Policymakers are increasingly adopting "pay-for-performance" policies in which teachers are compensated based on their performance as measured by classroom evaluations and/or student achievement test results. Prior research has produced largely inconclusive findings concerning support among teachers for these policies and their effects…

Education research rarely lends itself to large scale experimental research and true randomization, leaving the researcher to quasi-experimental designs. The problem with quasi-experimental research is that underlying factors may impact group selection and lead to potentially biased results. One way to minimize the impact of non-randomization is…

This paper presents a comparative evaluation of didactic and experiential training in Germany carried out on a sample of international university students from Eastern Europe. The long-term evaluation was conducted by using a quasi-experimental design with a control group according to Kirkpatrick's model including three steps: reaction, learning…

IMPACT is a media and technology program designed to support and promote effective instruction through the integration of technology. The model is currently being implemented in 30 K-12 schools throughout North Carolina. This evaluation study investigated the effects of this model on the attitudes, behaviors, and activities of students and…

This paper provides a review of recent policy initiatives to reform teacher compensation systems and evidence regarding the effect of these policies. The first section examines the current structure of teacher compensation in the U.S. K-12 public education system. The compensation "system" for teachers is fragmented and uncoordinated. Teacher…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between student beliefs regarding instructor-imposed activities to encourage student use of course textbooks and Life Orientation (i.e., dispositional optimism or pessimism). A convenience cluster sample (n = 105) was obtained from students taking summer classes at a regional state…

This research evaluates the social context of adolescent intervention programs through a critical lens to determine the impact on youth postsecondary decisions with respect to both educational attainment and deviant behavior, further examining the role of education from a social and political perspective. The Education Longitudinal Study 2002/06…

Institutions of higher education have developed a host of interventions to increase the retention of first-year students whose academic performance is inadequate. This study evaluated the overall effectiveness of an intervention strategy designed for first-year students on academic probation at a mid-western research university. A…

Researchers have long been aware that "pretest sensitization" is a potential threat to the external validity of experimental studies. Only recently, however, has it been suggested that "posttest sensitization" might also limit the generalizability of results. This latter phenomenon would exist to the extent that the effects of…

Background: Examined or unexamined, all teacher candidates (TCs) bring to their teacher education programs their prior school experience as well as the socio-cultural history of education. This study was one of a series done by this researcher (1994, 2004, 2005, 2006) to find ways to promote reflective practice in teacher education. Purpose: The…

Analysis strategies are discussed for the nonequivalent control group design when three models of continuous natural growth are known. For Model I type natural growth it was shown that the fan spread hypothesis always holds, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of Residualized Gain Scores, and ANOVA of Standardized…

This paper discusses four criteria for selecting covariates when utilizing the analysis of covariance in quasiexperimental research: completeness, causation, independence, and fallibility. Completeness is the extent to which the known or suspected sources of bias are accounted for by covariates used in an experiment. Causation is the requirement…

Summative evaluations have often been undertaken to determine the impact of educational programs on student academic achievement employing a quasi-experimental design. The summative finding is expected to be less misleading if a statistical model is performed on a dataset including a sound matched sample as a control group. This is because an…

Three topics within the domain of regression-based analyses of multilevel data from quasi-experiments and field studies in educational research and evaluation are presented. The paper begins with a discussion of the general question of choice of unit of analysis, or what may be the more appropriate question of choice of analytical model. It then…

Statistical procedures of the regression discontinuity and regression projection designs were compared to determine which design was more able to detect treatment effect in remedial or gifted programs. Neither test was more precise in all situations. Tables list the more precise test usder specific conditions. The regression projection model…