A Monte Carlo study was conducted to estimate the efficiency of and the relationship between five equations and the use of cross validation as methods for estimating shrinkage in multiple correlations. Two of the methods were intended to estimate shrinkage to population values and the other methods were intended to estimate shrinkage from sample…

This report presents considerations for sample design and estimation procedures for the Health Examination Survey, one of the major survey programs employed by the National Center for Health Statistics. The survey collects data which provide national estimates and distributions of various health characteristics related to the growth and…

This study addressed statistical techniques that might ameliorate some of the sampling problems currently facing states with small populations participating in State National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments. The study explored how the application of finite population correction factors to the between-school component of…

This technical report provides an updated assessment of the problem of optimizing the periodicity of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). Making use of data from three rounds of SASS data collection (for school years 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94), the report extends and updates the preliminary findings and interim assessments that were…

States participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress State Assessment program (state NAEP) are required to sample at least 2,500 students from at least 100 schools per subject assessed. In this ideal situation, 25 students are assessed for a subject in each school selected for that subject. Two problems have arisen: some states…

In examining considerations in determining sample sizes for factor analyses, attention was given to the effects of outliers; the standard error of correlations, and their effect on factor structure; sample heterogeneity; and the misuse of rules of thumb for sample sizes. (Author)

Provides data defensibility guidance for field samplers, laboratory personnel and project managers, and a checklist for planning and verification stages of the data generation process. (MDH)

Nine comprehensive observations were conducted of 24 preschoolers (8 with disabilities) in free play settings, with social behavior categories based on the work of Strain. Comparison of partial and complete observational records demonstrated that at least five observations were required to represent the children's social behavior adequately.…

Discusses a technique for estimating sample size that does not require an a priori definition of desired precision. Presents five modifications that make the method easier to use and reduce the probability of estimating a larger sample size than necessary. The technique can guide the design of environmental sampling programs. (Contains 31…

The research on response facilitation factors in mail surveys is reviewed, and background is developed to enable the comparison of results obtained by two analytic approaches, a descriptive analysis and a meta-analysis, using the same set of studies. Specific criteria for sample and methodology were applied to studies extracted from four CD-ROM…

A study assessed the selection techniques used to secure focus group respondents at one site as part of a larger study to determine what viewers learned from the 1992 Presidential Debates. A two-stage random sampling technique was developed to select focus group respondents from the 224,041 registered voters in Syracuse, New York. The random…

This report contains the results of an evaluation of coverage issues regarding the 1994 Federal Libraries and Information Centers Survey. The objectives of this evaluation were to determine the accuracy and completeness of the final survey frame and to analyze the criteria used to classify federal library facilities as in-scope and out-of-scope.…

A Monte Carlo study was done to determine the adequate sample size for quasi-experimental regression studies, which compare regression lines for two groups and estimate their point of intersection. Populations of 1,000 subjects in each of two groups were constructed (using random normal deviates) to yield equivalent regression lines of opposite…

In true experiments in which sample material can be randomly assigned to treatment conditions, most researchers presume that the condition of equal sample sizes is statistically desirable. When one or more a priori contrasts can be identified which represent a few overriding experimental concerns, however, allocating sample material unequally will…

The specific objective of the research described in this report was to develop guidelines for decisionmaking by the Office of Manpower Utilization (OMU), Marine Corps Headquarters, in the selection of occupational field (OF) sample sizes to which task inventories will be administered. The report is designed to provide action-oriented answers to…