Recently, nonparametric methods have been proposed that provide a dimensionally based description of test structure for tests with dichotomous items. Because such methods are based on different notions of dimensionality than are assumed when using a psychometric model, it remains unclear whether these procedures might lead to a different…

A modern clustering technique was applied to age-10 and age-13 sociometric data with the purpose of identifying longitudinally stable peer status clusters. The study included 445 girls from a Swedish longitudinal study. The identified temporally stable clusters of rejected, popular, and average girls were essentially larger than corresponding…

There are advantages to using a priori or planned comparisons rather than omnibus multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests followed by post hoc or a posteriori testing. A small heuristic data set is used to illustrate these advantages. An omnibus MANOVA test was performed on the data followed by a post hoc test (discriminant analysis). A…

Multivariate methods were used to identify between-set factors relating the criterion set of eleven Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised subtest variables to the predictor set of demographic variables: age, race, sex, education, occupation, geographic region, and urban versus rural residence. Although factor analysis is usually used to…

An examination of articles in the last 5 years of the "American Educational Research Journal" (AERJ) was conducted to determine the extent to which choices of levels of parameters in a multivariate analysis were comparable to empirical research that uses multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Originally, a main question was to…

The problem of choosing the most efficient design (longitudinal, mixed longitudinal, or cross-sectional) to estimate polynomial parameters for time-structured data in educational and psychological research is considered. The comparison of efficiencies shows that the assumed degree of the polynomial is crucial for selecting the most efficient…

Alternative secondary schools were placed in separate groups based on patterns of organizational variables including goals, instructional features, size, sources of funding, and target school population. Distinct patterns of student perceptions of their school learning environment seem to be associated with identifiable patters of organizational…

Multilevel models used to assess and compare school effectiveness, particularly their application to multivariate data, are critiqued. Problems associated with standard errors of measurement and the various components of "school effect" are highlighted in terms of how they could affect incautious application of the models. (TJH)

Describes a study of students at Buffalo State College that was conducted to compare achievement results between a class taught with computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and one taught without CAI. Computer attitudes are examined, sex differences are discussed, and pretest and posttest scores are analyzed. (17 references) (LRW)

Repeated measures and longitudinal studies arise often in social and behavioral science research. During the planning stage of such studies, the calculations of sample size are of particular interest to the investigators and should be an integral part of the research projects. In this article, we consider the power and sample size calculations for…

This study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional lecture-based instruction on elementary school students' academic achievement and performance skills in a science unit on genetics while controlling for their reasoning ability. For the specified purpose, two instructional methods were randomly assigned…

C. L. Olson (1976, 1979) suggests the Pillai-Bartlett trace (V) as an omnibus multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test statistic for its superior robustness to heterogeneous variances. J. Stevens (1979, 1980) contends that the robustness of V, Wilk's lambda (W) and the Hotelling-Lawley trace (T) are similar, and that their power functions…

Canonical correlation analysis is a sophisticated multivariate technique that subsumes all parametric methods (the "t"-test, analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, multivariate analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of covariance, and discriminant analysis) as special cases. This bibliography lists 83 applications of…

The purpose of the study was to determine if captions displayed on instructional video programs interfere with learning in hearing audiences. Eighty hearing undergraduate students enrolled in lower division education classes were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each subject completed a questionnaire to collect self-report data on sex, age,…

Complex decision-making environments often demand that a range of alternative strategies be identified and compared for their shared value in achieving desired ends. Simple parametric statistical procedures such as analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis can be used in such situations to compare (using selected criteria) the value…