The goal of this study was to extend research on scale contextualization (i.e., frame-of-reference effect) to the decision making styles construct, compare the effects of contextualization across three unique decision style scales, and examine the consequences of scale contextualization within an item response theory framework. Based on a mixed…

Background: Youth programs often rely on self-reported data without clear evidence as to the accuracy of these reports. Although the validity of self-reporting has been confirmed among some high school and college age students, one area that is absent from extant literature is a serious investigation among younger children. Moreover, there is…

Districts now have access to a wealth of new information that can help target students with appropriate supports and bring focus and coherence to college readiness efforts. However, the abundance of data has brought its own challenges. Schools and school systems are often overwhelmed with the amount of data available. The capacity of districts to…

The incremental validity of the analytical measure of the revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, for predicting first-year graduate grade-point average (GPA), was assessed using data submitted to the GRE Validity Study Service between March 1983 and November 1984. All selected students had data for the three General Test measures…

A research project was designed and conducted to determine specifically whether the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) has any predictive value in determining how well masters of business administration (MBA) students perform in graduate management education. Several types of information were drawn from the student files of 360 past or…

Using predictive validity studies of the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), this study examined the large variation in the magnitude of the validity coefficients across schools. LSAT standard deviation and correlation between LSAT and UGPA accounted for 58.5 percent of the variability. (Author/EGS)

This paper investigated the predictive validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for members of different gender and minority status groups. The following data were obtainted on 45,067 undergraduates enrolled in 31 different institutions in a state college system: SAT Verbal (SAT-V) and SAT Mathematics (SAT-M) scores; high school average…

Acceptable performance on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is necessary for acceptance into medical school; therefore, students planning a career in medicine and their advisors would benefit by having information useful in predicting performance on this examination. The present study examined the validity of the ACT Assessment as such a…

The main goal of this paper is to investigate cross-cultural factors that predict academic ability among mathematically gifted Olympians in Finland and the United States. The following two research problems are formulated: (1) What factors contribute to or impede the development of the Olympians' mathematic talent? and (2) Do the Olympians fulfill…

Three versions of a probabilistic model adapted from the theory of information retrieval--a binary version, a version using the full value of the data, and a version using principal components--were tested and applied to data available from application forms to predict graduate school performance of library school students. (EM)

This paper reports on a replication of a 1983 study investigating whether the Renzulli/Smith Learning Style Inventory (RSLSI) can identify the learning style differences of college undergraduates. The 65 item RSLSI assesses children's preferred learning styles in nine areas: projects, simulations, drill and recitation, peer teaching, discussion,…

This study determined the effects of two data collection techniques on response rate, response bias, response validity and respondent evaluation. Administration of a computer survey was compared to a machine readable paper survey. Cover letters were sent to 249 college sophomores who were randomly selected and proportionally stratified by intended…

This Graduate Record Examination (GRE) study assesses: (1) the relative contribution of a vocabulary score (consisting of GRE General Test antonyms and analogies) and a reading comprehension score (consisting of GRE sentence completion and reading comprehension sets) to the prediction of self-reported undergraduate grade point average (GPA); and…

College seniors--129 who were 25 years of age or older, and 734 younger students were administered the objective portion of the American College Testing (ACT) College Outcomes Measures Project (COMP) test. The total COMP scores and subscores were compared for the two groups, as well as their entering ACT scores and grade-point averages using…

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was examined for sex bias. Data for student samples from two midwestern state-supported medical schools were analyzed. The criteria included average course grades in each of the first two years of medical school. Tests comparing various regression models based on male and female subgroups generally failed…