To determine the optimal uses of educational hypermedia for older adult learners, it is prudent to conduct research focusing on this particular participant group. However, the value of research findings, especially in cross-sectional studies, may depend on attentiveness towards the specific needs of older adults. Ignoring these needs may lead to…

This invited special issue of "Early Education and Development" presents research related to the Early Development Instrument (EDI; Janus & Offord, 2007), a community tool to assess children's school readiness at a population level. In this editorial introduction, we first sketch out recent trends in school readiness research that call for a…

This article is a commentary for the special issue on the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a community tool to assess children's school readiness and developmental outcomes at a group level. The EDI is administered by kindergarten teachers, who assess their kindergarten students on 5 developmental domains: physical health and well-being, social…

High school students in South Australia were administered in group fashion the pendulum and the chemical color change developmental tasks. The major conclusion of this study is the fact that it is possible to translate into group form, administer, and assess rapidly and with considerable reliability Piagetian problem indicators of developmental…

This document describes the purposes, rationale, and specifications of a prototype group-administered criterion exercise to be used with blocks 1-8 of the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) Reading Program. A description of the sampling domains, sampling procedures, and the methods employed in the construction of test items is presented. Also…

A preliminary step in implementing competency-based teacher education (CBTE) is the generation of a list of teacher competencies adapted for the local situation. One method of adaptation is to have selected competencies ranked in order of importance by professional educators within the school district or college. A less expensive and…

Instruments and methods are considered by many the nuts and bolts of school testing programs, for both individuals and groups. Too often, the individual is lost in the machinery of such a school program, and data collected becomes the end product of appraisal and assessment. Programs of student appraisal procedures should be developed around eight…

During the fall term, preliminary forms of the Experimental Method Test (EMT) were given to introductory level psychology students as well as a number of advanced students. The results of this preliminary testing led to the development of a second form of the test which was evaluated over a number of groups of students. The results of the final…

An experimental design with experimental and control groups was used to evaluate the effect of a diagnostic structured kindergarten program upon the predicted reading levels of low income area children. The effect was compared with the effect of the traditional kindergarten program. The effects of the two curricula upon the total group of children…

This study investigated the feasibility of concurrently and randomly sampling examinees and items in order to estimate group achievement. Seven 32-item tests reflecting a 640-item universe of simple open sentences were used such that item selection (random, systematic) and assignment (random, systematic) of items (four, eight, sixteen) to forms…

A unidimensional latent trait model was used to test a single-factor hypothesis of the Lawson Classroom Test of Formal Reasoning. The test failed to provide a valid measure of formal reasoning. This was a result of test format which neglected aspects of formal reasoning emphasized by Inhelder and Piaget. (Author/DWH)

Fifth-grade students (n=154) were given the Group Embedded Figures Test. Distribution characteristics and sex differences were examined. Earlier norms developed for adult samples are substantially different from those of a sample of children. The norms presented here provide a guide for identification of field dependence in children. (Author)