Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the construct and predictive ability of a German version of the Learning Transfer Systems Inventory (GLTSI), an instrument designed to assess a constellation of 16 factors known to influence the transfer of training in work settings. Design/methodology/approach: The survey data for this study was…

H. Wainer and L. Steinberg (1992) showed that within broad categories of first-year college mathematics courses (e.g., calculus), men had substantially higher average scores on the mathematics section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) than women who earned the same letter grade. However, Wainer and Steinberg's analysis may lead to…

In 1979, humanities faculty at Reading Area Community College introduced the writing sample as the means of placing entering freshmen into appropriate writing classes. In response to expressed concern about the objectivity and validity of the writing sample approach, the humanities faculty engaged in a 6-year effort to adjust the writing sample…

The Drug Abuse Reporting Program (DARP) was initiated in 1969 as a federally supported client reporting system for community-based drug abuse treatment programs. Posttreatment follow-up interviews were conducted with over 4,000 persons from 34 treatment agencies to describe major findings from the drug abuse treatment research of the DARP relating…

Support for the validity of the equipercentile assumption is presented in contrast with the conclusion of Powers, Slaughter, and Helmick (EJ 289 091). Observed "gains" from pre- to posttests are better attributed to stakeholder bias, posttests that match curriculum content too closely, or a combination of these factors. (Author/DWH)

A study examining how the Medical College Admission Test's (MCAT) ability to predict early medical school performance differed for students from different undergraduate institutions raised questions about the use of the MCAT for admissions decisions. (MSE)

Critically evaluates in terms of predictive and concurrent validity a widely used method of identifying children at risk in peer relations. This method emphasizes children's total rate of peer interaction, regardless of the quality or skillfulness of the interaction. Recommendations are given for future research in this area. (Author/DB)

Findings from a 5-year follow-up study of 78 kindergartners suggest that while the Revised Denver Developmental Screening Test (RDDST) accurately predicts academic achievement and standardized test performance, it consistently misclassifies as normal the performance of a significant number of children who require special help in their early…

A study evaluated the use of the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory as a predictor of academic potential, for use in recruitment of optometry students. Although distinctive learning preferences were observed in low- and high-achieving students, correlations were not strong enough for predictive use. (Author/MSE)

Two differing opinions about the value of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in college admissions address these topics: over-reliance on the test as a predictor of student success; omission of some students' scores from institutional profiles; effects of abolition of the test; and admissions officer understanding of psychometrics. (Author/MSE)

The Work Values Inventory and Self-Directed Search were used to predict retention of students in office occupation majors at Utah Valley Community College. The predictive model distinguished among students either retained (graduated, on-track, and "jobbed-out") and noncompleters. Noncompletion was correctly predicted for about 73 percent…

Using a national sample of recent medical school graduates (n=12,213), a study of predictive validity of the National Board of Medical Examiners test parts I and II found strong correlations between performance on those parts and part III, supporting the test's use, at least in part, for selection of residency applicants. (MSE)

Examines the predictive validity of placement test scores with course grade and retention in English and mathematics courses. Suggests that student dispositional characteristics explain the high proportion of variance in the dependent variables, and that instructor grading practices also make a significant contribution. Underscores the importance…

Where do those in schools start sorting the wheat from the chaff, genuine growth potions offering long-term improvement from the elixirs, short-term opportunism and/or unrealistic expectations? The current and growing emphasis on evidence informed policy and practice is as good a place as any. The purpose of this article is to take up the issues…

We conducted 2 studies to assess and enhance levels of graduate preparation. In Study 1, 248 undergraduates and 28 graduate students completed a new measure of graduate preparation, the Grad Prep Quiz. Results documented the psychometric utility and the predictive validity of the measure, with graduate students scoring significantly higher on this…