In 1992, RAND received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the technical quality of performance assessments in science and to evaluate their feasibility for use in large-scale testing programs. The specific goals of the project were to assess the reliability and validity of hands-on science testing and to investigate the cost and…

A new approach to the study of text building behavior is possible through the application of Scanator. This paper consists of a demonstration of some of its fundamental functions. These are suitable in a study of text building. The basic concepts, expressed through an analysis of a small part of an interview text, derive from a thermodynamic…

This study examined whether children (ages 6-16) diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) could be differentiated from those diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO), on an anterior-posterior gradient paradigm. It was predicted that ADD/H children (N=23) would have more deficits…

The implications of the 1994 Seels and Richey domain structure for instructional technology (IT) conceptual theory and classification systems, in general, for theory construction are explored. The historical evolution of domains in definitions of the field, the formulation of theory, the nature of taxonomies, the role of conceptual frameworks and…

This paper presents a detailed derivation of method of moments estimates used in computer programs for the four-parameter beta compound binomial strong true score model. A procedure is presented to deal with the case in which the usual method of moments estimates do not exist or result in invalid parameter estimates. The results presented…

This book contains background information and extensive appendices to be used for the purpose of enrolling in an Indian tribe. Chapter 1, "Why Enroll in an Indian Tribe?" explains that enrollment in a tribe often determines eligibility of American Indians for certain government programs (including educational programs). Chapter 2, "Who is an…

Two studies among U.S. college students (n=88 and n=329) examined the relationships between the order in which responses are offered on a questionnaire and the ranked importance of those responses. Study 1 included 36 males and 52 females, and Study 2 included 127 males and 202 females. Both studies found that approximately one-third (32 percent…

Labeling Peter Elbow an "expressivist" is an ironic reduction of his multifaceted thought to a one-dimensional term at a time when postmodernism stresses heteroglossia. This paper outlines the recent history of "expressivism" to demonstrate its curious social construction. The paper then calls for an "end of…

Using computer simulation data, the effect of a single global outlier in two-group classification analysis was explored in terms of the outcome variables of change in classification results (PCHNG), change in misclassification rate (MISDIF), and change in precision of misclassification rate estimation. The precision of misclassification rate…

Measurement of the mutual intelligibility of dialects of a language is discussed. The focus is on several theoretical constructs in measurement, illustrated with data from an earlier study of the mutual intelligibility of 17 Chinese dialects. Measurement procedures are also explained. It is proposed that mutual intelligibility is based on the…

A discussion of pharyngeal fricatives in Arabic looks at voiced and voiceless varieties within the context of K. L. Pike's classifications. Pike treated pharyngeal fricatives as standing apart from others, including a number of oral fricatives and one glottal fricative in a category he called "frictionals." Later, however, he…

A teaching unit illustrates how the application of certain common classification systems, using the same data set, can produce different spatial configurations on choropleth maps. It is hoped that students, after completing the unit, will not only take greater care in deciding upon a classification system to use on their own choropleth maps, but…

An investigation was conducted of the eligibility and classification decisions of 223 educational professionals who participated in a special education simulation exercise. Data from their decisions were characterized by much variability and inaccuracy. Fifty-one percent of the Ss declared a student with assessment data in the normal range to be…

Literature in mathematic problem-solving suggests that learners store information in memory which helps them solve stereotyped algebra word problems. Cluster analysis has been used as an exploratory tool to infer the types of problems which have common representations in memory. This study compares the results of a hierarchical cluster analysis of…

Article presented a number of definitions of reading with the advantages and disadvantages of reading taxonomies. (RK)