To develop a taxonomy of Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) critics, a study associated professed judging philosophy and responses to survey questions with ballot behavior and elaborated judging profiles. Subjects were debate critics who judged rounds at CEDA tournaments in the Northeast during the Spring 1989 season. In all, 13 critics…

This paper rates the technical aspects of 41 tests that match characteristics associated with giftedness, using criteria developed in "A Consumer's Guide to Tests in Print" (Hammill, Brown, Bryant, 1989). A summary of validity studies showing these tests' use in identifying gifted youngsters for special programs is also provided. In this sample of…

To study the applicability of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for assessing hearing-impaired children, nine hearing-impaired children (ranging in age from 6 years 4 months to 11 years 10 months) were administered the battery. Hearing losses for the nine children ranged from moderate to profound. During the evaluation of seven…

This paper examines those aspects of qualitative and quantitative research that might reasonably count towards effective educational research. The problem is addressed by examining their philosophical differences, their pursuit of objectivity, their approach to values, and the pursuit of reliability and validity. The possibility of rapproachment…

A study tested an indirect assessment instrument in examining the cognitive component of communication competence. The instrument was administered to 36 seniors graduating in speech communication and mass communication at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Findings revealed that test performance was mediated by overall grade point average,…

After an extensive review of relevant research, this paper describes a study concerning the relationship between the American College Test (ACT) and the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST). Specifically, the study assessed the extent to which ACT scores predict PPST scores. Subjects included 169 Harding University students (42 males and 127…

Methods of probability modeling to analyze rater agreement are described, emphasizing their basic similarities and viewing them as variants of a common methodology. Statistical techniques for analyzing agreement data are described to address questions such as how many opinions are required to make a medical diagnosis with necessary accuracy. Kappa…

A favorable climate for developing and implementing a systematic substitute teacher program in the Ware County School System, which serves about 4,000 southeastern Georgia K-12 students, was created by mandates for the 1988-89 school year by the Georgia Board of Education. The program detailed within this document, written to comply with these new…

A study answered the question: are there significant differences in scores for two forms of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, Third Edition? Subjects, 23 fifth graders, were given Forms K and L, Level 5/6, of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test. The tests were administered by the regular classroom teacher in two testing sessions. Students were…

An evaluation was made of the effectiveness of an empirically derived five-item questionnaire, the Teacher's School Readiness Inventory (TSRI), in identifying at-risk or failure-prone preschool children. Screened with the TSRI in the spring of either the prekindergarten or kindergarten year, four samples totalling 453 children were followed…

This paper presents a new research instrument, The Lifetime Creativity Scales (LCS), along with validation evidence based on two large and independent samples. Views on creativity are discussed, the background of the LCS is reviewed, and the LCS are briefly described. The seven scales--three measuring peak creativity, three measuring extent of…

This large-scale field experiment examined the potential of various training and supervision programs to affect the performance of health survey interviewers and the quality of data they collect. It was found that interviewers who received less than one day of basic training generally displayed inadequate interviewing skills. A program of tape…

An investigation was made of the behavioral effects of caffeine in a sample of 313 newborns and their mothers. A weighted measure of caffeine based on daily ingestion of coffee, tea, and cola was derived from a maternal interview. The majority of mothers consumed the equivalent of about 1.3 cups of coffee per day. Infant outcome measures included…

A study examined the effectiveness of both the informal and standardized readiness measures in predicting the literacy development of both normal first grade subjects and high-risk, language-delayed primary children. Subjects, 60 first grade and 27 language-delayed children were given three informal literacy measures, the "Writing Vocabulary…

Indices were constructed to measure individual differences in the effects of the automated testing format and repeated testing on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) responses. Two types of instability measures were studied within a data set from the responses of 150 undergraduate students who took a computer-administered and…