Analyzes the cost of specialized education for individuals belonging to "non-competing groups." (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

Describes the development and instructional use of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template that facilitates analytical and Monte Carlo risk analysis of investment decisions. Discusses a variety of risk assessment methods followed by applications of the analytical and Monte Carlo methods. Uses a case study to illustrate use of the spreadsheet tool…

Examines differences in knowledge of the North Carolina Student Accountability Program between two groups of experienced and beginning principals. Finds significant differences in the level of knowledge between experienced and beginning principals. (Contains 16 references.) (PKP)

Examines individual characteristics correlated with alumni giving by graduates from 28 highly selective institutions of higher education. Finds satisfaction with undergraduate experience the single biggest determinant of the generosity of alumni donations. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)

Examines impact of school district size on academic achievement of California students. After controlling for certain student characteristics and environmental factors, including class and school size, finds that district size appears to retard academic achievement, especially the performance of middle-school students. (Contains 25 references.)…

Calculated power for 6,155 statistical tests in 221 journal articles published in 1982 volumes of "Journal of Abnormal Psychology,""Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology," and "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology." Power to detect small, medium, and large effects was .17, .57, and .83, respectively. Concluded that power of…

Examines the question of who have been the most important theorists in the communication field. Evaluates the relative importance of various theorists by counting the number of pages in the "International Encyclopedia of Communication" that mention each theorist. Provides a chronological list of the 120 theorists most often named in the…

New methods of analysis--equations and graphs for iso-r(sup 2) contours--were introduced and used to illustrate location effects for pooled data sets. The "r(sup 2)" is the coefficient of determination. Results are used to highlight imprecise statements in the literature about the behavior of the correlation coefficient for pooled data…

The method of unweighted means (MUM) was studied to determine Type I error rates associated with various degrees of imbalance among the cell frequencies. Conditions under which the MUM is a reasonable alternative to the least squares method are discussed, and the issue of power is considered. (SLD)

A method is proposed for detecting influential observations in iterative principal factor analysis. Theoretical influence functions are derived for two components of the common variance decomposition. The major mathematical tool is the influence function derived by Tanaka (1988). (SLD)

Linear equating methods for the common-item non-equivalent populations design were compared when true-score correlation between the test and anchor was less than unity. Scores from two groups of approximately 300 examinees illustrated three methods: (1) the Tucker equating method; (2) the Angoff-Levine method; and (3) the Congeneric-Levine method.…

An approach is provided for calculating maximum values of the Kappa statistic of J. Cohen (1960) as a function of observed agreement proportions between evaluators. Separate calculations are required for different matrix sizes and observed agreement levels. (SLD)

Recognizing that there are several tools available for conducting vocational education research, the author emphasizes two perspectives: (1) quantitative research, broadly defined as having an emphasis on numbers, and (2) qualitative research, defined as not having an emphasis on numbers. A balance among methodologies is recommended. (Author/JOW)

Articles on equating test forms in this issue are reviewed and discussed. The results of these papers collectively indicate that matching on the anchor test does not result in more accurate equating. Implications for research are discussed. (SLD)

The articles in this issue that address the effect of matching samples on ability are reviewed. In spite of these examinations of equating methods and sampling plans, it is still hard to determine a definitive answer to the question of to match or not to match. Implications are discussed. (SLD)