bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Study of the Social Sciences in Developing Societies: Towards an Adequate Conceptualization of Relevance
Authors: Alatas Syed Farid
Published: March 2007

For the last 100 years or so, there has been a strong awareness of a lack of fit between the western social sciences and non-western realities. Lacking, however, is the conceptualization of irrelevance. What is meant, at a conceptual level, by irrelevance has rarely been the subject of discussion. As a result, the calls for more relevant social science, often reflected in moves to decolonize, indigenize, or nationalize the social sciences, are equally incoherent. This is because the logical opposite of irrelevance, that is relevance, also lacks conceptualization. In this article, the author elaborates what he understands to be the central features of irrelevance and relevance, provides a preliminary conceptualization of relevance by way of a typology and discusses the nature of relevant social science.
To Diagnose, Prescribe and Dispense: Whose Right Is It? The Ongoing Struggle Between Pharmacy and Medicine in South Africa
Authors: Gilbert Leah
Published: March 2007

The aim of this article is to explore the conflict between pharmacists' attempts to extend their discretionary powers to prescribe and doctors' quest to engage in dispensing of medications. Adopting a global perspective, the article analyses issues such as occupational task boundaries, dominance, jurisdiction and autonomy of the professions. It also contemplates the role of the state in relation to these issues in the current South African transitionary context. To gain an in-depth insight into this complex issue, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. The current scenario, as presented in this article, deals with a double bid by pharmacy in South Africa to emulate what has been historically and globally, successfully done by medicine. On the one hand, their pursuit to expand their discretionary powers to prescribe is an infringement on another profession's task domain and, on the other hand, their current success to curb doctors' rights to dispense medications is an attempt to gain control over what they consider to be their professional jurisdiction.
The Epistemization of Economic Transactions
Authors: Cetina Karin Knorr , Preda Alex
Published: March 2007

The article examines the role played by non-academic economic knowledge in advanced economies with respect to market exchanges. Starting from arguments formulated in the neoclassic economic theory, as well as in the newer economic sociology, it shows that practical economic knowledge cannot be either reduced to a simplified notion of information, or regarded as external with respect to economic processes. On the basis of an ethnographic case study of a major European bank, the article shows how economic exchanges are embedded not only in networks of relationships, but also in processes of knowledge production, which structure the transaction-relevant worlds. As a consequence, the production of economic knowledge has become in the past few decades not only a specialized subfield of economic transactions, but has also gained in importance. By contrast with the practices of most natural sciences, which can be viewed as an intervening epistemology, the cognitive practices of applied economics are constituted as a `specular epistemology' - that is, as based on continuous observation and data assemblage. As in the natural sciences, participants use the resources at hand in order to produce transaction-relevant world-views, thus providing economic action with more general cognitive frames.
From Digital Divides to Digital Entitlements in Knowledge Societies
Authors: Mansell Robin
Published: March 2007

This paper critically examines current constructions of the causes, consequences and appropriate actions to reduce the so-called `digital divide'. Drawing upon discussions that have occurred in a number of intergovernmental forums, the analysis illustrates the limitations of policy debates that focus primarily on issues of access, affordability and capabilities and skills for employability in industry. An alternative framework for assessing the unfolding relation between the new media and society is developed drawing on Amartya Sen's concept of capabilities. This is applied to demonstrate the need for a shift in the emphasis of social science analysis away from digital divide issues and towards the potential for the new media to be configured in ways that could enable the majority of people to strengthen their abilities to make choices about how they wish to live their lives. As new media permeate global social networks more intensively, it is argued that a rights-based approach to new media policy is essential and that this must be based upon assessments of people's entitlements in emerging knowledge societies.
When Boy Meets Girl: The `Feminization' of the Military
Authors: Kümmel Gerhard
Published: March 2007

In this introductory article, first the theme of the monograph issue is explored, developed, and put into the context of the overall debate on woman and the military and women in the military respectively. Next, the major findings following from the various contributions and case studies are presented. In addition, the theoretical explanations of the articles are critically examined and synthesized in a model of the various factors that have to be taken into account when analysing the integration of women into the armed forces. This model covers the armed forces, politics, society, culture and the international environment as the crucial dimensions. Eventually, further routes for research are sketched out, pointing to the need for a systematic comparative approach. This may be interesting in order to revise and further develop the model of influencing factors advanced here and to identify the relative weight of the various variables involved. Such an approach may also be fruitful in order to examine the role of the military as both a gendered and a gendering organization. Here, a cross-national investigation of gender role images in the military and in society is suggested. The comparative approach may even be taken one step further by comparing the military to business, administration and other organizations of society.
Back to Norms! on the Scope and Dynamics of Norms and Normative Action
Authors: Therborn Göran
Published: March 2007

