bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Undergraduate Performance Related to Success in College
Authors: Hackman Judith Dozier , Taber Thomas D.
Published: March 2008

From multivariate descriptions of undergraduates, seven success patterns and five nonsuccess patterns are identified as prevalent types of student performance in one college community. The discriminant functions underlying these two typologies partially substantiate the dimensions in Clark and Trow’s typology of college student subcultures. Students categorized into the twelve types show significant differences in demographic characteristics, admissions credentials, college performance, and post-college plans. Quantified admissions data favor some types of students over others. The results suggest that colleges present students with a complexity of subenvironments, each of which emphasizes and rewards different patterns of behavior.
The Influence of Categories of Cumulative Folder Information on Teacher Referrals of Low-achieving Children for Special Educational Services
Authors: Giesbrecht Margaret L. , Routh Donald K.
Published: March 2008

Artificial cumulative folders were constructed, each purporting to reference a fourth grade boy with average ability but low academic achievement. The eight folders factorially varied three categories of information: presence or absence of comments concerning previous misbehavior, race (black or white), and parents’ educational level (some high school or postsecondary). A random sample of 104 central North Carolina elementary teachers examined the folders and recorded various recommendations regarding the kind of outside-class educational help that would be appropriate for a child. The most influential category information was comments concerning misbehavior. With negative behavioral comments, teachers judged a child more likely to need special educational help, more time in a resource room, and special forms of help. Although complicated by interactions, the general pattern was to expect more favorable educational progress and less need for special help for blacks and for children of less educated parents than for whites or children of well educated parents.
The Limited Utility of Factor Analytic Techniques for the Study of Implicit Theories in Student Ratings of Teacher Behavior
Authors: Larson James R.
Published: March 2008

Recent research suggests that student ratings of teacher behavior may be significantly influenced by the students’ implicit theories about the way specific teacher behaviors covary. One technique that has been used to investigate the operation of these implicit theories is factor analysis. It is argued here, however, that factor analysis is of only limited value in this pursuit. It is shown that although factor analytic techniques employing ratings of naturally occurring behavior may be useful for demonstrating the existence of implicit theories of behavioral covariation, these techniques are not adequate for evaluating either the accuracy of these implicit theories or the amount of error they contribute to the rating process.
Reexamination of Normative Influence Processes in Desegregated Classrooms
Authors: Maruyama Geoffrey , Miller Norman
Published: March 2008

Confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis techniques were applied to a path analysis model proposed by Lewis and St. John (1974). The reanalysis disconfirms the original conclusion that acceptance by white peers beneficially affects the scholastic achievement of black children. Present results are consistent with other recent studies; achievement appears to exert causal influence on popularity, but popularity does not influence achievement. The original conclusion, that attending a desegregated school will provide for black children delayed academic benefits which are not simply a reflection of more immediate academic improvements is also disconfirmed.
Frameworks for Comprehending Discourse: A Replication Study
Authors: Sjogren Douglas , Timpson William
Published: March 2008

This study replicates findings of a study reported by Anderson, Reynolds, Schallert, and Goetz (1977) . Interpretation of ambiguously worded paragraphs was related to sex and interests of the participants. Interests were determined by subject matter major of the participants. Titles on the paragraphs reduced the ambiguity although the presence of a title did not determine the interpretation of all participants exposed to the title.
Note on Anderson’s “Causal Models in Educational Research: Nonrecursive Models”
Authors: Shapiro Jonathan
Published: March 2008

Two comments are made concerning Anderson’s article (1978) on the identification and estimation of nonrecursive models. First, Anderson’s rule for identification is only a necessary but not sufficient condition. The necessary and sufficient conditions are presented using matrix notation and a modified version of Anderson’s rule is offered. Second, contrary to Anderson’s discussion, the choice of two-stage or ordinary least squares depends on the data results rather than the methodological properties of the estimators. A means for choosing between the estimates is provided.
Motivation and Achievement: A Quantitative Synthesis
Authors: Uguroglu Margaret E. , Walberg Herbert J.
Published: March 2008

To estimate the typical correlation between motivation and educational achievement, the correlations from a calibration sample of 22 studies and a validation sample of 18 studies were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression techniques. Motivation factors were restricted to general, academic, or mathematics self-concept, locus of control, and achievement motivation; achievement outcome measures included achievement and ability tests and grade point indices. For grades 1–12, 232 uncorrected observed correlations showed a mean of .338 indicating 11.4 percent of the variance accounted for in achievement by motivation. Eight variables in a regression model accounted for 39% of the variance in the magnitude of the correlations. Grade level emerged as the only significant student characteristic; motivation and achievement were more highly correlated in students in later grades.
Elementary School Performance of Offspring of Young Adolescent Mothers
Authors: Morrow Betty Hearn
Published: March 2008

