This research investigated the use of the Rasch simple logistic model in item and test calibration. Tests employing word, picture, symbol, and number analogies were administered to college students, high school students, civil service clerical employees, and clients of the Minnesota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The results suggest that…

Research is a useful tool for educators because of its ability to uncover causal relationships between variables that are often obscured in field investigations. This textbook presents basic methodological information that has been designed for and proven to assist the educator who seeks to move himself from the laboratory to the field. The book…

This study was designed to provide descriptive data on several samples of drug users and to compare these with non-drug users. The study focused on the characteristics of four groups: hippies, weekend hippies ("weekenders"), non-hippie drug users, and non-hippie non-users. Information was collected from study participants to provide…

This volume of the revised edition describes and evaluates measurement methods, research designs, and procedures which have been or might appropriately be used in self-concept research. Working from the perspective that self-concept or phenomenal personality theories can be scientifically investigated, methodological flaws and questionable…

Parochial and other private secondary schools in the United States enroll disproportionately few Blacks. Coleman, Hoffer, and Kilgore discounted this segregation. However, their analysis of within-district segregation is inappropriate and misleading. If future analysis of an appropriate data set is undertaken, standard analysis-of-variance methods…

The existence of private schools does not necessarily lead to greater school segregation as Taeuber-James argue. Cain-Goldberger are not only incorrect in their discussion of methodology but they also misinterpret the data and misquote the authors. Morgan's efforts to use new data on Catholic schools are applauded. (IS)

Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to study retention and first-semester grade point average at Boise State University (Idaho), a metropolitan university with many commuter students. The quantitative portion of the study was based on questionnaires completed by 235 freshmen; the qualitative part was based on interviews with a…

Chapter 1 of this report and user's manual describes design and implementation of the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). Chapter 2 reviews stages of sampling for national and state survey components; presents weighted and unweighted response rates for the household component; and describes non-incentive and prison sample designs. Chapter…

Forty to sixty percent of students who begin doctorates in selective colleges and universities do not persist to graduation. Although numerous research studies have focused on doctoral attrition and persistence, there have been no systematic studies because, among other reasons, there are no nationwide databases on attrition as there are for…

Provides a concise overview of the role of the federal government in educational statistics and research. Although the scale and methodologies of these projects have increased in size and complexity, federal educational statistical research has never become a significant force in educational reform. (MJP)

This witness appeared for the state of Missouri, which wished to discontinue funding the St. Louis public schools' desegregation efforts, in the areas of school desegregation plans and techniques, surveys and survey methodology, race relations and attitudes, allocation of resources, statistical analysis, and the relationship between school…

A discussion of new technologies and strategies for monitoring college student progress identifies four stages of developing information systems: (1) problem definition and systems specification; (2) data extraction and synthesis; (3) data analysis; and (4) dissemination. Some trends in use of data sources, analysis types, tracking capabilities,…

There are increasing numbers of traditional biologists, untrained in educational research methods, who want to develop and assess new classroom innovations. In this article we argue the necessity of formal research over normal classroom feedback. We also argue that traditionally trained biologists can make significant contributions to biology…

The guide is based on project reports by the San Francisco Department of Public Health to improve and monitor perinatal health and children's health. These reports demonstrated the potential of information to help community advocacy groups, service providers, and program planners identify priorities for policy decisions and resource allocation.…

An evaluation of a school reform project in one kindergarten through grade 5 school in Atlanta (Georgia) is presented to demonstrate how triangulation of qualitative and quantitative evaluation approaches can enhance understanding of a reform effort. During the 1991-92 school year, the final year of the project, Fowler Drive Elementary School…