The 1993 Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) Reading Tests measured reading comprehension using both narrative and expository reading passages. Noticeable differences in mean scaled scores occurred depending on whether the 1993 results were equated back to the 1992 narrative test or the 1993 expository test (Hsu and Ackerman, 1994). In an…

Research was performed in lower grade technical schools in the Netherlands to study complex psychomotor tasks requiring integration of several task-dependent skills. In two studies, students were observed performing metal work. They were assigned to instructional conditions of high, intermediate or low structure. Students in the high-structure…

Reflective thinking is important to young adolescents as they develop their thinking skills. Various instructional methods have been recommended to support reflective thinking, yet the nature of the underlying factors in these methods is unclear. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factors prompting reflective thinking. Results…

Objectives of the Veterans' Cost-of-Instruction Program (VCIP) evaluation were: (1) to develop profiles describing institutional services for veterans, the Office of Veterans' Affairs (OVA), and demographic characteristics; (2) to identify differences and similarities in institutions' veteran assistance programs; (3) to describe the degree to…

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS UNDERLYING PUBLIC PROVISIONS FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN IN 101 ILLINOIS COUNTIES (COOK EXCLUDED) AND TO DEVELOP A DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUE TO INDICATE WHETHER COUNTIES COULD BE EXPECTED TO MAKE SUCH PROVISIONS. SERVICES STUDIED WERE THOSE FOR THE DEAF, THE SPEECH HANDICAPPED,…

Three themes were addressed at the conference: (1) implications of factor analysis for achievement testing; (2) use of achievement tests in awarding course credits; and (3) extended conceptions of evaluation in higher education. The speeches were entitled: Factors of Verbal Achievement, by John B. Carroll; Schools of Thought in Judging Excellence…

This paper presents data on a follow-up study of a project in the 1960's: a classroom assessment and intervention program directed at mental health for all the first grade classrooms of Woodlawn, a black poor community on Chicago's south side. Now, ten years later, the mental health of these adolescents as well as the mental health, structure, and…

In 1968 a television-based course of study on racial conflict was used in hundreds of schools nationwide. Five 30-minute films were shown to students in grades 7-12. Other materials were teacher and student manuals, and three teacher training films. the latter showing other teachers going through the film-discussion program in real situations.…

The rationale for and development of the Classroom Behavior Scales (CRB) are discussed in connection with applications on four separate samples of Head Start, kindergarten and first grade children. Studies of observer agreement, stability, structure, comparisons over sex, classes, conditions, observers and over time are presented. Results showed…

The concept of psychosocial maturity is reviewed in preparation for the exploration of the feasibility of constructing a scale that measures maturity. Investigation produced a preliminary 54-item scale with high reliability and moderate validity, which is appended. A factor analysis of the scale supports the a priori structure by the theoretical…

This paper analyzes data from the 1989-90 and 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies to examine the awarding of institutional need-based versus non-need grants to undergraduate students. The study examines how the use of the different types of scholarships has changed in recent years; characteristics of students who receive the grants;…

Student level factors influencing the employability of technical and further education (TAFE) graduates over time were examined. Student Outcomes Survey (SOS) data were collected from 4,673 South Australian 1998 TAFE graduates and 2,819 South Australian 1999 TAFE graduates. Some students were employed (part time or full time), whereas others were…

This study explored individual differences in educational disadvantage-- deficits in formal and informal education in the school, home, and elsewhere--in the SAT test-taking population. Factor analysis identified six educational disadvantage factors--four concerning the students' schools and two the students' nativity and parenting--and one family…

The failure to consider factors that make a key contribution to violence and its prevention may create serious problems of construct validity for school violence surveys. Further, few studies have assessed the relative importance of variables contributing to perceptions of safety by examining correlations between survey items and overall feelings…

Standardized rating scales are the most often used part of the multidimensional assessment of children's behavior. However, low cross-informant correlations raise concerns about the reliability and validity of the resulting scores. This study examined whether the manner in which behavioral constructs are measured differs across informants, across…