This exploratory study evaluated the academic success of a group of eight-year-old children born to young black adolescents of low socioeconomic status. The children were identified through birth records located in the public schools, their academic records were analyzed, and new data related to school behavior were collected. Comparisons to a control group of peers of similar background yielded no significant differences in standardized achievement test scores, behavior and social adjustment ratings, or school cumulative record data.
An Empirical Study of the Zajonc-Markus Hypothesis for Achievement Test Score Declines
Authors: Melican Gerald J. , Feldt Leonard S.
Published: March 2008

Zajonc has proposed that the decline in high school achievement since 1965 can be explained by the trend from 1947 to 1962 toward larger, closer-spaced families. This deduction is based on the Zajonc-Markus theory relating child spacing to intellectual development. The present study tested this theory with data on students in Iowa high schools. The size of the interval between children was found in selected instances to be related to achievement in families of three or more children, but the results were not consistent for every family size nor from child to child in the birth sequence. Overall, the results raise doubt that population trends in child spacing account for the decline in achievement test scores.
Uses of Sibling Data in Educational and Psychological Research
Authors: Jensen Arthur R.
Published: March 2008

Methods are explained, with empirical examples, for using sibling data on psychometric variables (1) as a covariate for statistically controlling family background in psychological and educational experiments, (2) as a means for testing the adequacy of age-standardized scores, (3) for testing the interval scale property of mental measurements, (4) for analyzing correlations into between- and within-family components and distinguishing intrinsic from extrinsic correlations between variables, and (5) for detecting cultural (i.e., between families) sources of variance in psychological tests.
Strategies of Path Analysis
Authors: Wolfle Lee M.
Published: March 2008

Path analysis is a method for explicitly formulating theory, and attaching quantitative estimates to causal effects thought to exist on a priori grounds. There are four basic kinds of path models: recursive, block, block-recursive, and nonrecursive. Because some questions can be answered only under certain path analytic structures, the theoretical questions and research goals guide the selection of a particular model. Knowing what sorts of questions each model addresses, educational researchers will be in a better position to formulate hypotheses in model-specific terms. Four illustrations are provided, presenting strategies of analysis typical of each kind of model.
Change in High School Students’ Political Attitudes as a Function of Social Studies Classroom Climate
Authors: Ehman Lee H.
Published: March 2008

A longitudinal design included 339 students from nine schools who responded to questionnaires from their sophomore to senior years from 1974–76. Using multivariate analysis of variance, it was shown that the extent to which students perceived open social studies classroom climates over this period was related to increases in political trust, integration, and interest, but a decrease in sense of political confidence.
Individual and Teacher/Class Effects in Aptitude Treatment Studies
Authors: Greene Jennifer C.
Published: March 2008

Selected results from an ATI (aptitude × treatment interaction) study are presented in support of the importance of including class analyses in ATI research. This study investigated the interactive effects on performance and motivation of four motivational aptitudes and two cognitive aptitudes with a choice versus no-choice treatment manipulation. Both treatments were implemented in each of nine fourth- or fifth-grade classrooms (n = 165) over a 4-week period. Three sets of simple regression results (by treatment, within class, and between class) highlighted the differential effects of treatment on individuals versus classes and suggested substantive hypotheses about these effects.
Choice of the Metric for Effect Size in Meta-analysis
Authors: McGaw Barry , Glass Gene V
Published: March 2008

Meta-analysis, as a procedure for integrating the results of empirical studies, depends on the quantification of the results of individual investigations. The standardized mean difference in performance between treatment and control conditions has been conventionally used for this purpose. There are difficulties with this technique when group standard deviations are not homogeneous, when a control condition is not included in a particular study, or when no control condition exists. There are also difficulties in expressing effect sizes on a common metric when some studies use transformed scales, such as gain scores, to express group differences, or use factorial designs or covariance adjustments to obtain a reduced error term. This paper discusses these problems, proposes a common metric on which effect sizes may be standardized, and describes procedures for computing appropriate effect sizes for all such cases.
Identifying Regions of Significance in Aptitude-by-Treatment-Interaction Research
Authors: Serlin Ronald C. , Levin Joel R.
Published: March 2008

