This article evaluates a learning method that used theatre students as family clients in an advanced social work practice course. Data from 47 advanced graduate students showed that observing peers conduct simulated sessions can be an effective and valued learning experience. Quantitative findings indicated that simulations are perceived to be…

This dissertation examines the efficacy of a bottom-up comprehensive school reform (CSR) program by evaluating its impact on student achievement, attendance, and behavior outcomes through an explanatory mixed methods design. The CSR program (Gear Up) was implemented in an urban junior high school over the course of seven years allowing for…

School leaders are increasingly being asked, whether by rhetoric or policy, to measurably improve student achievement. The resultant need to assist school leaders in their ability to improve teaching and learning for all students in their schools led to the establishment of the National Institute of School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive…

The underlying statistical models for multiple regression analysis are typically attributed to two types of modeling: fixed and random. The procedures for calculating power and sample size under the fixed regression models are well known. However, the literature on random regression models is limited and has been confined to the case of all…

This paper undertakes a quantitative analysis of substantial reforms to the system of higher education (HE) finance first announced in 2004 and then revised again in July 2007. The reforms introduced deferred fees for HE, payable by graduates through the tax system in the form of income-contingent repayments on loans subsidised by the government.…

Virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to offer learning benefits over traditional instructional methods in many technical and occupational areas. However, in the framework of Rogers' innovation diffusion theory, adoption of VR in Career and Technical Education and occupational programs appears to be lagging. This study used experimental…

The goal of this research was to predict from a recruit's responses to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) items whether the recruit would pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The data consisted of the responses (correct/incorrect) of 1,020 Navy recruits to 200 items of the ASVAB together with the scores of these…

Observed percentiles provide better estimates when they are based on grouped data rather than on raw data. This is especially true when the data set is relatively small and the population distribution is not too skewed or heavy-tailed. Applied statisticians could take advantage of this fact by implementing a program for estimating percentiles from…

This study presents and evaluates a method of standardization that may be used by test practitioners to standardize classical item statistics when sample sizes are small. The effectiveness of this standardization approach was compared through simulation with the one-parameter logistic (1PL) and three parameter logistic (3PL) models based on the…

Illustrates the design and planning of Monte Carlo simulations, presenting nine steps in planning and performing a Monte Carlo analysis from developing a theoretically derived question of interest through summarizing the results. Uses a Monte Carlo simulation to illustrate many of the relevant points. (SLD)

System Dynamics is a well formulated methodology for analyzing the components of a system including causeeffect relationships and their underlying mathematics and logic, time delays, and feedback loops. It began in the business and manufacturing world, but is now affecting education and many other disciplines. Having inspired by successful policy…

Empirical evidence is needed to corroborate the intuitions of gamers and game developers in understanding the benefits of Immersive Virtual Worlds (IVWs) as a learning environment and the role that music plays within these environments. We report an investigation to determine if background music of the genre typically found in computer-based…

Extensions of latent state-trait models for continuous observed variables to mixture latent state-trait models with and without covariates of change are presented that can separate individuals differing in their occasion-specific variability. An empirical application to the repeated measurement of mood states (N = 501) revealed that a model with 2…

Background: Researchers often test people before and after some treatment and compare these scores with a control group. Sometimes it is not possible to allocate people into conditions randomly, which means the initial scores for the two groups may differ. There are two main approaches: t test on the gain scores and ANCOVA partialling out the…