This study investigated the appropriateness of Item Response Theory (IRT) models to analyze language test data. In a university second language institute, results of typical versions of tests of French as a Second Language (n=831 examinees) and of English as a Second Language (n=617 examinees) were subjected to non-linear factor analysis in…

Recent movements to empower teachers often assume that in order for teachers to assume leadership roles in schools, the teachers must leave the classroom to become school committee members or to work in adjacent classrooms with new teachers. However, teaching inherently involves leading, and leadership can be validated in terms of the teacher's…

Because research on job characteristics as predictors of turnover is of debatable relevance to the study of school board turnover, the research reported here examines the impact of variables capable of capturing the political context. In a survey including data from 263 board members from 83 school districts in New York State, the dependent…

Academic and social problems of the children of migrant workers are compounded when these families remigrate to their home countries. This study explores patterns of Greek remigrant children's social adjustment and integration in Greek public schools after their families' return to Greece, principally from the Federal Republic of Germany. The…

During the 1982-83 school year the Spencerport (New York) Central School District began a comprehensive project to study the effective schools research and its implications at all levels of a suburban school system. A leadership planning team (consisting of teachers, principals, and district personnel) participated in a series of workshops and…

This document is an annual status report summarizing findings of the first full year of operation of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes four documents (reprinted in Appendices A through D) that were developed during the project; reviews the assumptions, concepts, and research findings upon which…

The paper identifies and addresses four methodological weaknesses common to most previous studies that have used LISREL confirmatory factor analysis to test for the factorial validity and invariance of a single measuring instrument. Specifically, the paper demonstrates the steps involved in: (1) conducting sensitivity analyses to determine a…

The factor structure of responses from 2,833 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders responding to a modified form of the My Education Scale (ME Scale) was examined. The scale measures factors related to school achievement. Students (52% from minority groups) in five middle schools completed the ME inventory. Responses were submitted to a principal…

The Assessment of Readiness for the Professional Practice of Ministry project, sponsored by the Association of Theological Schools, studied methods for determining a person's readiness to enter the mimtry and perform effectively. Simultaneously, the Lutheran Seminarian Project assessed the needs and strengths of beginning seminary students. Both…

The main goal of this book is to enable examiners to use the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities as a clinical tool for evaluating preschool and primary-grade children. However, before an examiner becomes too concerned with issues relating to test interpretation, he or she should first understand thoroughly certain basic considerations.…

A research project was developed to construct and demonstrate a methodology for estimating the costs of conducting on-the-job training (OJT) in the Air Force. The project focused on the formal upgrade training to the three, five, and seven skill levels. Project efforts involved five major tasks: literature review, cost factor identification, cost…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a Jungian-oriented self-report inventory which classifies people into dichotomous categories along four scales: extraversion-introversion, sensation-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judgment-perception. Introduced in 1942, the scoring and items have changed after several items analyses. Form F contains 51 phrase…

TO EVALUATE STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF SCHOOL-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, 860 VARIABLES WERE DEFINED FROM THE LITERATURE AND GROUPED INTO 26 DIVISIONS FOR ASSESSMENT AGAINST FOUR SUMMARY CRITERION VARIABLES--(1) ACQUIESCENCE, THE DEGREE TO WHICH VOTERS IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT VIEW FINANCIAL ISSUES FAVORABLY, (2) PARTICIPATION, THE DEGREE TO WHICH VOTERS…

This monograph presents the computer printout of an analysis of data on international cooperation over a three-year period. Part of a large scale research project to test various theories with regard to their power in analyzing international relations, this monograph presents data on the application of discriminant function analysis of combined…

This monograph presents the computer printout of an analysis of data on international conflict over a three-year period. Part of a large scale research project to test various theories with regard to their power in analyzing international relations, this monograph presents data on the application of discriminant function analysis of 'underdog'…