Presents four studies using a criterion measure of political activity to compare overall (locus of control), political, and situation-specific believed efficacy. Reports that the more situation specific the feelings of efficacy, the greater the predictability of political behavior. Concludes that even situation-specific efficacy did not predict…

Discusses the extent to which violence can be accurately predicted, suggesting interventions, control, and remediation. The educator's role in reducing violence includes dealing with the school, parents, media, and community. Educators need conflict resolution skills for defusing aggression and establishing better relations. (SM)

A strategy for postgraduate admissions decisions based on employee recruitment and selection practices is described. Research at Otago University (New Zealand) concerning the predictive ability of the Graduate Management Admission Test is presented. An alternative strategy, Qualified Random Selection, is presented. (SK)

Examines the viability of replacing the conventional placement testing in mathematics with a self-assessment strategy. Describes a study of 63 adult students who completed one of two self-assessment inventories and a mathematics placement test. Found that there is a positive relationship between information provided by students on the…

Constructed and tested for validity the Developmental Rating Scale (DRS), which uses teacher judgments about the academic development of children to evaluate student achievement. Teachers evaluated children at the pre-kindergarten, first-, and second-grade levels using the DRS and the Developmental Profile II (DPII). Found that the DRS, unlike the…

The early childhood educational field has garnered attention with initiatives to foster skill acquisition in young children prior to kindergarten entry. These initiatives, in conjunction with the rigorous demands of curricular reform and a burgeoning accountability movement, invoke questions regarding the adequacy of the instruments used to assess…

The psychometric properties of the Self-Report Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ) were evaluated, extending a previous assessment of this instrument. Data from two independent studies (Esbensen, 2004; Seltzer & Krauss, 1989) were pooled to generate a sample of 192 individuals with primarily mild or moderate mental retardation. Reliability estimates…

A major advance in the field of reading over the past 15 years has been the development and validation of screening measures that can detect with reasonable accuracy those kindergartners and first graders likely to experience difficulty in learning to read. Increasingly, these students now receive additional instructional support during the…

A study was undertaken at Morton College, in Illinois, to examine the relationship of entering grade point average (GPA) and grades in prerequisite support courses in algebra, biology, and chemistry to graduation in the college's nursing program. A sample was developed of 255 students admitted to the nursing program in 1990, 1991, and 1992 and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between learning disabled and nonlearning disabled students in skill areas and total scores on the Brigance K & 1 Screen for Kindergarten and First Grade. The study investigated whether students with learning disabilities would show significant weaknesses in language-based…

Numerous studies on death anxiety report conflicting findings. Concluding that a lack of specificity may explain the mixed results, this study sought to address the lack of focus and to extend and validate the results of an earlier study. A sample of 152 undergraduate students (111 female) from middle to upper-middle class participated. Subjects…

The need in adult education English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) classes for a simple, effective placement measure that is inexpensive in terms of both cost and time is noted, and results of a study of the predictive validity of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) on the achievement scores of adult ESOL students are reported. The WRAT…

Using the state-mandated Texas at-risk criteria to identify students at-risk for dropping out, the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) followed those students for three years to determine the accuracy of the mandated state criteria. The study focuses on the classification and follow-up of 25,587 students in 1987-88, 25,292 students…

A general linear model (GLM), using least-squares techniques, was used to develop a criterion measure to replace freshman year grade point average (GPA) in college admission predictive validity studies. Problems with the use of GPA include those associated with the combination of grades from different courses and disciplines into a single measure,…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted at Broome Community College (BCC) in Binghamton, New York, to determine whether students who added a class on or after the first class meeting (i.e., late admits) were at greater risk of withdrawing or failing than students who registered on time (i.e., regular admits). Final grades awarded to students in ENG…