Surveys college students (N=119) to examine psychosocial predictors of interventions to prevent drunk driving. Results show that the level of comparative impairment between the intervenor and the drunk driver, the sense of moral/social obligation to intervene, and the number of people consulted about the intervention significantly predicted…

Latent abilities of dental students were analyzed as causes and professional achievements as effects, with preadmission performances as indicators of latent abilities. The results demonstrate that structural analysis focuses on the direct impact of the quality of dental school education. (Author/MLW)

Path analysis was used to provide a comprehensive test of the validity of Tinto's causal model of voluntary withdrawal from a postsecondary institution. This study also tests Tinto's hypothesis of compensatory interactions between social and academic integration and between institutional and goal commitment. (Author/PN)

Survey data from 458 former health science graduate students were examined for correlations between variables that might be used in selecting research training award recipients and successful training outcome defined as a highly productive research career. Four variables that showed promise as useful indicators of posttraining research are…

This study investigated how classroom teaching behavior mediates the relationship between personality and college teaching effectiveness. Instructional effectiveness was measured by end-of-term student ratings. Path analysis revealed that approximately half of the relationship between personality and teaching effectiveness was mediated by…

This case study describes how path analysis and causal modeling were used to assess the impact of federal research and development spending on Ph.D production in science and engineering at leading research universities. The nature of existing data, integrated into a single data base from seven surveys, influenced the research methodology. (BS)

A study using a path-analytic model compared first-year college students enrolled in remedial-type mathematics courses with counterparts enrolled in nonremedial coursework. Results revealed that students enrolled in nonremedial courses entered the institution with many advantages over those enrolled in remedial mathematics. Background variables…

An earlier path analytic study of the predictive validity of Tinto's theory of college student attrition was replicated using an independent sample of students from another university. Tinto conceived of the attrition/retention process as a series of sociopsychological interactions between the characteristics students bring with them to college…

Several things influencing a college student's choice of major were investigated: gender, sex-role attitudes, cognitive styles, and decision-making processes. Students (N=578) were administered six different measures of sex-role attitudes and five different measures of cognitive style. Use of a path analysis technique suggested that gender…

This investigation examines empirical support for the internal/external frame of reference model that describes the relation between Verbal and Math self-concepts, and between these academic self-concepts and verbal and math achievement. (Author/LMO)

A structural equation model of second language acquisition for adult learners describing the relationships between latent variables representing sociocultural background, cognitive ability, functional language proficiency, cognitive language proficiency, attitudes, motivation, and instructional approach was evaluated. Data were drawn from a…

To test the relationship between student and teacher identification and instructional effectiveness, 96 undergraduates were administered personality trait Q-samples which described their instructor, their "actual" self, and their "ideal" self. Instructional effectiveness was measured by the Kansas State IDEA form. Results show…

Investigates Hall's psychological success-based model of career development using path analyses across three faculty roles. The model received moderate support for each role. Found alternative paths from performance to job involvement and satisfaction with promotional opportunities but did not contradict the portions of the psychological success…

Relations among ego development, views of education, and academic performance were examined in a sample of 58 adult learners who were teachers studying to be guidance counselors. Results indicated the adult learners' views on such issues as teacher role and the source of knowledge differed significantly by ego level. (IAH)

Three models reflecting stages of substance abuse were tested using path analysis with subsamples of 626 to 850 subjects. Models indicate that measures of religiosity and religious conservatism help explain substance use. Results suggest that explanations of substance abuse can be enhanced through models using stage of drug involvement. (SLD)