Demonstrates the value of spreadsheets for teaching sociology using Lotus 1 2 3 as an example. Shows how a Cholesky factorization, an eigenstructure solution, a correlation analysis, and a discriminant analysis may be performed using a spreadsheet or a BASIC program (included). (BSR)

Two sets of five items each from the Law School Admission Test were analyzed by two methods of factor analysis, and by the Krus-Bart ordering theoretic method of multidimensional scaling. The results indicated a conceptual gap between latent trait theoretic procedures and order theoretic procedures. (Author/CTM)

The purpose of this paper is to help higher education institutions determine how well their institutional effectiveness models match the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education Criterion Four requirements. The paper describes each of the major requirements as a domain in a matrix with…

An exploratory factor analysis is used in the study of institutional preferences in medical student admissions. Sources and mathematical derivations of 58 institutional variables are presented. Most of the measures describe attributes related to the admission process. The remainder were selected to represent other dimensions along which medical…

This paper illustrates the transformation of a raw data matrix into a matrix of associations, and then into a factor matrix. Factor analysis attempts to distill the most important relationships among a set of variables, thereby permitting some theoretical simplification. In this heuristic data, a correlation matrix was derived to display…

Geometric approaches to representing interrelations among tests and items are compared with an additive tree model (ATM), using 2,644 examinees and 2 other data sets. The ATM's close fit to the data and its coherence of presentation indicate that it is the best means of representing tests and items. (TJH)

While educational researchers frequently collect data from a sample of individuals on a sample of variables, they sometimes collect data involving samples of: (1) subjects; (2) variables; and (3) occasions of measurement. A multistage procedure for analyzing such three-mode data is presented, focusing on effect sizes and graphic confidence…

The construct validity of 14 measures used in college faculty personnel decisions was evaluated through a multitrait-multimethod matrix for data from 89 faculty members in 7 departments. The three-pronged model of teaching, research, and service was not validated. Exploratory factor analysis identified five or six behavior domains for evaluation.…

Various methods used to assess the content of a test are reviewed, and a new procedure designed to improve on these methods is presented. The two tests considered are a professional licensure examination, the auditing section of the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, and an educational achievement test, a nationally standardized…