Purpose: The purpose of the population-based study in the paper is to report on progress in formulating instruments to measure children's resilience and associated protective factors in family, primary school and community contexts. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper a total of 2,794 students, 1,558 parents/caregivers, and 465 staff were…

Qualitative research evokes rather stereotyped responses from the mainstream of social science. The following 10 standardized responses to the stimulus "qualitative research interview" (QRI) are discussed: (1) it is not scientific, only common sense; (2) it is not objective, but subjective; (3) it is not trustworthy, but biased; (4) it is not…

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…

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…

The overall poor quality of educational software on the market suggests that educators must continue efforts to evaluate available packages and to disseminate their findings. In this paper, weaknesses in published evaluation procedures are identified, and an alternative model, the York Educational Software Evaluation Scale (YESES), is described.…

Self-destructiveness can be viewed in two ways: as performing an act which one knows cognitively is not conducive to one's welfare but nonetheless leads to some pleasurable affect (e.g., overeating, smoking); or not performing an act one knows one should perform but which has some negative affective consequences (e.g., dental checkups, saving…

Because health behavior is often concerned with dynamic constructs, a longitudinal approach to measurement is needed. The Longitudinal Guttman Simplex (LGS) is a measurement model developed especially for dynamic constructs exhibiting cumulative, unitary development measured longitudinally. Data from the Television Smoking Prevention Project, a…

Mothers of about 100 toddlers completed the Toddler Temperament Scale when their children were 12, 18, and 24 months old. Other data sets were available for: (a) factors representing laboratory observations; (b) measures of mothers' temperament by mothers and by social workers; and (c) measures of the home and family environment by social workers.…

This study adapted the Hidden Figures Test for use on PLATO and determined the reliability of the computerized version compared to the paper and pencil version. Results indicate the test was successfully adapted with some modifications, and it was judged reliable although it may be measuring additional constructs. (MBR)

A step-by-step outline is presented for testing the applicability of Lotka's law of scientific productivity. Steps include the computation of the values of the exponent and constant based on Lotka's method and the test for significance of observed frequency distribution against the estimated theoretical distribution derived from Lotka's formula.…

Compares the factor structure and degree of deviance in the Behavior Problem Checklist. Regardless of the subject child's sensory handicap, the Conduct Problem and the Personality Problem factors were consistent. The pattern for the Inadequacy-Immaturity factor was much less consistent. (Author/AS)

Reports findings of interindexer consistency tests--quantitative measure of degree to which indexers agree in assignment of terms representing subject contents of document--on print materials, which may be generalizable to indexing of visual materials. Results of interindexer consistency test on nonspecialists indexing pictorial art works are…

The Play Rating Scale was developed to observe young children's behaviors in four different areas of play: physical, block, manipulative, and dramatic. In each area, observations focus on frequency, ability, and creativity in communicating ideas; social levels of participation; and leadership capability. A total of 2,400 three-, four- and…

Applies to the inclined-plane task Siegler's (1981) observation that performance on Piagetian tasks is governed by similar rule structures. Also replicates Siegler's original observations about the development on the balance-scale task and determines the consistency in children's rule usage across tasks. (Author/AS)

The taxonomy developed by J. Klecan-Aker et al. to investigate the use of various speech acts in response to questions during a structured picture-description task was evaluated. Results indicated that the taxonomy was sufficient to handle the responses of a group of 12 language-impaired children, aged 7-11. (JDD)