This study examined the effect of type of correlation matrix on the robustness of LISREL maximum likelihood and unweighted least squares structural parameter estimates for models with categorical manifest variables. Two types of correlation matrices were analyzed; one containing Pearson product-moment correlations and one containing tetrachoric,…

The present investigation examined the content specificity of math and English anxieties, tested the generality of predictions from the internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model to anxiety responses, and studied sex differences in anxiety responses. Structural equation models, using LISREL, were fit to data from the High School and Beyond…

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…

A study tested the precursors to vocational teachers' commitment to teaching as suggested by the commitment model proposed by Pierce and Dunham. Important consequences of commitment were examined by identifying relationships between commitment, behavioral intentions, and resulting turnover. The study examined the entire population of teachers…

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…

The book under review deals with models which identify and measure factors determining a man's educational, income, and occupational attainments. The factors include parental background, number of siblings, national origin, race, intelligence, aspirations, motivations, peer group influences, schools, the influence of wife's characteristics, first…

The goals of the study were: (1) to determine the relationships among selected sociological, health, and behavioral variables and third-grade word analysis test scores, and (2) to test a causal model employing part analysis. Subjects were 314 Head Start students in 1968. Data on race, sex, perinatal complications, number of children in the family,…

A general method for estimating the unknown coefficients in a set of linear structural equations is described. In its most general form the method allows for both errors in equations (residuals, disturbances) and errors in variables (errors of measurement, observational errors) and yields estimates of the residual variance-covariance matrix and…

Conducted as part of the Vocational Development Study project, this study utilized Path Analysis to develop, evaluate, and modify a model for predicting the stability of early expressed occupational choice of secondary students. Analysis of data from 550 students indicated that none of the 21 student characteristics investigated served as a…

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)

Communities in Israel share educational finance and planning with the national government. Data from approximately 300 schools were analyzed to investigate the relationships between educational expenditures and the following environmental and political variables: (1) community socioeconomic status, size, and education system size; and (2) citizen…

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…

This review concerns the influences of the community on learning. These influences are numerous and complex, and include family, culture, and local customs. This review analyzes representative cross-sections of the literature within three domains: community constructs, the program literature, and the research literature. (BW)

Classroom observation of 98 fourth-grade boys was coded to examine the relationships among student behaviors exhibited during class instruction, teacher reinforcement of those behaviors, student ability, and achievement. The strongest causal effects were from student ability measures. Accurate responding by students and teacher reinforcement of…

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…