This article describes a study, from a Canadian technical institute's upgrading mathematics course, where students played a role in developing the final closed-book exam that they sat. The study involved a process where students developed practice exams and solutions keys, students sat each other's practice exams, students evaluated classmates'…

Provides information on how staff members at the Study Skills Lab at the University of Texas at El Paso selected the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) and administered it to students in the lab; how students react to the KLSI; and how results are interpreted. (DMM)

Examines the content of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal exam (1980). Finds the content of this exam defective in a number of areas. Notes that the exam creates confusion and makes basic errors in critical thinking, and therefore, lacks content quality in these areas. Recommends the use of several tests, rather than one. (SG)

Investigated relationship between Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:IV) abbreviated batteries and complete battery among 38 college students. Findings suggest that school psychologists who use abbreviated versions of SB:IV with older adolescents and young adults should be aware that these short forms may underestimate students'…

Causal attributions for a manipulated success-failure event were collected from college students on five different measuring instruments. Results indicated that the structured measures showed greater interest correlation validity than did the open-ended measure. (CM)

Describes and evaluates the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests--Revised (1987), discussing test administration, scoring, technical data, validity, and reliability. Concludes that this test is a reliable instrument for measuring some aspects of the reading process, but recommends its use in conjunction with more theoretically valid holistic-oriented…

Investigated differences in robustness of two independent variables for predicting National Teacher Examinations (NTE) scores and grade point averages (GPAs) for college seniors and recent graduates (n=1,441). By every method of analysis, data clearly indicated superiority of College Basic Academic Subjects Examination over American College…

Considers the good and bad points of the three composition tests in the CLEP program. Finds that the Freshman English Subject Examination is a better over-all test than the General Examination in English Composition or the English Composition Examination. (RL)

The five studies reported on in this article investigated the effects of testing schemes on end-of-course achievement. Variables were frequency of testing, repeated or non-repeated tests, and single-unit or cumulative tests. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

Describes a study conducted at the University of Tennessee at Marin to find a test more suitable than the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) to accurately measure reading improvement in developmental classes. Found no support for replacing the NDRT with the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills or the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program. (DMM)

The data collected in higher education research are not always quantitative or continuous. Statistical methods using the log-linear model provide the institutional researcher with a powerful set of tools for addressing research questions when data are categorical. (Author/MSE)

Regression analysis is one of the most frequently used statistical techniques in institutional research. Principles of least squares, model building, residual analysis, influence statistics, and multi-collinearity are described and illustrated. (Author/MSE)

Path analysis and linear structural relations (LISREL) provide the institutional researcher with some extremely powerful statistical tools. However, they must be applied and interpreted carefully with a full understanding of their limitations and the statistical assumptions on which they are based. (Author)

The uses, advantages and disadvantages, preparation, and scoring of essay tests and oral tests are outlined and discussed, and sample questions of each type oriented to pharmaceutical instruction are provided. (MSE)

Surveyed counselors (n=672) about extent to which they incorporate basic principles of good testing practices in work and whether practices are learned in preservice education, in service training, or from reading ethical standards/guidelines. Found that many counselors engaged in good test use practices, adhering to many important test-use…