This study was designed to test the hypothesis that relatively field independent students will perform at a significantly higher level than relatively field dependent students in college-level, introductory economics courses. Previous studies focused on comparative pedagogies, or an examination of the student variables of gender, ability,…

Statistical models for school effectiveness rankings are assessed. An analysis of linear models with fixed regression parameters and models with separate regression parameters for each school is presented. In the first case, the regression lines are parallel and the ranking of the schools is the same for all student backgrounds. In the second…

The purpose of this study was to (1) ascertain the perceptions of teachers using volunteer aides and (2) to investigate the effect of the use of volunteer aides on student achievement when comparing anticipated achievement with actual academic achievement. The population included elementary school teachers and 169 student from 2 elementary schools…

Factor analyses of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) have typically yielded three factors: two generally understood to reflect basic verbal and performance dimensions and one about which there is no consensus with regard to what is measured. The aim of the present study is to elaborate the meaning of the third factor by…

This paper considers the application of Bayesian techniques for simultaneous estimation to the specification of regression weights for selection tests used in various technical training courses in the Marine Corps. Results of a method for m-group regression developed by Molenaar and Lewis (1979) suggest that common weights for training courses…

The two-parameter graded response latent trait model was applied under various conditions to two simulation data sets and to data obtained from a Likert-type attitude scale. The purpose was to investigate the invariance property of the item and person parameter estimates for polychotomously scored data. Correlation and regression analyses, as well…

Two models of library circulation, the Markov model and the mixed Poisson Model, are applied to circulation statistics from the University of Saskatchewan. Goodness-of-fit tests indicate that neither model fits the data; in both cases, the set of noncirculating items is larger than that predicted by the model. (Author/LRW)

Showed that the standard score difference method for determining intelligence quotient achievement discrepencies produced disproportionate racial representation, whereas the regression method produced proportionate racial representation in Learning Disabilities (LD) classes. Demonstrated advantages in measurement of discrepancies, LD program…

An information-processing model of the rating process was proposed and tested by asking 18 teachers to rate 16 hypothetical student profiles formed by systematically varying information along six different dimensions. Findings revealed possible biases in teacher's ratings and indicated the importance of a theoretical model of the rating process.…

Profiles of medium-sized technical libraries serving the power industry highlight user groups and staffing; library size, holdings, and facilities; library services; use of modern and innovative methods, and outside resources; correlation between number of users and selected other characteristics; correlation of library characteristics with…

The behavior of 19 decision-making groups provided the basis for a model of the development of norms in newly formed groups. Data from the decision-making groups are used to illustrate the model, and implications for related research domains are discussed. Appended are 39 references. (MLF)

Validity coefficients of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills, the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program (ACT), and high school percentile rank were calculated with cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at end of each of four years of college for 496 students entering through a special admissions program. The most valid predictor of…

This technical report explores the extent of potential bias introduced into the U.S. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) through nonresponse on the part of schools. Data from the third cycle of TIMSS, conducted in April-June, 2003, are the basis for the analyses. The analyses compare selected characteristics likely to…

This paper describes an evaluation strategy designed to assess the efficacy of an education system at the district level. The strategy provides a measure of accountability that takes into account the potential effects of demographic variables. The study focused on Bellevue Public Schools (Washington), a medium-sized district near Seattle with an…

This study explored a model for students development of the understandings and skills that are involved in being able to construct graphical representations of data and to interpret these graphs. The study examined four components of prior understanding required for graphic representation that were adapted from a learning map from the Atlas of…