (Author/LMO)

Longstreth's critique of Jensen's research on the relationship of IQ to individual differences in visual reaction time (RT), measured in the Hick paradigm, is said to have numerous errors of fact and interpretation, some trivial and some of theoretical importance. (Author/LMO)

Explores alternative measures--Ph.D.s produced by the institution, number of faculty, number of interlibrary loans, number of publications attributable to the institution--to be used to test applicability to research libraries of the Cobb-Douglas production function, which relates three variables--production, labor, and capital investment.…

In 1982, the College Board published a statistical report that included tables profiling the differences among racial and ethnic segments of test takers. The data behind those tables are explored and a fuller explanation of the differences in SAT scores is presented. (Author/MLW)

This paper uses longitudinal data and multiple regression of follow-up data to identify direction of causality among adolescent alcohol use, normative structure toward alcohol, and peer alcohol use. Data were collected on a random sample of 100 adolescents. Separate regressions were performed on male and female respondents. (Author/LMO)

Analyses of the relationship between costs and output in more than 3,000 United States academic libraries show that average costs rise more rapidly than output for all types of libraries except two-year private colleges. Major differences in workload and expenditures were found between two-year and four-year public and private institutions. (EJS)

The concept of student engagement is receiving increased attention from researchers, higher education leaders, and the general public in recent years. This increased attention represents a shift from the more traditional "resource and reputation" model of academic quality to a model that emphasizes institutional best practices and student…

In recent years there has been a steady decline in the number of applications filed for full-time admission to American Bar Association-approved law schools. This study sought to determine what explains interinstitutional variation in application volume for the years 1993 to 1996. Using multivariate regression analysis, the study tested a…

Research on preschoolers' friendships has focused on superficial similarities but has not examined whether similarities exist between friends in personality characteristics such as temperament. This study examined the hypothesis that friends would have similar temperaments and that the relationship between temperament and friendship would be…

The purpose of this study was to construct regression models that can identify sources of desired or undesired influences on student ratings. The approach uses course effectiveness findings developed with regression models to identify a possible solution to the two problems in using student ratings as a major component of course effectiveness: (1)…

This study used the multilevel modeling method to analyze the research productivity of 1,104 tenured or tenure track faculty from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty. The study compared statistical and substantive results of multilevel modeling (or hierarchical linear modeling) to the traditional regression approach. Two dependent…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has increased the importance of assessment in K-12 education. Designed to ensure that all students meet high academic standards, the law currently requires states receiving Title I funds to test all children annually in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and report student performance disaggregated by…

Because of limitations on research controls, research designs in postsecondary education are often complex and can involve many independent and potentially confounding variables. What is needed to adequately address such research questions is a flexible and powerful data-analytic approach, and the general linear regression model is recommended.…