Social norms and normativity are important parts of social change and social concern, as well as of social order. They are highly pertinent to a number of social disciplines. It is paradoxical that their theorizing and their study, at the core of neoclassical sociology, have been neglected for some time by sociologists, and major advances made from perspectives of rational choice. The marginalization of norms within recent sociology is critically discussed. An analytical field, and some tools for ploughing it, are laid out: of three basic kinds of norms, of normative and non-normative action, of different kinds of fundamental institutions, of bases of norm conformity, and of the dynamics and change of norms. The relevance of normative analysis to a range of areas, from globalization to families, is indicated.
Le Paradoxe Des Sciences Sociales: Les Vues D'un économiste `Dissident'
Authors: Boyer Robert
Published: March 2007

The article underlines the strong contrast between the recognition of social sciences in the academic arena and the numerous epistemological and methodological difficulties that derive from a too highly specialized division into subdisciplines, inherited from a configuration now obsolete. It takes for its starting-point a critical appraisal of contemporary economic research and its desire to found a pure economic theory, totally apart from other social sciences, without the reference to methodological individualism and the intensive use of the assumptions of rationality and equilibrium. Given the current quite unsatisfactory state of the social sciences, there is an alternative research strategy built upon the interaction of various neighbour disciplines addressing the same issue, fully taking into account historical time and the related irreversibility, a new and imaginative use of system theory. Last but not least, a larger diversity of social groups making demands on social scientists would make for the recognition of the neglected variety of social links between countries and regions. This may open a new path for really universal and more relevant social sciences in the 21st century.
Entretien Biographique Et Rapports De Classe
Authors: Peneff Jean
Published: March 2007

A technique close to the art of ordinary conversation,the biographical interview is the most problematic of all forms of self-presentation. Asked to disclose themselves in an unequal relation, informants produce a narrative, subject to the conditions of the exchange and dependent on the social position of the interviewer (age, sex, culture, profession). Among sociological misinterpretations due to the nature of the interview: ease of expression taken for mastery of the subject's destiny, factual transformations to the point that the meaning of the biography becomes inverted. Sociology cannot give much credit to such circumstantial artifacts unless the narrative is controlled.
Elected versus Appointed Boards: Arguments and Evidence
Authors: Bridges Edwin M. , Hallinan Maureen
Published: March 2007

In this paper the authors argue that the political actors who are responsible for electing or appointing members of a state board of education regard the office as one of low salience and, as a consequence, engage in political behavior which is ill-suited to securing highly qualified state board members. Voting data and interview data are presented as evidence in support of their arguments.
Prognosis for Change in State Finance Plans: An Analysis of Recent Commission Reports and Court Decisions
Authors: Wynkoop Robert J.
Published: March 2007

Practically every state, since the Serrano Court decision, has instituted study connmissiorts to review and make recommeidations concerning their school finance model. In this article, the author contrasts the recommendations of the most significant commission reports with the traditional school finance models and a composite of the court criteria for a constitutional school finance model.
The Diffusion of an Innovation through Inter-Organizational Linkages
Authors: Paul Douglas A.
Published: March 2007

A comparative case study explores the inter-organizational relationships among a research and development center, state education agencies, teacher education institutions, and local education agencies involved with diffusing a complex organizational and administrative innovation—the multi-unit school. A heuristic approach was used to describe diffusion, linkage, structure, and capability. The efficacy of the approach and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Determinants of Negotiated Agreements for Public School Teachers
Authors: Kleiner Morris M. , Krider Charles E.
Published: March 2007

In this article, the determinants of agreements between school boards and teachers' associations are examined. The objective is to test the hypothesis that variations in collective bargaining agreements and major contract areas can be explained by the economic and institutional environments in which negotiations occur. A model of bargaining outcomes is developed and tested by regression anaylsis.
A Proposition for the Reconception of the Superintendency: Reconsidering Traditional and Nontraditional Discourse
Authors: Brunner C. Cryss
Published: March 2007

In this article, small samples of the traditional discourse on communication found in superintendency texts and nontraditional narratives from women superintendents were examined through a feminist postmodern lens to determine whether a reconsideration of superintendency discourse could provide ideas that support a reconception of the superintendency. This analysis revealed new discourse about superintendency communication that contrasts with traditional superintendency discourse and that makes convincing contributions to the reconception of the superintendency as advanced by several researchers. The conclusion makes this contrast clear by summarizing the article’s (a) ideas that inhibit the reconception of the superintendency and (b) ideas that advance the reconception of the superintendency.
Church-State-Education: Another Man's View
Authors: Reutter E. Edmund
Published: March 2007

