Reports on the work of grade 5 and grade 6 students working in triads who were asked to hypothesize about associations in a data set and to represent the associations. Reports that levels of interpretation and representation skills were related. (Author/MM)

Discusses regression toward the mean and the confusion this can cause in the interpretation of educational data. The regression effect has two causes, imperfect measurement of the variables and imperfect correlation between the variables. Uses the example of reading achievement test scores in a Hawaiian private school to illustrate the discussion.…

Teaches data interpretation using the example of world running records for men and women. Explains different ways of plotting data. (YDS)

This paper describes the use of the CoFIND (Collaborative Filter in N Dimensions) system to evaluate two assessment styles. CoFIND is a resource database which organizes itself around its users' needs. Learners enter resources, categorize, then rate them using "qualities," aspects of resources which learners find worthwhile, the n dimensions of…

The job of a researcher is to explain the phenomenon that he or she is seeking to understand. To do this requires the accumulation of facts. These facts are then interpreted to arrive at explanations. However, individual researchers often interpret facts in different ways and arrive at disparate explanations. In her book, Making Sense of Life,…

Transition models include components of student self-determination during transition planning meetings. Researchers acknowledge that cultural identity may influence both transition decisions and self-determination strategies. Yet the appropriateness of these approaches for culturally and linguistically diverse students with learning disabilities…

Although RC(M)-association models have become a generally useful tool for the analysis of cross-classified data, the graphical representation resulting from such an analysis can at times be misleading. The relationships present between row category points and column category points cannot be interpreted by inter point distances but only through…

The sum score is often used to order respondents on the latent trait measured by the test. Therefore, it is desirable that under the chosen model the sum score stochastically orders the latent trait. It is known that unlike dichotomous item response theory (IRT) models, most polytomous IRT models do not imply stochastic ordering. It is unknown,…

The authors reviewed the application of consensual qualitative research (CQR) in 27 studies published since the method's introduction to the field in 1997 by C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, and E. N. Williams (1997). After first describing the core components and the philosophical underpinnings of CQR, the authors examined how it has been applied in…

The purpose of this study is to begin to explore the use of interactive process notes in a women's counseling group. The use of interactive process notes is a new technique, which consists of weekly written input regarding group member and group counselor feedback. This preliminary study describes the use of interactive process notes results in a…

The thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) data suggests that the quantity of volatile components in primary standards is less than 1% of the initial weight and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data shows that water present in the same chemicals is below the limit of detection of the instrumentation. This suggests that the 1-2 hour drying…

Annual state panel data from 1980 to 1999 was examined to understand the effects of child support enforcement (CSE). However, in recent years, it has been found that the CSE among current and former welfare families are dramatically improved.

According to researchers, the ability to engage teachers and students in the data analysis process helps them to understand the complexities involved in the task. The flexibility of the strategies used in the process are examined by analyzing the experience of student researchers and teacher researchers.

Training is conducted that provides opportunities for students to apply counting, number sense, data collection and graphing skills. The lessons were taught at the end of the school year in a kindergarten classroom in a Title I school in Fairfax Country, Virgina.

None of the techniques -- sorting, scatter graphs, grouping, or calculating means -- that are highlighted in this work are particularly sophisticated, and yet their simplicity is often more than adequate for displaying the trends in data or for making comparisons in a convincing way. These are strategies that are easy to introduce to students and…