Five distribution-free alternatives to parametric analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) are presented and demonstrated using a specific data example. The procedures considered are those suggested by Quade (1967); Puri and Sen (1969); McSweeney and Porter (1971); Burnett and Barr (1978); and Shirley (1981). The results of simulation studies investigating…

Recent case studies of social effects of rapid community growth associated with energy development in the western states have relied primarily on qualitative data with limited use of agency records, population surveys, and other secondary sources. While providing the first essential step in the orderly development of a scientific approach to…

The schema theory of comprehension as it relates to understanding while reading is reviewed in this report. Several techniques for the study of on-line measurement of comprehension are described that are based on a series of ten stories, each with two versions. The report notes that when subjects were asked to generate interpretations of stories…

The testing of a priori contrasts, post hoc contrasts, and experimental error rates are discussed. Methods for controlling the experimental error rate for a set of a priori contrasts tested simultaneously have been developed by Dunnett, Dunn, Sidak, and Krishnaiah. Each of these methods is discussed and contrasted as to applicability, power, and…

Review of rural social work literature of the 1970's indicates research has primarly followed the naturalistic model defined by Taylor, rather than the positivist approach favored by Fischer. Discussed are: surveys and case studies; ethnographies; participatory/action research; historical research; positivistic research; hypothesis testing…

Comments on discussions of statistical significance testing in this special issue, placing the articles in the context of contemporary research literature. Empirical evidence is cited that suggests that the American Psychological Association's policy of encouraging effect size reporting has had no appreciable effect on the research literature.…

This review presents an overview of selected articles on the leniency hypothesis: the idea that students give higher evaluations to instructors who grade more leniently. Such articles comprise a small subset of the voluminous research on student evaluations of teaching (SETs). In this diverse literature, research methods and aims have frequently…

For 15 years an ongoing research project at the University of Pittsburgh has focused on the effects of variations in visual complexity and color on the storage and retrieval of visual information by learners. Research has shown that visual materials facilitate instruction, but has not fully delineated the interactions of visual complexity and…

Because of the limitations of previous related studies, this analysis was undertaken to examine in greater depth the relationship between television viewing, reading performance, and related reading activities. A synthesis of eight statewide assessments and an analysis of the 1984 National Assessment of Educational Progress were designed to…

The efficient reader constructs tentative hypotheses about the meaning of the text that has been read and about the content yet to come. The hypotheses remain tentative until all related information has been accounted for. The reader then constructs a model that considers all of the details in a text. If a promising interpretation fails to account…

Discusses the generalization of findings from analogue therapy research to the clinical situation. Rakover contends this leads to self-contradiction and lack of scientific progress and proposes theory testing. Kazdin suggests research to determine the relationship of analogue therapy to clinical practice. (JAC)

Synthesized empirical findings on job satisfaction from the first 26 volumes of "Educational Administration Quarterly." Discovered 330 job satisfaction research hypotheses and 613 relational effect sizes. Performed meta-analyses for six hypotheses, finding the largest mean effect sizes for relationships between overall job satisfaction…

The Research Library Group's (RLG) 1985 Conoco Study was designed to measure the possibilities for resource sharing among members. Study of German literature and geology collections showed possibilities for considerable sharing; however, in practice, library acquisitions are based on local needs, and no organized cooperative collection development…

Presents an opinion on the appropriate use of significance tests, especially in the context of regression analysis, the most commonly encountered statistical technique in education and related disciplines. Briefly discusses the appropriate use of power analysis. Contains 47 references. (Author/SV)

Using multilevel models, the authors tested the hypothesis that high schools, through their curricular policies, operate as mechanisms that help members of privileged groups to take better advantage of postsecondary opportunities. The analysis was based on a 7-year follow-up study of 44,666 Israeli students who graduated from 385 high schools in…