AN EMPIRICAL STUDY WAS MADE OF THE ERROR FACTORS IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING (MDS) TO REFINE THE USE OF MDS FOR MORE EXPERT MANIPULATION OF SCALES USED IN EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT. THE PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH WAS TO GENERATE TABLES OF THE SAMPLING DISTRIBUTIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN ERROR AND NONERROR MDS DIMENSIONS. THE…

The statistical technique of analyzing data collected at regular intervals to reveal periodic components of the data is described by reference to actual records. The data chosen for illustration include tide height in a river; biochemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen in the same river; discharged salt into a river system and its relation to…

The 30 papers in the area of educational statistics that were presented at the 1972 AERA Conference are reviewed. The papers are categorized into five broad areas of interest: (1) theory of univariate analysis, (2) nonparametric methods, (3) regression-prediction theory, (4) multivariable methods, and (5) factor analysis. A list of the papers…

One approach to the problem of analyzing classroom interaction by use of a Markoff chain is presented. The two sections of the paper present (1) a discusion of Hoel's test of order of a Markoff chain, and a Likelihood Ratio Criterion (LRC) for a two-dependent Markoff chain is given, and (2) a discussion of possible adjustments of Darwin's LRC with…

The Rasch model and other latent trait models encounter some difficulty when faced with an appreciable amount of missing data or omitting behavior. The present note assumes that some reasonable missing data model has been formulated which does not involve the parameters associated with the latent ability of interest. A maximum likelihood function…

The concepts of elevation, scatter, and shape are investigated as parameters in assessing the similarity among profiles of individuals. A computational strategy for differentiating the independent contribution of each parameter to more global indices of resemblance is presented. (Author/JKS)

Path analysis is a data analytic technique for estimating the strengths of hypothesized relationships among a group of variables for a particular sample. Strategies for the use of path analysis are discussed in detail in this extensive article. (JKS)

The authors demonstrate how exponential smoothing can play a role in the identification of the intervention component of an interrupted time-series design model that is analogous to the role that the sample autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions serve in the identification of the noise portion of such a model. (Author/BW)

Multilevel international data have been released from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), providing an opportunity to apply multilevel modeling techniques in educational research. In this paper, TIMSS factors are classified in fixed and random categories according to the project design. Classifying fixed and random…

When normality does not hold, nonparametric tests represent an important data-analytic alternative to parametric tests. However, the use of nonparametric tests in educational research has been limited by the absence of easily performed tests for complex experimental designs and analyses, such as factorial designs and multiple regression analyses,…

The intent of this paper is to generalize the min and max clustering procedures in such a way that the assumption of a symmetric similarity measure is unnecessary. (Author)

When teaching elementary concepts on information theory a problem keeps reoccurring which, if only for pedagogical reasons, deserves discussion. (Author)

Structural equation modeling is applied in conjunction with constrained monotone distance analysis. These alternative methods are used in an evaluation of a social-psychological model derived from Likert's theory of organizational behavior. (Author/JKS)

A strategy for the pairwise assessment which may be used to evaluate the nature of both "prerequisite" and "transference" relations existing among a set of traits is presented. Both confirmatory and exploratory strategies are presented. An example of how the strategy would be used is presented in the exploratory context.…