The traditional statistical approach to identifying regions of significance in aptitude-by-treatment-interaction studies is examined. An alternative approach is provided which integrates several heretofore unrelated statistical techniques, including testing for the parallelism of two or more regression lines, testing for their identity, and Scheffé’s theorem.
Review Effects of Inserted Questions on Learning from Prose
Authors: Sefkow Susan B. , Myers Jerome L.
Published: March 2008

Two experiments were performed to determine whether questions inserted after prose passages initiate a review which substantially facilitates retention of the information in memory. Students listened to five prose passages, and immediately after each were asked to verify either a true inference drawn from the passage or a false statement. Subsequent free-recall data, collected under both incidental and intentional learning instructions, demonstrated the existence of a review effect (true-probed passage recall exceeded false-probe recall) and indicated selective strengthening of those relations related to the probe. When students listened to the passages and were then given the inferences exclusively as retrieval cues at the time of recall, the effect disappeared. This suggests that the backward review effect can not be attributed solely, or even substantially, to a cueing or retrieval phenomenon but rather to a strengthening or integration of the memory traces at the time of the probe.
The Effect of Adjunct and Test Question Similarity on Study Behavior and Learning in a Training Course
Authors: Ellis John A. , Wulfeck Wallace H. , Montague William E.
Published: March 2008

The effects of adjunct postquestions in an individualized training course were tested. Unlike most laboratory questioning studies, the questions were part of the training materials. The materials directed students to specific questions after completing a portion of the instructional materials. To assess the effect on study behavior and learning, the percent of adjunct questions identical to the lesson and final test questions was varied in four conditions: no questions, 0 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent identical. The 100 percent group was superior on all measures. The remaining groups differed on several measures.
Graduate Degree Aspirations of Ethnic Student Groups
Authors: Centra John A.
Published: March 2008

The degree objectives of prospective graduate students from eight ethnic groups were investigated using the extensive (200,000 plus) Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) registrant population of 1976–1977. GRE scores, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), and being a male were the important predictors of students’ expectations of obtaining a doctor’s rather than a master’s degree, and this was generally true for each of the ethnic groups. Characteristics of undergraduate institutions such as affluence, selectivity, and the predominant racial make-up, generally had little influence. Black and Hispanic/Indian students had higher degree aspirations than white or Asian-American students with similar characteristics. However, there is a marked similarity among the ethnic groups in the percentages planning to obtain a doctorate at the various GRE percentiles for their group. This suggests that each group acts as a particular frame of reference for students within it. For each of the major field areas (humanities, natural sciences, social sciences), the variables available for this study did not highly predict which students expected to obtain the higher degree (multiple R’s in the .30s).
Within-class Relationships Between Student Achievement and Teacher Behaviors
Authors: Martin Jeanne , Veldman Donald J. , Anderson Linda M.
Published: March 2008

Data collected on 25 ways in which teachers interacted with first-grade students while the students participated in reading groups within intact classrooms were analyzed with class mean analyses as well as two types of within-class analyses: one that considered small groups within classes as instructional units, and one that examined effects on individual students within the small groups. The pattern of effects differed depending upon the level of the analysis. Particularly striking was the large number of statistically significant relationships that occurred only at the student-within-reading-group level. Apparently, some teacher behaviors took on different meanings for students in the context of a small group, implying that students were very much aware of and affected by their learning environment. The results demonstrate that a combination of within-class and between-class analyses provides a better understanding of the relationship of teacher-student interactions to student achievement than either set of analyses alone.
Teacher and Parent Causal Perceptions of School Problems
Authors: Vernberg Eric M. , Medway Frederic J.
Published: March 2008

Attribution interviews were conducted with 30 mothers who had recently disagreed with their child's teacher regarding the cause of a school-related problem and with 30 teachers who had similar disagreements with a parent. Parents tended to hold teachers primarily responsible for these problems and, to a lesser extent, characteristics of their children not under personal control By contrast, teachers assigned most responsibility to parent-home factors, next most to controllable child characteristics, and none to themselves. Teachers accurately predicted parents' attributions but parents were not aware how much they were held accountable by teachers.
Aptitude-Treatment Interaction Effects of Variations in Direct Instruction
Authors: Janicki Terence C. , Peterson Penelope L.
Published: March 2008

