College students' learning from programed materials varying in redundancy and difficulty level was investigated. Subjects with high achievement needs and low fear of failure performed better as the instructional difficulty increased. The group with high cognitive ability also performed better than the low scores when the instruction was more…

Indicates that, in relation to oral systems, written systems are more complex in structure, reveal more adjectival but less adverbial elaboration, show more complex verbal structures, and contain fewer indices of personal reference. (RL)

The definition of hierarchical structure is reviewed, together with psychometric and experimental evidence regarding the existence of specific structures. A mathematical model including hierarchical and nonhierarchical options for a two component task is presented, along with an experimental design appropriate for testing the model and related…

Discusses five ways to make goal setting effective: set difficult and specific goals, monitor results, reward performance, participate in goal setting, and challenge individual self-confidence and goal dissatisfaction. A model showing internal and environmental factors related to performance and a list of management strategies for enhancing…

A personality construct, preference for course difficulty, was related to test anxiety in a sample of 62 graduate students. Path analysis indicated that trait anxiety directly affects test anxiety and that preference for course difficulty affects test anxiety. The preference for course structure construct was validated. (LMO)

The learning of a list of 20 Blissymbols and comparable American Sign Language signs by 121 nonhandicapped undergraduate psychology students was compared. Blissymbols were learned significantly faster than manual signs, particularly in early learning trials. Results are discussed in terms of the memory requirements of the two systems. (Author/JDD)

In this paper a Bayesian procedure is developed for the simultaneous estimation of the reading ability and difficulty parameters which are assumed to be factors in reading errors by the multiplicative Poisson Model. According to several criteria, the Bayesian estimates are better than comparable maximum likelihood estimates. (Author/JAZ)

This study investigated the effect of task difficulty, evaluation condition, and sex of subject on continuing motivation of fifth-graders. Results indicted higher return rates for teacher evaluation and for boys over girls. Boys returned to a challenging task more than girls did, whereas girls preferred the easier task. (Author/JAZ)

Discusses features of a microcomputer program, SCOREIT, used at New Orleans' Loyola University and several high schools to score and analyze test results. Benefits and dimensions of the program's automated test and item analysis are outlined, and several examples illustrating test and item analyses by SCOREIT are presented. (MBR)

Two experiments were conducted to describe effects of age and task difficulty on referential cohesion of story retellings. It was hypothesized that increased task difficulty would lead to higher error rates for all subject groups: preschoolers, first graders, and adults. Results indicated higher incidence of errors with videotape than with verbal…

Discusses cognitive processes readers engage in when comprehending instructional text and identifies familiar devices utilized by authors of instructional materials to support each of these processes. Included are appropriate vocabulary and sentence syntax use for intended audience; listing instructional objectives; and use of hierarchical…

This paper describes major concepts related to item analysis for criterion-referenced tests including validity, reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination, particularly in relation to criterion-referenced tests. The paper discussed how these concepts can be used to revise and improve items and listed suggestions regarding general…

This study examined the effects of linguistic simplification of fourth and sixth grade science test items on a state assessment on the achievement of English language learners, those of limited English proficiency (LEP). At each grade level, 4 parallel 10-item testlets were included on an operational statewide assessment. On each testlet, items…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students expected course difficulty to be reflected in grade distributions and in the amount of out-of-class effort required for success. Students from both upper and lower division classes described the amount of time they expected to spend preparing for an easy class, a difficult class, and a…