Although several studies have confirmed the importance of teaching commitment for beginning teachers' retention in the profession, research on the factors that enhance the teaching commitment of teacher education graduates is scarce. The purpose of the current study is thus to identify the predicting factors that distinguish teacher education…

This article examines a wide range of parish school indicators that can be used to predict long-term viability. The study reported in this article explored the relationship between demographic variables, financial variables, and parish grade school closures in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Specifically, this study investigated whether…

This paper discusses how a seldom-used statistical procedure, recursive regression (RR), can numerically and graphically illustrate data-driven nonlinear relationships and interaction of variables. This routine falls into the family of exploratory techniques, yet a few interesting features make it a valuable compliment to factor analysis and…

Until recently, no self-report instruments have examined psychological skills use in both practice and competition. In light of the significant role of practice in sport performance outcomes, a need exists to measure these skills in both domains. This study was designed to investigate differences in performance strategies of US Olympians in both…

Methodological issues raised in a feasibility study to develop a psychological test to predict illicit drug use are described. A small set of items was found to be related to prior drug use. These items maintained their ability to discriminate users and non-users in a cross-validation study. (Author/JKS)

Discriminant analysis was used to determine whether classifications could be made between students enrolled in e-learning and in face-to-face university courses (N = 353) based on their scores from separate instruments measuring sense of community and motivation. Study results provide evidence that the predictors were able to distinguish between…

Using National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics data, a predictive model indicated that states could be classified as "No Score Gain" or "Score Gain" states based on median household income and the percentage of students participating in free and reduced-price lunch. Implications associated with the findings suggested that these two…

Objectives: In fall 2004, the authors used a survey to assess the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, and behaviors of college students relative to oral cancer prevention to inform development of targeted prevention programming. Participants: A convenience sample of 1,003 undergraduate students at one public university in Indiana participated.…

Objective: The authors' aim in this study was to determine, after adjustment for the effects of body mass index and socio-demographic measures, whether sex-specific weight control norms would have significant independent relationships with the weight control behavior of college women and men. Participants: The authors used an anonymous…

While surveys have identified instructional design competencies, there has been virtually no systematic research of alternative means for assessing professional competence in this area. This paper reports on a study which investigated the question of whether a multiple-choice, paper and pencil test can validly discriminate between levels of…

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that affect students' persistence in completion of the GED. Exploration of characteristics of participants that do/do not persist and obtain their GED assists the high school dropout, potential GED recipient, GED program staff, and society as a whole. More information was needed in order to…

The relationship between quantitative predictor variables and the probability of occurrence of one or more levels of a qualitative criterion variable can be analyzed by quantal response techniques. This paper presents and discusses two quantal response models, comparing them to multiple linear regression and discriminant analysis. (Author/JKS)

A method for studying relationships among groups in terms of categorical data patterns is described. The procedure yields a dimensional representation of configural relationships among multiple groups and a quantitative scaling of categorical data patterns for use in subsequent assignment of new individuals to the groups. (Author/CTM)

Describes the method of discriminant analysis, including the concept of discriminant function, discriminant score, group centroid, and discriminant weights and loadings. Discusses methods for testing the statistical significance of a function, methods of using the function in classification, and the concept of rotating functions. Illustrates the…

Three methods of transforming unordered categorical response variables are described: (1) analysis using dummy variables; (2) eigenanalysis of frequency patterns scaled relative to within-groups variance; (3) categorical variables analyzed separately with scale values generated so that the grouping variable and the categorical variable are…