This report presents findings of a review of the current research on the effectiveness of distance education in higher education. Major findings indicate, first, there is a paucity of truly original research dedicated to explaining or predicting phenomena related to distance learning; and, second, although most studies indicate that distance…

The purposes of this study were to describe the validation of a new instrument, the Teacher Communication Behaviour Questionnaire (TCBQ) and to show its use in assessing students' perceptions of their interactions with their teachers by focusing on their teachers' communicating behaviors. Participants were 1,202 students in grades 7 through 9 from…

The relationship among Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) results, high school grade point average (GPA), socioeconomic variables, and placement test scores was examined. Participants were 162 freshmen studies students from an urban university. Results of zero-order correlations indicated that the construct validity of the placement skills test used…

Teachers and principals need to understand and be able to talk intelligently about statistics. They need to be able to clarify concepts and generalizations used in tests that measure student progress. Among the terms educators need to be able to explain are "mean,""average,""median,""validity,""reliability,""pilot studies," and "item analysis."…

Over the past decade, developers of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) have changed substantially the mix of item types on the NAEP assessments by decreasing the numbers of multiple-choice questions and increasing the numbers of questions requiring short- or extended-constructed responses. These changes have been motivated…

In response to the growing achievement gap between English Learners (ELs) and non-ELs, standards-based instruction and assessment have been promulgated at the state and federal level. Yet, the consequences of standards-based assessment reforms for ELs have rarely been systematically studied. The work reported here represents the initial study of a…

This study examined the SAT® II: Writing Subject Test as a predictor of writing performance in college English courses. Writing performance was based on eight writing samples submitted as part of regular course work by students in eight colleges. The samples consisted of drafts and final papers submitted in response to four take-home writing…

Previous research on differences in the reliability, validity, and difficulty of essay tests given under different timing conditions has indicated that giving examinees more time to complete an essay may raise their scores to a certain extent, but does not change the meaning of those scores, or the rank ordering of students. There is no evidence…

Developed a motivational distortion scale for the High School Personality Questionnaire. Data from high school students (N=607) showed males and females differed in how they distorted their responses, resulting in the need for two motivational distortion scales. They also differed in characteristics considered to create a favorable impression.…

A refined and extended analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach was used to investigate the pattern of relationships among arithmetic ability; reading ability; and general ability as assessed by teacher ratings and standardized tests, over a three-year period, with 54 educable mentally retarded children, initially 12 years old. (Author)

Scores from elementary school children and adult basic education students on the Adult Informal Reading Test were used to form distribution profiles for a number of tested variables. The profile notion was concluded to be a useful means for displaying the performance trends of published informal reading inventories. (FL)

Experience and research on the appropriateness and reliability of various criteria used in oral language tests are discussed. It is concluded that global marking schemes, which are less detailed, may enable the scorer to better evaluate communicative effectiveness, which includes both linguistic and paralinguistic factors. (MSE)

Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant relationship between course entry attitudes and end-of-course ratings for students reporting precourse expectations prior to entry into the course. Different sets of items from the Course Entry Scale were found to predict end-of-course ratings for different groups of students studied. (Author/PN)

Thirty-four tests measuring verbal ability, academic achievement, reading skills, attitudes, visual perception, spelling, and word decoding skills were compared for their correlational strengths with grade in a required freshman course in composition. The American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment English subtest yielded the strongest and…

Reviews a federal court ruling in Florida stating that minimum competency tests must be fair--that is, they must cover material that has actually been taught. Unfair tests used to determine eligibility for graduation violate the equal protection and due process clauses of the Constitution. (Author/WD)