Two teachers each taught a 2-week fractions unit to two classes of randomly assigned fourth- and fifth-grade students. Each teacher taught one class using direct instruction and the other using a small-group variation of direct instruction. Students completed aptitude measures before the study began and achievement and attitude measures at the end of the study. Regression analysis on achievement showed significant aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) and significant teacher effects. Students who had positive attitudes and an internal locus of control did better in the small-group variation, probably because they had some choice of activities and control over their learning. Teachers differed in effectiveness within direct instruction but did not differ within the small-group variation.
Fun and Games: Their Contribution to Basic Skills Instruction in Elementary School
Authors: Baker Eva L. , Herman Joan L. , Yeh Jennie P.
Published: March 2008

Indicators of instructional program effectiveness have been expanded to include both the range of instructional options and cognitive and affective performance measures. Within the context of a statewide evaluation of educational reform, this research studied the relationship of diverse instructional materials with student performance indicators. The study sampled 72 schools from a geographically, socioeconomically, and linguistically representative frame, and two classrooms each in second and third grades of each school provided data. Observation and teacher survey data were collected, and students were tested in reading, mathematics, and attitudinal areas. Our study reports significant performance decrements associated with the use of diverse instructional resources. Explanations are provided within a framework that includes time-on-task and motivational variables.
Student Achievement in Israel of Immigrants From Developed and Developing Countries
Authors: Lewy Arieh
Published: March 2008

In the last three decades entire Jewish populations of several developing countries immigrated to Israel. Within the framework of a large-scale international survey, the achievement level of children whose parents immigrated to Israel from developing countries and of those whose parents came from developed countries was examined. The results indicated that the average reading comprehension score of children whose parents immigrated from developing countries is above the range of the national averages of the developing countries, and approaches the average achievement level of some developed countries. Although a noticeable achievement gap exists between the two Israeli immigrant groups, the level achieved by both groups is within the range of achievement attained in developed countries internationally.
Dropouts from Higher Education: Path Analysis of a National Sample
Authors: Munro Barbara Hazard
Published: March 2008

Path analysis was used to test the Tinto model of college dropout using a sample drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. Through path analysis, a more parsimonious causal model was derived. Pre-college characteristics predicted college integration, but did not directly affect the dropout decisions. Factors related to the integration of the student into the college's academic setting appeared to be far more important to subsequent dropout decisions than were factors related to integration into the social setting. The commitment of the student to the goal of college completion had the strongest positive effect on the decision to remain in school.
A Class of Simple Methods for Exploratory Structural Analysis
Authors: Pruzek Robert M. , Rabinowitz Stanley N.
Published: March 2008

Simple modifications of principal component methods are described that have distinct advantages for structural analysis of relations among educational and psychological variables. Advantages include the provision for the incorporation of prior beliefs about errors in the variables, computational efficiency, tractability for large battery analysis, and the availability of hypothesis testing procedures. The methods are contrasted theoretically and empirically with conventional principal component methods and with maximum likelihood factor analysis.
Teacher Race and Expectations for Student Achievement
Authors: Beady Charles H. , Hansell Stephen
Published: March 2008

This study investigated whether the race of elementary school teachers in black schools was associated with teachers' expectations for student achievement and perceptions of effort. A factor analysis revealed four clusters of items dealing with teacher perceptions of elementary school students' achievement and effort, and teachers' expectations for future student success in high school and college. Controlling for teachers' sex, education and years of teaching experience, and average school achievement and SES, teacher race was associated only with expectations for college success. Black teachers expected more of their students to enter and complete college than white teachers. Additional evidence suggested that this teacher race difference was relatively independent of the student racial composition of the schools. The implications of teacher race as a determinant of differential expectations for the success of black students are discussed.
Following Students' Suggestions for Rewriting a Computer Programming Textbook
Authors: Pepper Jeff
Published: March 2008

This paper discusses the results of two experiments in technical textbook design. In the first experiment, excerpts from two existing computer programming texts were given to a group of college students. Comprehension of both texts was found to be poor, and surprisingly, the subjects overwhelmingly preferred a verbose and poorly written text over a concise and well written one. It was concluded from the students' comments that they were looking for an easy-to-read text with lots of examples. A chapter was written in this style, and it was found that the students' comprehension improved substantially, and they also liked the new “text” much better than any of the others.
Competitive Versus Cooperative Reward Structures: The Influence of Individual and Group Performance Factors on Achievement Attributions and Affect
Authors: Ames Carole
Published: March 2008