The editors asked Professor Reutter to question, amplify, and extend the position of Professor Katz presented in the preceding article. In so doing he emphasizes the importance of placing legal issues in their educational and social policy contexts. Mr. Reutter is professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City.
The Political Economy of Public Schools
Authors: Boyd William Lowe
Published: March 2007

Both the current decline in support for the public schools and the organizational-performance problems of schools can be illuminated by the conceptual approach of political economy. This article combines a selective review of the literature with an introduction to this increasingly popular mode of analysis.
Leadership Horizons in Education
Authors: Culbertson Jack A
Published: March 2007

The emergence of the information society as a product of the microelectronic revolution is viewed as not only creating a whole new field of endeavor in and of itselfbut also as a force that is irrevocably changing the traditional sectors of industry, service, and social service. Implications of the information society for education, in general, and for the leaders of schools, in particular, are examined. Special challenges that will have to befaced by school leaders include purpose setting, program adaptation, and effective use of the new electronic media, while remaining vigilant to the threats to individual self-realization that the information society poses.
A Futuristic Cognitive View of Leadership
Authors: Morris G. Barry
Published: March 2007

The concept of leadership is a major issue in Western society. In education, new directions to the study of leadership are apparent. This article proposes a re-conceptualization that focuses on the individual, on future consciousness, and on outcome behaviors. The psychotherapeutic model of Rational-Emotive Theory is presented as a basis for identifying new strategies for effective leadership in the future. An application of this reconceptualization is made to leadership training programs in education
Cognitive Anthropology and Research on Effective Principals
Authors: Donmoyer Robert
Published: March 2007

Recent research suggests not only that the principal's leadership is important in creating a successful school, but also that the perceptions of those who work in a school might be significant mediating variables. One set of methods for uncovering subjects' perceptions and understandings is discussed in this article. The methods have been developed by cognitive anthropologists and are generally referred to as ethnographic semantics. Findings from a study of a successful principal in which the ethnographic semantics methodology was employed are presented, and the study is used as the basis for critiquing the utility of this methodology for investigating principals and other educational leaders.
"Deseg" Talk: Educational Policymakers' Divergent Assumptions in "Two Towns"
Authors: LaMagdeleine Donald R.
Published: March 2007

The controversial and ambiguous character of the issue forces those setting desegregation policy to interpret and simplify it. Adopting a symbolic interactionist approach, this research explores the comments and assumptions of two opposing blocs of policymakers during the early stages of setting new desegregation policy in a midwestern U.S. metropolitan area. The groups disagreed on the intent, educational effects, and means of implementation of desegregation. One group reconceptualized it in terms of expanded choice, whereas the other couched it within the history of desegregation. The study's case design augments research on educational elites while suggesting new directions for research on policy formation.
The National Curriculum in England and Wales: A Lesson in Externally Imposed Reform?
Authors: Hughes Martin
Published: March 2007

This article is concerned with the development and implementation of the National Curriculum, which was introduced into England and Wales by the 1988 Education Reform Act. The main argument of the article is that the National Curriculum is a classic example of externally imposed educational reform, and that the limited role played by teachers and educational professionals in its development led directly to many of its implementation problems. The article ends with some issues for future research and action.
Starting from Scratch: Political and Organizational Challenges Facing Charter Schools
Authors: Loveless Tom , Jasin Claudia
Published: March 2007

Charter schools are publicly funded schools of choice operating free of state regulation and independent of local school districts. Twenty-nine states have enacted laws establishing charter schools since 1991. Nationwide, an estimated 700 charter schools have opened their doors and hundreds more are planned This study examines the organizational and political obstacles encountered by "start-from-scratch" charter schools. We analyze what these challenges mean for individual charter schools, the charter school experiment in general, and the state's policy role in governing these new institutions.
A Note On Fourfold Point Correlation
Authors: Berry Kenneth J. , Martin Thomas W. , Olson Keith F.
Published: March 2007

Formulas are presented for a modification of Pearson's fourfold point correlation possessing always-attainable limits of ± 1 and intermediate values operationally interpretable in terms of proportionate reduction in error of estimation.
Significance Test for a Partial Correlation Corrected for Attenuation
Authors: Lord Frederic M.
Published: March 2007

Correction for attenuation is important for partial correlations because not even the sign of the partial between true scores can be inferred safely from the partial between observed (fallible) scores. Methods for inferring the corrected partial are discussed. Unfortunately, the corrected partial will sometimes have an overwhelming sampling error. A significance test is developed that largely circumvents this problem in those cases where it is enough to infer just the sign of the partial between true scores.
Raven's Progressive Matrices as Applied to Iranian Children
Authors: Baraheni M.Naghi
Published: March 2007

