Differences in procedures used by academic institutions and government agencies in administering the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Interview test are examined, and results and implications of two studies of interrater reliability are discussed. (MSE)

Reviews study of 80 undergraduate sociology students which compared the effects of two types of sequencing in computer assisted instruction: (1) linear, or fixed, and (2) flip, or branching. Results indicate that students in the flip sequence condition performed better on comprehension measures but not on retention measures. (Author/LRW)

Intermediate-level English as a second language students were examined for levels of reading comprehension. Half of each group (experimental and control) received more complete versions of test passages than the other half, and the experimental group was taught appropriate cultural background information between tests. Background knowledge did…

This study investigated the relationship between divorce and young adult male crime, controlling for two factors; socioeconomic status and paternal criminality. The subjects were drawn from the subject pool of a Danish longitudinal study. The initial significant effects of divorce disappeared when the controlling factors were introduced through…

Describes study conducted with U.S. Marine Corps enlisted personnel to measure response time to computer-administered questionnaire items, and to evaluate how measurement of response time might be useful in various research areas. Topics addressed include mood states; the occurrence of straight lining; and experimental effects of sleep loss and…

Compared the efficacy of two methods of cluster analysis, the unweighted pair-groups method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and Ward's method, for students grouped on intelligence, achievement, and social adjustment by both clustering methods. Found UPGMA more efficacious based on output, on cophenetic correlation coefficients generated by each…

Describes methods used to evaluate software for microcomputers in Japanese elementary and middle schools. Completion of an evaluation checklist by experienced teachers is described, the cluster analysis used is reviewed, and characteristics of available software are discussed and analyzed to assess their learning and teaching efficiency.…

Activities which focus on form and communicative outcome are suggested for developing accuracy and fluency in second language students. Examples of such activities (with focus on the English as a second language learner) that vary the circumstances of communication in the classroom are presented. (Author/CB)

Criterion-related validity of the 126-item cognitive test used in the High School and Beyond study was examined. Sophomore and senior year cognitive test results correlated highly with senior year college entrance examinations for all subtests except civics, and moderately well with senior year grades and class rank. (Author/GDC)

Explores the rationale behind the importance of teaching young secondary school students how to look for correlation patterns. Describes two lessons that show how pupils can experience zero, positive, and negative correlation patterns between variables. Indicates the possible success of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education project.…

Tested a five-factor framework for understanding client-counselor agreement about their counseling, including the scope of counseling (process, impact or outcome), the dimension (index) rated (session Depth, Smoothness, Positivity, or Arousal), the measure used to assess agreement, the level at which the analysis is conducted, and the type of…

A study investigating correlations between parents' and students' attitudes toward Hebrew and students' achievement in learning it as a second language found low and insignificant correlations between parents' and students' attitudes but high correlation between students' attitudes and achievement. (Author/CB)

Twelve schools with higher reading levels than expected, on the basis of family incomes, were examined on 67 variables. Results indicated that schools achieving higher than expected were smaller, had lower pupil mobility, had teachers with more structured methods, and had principals and students with more positive reading attitudes. (JAZ)

This study examined the relationship between self-assessed understanding of lesson content and student performance on factual and inferential test questions among college undergraduate students. Analysis of the results showed little or no correlation between student ratings of their understanding and their subsequent performance on both embedded…

Using data from High School and Beyond, this study empirically investigated the extent of within-variable, between-occasion error covariances among variables included in educational achievement models. Little evidence was found to support the statement that reliability estimates for social background variables are inflated because of correlated…