This study examined the effects of cooperative and competitive reward structures on children's attributions and affective reactions to success and failure. Eighty sixth-grade children performed at a high or low level at an achievement task under competitive or cooperative reward contingencies. The cooperative structure included both group success and group failure. Results showed that competitive contingencies accentuated the differences in self-other perceptions and cooperative contingencies minimized these differences. Within a cooperative structure, the success of the cooperative group was a major factor affecting self and interpersonal evaluations. The results are discussed within an attribution and self-worth theory of motivated behavior.
Reading Instruction and Its Effects
Authors: Leinhardt Gaea , Zigmond Naomi , Cooley William W.
Published: March 2008

Reading instruction and its effects were examined for 105 students in elementary classrooms for the learning-disabled. Extensive detailed observations of students, teachers, and instructional material were used to explore the plausibility of a causal model of the effects of reading behaviors and instruction on students' reading performance. The results indicate that 72 percent of the variance in posttest reading scores can be explained by a model that includes a pretest, three student reading behaviors, and instructional overlap; and that 59 percent of the variance in student time spent in reading can be explained by a model that includes pretest, teacher instructional behaviors, teacher affective behaviors, and instructional pacing. Using these results as a basis, mechanisms for increasing salient student reading activities in classrooms that serve students with reading problems are discussed.
Influence of Knowledge Context on the Learning of Intellectual Skills
Authors: Beeson Geoffrey W.
Published: March 2008

A total of 188 10th-grade students were taught a hierarchy of intellectual skills in one of three different contexts: one in which the skills were taught in isolation, one in which additional verbal instructions were provided, and a third in which the skills were taught in relation to a relevant anchoring idea. The students were tested following intervals of approximately 2 days and 7 weeks for achievement of the final task of the hierarchy, lateral transfer, and achievement of subordinate skills. With some qualifications, results supported the prediction that use of the anchoring idea context would enhance the meaningful learning and retention of the most complex skills.
Use of Adaptive Information for Advisement in Learning Concepts and Rules Using Computer-assisted Instruction
Authors: Tennyson Robert D.
Published: March 2008

Findings from two experiments showed that students can effectively manage their learning needs in a computer-assisted instructional system when provided continuous, updated advisement information about their achievement (diagnosis) and instructional needs (prescription) in relation to the objective. In Experiment 1, high school students receiving instruction (learning four physics concepts) via a learner-adaptive-control management strategy that included advisement performed better on the posttest than students in a learner-control strategy (p > .001) and needed less instructional time than students in a program-managed, adaptive-control strategy (p > .001). Experiment 2 replicated the effectiveness of the learner-adaptive-control strategy by showing that students were able to make increasingly better self-assessments and management decisions during three separate instructional units (learning nine punctuation rules) than either a learner-partial-control strategy (p > .001) or a learner-control strategy (p > .001).
Simulation of Inner-city Standardized Testing Behavior: Implications for Instructional Evaluation
Authors: Doscher Mary-Lynn , Bruno James E.
Published: March 2008

The study examines possible distortions due to guessing in standardized test scores, focusing particularly on inner-city situations. A practical procedure based on Bayes theorem is presented, for estimating true knowledge levels from observed test scores. Results show test scores to be overstatements of subject mastery, with larger distortions at the lower achievement levels; this suggests that many inner-city programs are being planned and evaluated using data containing large amounts of error.
Early Transition into Adult Roles: Some Antecedents and Outcomes
Authors: Howell Frank M , Frese Wolfgang
Published: March 2008

The transition to adult roles usually occurs within a normative age-span. By focusing on preadolescence to late-adolescence using two-wave panel data, this research seeks to develop a more informed picture of how “early” exit from the student role and “early” entry into the adult role of parent or spouse reflect factors operating prior to adolescence. The short-term consequences of adult role transition on teenage status aspirations, life plans, other psychological orientations, and parental influence are also examined. Even though multiple role transition is frequently observed, only leaving school early appears to be related to preadolescent career decisions and academic performance in high school. The determinants of early transition to the role of parent or spouse do not appear to be socioeconomic origins, parental child-rearing techniques or other specific influences, academic ability or performance, or preadolescent aspirations, as has generally been hypothesized in the literature. Research dilemmas and policy implications are discussed.
Attrition from Teaching Careers: A Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Chapman David W , Hutcheson Sigrid M
Published: March 2008

Building from J. I. Holland’s theory of career choice, this study investigated differences in (1) skills and abilities and (2) criteria used to judge differences in success between individuals who started as teachers and subsequently changed careers and those who started in and remained in teaching. Discriminant analyses were conducted separately for elementary and high school teachers whose first jobs after graduation were as teachers, on data provided by alumni (N = 690) from three Indiana universities. Those who did and did not leave teaching differed significantly in both their self-rated skills and abilities and in the importance they assigned to selected criteria of success. The results support hypotheses developed from Holland’s theory on the characteristics that would discriminate between those leaving and those staying in teaching.
The Effects of Schooling on Mathematics Achievement
Authors: Welch Wayne W , Anderson Ronald E , Harris Linda J
Published: March 2008

