Two analytic models, each with different implications for data analysis, have been used in behavioral science research for assessing attitudinal congruency. The term relative congruence applies to the family of agreement indices which, although functions of the absolute index, are formulated relative to chance expectations. The term absolute…

The stability of annual normal curve equivalent (NCE) on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills over a period of six years was established in a previous study of status (position within a reference group). This study investigated the relationship between status stability and student achievement level. Third grade students in a suburban school district who…

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between leadership style and administrative stress in the rural principalship. Administrative stress was examined in terms of boundary-spanning, role-based, conflict-mediating, and task-based stressors, using measures of both frequency and intensity. The potential role of…

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between semantic memory or integration and general ability. The main hypotheses are as follows: (1) the ability to memorize meaningless materials will not correlate with general ability; (2) the ability to abstract meaning from semantically related propositions will correlate with…

It is generally assumed that the inclusion of rich audio/visual presentations in Web-based tutorials will increase student performance. Limited data exist that either support this theory or describe the conceptual framework within which Web presentations are most effective. The author evaluated the efficacy of several Web-based tutorials featuring…

This paper argues for an interdisciplinary approach to beliefs about language learning research, and suggests that current studies in this area do not go far enough to examine the extent to which stable factors, such as individual learner differences, account for the nature of beliefs. Next, it elucidates how cognitive and personality psychology…

An approach for multiple factor analysis of dichotomized variables is presented based on distribution of first and second order joint probabilities of binary scored items. The estimator is based on the generalized least squares principle. Standard errors and a test of the fit of the model is given. (Author/RC)

Part I of a 2-part article, "Personality in Primary School Children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the stability of measures of student writing performance across types of discourse (genres) and across response modes (selected response: multiple choice; constructed response: single paragraph, and full length essay). The study addressed the following: (1) the relationship/stability of writing scores…

A study investigated whether fluency in oral reading, as indicated by proper intonation, could be used as a measure of college students' reading comprehension. The study was designed to look at the three features of intonation--pitch, stress, and juncture--separately and in combination to determine whether any one or a combination of all the…

Current data on the widespread nature of sexual activity among unmarried teenagers and young adults and the rise in unplanned pregnancy among these groups offer evidence of a lack of knowledge about reproduction and contraception. Male (N=75) and female (N=78) university students participated in a study of the effects of authoritarianism,…

This study analyzes the relationship between English language attainment and attitudes toward English among Cantonese-speaking secondary school students in Hong Kong. The subjects were 10th grade students from both English- and Chinese-medium schools. Attitudes toward English were measured directly by means of a series of statements concerning the…

A three-year study aimed at measuring the English speaking proficiency of Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) candidates on a direct basis is described. A variety of "semi-direct" testing formats (involving test stimuli delivered by tape recording and accompanying booklet, with examinee speech tape recorded for evaluation) were…

Although alcohol is frequently cited by battered wives and the general public as a cause of marital violence, few researchers actually propose a direct causal relationship between alcohol and marital violence. Interviews were conducted to investigate the role of alcohol in the violent marriages of 185 women and the nonviolent marriages of 89…

This monograph contains several commissioned papers which attest to the significance of the family perspective in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of drug abuse. Papers discussing the fundamentals of a conceptual framework for the family perspective are followed by a review of theories of family growth and development, structure,…