A procedure was developed to detect differential item functioning (DIF) in a standardized essay test using the Partial Credit Model, the general polychotomous form of the Rasch model. Using a panel of experts in the writing process, hypothesized explanations for DIF at some score points were developed. Data for the study included averaged…

The concern of this booklet is with "two-way traffic", or real communication, in distance education. Following an introduction by Holmberg, the following papers appear: "Some Thoughts on Delayed and Immediate Feedback" (Diehl); "The Effect of Field Scoring on Time to Completion in Career Development Courses" (Diehl);…

The extent of inaccuracy in student coding of race on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) forms and the effect of inaccurate coding and non-coding on results for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools are assessed. The County maintains a database that includes each student's race as designated by the student's parent on the school registration…

Prior research on the information-seeking process, conducted by Kuhlthau in the school library setting, led to the identification of a six-stage model of the search process, describing cognitive and affective symptoms commonly experienced by library users. The present study was designed to determine whether that model is generalizable to other…

A series of studies are underway at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Audience Research Facility to examine the impact of interactivity on informational and entertainment based television viewing. In order to examine the learning of spatial skills from videogames, the first study compared the learning of spatial content from interactive…

Focusing on young adult reading and instruction, this issue addresses teachers' concerns about recommended recent authors and books, integrating independent reading into the reading program, and student motivation. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Some YA Authors Worth Knowing, and a Few Books, Too" (Ken Donelson);…

This evaluation report summarizes the impact of the Hartford Effective Schools Initiative (HESI) during the 1984-85 implementation year and is based on: (1) interview and observation data gathered during two day visits to each of the three schools in April and May and compared with similar data collected from the same teachers, facilitators,…

Educational solutions to the problem of test anxiety were explored. Test anxiety has a debilitating effect on performance which increases over the school years. The solution is, first, to measure test anxiety so that the extent of it, as well as the effectiveness of programs designed to alleviate it, can be measured. The seven-item Comfort Index,…

This paper reports on a project which has developed the general latent class model as a framework for representation of item responses. This framework can be used to represent data in applications such as mastery tests and other kinds of achievement tests, where there is reason to believe that current foundations are deficient. Methods of…

The literature selections serving as the basis for writing assignments in the articles in this journal issue range from time-honored English classics ("Beowulf,""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight") and American standards ("A Farewell to Arms,""The Scarlet Letter") to contemporary fiction. The articles deal with works by women writers (Shirley…

This paper compares work patterns emerging from the first year of implementation of a job enlargement career ladder for teachers at two junior high schools. Field research and interview data are used to analyze implementation process variables, work structures, and career concepts. The study investigated problems educators consider important in…

The usefulness of studying thought processes in the construct validation of ability tests was examined using a sample consisting of 343 Canadian senior high school students. Four levels of probing were used by the interviewer to examine the students' thinking processes while taking the Test on Appraising Observations: (1) think aloud; (2)…

Before students are able to write fairly original, successful, critical essays on literature, they need to become experienced members of the audience for whom they will write, sharing fully the social context of critical writing by becoming part of an interactive, interpretive community. This reader-response technique appears to be the best…

Aspects of the perception that assessment is a large-scale testing program conducted at institutional or state levels to determine what students have learned from college is questioned. Small-scale assessments conducted continuously in college classrooms by discipline-based teachers to determine what students are learning in what class are also…

This research report describes the results of a field test of "South Asia: Nepal--Why are the Forests Disappearing?", a video program from "Global Geography", an instructional video series (available January 1988) for students in middle and junior high schools. The results from the teachers and students surveyed indicate…