Using data drawn from the 1977–1978 National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics, this study examined the proportion of variance in mathematics achievement attributable to differences in the number of semesters of mathematics studied after taking into account the influence of antecedent conditions, home and community environment, and previous mathematics learning. Background variables accounted for 25 percent of the variance, while exposure to mathematics courses explained an additional 34 percent of the variance. The study was replicated on three different national samples of 2,200 students each using three different measures of mathematics achievement. Similar results were found in each replication.
The Influence of Children’s Temperament Characteristics on Teachers’ Decision Strategies
Authors: Pullis Michael , Cadwell Joel
Published: March 2008

Thirteen primary level teachers provided information on 321 students concerning the children’s temperament characteristics, school performance estimates, and classroom management decisions. Factor analysis of the temperament measures yielded three independent factors: Task Orientation, Adaptability, and Reactivity. These factors replicate earlier findings with a similar instrument and meld with other research on teachers’ behavioral ratings. The most important finding to emerge concerned the strong and consistent relationship between the students’ temperament characteristics and teachers’ classroom decisions. Multiple regression analyses indicated that most of the teachers used Task Orientation information across classroom management decision-making situations.
Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Meta-analysis of Findings
Authors: Cohen Peter A , Kulik James A. , Kulik Chen-Lin C.
Published: March 2008

A meta-analysis of findings from 65 independent evaluations of school tutoring programs showed that these programs have positive effects on the academic performance and attitudes of those who receive tutoring. Tutored students outperformed control students on examinations, and they also developed positive attitudes toward the subject matter covered in the tutorial programs. The meta-analysis also showed that tutoring programs have positive effects on children who serve as tutors. Like the children they helped, the tutors gained a better understanding of and developed more positive attitudes toward the subject matter covered in the tutorial program. Participation in tutoring programs had little or no effect, however, on the self-esteem of tutors and tutees.
The Contextual Correlates of the Relative Expenditures of Classroom Time on Instruction and Behavior: An Exploratory Study of Secondary Schools and Classes
Authors: Sirotnik Kenneth A
Published: March 2008

Multivariate relationships are described between the proportions of classroom time observed in instructional and behavioral modalities and six potentially important contextual variable subsets. Canonical regressions and correlations were computed between each contextual variable subset and the proportions of observed time measures both between schools and within schools (at the classroom level). The magnitudes of resultant relationships were not great. Comparatively speaking, however, important differences emerged between (a) analyses at school and classroom levels, (b) junior and senior high school classes, (c) contextual variable subsets, and (d) the sizes of associations with instructional and behavioral time. It is recommended that future “quantity of schooling” studies include time spent on discipline and control (as well as on task) and be both substantively and analytically sensitive to both school and classroom effects.
Validating Measures of Teacher Stress
Authors: Pettegrew Loyd S. , Wolf Glenda E.
Published: March 2008

This paper reports the results of a known groups-validation study of several measures of teacher stress. Role-related stress, task-based stress, and environmental stress comprised the stress measures. Groups of teachers in high schools and junior-high schools were selected on an a priori basis using administrative records of reported student discipline as the criterion. These teacher groups were then given a pencil-and-paper measure containing the three major stress variables and additional stress-related variables. Four research questions were addressed: the internal consistency of the teacher stress measures, the structural reliability of the measures, the predictive validity of the measures, and the construct validity of the measures of teacher stress. Other heuristic findings regarding the teacher stress phenomenon are discussed, and substantive directions for future research are outlined.
Desegregation as National Policy: Correlates of Racial Attitudes
Authors: Scott Richard R. , McPartland James M.
Published: March 2008

To appropriately evaluate the effects of the national policy of desegregation on racial attitudes, data from a national probability sample of 9-, 13-, and 17-year olds were analyzed. From this analysis we conclude that for both whites and blacks desegregation is related positively to racial tolerance even for those areas and age-race groups in which the least tolerance is exhibited. The possibility of ceiling effects and social desirability confounding this analysis is discussed briefly.
Effects of Reception and Discovery Instruction on Kindergarteners’ Performance on Probability Tasks
Authors: Cantor Gordon N. , Dunlap Linda L. , Rettie Candice S.
Published: March 2008

