Causal modeling is examined for its heuristic value by describing its use in an introductory course in educational evaluation, and presenting a student-developed model. Subjects included students in either master's programs in statistics or doctoral programs in administration and curriculum. Before preparing an evaluation plan and path analysis,…

Comparisons of students' representations of financial accounting concepts with the knowledge structures of experts were depicted using Pathfinder networks. This structural approach identified the level of students' understanding of concepts and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. (SK)

Path analysis was used to test the T into model of college dropouts using a sample drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Findings support the notion that commitment to the goal of college completion has the strongest effect on persistence. (Author/GK)

The logical sequence of one set of propositions regarding the association among proposal output, negotiated indirect cost rates, and overhead recovery, using a sample of 24 institutions of higher education within the SUNY system, is investigated. A model for estimating overhead a year in advance is presented. (Author/MLW)

An exploratory study examined the effects of organizational attributes and interactional attributes on student attrition. Path analysis indicates that while organizational attributes directly affect academic or social integration, they have no direct effect on student withdrawal. (Author/MSE)

Using data collected from 214 tenure-track faculty women and 276 women graduate students, explores a model for predicting the reporting of sexual harassment. Feminist ideology and frequency of harassment were significant predictors of perceived offensiveness, which directly affected the likelihood of an incident being reported. (CJS)

Explores the effects of three elements of the competitive situation (competitive set, competitive outcome, and interpersonal context) on intrinsic motivation in a sample of college students (n=100). Competitive outcome and interpersonal context affected intrinsic motivation: winning increased intrinsic motivation, while pressured interpersonal…

The study presented in this document was designed to test, through path analysis, a modified version of the Bean and Metzner (1985) model of nontraditional student attrition in an effort to understand why older students frequently dropped out of a large public university in the Midwest. Four variables from Bean and Metzner's model were deleted and…

Path models are formulated to determine the relative causal impact of evaluation of reward policies, organizational stature, and professional field on three forms of faculty support of institutional authority structure. Findings indicate that evaluation of reward policies has the strongest effect. (Author)

Researchers are divided as to whether loneliness is a result of diminished quantity or quality of social interaction. Although results have been produced which support each position, few studies have examined the relationship between the two. To qualify the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative aspects of loneliness by exploring…

Subjected three models involving social support, orientation to support utilization, and psychological distress to path analysis using data from 176 college students. Findings supported models that: (1) support network resources affect support appraisals indirectly through support behavior; (2) orientation to support utilization affects resources,…

This study tested a causal model of the prediction of the rate of occurrence of social and academic problems that results from college students' drinking. The model posited two pathways, one examining self-worth perceptions and symptoms of depression as mediators and one examining binge-drinking frequency as a mediator. Predictors included:…

This study examined individual differences in the ways students responded to a self-regulation learning training. It was predicted that students' motivational beliefs would be associated with at-risk college students' use of self-regulated learning strategies, homework completion, and academic performance. Participants were 58 college students in…

Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 534 college students and analyzed by path analysis, which explained up to 47 percent of the variation in certain kinds of problem drinking. The strongest single predictor of problem drinking was found to be quantity and frequency of consumption, but precollege drinking was also important.…

Discusses linear structural relations, Two Stage Least Squares, and path analysis as statistical procedures that sometimes permit causal inferences from correlational findings. Even though two variables cannot be interpreted causally due to a possible but unknown third variable, these methods are appropriate for handling models with correlated…