A study was conducted to examine patterns of test preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) during the 1990-1991 testing year. This represented an extension of an earlier study that examined self-report test preparation methods for the June and October 1989 test administrations. In this study, five types of analysis were performed: (1)…

This study examined legal writing as it was represented in legal memoranda prepared by first-semester law students at 12 different law schools. The study was based on the cumulative judgments of the instructors and professors of law in those institutions, humanities specialists at the Educational Testing Service, and two legal consultants. A…

Used survey data to assess the third-year experience of law students. Found that most students were disengaged but satisfied and optimistic; a much smaller group felt alienated. Proposes some legal education reforms. (EV)

Whole tasks for acquiring complex skills are often too difficult for novices. To solve this problem, "process support" divides the problem solving into phases, offers driving questions, and provides feedback. A multimedia program was used to teach sophomore law students ("N"=82) to prepare and carry out a plea. In a randomised 2x2 design with the…

Depression is a problem in the student population and may impact students of any age, gender and ethnicity. Previous studies have indicated student demographic characteristics are associated with depression; however, these studies have not utilised scales specifically designed to measure depression in the student population. The aim of the present…

In a study of the organizational socialization of law school interns, the authors observed that some of the students were assimilated quickly and completely into the role of prosecutor, while others were less socialized. The authors believe that the organizational structure and level of control exercised over the interns accounted for these…

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Skills Analysis Survey identifies the skills that are important for success in law school. This information provides validity evidence for the current Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and guides the development of new test items and test specifications. The key question of the survey is "what academic…

This study investigated the overall prevalence of discrepant Law School Admission Test (LSAT) subscores, their differential incidence for subgroups of examinees, and the psychometric properties of alternative measures of discrepant performance. The sample consisted of 39,350 examinees who took the LSAT in December 1991. Subscore differences, often…

In item calibration using LOGIST (M. Wingersky, R. Patrick, and F. Lord, 1987), when the program determines that it cannot accurately estimate the c-parameter for a particular item due to insufficient information at the lower levels of ability, an estimate of the c-parameters, called COMC, is obtained by combining all such items. The purpose of…

Four different groups of respondents completed a set of simulation exercises intended to reflect lawyering skills involved in client interviews. Results suggest the appropriateness of simulation exercises as measures of clinical skills in legal education and the effectiveness of clinical programs in promoting development of such skills in law…

Reports a study which examined the performance of 41 law students in an Economic Analysis of Law course. Conclusions are that prior formal study of economics appears to have no effect on performance in law school economics courses. The main determinant is performance in other law school courses. (KC)

Students intent on a career as a legal professional prepare for this through university study. The research reported in this paper looks at the clear relationships described by law students between the focus of their university study and their perceptions of the nature of work as a legal professional. We suggest that the current approach to…

This article provides an account of a study which set out to explore methodological issues associated with the development of oral skills on a Bar Vocational Course at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. The study involved overseas law students who were exposed to traditional teaching approaches involving teacher-led drills and…

Describes a study of law student stressors. A sample of students at the College of Law, University of Florida, was asked to list its top three stressors. These stressors were then categorized and analyzed. Suggestions for programs and environmental interventions to alleviate some of these stressors are described. (Author)

In the global market place the value of education takes on many meanings. In transnational education forums it relates to the market's assessment (in dollar terms) of a qualification. But can we measure the value-addedness of tertiary education in existential terms? Can we measure the value that tertiary education provides to the enhancement of…