The paper is a critique of the traditional mode of interpreting factor analyses; it is not a criticism of factor analysis per se. Instead, the author proposes a statistical procedure based upon stepwise regression (SRP). The traditional mode focuses on the largest factor loadings (FL). A factor is both described and named by these heavily weighted…

Discusses the format, grading procedures, and student reaction to two undergraduate engineering courses taught by programed instruction. Statistical analysis shows that the programed instruction resulted in higher and more uniform student achievement than did the conventional instruction in the same subject area. (MLH)

A 1971 study of formation of language attitudes and their basis, and in particular the concept of "best" language variety, among predominantly immigrant Mexican-American parents is reported. (RM)

Use of English expressions in Israeli universities is discussed. A study among Israeli psychologists inquiring into the relative weight of variables associated with the use of Hebrew versus non-Hebrew terms is reported. (RM)

Each of the four classic multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests of statistical significance may lead a researcher to different decisions as to whether a null hypothesis should be rejected: (1) Wilks' lambda; (2) Lawley-Hotelling trace criterion; (3) Roy's greatest characteristic root criterion; and (4) Pillai's trace criterion. These…

Most currently used measures of inter-rater agreement for the nominal case incorporate a correction for "chance agreement." The definition of chance agreement is not the same for all coefficients, however. Three chance-corrected coefficients are Cohen's Kappa; Scott's Pi; and the S index of Bennett, Goldstein, and Alpert, which has…

The Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) Models, often referred to as Box-Jenkins models, are regression methods for analyzing sequential dependent observations with large amounts of data. The Box-Jenkins approach, a three-stage procedure consisting of identification, estimation and diagnosis, was used to select the most appropriate…

The models and procedures discussed in this paper are related to those presented in Bock and Aitkin (1981), where they considered the 2-parameter probit model and approximated a normally distributed prior distribution of abilities by a finite and discrete distribution. One purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of the general EM (GEM)…

The effectiveness of Stout's procedure for assessing latent trait unidimensionality was studied. Strong empirical evidence of the utility of the statistical test in a variety of settings is provided. The procedure was modified to correct for increased bias, and a new algorithm to determine the size of assessment sub-tests was used. The following…

This paper details the pathway of development of early intervention program evaluation research along with the often-enumerated problems with research results. Early intervention evaluation, which was initiated in 1969, involves those organized efforts designed to remediate and/or reconcile developmental disabilities in young children up to the…

The Pearson and likelihood ratio statistics are frequently used for assessing the absolute fit of probability models. Researchers are often interested in comparing fits provided by different models which may have a subsuming or non-subsuming relation. A subsuming relation exists when the parameters of the reduced model form a subset of those…

This proposal attempts to follow in Allan Birnbaum's tradition by using Bayesian ideas to show that his mental test model possesses even broader applicability than previously realized. Birnbaum's two significant contributions to the theories of statistics and educational testing are: (1) the proof that the sufficiency and conditionality principles…

In the educational research literature alpha, the a priori level of significance, and p, the a posteriori probability of obtaining a test statistic of at least a certain value when the null hypothesis is true, are often confused. Explanations for this confusion are offered. Paradoxically, alpha retains a prominent place in textbook discussions of…

This article is a critical review of a number of statistical works, over the past 50 years, dedicated to the determination of the relative frequency of phonemes. (Author/RM)

In this study, the training effects of static and dynamic exercise programs on the firing patterns of 450 single motor units (SMU) in the human tibialis anterior muscle were investigated. In a six week program, the static group (N=5) participated in daily high intensity, short duration, isometric exercises while the dynamic group (N=5)…