This study reports the results of the application of Raven's Progressive Matrices (PM) to a representative sample of Iranian children attending schools in Teheran, the capital city of Iran. The study showed that boys did score slightly higher on the PM than did the girls, the differences being significant up to age 13. There was a consistent increase in PM scores at successive age levels, but the increments were not significant beyond age 15. Iranian children scored considerably below the British norms, although this decrement might have been due to the timed administration of PM in Iranian samples and to a variety of cultural factors. The reliability and validity of the PM were found to be satisfactory. Although the findings indicated the general suitability of the PM for use with Iranian children, there is a need for further normative and validity studies.
Ward and Hook Revisited: a Two-Part Procedure for Overcoming a Deficiency in the Grouping of Persons
Authors: Feild Hubert S. , Schoenfeldt Lyle F.
Published: March 2007

The Ward and Hook (1963) hierarchical grouping program is a frequently used method to cluster persons into groups. Because of a deficiency in the procedure, the groupings are somewhat less than optimal. In order to meet this deficiency, a two-part procedure was developed to be used in conjunction with the Ward and Hook program for a more optimal grouping of subjects. The first part of the procedure checks the assignments of the subjects to the groups and removes inappropriately classified subjects. The second part confirms the reassignments of the subjects to their groups. Specifics regarding the application of the two-part procedure are discussed.
A Fortran Program for Analyzing the Results of Flanders' Interaction Matrix: an Updated Version
Authors: Racioppo Vincent , Pascale Pietro J. , Doughty Gavin
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a revised and updated version of a FORTRAN program which computes all indices used in the Flanders' Interaction Matrix. The new program has added another form of data input which simplifies data entry. The new version also has the capability of interactive terminal use.
Relationships Among Four Measures of Achievement Motivation
Authors: Wotruba Thomas R. , Price Karl F.
Published: March 2007

Short, objective tests of achievement motivation have considerable potential appeal to investigators for reasons of economy and ease of analysis. Two new paper-and-pencil tests of achievement motivation developed by Hermans and Mehrabian were examined to determine whether they might be comparable to two older measures, McClelland's TAT n-Ach and the achievement scale of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The four measures were administered to 65 undergraduate business administration students at San Diego State University. Although the results reflected a modest (.30) correlation between the Hermans and the TAT n-Ach, no other significant correlations among pairs of the four achievement measures were found. The results lend support to past findings; namely, that the various achievement measures would appear to be measuring dissimilar constructs.
Another Line for the Analysis of Variance
Authors: Brown Bruce L. , Harshbarger Thad R.
Published: March 2007

A test is developed for hypotheses about the grand mean in the analysis of variance, using the known relationship between the t distribution and the F distribution with 1 df for the numerator. Examples are given to suggest that the test may be of value in some research settings, especially when a known comparison population exists, and collection of data on a control group is expensive. Where appropriate, the test is efficient, as its addition to a standard analysis of variance requires no additional data collection and results in no loss of df from other comparisons in the analysis.
A Coefficient of Equality for Questionnaire Items With Interval Scales
Authors: Jobson J.D.
Published: March 2007

Given a sample of n responses to a pair of questionnaire items with interval scale values of V 1, V2, ..., Vk it is sometimes of interest to know the degree to which respondents select the same response for both items. The coefficient of equality is designed to measure the departure from independence in the direction of equality. If the sample means and variances of the two items are equal this coefficient is equivalent to the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. If the sample observations on the two items are such that the joint frequencies are the product of the marginals (independence) then the coefficient of equality is 0.
Agreement Between Raters
Authors: Van Der Kamp Leo J. Th. , Mellenbergh Gideon J.
Published: March 2007

In this paper Jöreskog's model of congeneric tests is used to analyze agreement between raters. Raters are treated as measuring instruments. The model of congeneric tests, of which classical prallelism and tau-equivalence are shown to be special cases, is applied to teachers' ratings of students' responses on open-end questions. The findings suggest that the ratings are tau-equivalent and that the ratings given by the teachers are reliable.
Non-Cognitive Characteristics in the Prediction of Reading Readiness
Authors: Brown Nina W.
Published: March 2007

The Lowenfeld Mosaic Test (LMT) was compared with the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) and with teachers' ratings to predict school readiness. The subjects consisted of three groups: (a) children enrolled in a federally funded neighborhood center, (b) middle-class black children, and (c) middle-class white children. The children were pretested with the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT), the LMT, and the MRT. The teachers and examiner made their predictions of each student's readiness; the teachers' predictions were based on observation and MRT scores, and those of the examiner, only on the LMT. At the end of the first semester the children were administered the Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT) and the students' grades were compiled. An analysis of results revealed the single best predictor of reading success to be the examiner's rating based on the LMT.
Long-Term Profile Stability of the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey
Authors: Zytowski Donald G.
Published: March 2007

