Questionnaire responses of 457 students and 602 tutors were used to investigate conceptions of a "good tutor." In each case, factor analysis identified scales that reflected key constructs; cluster analysis identified subgroups with different patterns of scale scores; and discriminant analysis determined the scales that contributed the…

This report describes the development of grade norms for timed-writing performance in two modes of writing: persuasive and descriptive. These norms are based on objective and automatically computed measures of writing quality in grammar, usage, mechanics, style, vocabulary, organization, and development. These measures are also used in the…

The development of a 20-item semantic differential assessment instrument for measuring student attitudes toward the subject of chemistry is described (Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory-ASCI). Instrument subscales and survey items pertain to interest and utility, anxiety, intellectual accessibility, emotional satisfaction, and…

Traditional student evaluations of teaching do not adequately assess the essential constructivist-based practices that have been recommended for effective online instruction. There is a need for student evaluation of teaching instruments that are specifically designed to provide online instructors with valid feedback about the effectiveness of…

This paper focuses on efficacy beliefs with respect to teaching mathematics; it aims at testing and validating an existing scale for measuring efficacy beliefs in the domain of mathematics, examining the development of preservice teachers' efficacy beliefs in mathematics during fieldwork, and identifying factors that contribute to the development…

Clerkships would benefit from teachers' improved understanding of the didactic aspects of their task. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that determine the teaching quality of clerkships and to examine the predictive value of these factors for students' global satisfaction. Thus, results would be further reflected to clinical…

The Sato Caution Index takes into account the number and difficulty of items gotten wrong by a student within his or her ability, as well as the number and difficulty of items gotten right beyond his or her ability. Sato subtracts the two components to define a single Caution Index. In this study, the components are kept separate, defining a…

In November 1996, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) approved the revision of the Administrative Diagnostic Inventory (ADI), the diagnostic procedure conducted in their assessment center. To assist the NAESP in the use of the ADI for the assessment of current and prospective school principals, the construct validity…

A study explored the motivational patterns of public relations (P.R.) professionals and the qualities sought in new employees by these professionals. A representative sample of public relations professionals was surveyed with a questionnaire that included Likert scales of motivational statements and skills sought. Common factor analysis with…

The Listener Preference Profile (LPP) was designed to identify habitual listening responses. Items for the LPP were generated from listening behaviors identified from a systematic review of the listening literature and modified based on administration to several pilot groups. Results of factor analyses identified four clusters (people-, content-,…

Three types of data were factor analyzed using principal components extractions with orthogonal and oblique rotations to test publisher claims for construct validity of the Personal Profile System (PPS). Behavioral descriptor data from 1,045 senior non-commissioned Air Force officers were factored as raw data, mean corrected data, and standardized…

A study examined spatial factors (minority population, segregation, racial differences in the workforce and the educational system, and minority public officials) and organizational factors (ownership and circulation) that may predict newsroom minority employment. Data for this secondary analysis of 172 newspapers were gathered from earlier…

The assessment of dimensionality of data is important to item response theory (IRT) modelling and other multidimensional data analysis techniques. The fact that the parameters from the factor analysis formulation for dichotomous data can be expressed in terms of the parameters in the multidimensional IRT model suggests that the assessment of the…

This research aims to clarify the dimensionality of the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA). A multiple indicator structural equation model, which includes eleven items loading on three first-order factors and one second-order factor, is proposed to delineate the structure of LSIA. This model was empirically examined by using data from the 1974…

The paper is a critique of the traditional mode of interpreting factor analyses; it is not a criticism of factor analysis per se. Instead, the author proposes a statistical procedure based upon stepwise regression (SRP). The traditional mode focuses on the largest factor loadings (FL). A factor is both described and named by these heavily weighted…