Seventy-two kindergarteners participated in an instructional session (involving a reception, discovery, or control condition) and then took two immediate and two delayed (3 weeks) criterion tests, all of the tasks being concerned with simple probability events. Both a prediction and an explanation measure were used. Evidence for the superiority of discovery learning was not forthcoming. In the case of both the reception and discovery groups, prediction performance on the two criterion tests identical in type to the instructional task was consistently superior to that on the two criterion tests differing in type from the training task. Significant instructional condition prediction effects occurred predominantly, though not exclusively, in the criterion tests identical in type to the training task.
Factors Affecting Students’ Evaluations of the Same Course Taught by the Same Instructor on Different Occasions
Authors: Marsh Herbert W
Published: March 2008

Correlations between student ratings of the same course taught by the same instructor on two different occasions (n = 341 pairs of courses) were high (mean r = .71), but were lower than the reliabilities of the ratings (mean r = .93); much reliable variance was unique to a particular course offering. This study investigates factors that might explain this unique variance. For each pair of courses, the more favorably evaluated tended to be: (1) the one in which students expected higher grades (and presumably learned more); (2) the one which students perceived to require the most work; and, (3) the one which was taught after the instructor had already taught the course at least once before (and presumably improved as a consequence of this experience). These findings are not consistent with the hypothesis that these background characteristics bias student ratings, and they argue for alternative explanations.
Stereotypic Perceptions of Teachers
Authors: Guttmann Joseph , Bar-Tal Daniel
Published: March 2008

This paper examines the effect of teachers’ stereotypic perceptions on their evaluations and expectations of students. In Study 1 teachers responded in stereotypic manner when they were presented only with information regarding students’ ethnic origin and sex. The results of Study 2 show that teachers’ stereotypic perception influenced their grading practices. The results of Study 3 indicate that familiarity with students’ behavior might override teachers’ stereotypic impressions based on students’ group membership. The implications of these results for educational practices are discussed.
A Simultaneous Equation Model of the Provision of Services to Handicapped Children at the School District Level
Authors: Nelson F. Howard
Published: March 2008

This study of the provision of services to handicapped children focuses on local school districts because they are assigned the responsibility of evaluating children, providing services, and paying for state-imposed special education mandates. A three-equation model is developed and a tentative test of the model is made with recently available data from Wisconsin. The empirical results show that fiscal and socioeconomic variables play statistically identifiable roles in labeling children as handicapped and in the amount spent per handicapped child. Budget-maximizing behavior and the response to financial incentives are as likely to show up through the process of identifying children as handicapped, as in spending decisions. One can infer the exercise of administrative discretion and the tendency of local school districts to operate in their own financial interests.
A Multiinstitutional, Path Analytic Validation of Tinto’s Model of College Withdrawal
Authors: Pascarella Ernest T , Chapman David W
Published: March 2008

This study investigated the validity of Tinto’s (1975) model of college withdrawal in different types of institutions: 4-year residential institutions, 4-year commuter institutions, and 2-year commuter institutions. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 2,326 freshmen from 11 postsecondary institutions. The results generally supported the predictive validity of the model but suggested that interesting differences in the patterns of influence existed when the data were disaggregated by institutional type. The basic differences across type concerned the concepts of social and academic integration. Social integration played a stronger role in influencing persistence at 4-year, primarily residential institutions, while academic integration was more important at 2- and 4-year, primarily commuter institutions.
Measuring Implementation and Multiple Outcomes in a Child Parent Center Compensatory Education Program
Authors: Conrad Kendon J , Eash Maurice J
Published: March 2008

This paper reports an evaluative study of a Child Parent Center Compensatory Education Program delivered to a population marked by low achievement and high incidence of social problems. The 2-year study included classroom observation measures of program implementation and examined the results of specific program characteristics and parent involvement as they affected achievement, locus of control, and home environment. Based on a quasi-experimental study of over 500 children and 120 parents, the program increased achievement, promoted greater feeling of being in control of one’s life, and stimulated parent involvement in school and interest in the child’s educational development.
Fruits and Fallacies of Instructional Systems: Effects of an Instructional Systems Approach on the Concept Attainment of Anglo and Hispanic Students
Authors: Hannafin Michael J
Published: March 2008

