Factors that affect the utility of financial data collected through the Higher Education General Information Surveys (HEGIS) are examined. Attention is also directed to the process associated with the collection and use of that data; roles and responsibilities of various parties to that process, with a focus on researchers' roles; and possible…

The chi-square procedure has been suggested as a viable index of test bias because it provides the best agreement with the three parameter item characteristic curve without the large sample requirement, computer complexity, and cost. This study examines the effect of using different numbers of ability intervals on the reliability of chi-square…

The Special Studies Series of analytical reports, prepared by demographers in the Population Division, Bureau of the Census, present analyses of statistics and suggest possible implications for public policy. Part of this series, the present report uses data from the June 1982 Current Population Survey and updates a June 1977 Census Bureau study…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth's continuous work history files, this paper examines how individual and market characteristics influence the unemployment rates of Hispanic youth. The results show that family income, marital status, post-school vocational education, age, and local unemployment rates significantly influence…

Both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to compare perceptions of teacher participants and non-participants in a Title II science update inservice program. The purpose of this article is to compare participants' and selected non-participants' perceptions of their motivations to learn using two evaluation methods. Qualitative…

This case study provides both systemic and systematic analyses of the university library's role in the knowledge transmission function and doctoral-level research needs in professional education. Based on a self-study of the School of Education (with five doctoral programs) and two university libraries at the University of San Francisco, the…

Research and analysis conducted to determine the effects of reducing the administration time for one or more levels of the Basic Occupational Literacy Test (BOLT) are described. The total usable sample consisted of 2,423 subjects. Data were collected from 23 states from 1978 to 1981. Data came from a variety of sources, including schools and…

Thoughtful, well-planned and systematic reviews of both instructional and noninstructional programs provide community colleges with a way of determining whether programs are meeting stated objectives and what standards of performance should be maintained. Programs that need improvement or should be eliminated can be identified, and fiscal…

Difficulty and discrimination ability were compared between multiple choice and short answer items in midterm and final examinations for the internal medicine course at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. The examinations were administered to 67 sophomore dental students in that course. Additionally, the impact of the source of the…

A study investigated the effectiveness of the Rasch procedure in measuring response appropriateness, especially for the detection of cheating on multiple-choice language tests. The report gives background information on appropriateness measurement and its potential uses, reviews recent research on cheating and its detection, and describes three…

This document examines three important national surveys that provide periodic longitudinal data on the transition to adulthood during the late 1960s and 1970s: (1) the Parnes Young Men and Women Panels, initiated in 1966 and 1968; (2) the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, initiated in 1968; and (3) the National Longitudinal Study of the High School…

The purpose of this study was to compare the results of an analysis of covariance design to a method developed by the authors called within-class regression. Application of this statistical method can be to any quasiexperimental design with a large number of groups. A test of statistical significance to use with the within-class regression…

In addition to the usual problems of obtaining a representative sample, the family researcher is confronted with the problem of who speaks for the family. Traditionally women have been the informants in family research. To examine the coparental relationship between divorced spouses, data were collected from both former spouses (N=98 couples). The…

A test of the effectiveness of the direct instruction model as an instructional method was conducted in Sydney (Australia) by administering pre- and post-tests to fifth and sixth year students taught computer literacy and computer programming skills in specially designed 5-week courses. Nine schools, some independent and some…

Statistical methods employed to test individual differences in dual-task performance and the existence of a general time-sharing ability are reviewed and critiqued. Specifically, both the types of data being collected and the types of data analysis procedures have been inadequate to the critical evaluation of a hypothetical…