The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…

Goodman's logit analysis (the simplest form of log-linear models) was used with hypothetical school survey data to analyze and predict teachers' attitudes toward proficiency tests. Logit analysis can estimate the "main effects" and "interaction effects" of categorical explanatory variables on dichotomous-dependent variables in…

This study sought to determine whether GRE subscores (or GMAT) could predict graduation rates in related areas (math-oriented majors for GRE quantitative, etc.) in a sample of over 9,000 graduate students at a major public research university. Because few low quantitative scores were present in math-oriented majors, an attempt was made to…

A statistical analysis was performed to test the hypothesis that, if profit-maximizing firms have limited information about the general productivity of new workers, they may choose to use easily observable characteristics such as years of education to discriminate statistically among workers. Information about employer learning was obtained by…

The relationship between employer learning and statistical discrimination was explored through a statistical analysis that included a test for statistical discrimination or "rational" stereotyping in environments where agents learn over time. The test is used to study the working hypothesis that, because firms have only limited…

This paper argues that a typical use of regression models to target student recruitment efforts is theoretically unsound and may therefore be operationally inefficient. It presents results from a study using a predictive model to identify the prospective students on whom recruitment efforts have the greatest impact. The model uses four kinds of…

This paper presents a model for analyzing and drawing inferences from pre- and post-assessment data that are not as clean as might be desired. The model was applied to comparison of freshman and senior scores on the Academic Profile and Short Form at Cardinal Stritch University (Wisconsin). As of 1997-98, 891 pre-tests had been administered to new…

The authors state that multiple regression is a powerful method of statistical analysis, provides a strength of relationship index, and should replace analysis of variance (ANOVA) in educational research. They also discuss the coding of categorical variables and available computer programs for multiple regression. (Author/MH)

A 13-item Student Description of Instruction Questionnaire developed at Bronx Community College (New York) was subjected to a series of reliability, stability, and validity studies based on data collected over a period of four semesters. Indices suggested moderate to good reliability and stability, depending on department. (JG)

A method for predicting freshman performance based on high school grades allows calculation of any student's likely grades in a similar university course. The method is contrasted with several more traditional predictive methods and examined in a study of 3,734 University of Western Australia students. (MSE)

Factors affecting decision-making on where to go for recreation, specifically state park choice, were analyzed in a study based on data, collected via a telephone survey, from 452 Oklahoma households. The relative accuracy of various models for predicting individual destination choices were also examined. (IAH)

Structural equation models merge multiple regression, path analysis, and factor analysis techniques into a single data analytic framework. Measurement models are developed to define latent variables, and structural equations are then established among the latent variables. Explains the development of these models. (KS)

This longitudinal study of social services and juvenile court files identified factors associated with court outcomes for drug exposed infants (N=118). Regression analysis suggested that mothers' compliance with court orders was the major predictor of court outcomes although chi square analysis found ethnicity, past referrals, and criminal record…

This paper examines evidence on the "systemic effects" of expanding school choice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee is home to one of the nation's largest and longest-running school choice programs. If there are systemic effects from expanding school choice we should be able to see them in Milwaukee. This paper also introduces a novel…