Profile stability of the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (1966) for 729 persons was assessed by computing rank order correlations between the sets of scales on two profiles obtained 12 or 19 years apart, with first administrations at five different ages from 13 to 20. Median rhos varied from just over .40 for the youngest to near .80 for the oldest age at administration. Reliabilities were generally better for the male-normed than female-normed scales, and the difference between 12 and 19 year intervals was slight. These figures are comparable with similar reliabilities reported for the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, the only other interest inventory reporting long term reliability.
The Achievement Motivation-Performance Relationship as Moderated by Sex-Role Attitudes
Authors: Thurber Steven
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the moderating effect of sex-role attitudes in relation to the predictive validity of Mehrabian's (1969) achievement tendency scale for females. Women classified as non-traditional in sex-role orientation obtained a higher validity coefficient than their traditional counterparts vis-a-vis academic attainment. The findings were reversed relative to a social achievement criterion, with the traditional group obtaining the higher validity coefficient. The results are viewed as consistent with the assumed sanctions toward achievement inherent in traditional versus non-traditional sex-role expectations.
Appropriate Sample Sizes for Selecting a Population With the Largest Correlation Coefficient from Among k Bivariate Normal Populations
Authors: Levy Kenneth J.
Published: March 2007

Bechhofer's (1954) procedure for selecting the population with the largest mean from among k normal populations with known variances is discussed as it applies to the problem of selecting the bivariate normal population with the largest correlation coefficient. Tables of appropriate sample sizes are provided and an example is discussed concerning their use in which one might wish to select the correct population at a specified probability level.
A Short Scale for the Measurement of Change in Verbal Racial Attitude 1
Authors: Ard Nicholas , Cook Stuart W.
Published: March 2007

A multidimensional racial attitude inventory has been developed through several factor and cluster analyses of attitudinal statements. This inventory has been validated against attitudinal criterion groups. The purpose of this research was to adapt it from an agree-disagree answer format to a rating format potentially more sensitive to moderate, self-reported, attitude change. Evidence is presented that this adaptation has been accomplished while retaining strong correspondence to the validated inventory.
The Validity and Reliability of Abbreviated Versions of the WISC-R
Authors: Dean Raymond S.
Published: March 2007

The concurrent validity and reliability for abbreviated versions of the WISC-R were estimated with a group of one hundred children between the ages of six and 16 years. Specifically, shortened versions involved the reduction in the number of items for each subtest. With the exception of Vocabulary, split-half reliability estimates for the abbreviated subtest failed to meet conventional standards. Corrected concurrent validity coefficients relating shortened subtest versions with their full-length counterparts indicated a moderate degree of loss in information on most subtests. Abridged IQ scales offered satisfactory estimates of reliability and concurrent validity.
Dimensions of Effective Teaching: Factors or Artifacts
Authors: Whitely Susan E. , Doyle Kenneth O.
Published: March 2007

A current concern in evaluating faculty from student rating data has been to identify dimensions of teaching behaviors. Although recent studies have identified factors which are highly stable across different groups of teachers and students, the specific type of data underlying the factor analyses may have yielded dimensions which are implicit in the student raters rather than the teachers. In the present study, although the factor structures of rating items were found to be highly congruent over different subject matters and teaching roles, the factors were also highly related to students' implicit categories of teaching behaviors. The meaning of these results is discussed by considering the potential influences of rater's implicit theories on the different types of rating data which can be factor analyzed.
The Effect of Violating the Assumption of Equal Item Means in Estimating the Livingston Coefficient
Authors: Lovett Hubert T.
Published: March 2007

The validity of five methods of estimating the reliability of criterion-referenced tests was evaluated: one method based on the binomial expansion; two based on Kuder and Richardson's formulae 20 and 21; and two methods based on the analysis of variance. The methods were compared across nine conditions of variability among item means. Within each condition the number of test items, number of testees, the value of the criterion, the population mean, and variance of true scores were varied to form 1024 cases. The results were analyzed by means of a conditions-by-methods analysis of variance, the Newman-Keuls test, and a nonparametric multiple comparison procedure. There was a tendency for all of the methods to be conservative. The KR-21 method tended to be more valid given low variability among item means, and the KR-20 method given high variability.
A Validation Study of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (Mars
Authors: Brush Lorelei R.
Published: March 2007

The Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was given to two groups of undergraduates. The first group also completed a questionnaire on their background in mathematics; the second, the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale (STABS). In both studies Humanities majors scored higher in mathematical anxiety than did Social Science majors who in turn had higher MARS scores than did Physical Science majors. In the first study females had significantly higher MARS scores than did males, but these sex differences did not replicate. In further validation of the MARS there was an inverse relationship between high MARS scores and (a) number of years of high school mathematics, (b) number of terms of Calculus, and (c) grades achieved in high school mathematics. Higher MARS scores were positively correlated with dislike of mathematics, a self-report of anxiety about the subject, the length of time such anxiety had persisted, and test anxiety as measured by the STABS.
Predicting Multiple Criteria: Comparison of Two Vectors of Regression Coefficients
Authors: Malgady Robert G. , Huck Schuyler W.
Published: March 2007

The present paper generalizes the t ratio used in testing the difference between two independent regression coefficients to the multivariate case of testing the difference between two vectors of regression coefficients. The generalized statistic is particularly useful when one wishes to determine which of two variables is the best predictor of a number of criterion variables. In addition, simultaneous confidence bounds may be applied at the level of each pairwise difference.
A Fortran Program for Correcting Correlation Coefficients for Restriction in Range for Explicit or Implicit Restriction
Authors: Lewis Mary A. , Boone James O.
Published: March 2007

Restriction in range is a measurement problem frequently encountered in research studies that utilize correlation coefficients. Statistical techniques exist to correct for this problem. In the explicit case, the restriction of the sample is based on one of the variables of interest. Therefore such restriction is direct or explicit. In the implicit case the restriction is based on a third variable which is not included in the correlation, but which is correlated with the variables of interest. A FORTRAN program is available from the authors that can compute the estimated unrestricted correlation coefficient in either the explicit or implicit case—a program using one of five formulas. The user selects the appropriate formula to be employed and supplies the appropriate restricted and unrestricted information, and the program returns the value of the corrected correlation. The program handles one correction at a time; however, it can easily be modified to handle correction of several correlation coefficients in a single run.
Multicorr: a Computer Program for Fast, Accurate, Small-Sample Testing of Correlational Pattern Hypotheses
Authors: Steiger James H.
Published: March 2007

The program presented computes a chi-square statistic for testing pattern hypotheses on correlation matrices. The statistic is based on a multivariate generalization of the Fisher r-to- z transformation. Monte Carlo studies have demonstrated that this statistic has small sample performance which is superior to an analogous likelihood ratio statistic obtained via the analysis of covariance structures.
Experiments on the Evaluation of Course Instruction
Authors: Cox C. Philip
Published: March 2007

Two experiments on direct evaluation procedures are described below. The first involved students' judgments of how well they understood well defined terms and concepts presented in a course. The judgments were made anonymously to avoid instructor deprecation of poor performances and specific pressures for grade achievement. It was considered that such responses should reflect permanent aspects of instruction better than responses to less well defined stimuli referring to broad aspects of instructional procedures. In the second experiment, resposnes to short examination-type questions were obtained again under the same conditions of anonymity. In both experiments a simple index was used to assess the merit of instruction and the variability attending the index was assessed. Analysis showed that the index was, in fact, sufficiently sensitive to detect differences due to instruction even though relatively small numbers of students were involved.
Personality Measures as Predictors of Success in a Counselor Education Master's Degree Program
Authors: Omizo Michael M. , Ward G. Robert , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the predictive validity of the 18 scales of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and of two scales of the Opinion Scale relative to success criteria in graduate school as measured by grades in individual courses, performance on the Master's Comprehensive Examinations (MCE), and graduate grade-point average (GGPA). Subjects were 107 graduate students in a master's degree program in Counselor Education. Scores on CPI scales of Self-acceptance, Responsibility, Tolerance, Achievement via Independence, and Intellectual Efficiency were correlated .18, .19, .20, .21, and .19 (all p < .05), respectively, with MCE performance. Scores on the CPI scales of Psychological-Mindedness and Flexibility were correlated .24 (p < .01) and .27 (p < .01), respectively, with MCE performance. Significant correlations of .22, .17, and .19, respectively, were also found between scores on each of the factors of Tolerance, Achievement via Independence, and Psychological-Mindedness and grades in Educational Foundations (FED) courses—all significant at the .05 level. Standing on Dogmatism was correlated inversely (-.33) with FED course grades and -.39 with MCE performance—both coefficients being significant at the .001 level. Finally, Externality scores were inversely correlated with MCE performance and GGPA with both coefficients being -.22 (p < .05). It was concluded that psychological measures representing personality characteristics afford only limited promise as predictors of success in graduate programs. It was recommended that further research be conducted concerning use of other personality instruments and college populations.
Faculty Level of Self-Actualization in Relation to Student Rating of Instructors
Authors: Hampton John D. , Kerasotes Dean L.
Published: March 2007

In an effort to determine why students rated instructors differently, 70 of 150 randomly selected university professors completed the Personality Orientation Inventory (POI) (Shostrom, 1968). Previously the total faculty had been rated by the student body on the University Student Survey of Instruction Questionnaire (SSIQ) (Faculty Council, 1975). The literature has revealed statistically significant relationships between teacher/counselor ratings and measures of personality.

