The OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) constitute two of the largest ongoing international student and teacher surveys presently underway. Data generated from these surveys offer researchers and policy-makers opportunities to identify particular educational…

Researchers working with learner corpora promise quantitative results that would be of greater practical value in areas such as CALL than those from small-scale and qualitative studies. However, learner corpus research has not yet had an impact on practices in teaching and assessment. Significant methodological issues need to be examined if…

An empirical study of statistical overkill investigated the generalizability of multiple regression equations as a function of the subject/variable ratio. Data from various-sized groups of rehabilitation clients were used to develop the equations. Findings showed that equations developed on samples with less than a 10 to 1 ratio failed to…

Appropriate methods are described for research workers in sociology to use as they perform causal analyses of data from surveys. Particular emphasis is placed on the causal analysis of qualitative variables. (Author/DB)

Bargmann's test for examining the statistical significance of simple structure in factor analysis, an extension of the original significance tables, and the application of the significance test to several noted factor analytic findings are described. Using Bargmann's test, only 2 of 25 factor analytic studies reviewed are considered acceptable.…

The purpose of this study was to generate descriptive statistical estimates regarding the expected proportion of occurrence of each of the PROANA 5 (Process Analysis) variables (line usage, clique group, detrimental clique group, leadership, and dominance) in small group communication. A second purpose was to determine the expected pattern of…

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…

Three procedures used to control Type I error rate in stepwise regression analysis are forward selection, backward elimination, and true stepwise. In the forward selection method, a model of the dependent variable is formed by choosing the single best predictor; then the second predictor which makes the strongest contribution to the prediction of…

This paper outlines procedures used to derive variables from data in the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty; these variables were then used to create measures not expressly included as items in that survey. The derived variables were used to examine faculty satisfaction in two contexts: first, the complexity of satisfaction, and second, the…

To determine whether a significant relationship exists between educational funding and pupil achievement as measured by Science Research Associates standardized test scores, the author of this study conducted a statistical analysis of the top one-third and bottom one-third of Virginia's 142 school districts. The 30 districts selected were chosen…

This paper reports the results of a Monte Carlo investigation of Type I errors in the single group repeated measures design where multiple measures are collected from each observational unit at each measurement occasion. The Type I error of three multivariate tests were examined. These were the doubly multivariate F test, the multivariate mixed…

A random sample of 113 members of the American Vocational Education Research Association (AVERA) was surveyed to obtain baseline information regarding AVERA members' perceptions of statistical significance tests. The Psychometrics Group Instrument was used to collect data from participants. Of those surveyed, 67% were male, 93% had earned a…

Traditional predictor variables of SAT scores and high school grades seldom account for more than 16 percent of the variance in student performance in college and graduate school, and they account for even less in decisions of students to leave school. Three studies are presented that added nonintellective variables to the traditional combination…

In a study of factors in the educational environment of the home, the school, and the peer group contributing to achievement and attitudes towards schooling at the upper primary and lower secondary school levels, an opportunity arose to examine the data available for configural and curvilinear relationships. Information was collected on 11…

This survey attempted to obtain data on the probability of improving student achievement when a new instructional program is implemented in an elementary school. The purpose of estimating the variable probability of improving student achievement was for use in the specification of a decision model whose purpose is to rank educational goals in…