Eighty-five sixth grade students were randomly assigned to either a traditional instruction or a systems instructional group and were subsequently blocked according to sex and ethnicity. Each group received mathematics instruction for 8 months. Year-end skill assessment indicated no instructional group differences for whole numbers, adding decimals, or subtracting decimals subtests. However, significant differences were found between Anglo and Hispanic students on these subtests. For adding fractions and subtracting fractions subtests, significant differences were found related to both instructional group and ethnic group, with instructional systems yielding higher scores than traditional instructional classes, and Anglos earning higher test scores than Hispanics. Sex of student was not found to influence mathematics skill attainment. The results suggest that instructional systems may be most effective for Anglo and Hispanic students when the criterion task is not heavily influenced by the acquisition of prerequisite skills.
School Determinants of Student Achievement in Secondary Education
Authors: Biniaminov Israel , Glasman Naftaly S
Published: March 2008

Relationships were examined between student achievement (output), teachers’ length of tenure, level of fiscal resources, and level of disadvantaged students. The school was used as the unit of analysis. Teachers’ length of tenure was found to be a positive and direct predictor of the output. The level of fiscal resources was found to be a negative and direct predictor, but also a positive and indirect predictor through teachers’ length of tenure. The level of disadvantaged students was found to be a positive predictor through fiscal resources and teachers’ tenure separately, and a negative predictor through each of the two inputs separately. Implications for further research are suggested on the basis of these findings.
Interaction of Internal Attribution for Effort and Teacher Response Mode in Reading Instruction: A Replication Note
Authors: Pascarella Ernest T , Pflaum Susanna W , Bryan Tanis H , Pearl Ruth A
Published: March 2008

Forty-seven learning disabled and low readers in 12 reading groups were assigned to reading instruction programs on context cue use differing only in extent of student control over determination of errors. Analyses conducted with individuals and reading groups as the units of analysis indicated significant interactions between pretreatment locus of attribution for effort and treatment. Both individual students and reading groups initially high in internality benefited more from an instructional condition in which they were encouraged to determine the correctness of their responses. Conversely, individuals and reading groups initially low in internality benefited more from a condition in which the teacher determined response correctness. The findings generally replicate previous aptitude by treatment interaction results with learning disabled and slowly developing readers.
Student Achievement at Predominantly White and Predominantly Black Universities
Authors: Ayres Q Whitfield
Published: March 2008

This study explored the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) performance of students with similar Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores who attended Jive predominantly black and 10 predominantly white universities. Except for two campuses, black graduates of predominantly white institutions scored higher on the NTE than black graduates of predominantly black institutions after SAT was controlled. When the graduates were grouped by race of student and predominant race of institution, both black and white graduates of predominantly white institutions received higher NTE scores than blacks and whites with similar SATs from predominantly black institutions. Uncontrolled, precollege differences among students may account for some of these differences in NTE performance, but the analysis suggests that the universities themselves are the more important influence.
Group Interaction and Achievement in Small Groups: Stability Over Time
Authors: Webb Noreen M. , Cullian Linda K.
Published: March 2008

This study investigated (a) the relationships among student and group characteristics, group interaction, and achievement in small groups in junior high school mathematics classrooms, and (b) the stability of these relationships over time. One hundred and five students in four classrooms participated in two studies. All students first learned a unit on consumer mathematics. Three months later, half the students learned a unit on area and perimeter, and the other half learned a 1-week unit on probability. Interaction in the group was a potent predictor of achievement in all studies; asking a question and receiving no answer, the best predictor, was detrimental to achievement. The best predictor of interaction in the group was group composition: The frequency of asking questions and receiving no answer was higher in uniform-ability groups than in mixed-ability groups. Group interaction tended to be stable over time, both in average frequency and in individual students’ relative levels of participation.
Context of Success, Affective Arousal, and Generosity: The Neglected Role of Negative Affect in Success Experience
Authors: Bryant Brenda K
Published: March 2008

The present investigation explored the hypothesis that the magnitude of generosity toward peers displayed by grade school boys following a moderate success experience would vary as a function of both the resulting positive and negative affects. The role of the context (skill vs. chance attribution conditions) of moderate success in relation to affective arousal and generosity was explored also. Subjects were 101 third, fourth, and fifth grade boys. As anticipated, more sharing occurred in the skill condition than in the chance condition, and lesser amounts of reported unhappiness were associated with greater amounts of sharing. Reported happiness did not show up as a reliable predictor of generosity, but this could be attributed to a ceiling effect. The condition effect and the reported unhappiness effect accounted for 45 percent of the variance in sharing. These results document the relevance of considering the influence of negative affect as well as the positive affect induced by success experiences. The results also highlight the importance of considering the context of success. Finally, results of this study caution educators to seek out the child’s perspective of adult-defined success experiences.