The 12 POI scales were correlated with a five-point Likert-type rating of overall instructor evaluation from the SSIQ. Two correlations were found to be significant beyond the .05 level (n = 70). The relationship between instructor rating and Time Competence Scale was positive (r = .235), whereas that between the instructor rating and the Nature of Man scale was negative (r = -.235).

The results are discussed in terms of student perceptions of instructional procedures. It was suggested that the presence of highly organized instructional patterns might explain in part the occurrence of a positive relationship between the student ratings of instructors and their standing on the Time Competence Scale.
Validation of the Attitude Toward Any Practice Scale Through the Use of Ambivalence as a Moderator Variable
Authors: Moore Michael
Published: March 2007

Remmers' Attitude Toward Any Practice scale was used to measure 133 undergraduates' attitudes toward three practices. Response scales were modified to permit the expression of both agreement and disagreement with each statement. Thus ambivalence scores in addition to traditional attitude scores were provided. Respondents' attitude scores toward each practice were correlated with criterion measures. The obtained coefficients of concurrent validity were considerably higher when they were computed only for respondents low in ambivalence than when computed for the entire sample or for respondents high in ambivalance.
Percentile Ranks and Ogives for Discrete Populations
Authors: Kaiser Henry F.
Published: March 2007

A method for determining percentile ranks in a discrete population is developed. No ambiguity in going from percentile ranks to percentiles, or vice versa, occurs. As is required, the largest percentile rank is 1.00 and the smallest percentile rank is 0.00.
Referent Differences in Pupil Motivation: Implications for Test Validity
Authors: Matthews Kenneth M. , Tak Cheung Chan
Published: March 2007

The findings of this study indicate that pupils may exhibit a high degree of motivation in one academic discipline but may have a low level of motivation in another discipline concurrently. Pupils may also show a high level of motivation with respect to one motivational factor in one discipline and a low level of motivation with respect to the same factor in another discipline. Assessments of pupil motivation made without reference to specific disciplines may be both unreliable and invalid when applied to specific disciplines. The data provided by this study demonstrate a need for more extensive research on referent differences in pupil motivation.
A Program for Computing a-Priori and Post-Hoc Multivariate Contrasts
Authors: Haase Richard F.
Published: March 2007

A computer program is described which computes any of three sets of multivariate contrasts following a significant outcome in an overall multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Input to the program comprises the required matrices, vectors, and scalars from the MANOVA output of major well known published programs. The program analyzes multivariate contrasts in (a) the a-priori, orthogonal case; (b) the a-priori, nonorthogonal case; and (c) the strictly post-hoc case. Roy-Bose multivariate simultaneous-contrast intervals are employed in the post-hoc case, whereas Bonferonni t's are used in the a-priori cases. The program, which is in FORTRAN IV, requires 7K of memory and uses less than one second of central processing time.
A Monte Carlo Study of Analysis of Covariance Under Violations of the Assumptions of Normality and Equal Regression Slopes
Authors: Levy Kenneth J.
Published: March 2007

The present study indicates that ANCOVA is robust with respect to dual violations of the assumptions of equal regression slopes and normality of distributions provided that group sizes are equal. In ad dition, when regression slopes are equal, ANCOVA appears to be robust to violations of the assumption of normality whether group sizes are equal or not. In the present study ANCOVA did display disruptions of empirical significance levels when unequal regression slopes and unequal group sizes were coupled with nonnormal distri butions.
Cross-Validation With Small Samples: An Algorithm for Computing Gollob's Estimator
Authors: Drehmer David E. , Morris Gary W.
Published: March 2007

Several years ago, Gollob (1967) presented a novel method for empirically estimating the population cross-validation coefficient of a sample regression equation. The method has been rarely used and has not been very thoroughly investigated. The principal reasons for apparent lack of interest in the method seem to be that investigators were unacquainted with it or that like Campbell (1974) they considered it to be too cumbersome to calculate. The purpose of the present paper was, therefore, twofold: to acquaint (or reacquaint) readers with Gollob's method and to provide a reasonably efficient algorithm for computation.
An Enquiry About Religion, Analyzed By a Nominal Scale Truncated Component Analysis
Authors: Vegelius Jan , Bäckström Anders
Published: March 2007

The data from an enquiry among 118 theological students with 24 items is analyzed by a truncated component analysis, where only nominal information is used. Tschuprow's T 2 is applied as the correlation coefficient. Eight easily interpreted factors are given by the method.
An Interactive Item Analysis Program for Objectively-Scored Tests
Authors: Rogers Bruce G. , Kammerdiner Diane C. , Wolf James L.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes a program written to analyze the results of educational tests on an interactive computer. The program accepts tape input from an optical scanner. Included in the output are (a) score lists; (b) a frequency distribution, histogram, and statistics for the total scores; (c) measures of item difficulty and discrimination; (d) option analysis; and (e) simple estimates of latent trait mental test parameters.
A Redefinition of Content Validity
Authors: Benson Jeri
Published: March 2007

Content validity has been defined as the formal specification of the universe of tasks the test purports to measure. The universe of tasks consists of both the subject matter of the instrument and the structure of the instrument. However, it has been observed that instrument structure is often overlooked in the development and validation of achievement tests. A review of the research on item writing, item format, test instructions, and item readability indicated the importance of instrument structure in the interpretation of test data. The effect of failing to consider these areas on the content validity of achievement test scores was discussed.
The Prediction of Graduate School Success in Psychology
Authors: Powell Kirnan Jean , Geisinger Kurt F.
Published: March 2007

Traditional graduate school admissons indices (three GRE tests, MATs, and GPAs) were used to predict performance on a screening examination called the Master's Comprehensive. The 114 students admitted between 1974 and 1978 were grouped by both year of entrance and doctoral program (clinical or experimental psychology). With respect to the five predictors, no mean differences were found relating to year of entrance, however, the results yielded significant mean differences between experimental and clinical students on four of the five predictors. Separate regression analyses were performed for the two programs. For both equations a significant portion of the Master's Comprehensive score variance was explained using GRE-Verbal alone. Addition of the other four predictors did not significantly improve the predictability of the equation. A regression equation combining both programs produced a similar multiple R, again using GRE-V alone.
The Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills: A Follow-Up of Performance of Older Upper Division Students
Authors: Suddick David E. , Collins Burton A.
Published: March 2007

The Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills (DTMS) was designed for a wide range of uses in mathematics courses at the lower division level. Two tests of the battery, Elementary Algebra Skills and Intermediate Algebra Skills, were employed for placement purposes with older junior level students. Students not having the requisite skills for calculus and for statistics were required to pass an algebra course before enrolling in the advanced mathematics course. For the calculus course and for the statistics course, the average performance level of the students who had passed the DTMS was significantly higher than that observed for the students who had successfully remediated their identified weakness. Regarding the remediation, the grades in the algebra course were significantly correlated with (a) grades earned in the calculus course and (b) grades earned in the statistics course. Thus, the DTMS was found to be an effective placement instrument for older upper-division students in a curriculum demanding advanced level mathematics courses.
On Testing Inter-Scale Difference Scores within a Profile
Authors: Yarnold Paul R.
Published: March 2007

A common practice among clinicians and counselors is the administration of comprehensive personality inventories to their clients, followed by examination of the various inter-scale, intra-profile comparisons which are possible. The significant difference scores are then examined for theoretical significance, and diagnosis or placement directives may be based on them. A method is derived in which the magnitude of the critical difference (which an obtained difference score must equal or exceed in order to be considered statistically significant at α < .05) is a function of the number of comparisons being made and the average individual reliability of the K scales. A nomograph is provided from which the critical difference may be read directly.
Interpreting Significant Left-Tailed Analysis of Variance F-Ratios
Authors: Shine Lester C.
Published: March 2007

It is argued that analysis of variance F-ratios which are significant in the left tail of the appropriate central F distribution should be interpreted as indicating some inadequacy in the analysis of variance model being used to represent the properties of the data. Procedures for testing left-tailed F-ratios are indicated.
The Identification of Students Likely to Fail the North Carolina Competency Tests
Authors: Smith Malbert , Stuck Gary B. , Johnston Daniel R.
Published: March 2007

The study investigated the degree to which it was possible to identify students who were likely to fail a high school competency test from data contained in their cumulative folders. The criterion measures were students' scores on the reading (SHARP) and math (TOPICS) tests of the North Carolina Competency Test. The predictor variables included: sex; race; paternal and maternal educational level; sixth and ninth grade subtest scores on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills; and eighth grade subtest scores on the Differential Aptitude Test. The results indicated that a subset of the predictors could be utilized to accurately identify students who were likely to fail the SHARP and TOPICS.