This article provides a framework for the rest of the articles in this special issue comparing the utility of three standard-setting methods with complex performance assessments. The context of the standard setting study is described, and the methods are outlined. (SLD)

Examines hypotheses concerning the appeal of three types of feedback in the second-language writing process: teacher-, peer-, and self-directed feedback. Results show that students overwhelmingly prefer teacher feedback to peer feedback. (Author/CK)

Reexamines M. Elizabeth Tidball's claim that women who graduate from women's colleges accomplish more than other, similar women who graduate from coeducational colleges. The authors believe Tidball's work is insensitive to class issues and argue that her approach does not control for other factors that might covary with whether the college is…

Presents an empirical study on misemployment (the underutilization of worker's skills acquired through vocational education) in Hong Kong. Analyzes earnings functions of graduates from various educational fields and for workers employed in various fields. Misemployed graduates received lower earnings than their colleagues working in matched work…

Examines the economic rationale for vocationalizing secondary education in China by comparing vocational education graduates' and general education graduates' performance in the workplace. Using Beijing Auto Industry Company data, the study found that vocational-technical education graduates engaged in factory work relevant to their previous…

Reviews the literature of government document use from mid-1977 through December 1989. The literature is identified and analyzed in terms of 6 library surveys, 3 citation studies, and 13 user surveys. Research findings indicate that social scientists are the heaviest users of documents. (Author/MAB)

Presents the origin and mathematics of Hubble's Law of the expanding universe. Discusses limitations to this law and the related concepts of standard candles, elliptical galaxies, and streaming motions, which are conspicuous deviations from the law. The third of three models proposed as explanations for streaming motions is designated: The Great…

The future of program evaluation is bright if evaluators do not ignore their roots in quantitative research. The current interest in qualitative approaches and the call for a "fourth generation" in evaluation should not override training in quantitative research. Qualitative research should complement, rather than replace, traditional…

Describes a 50-state study of the regulatory environment of 2-year colleges, focusing on patterns in budgeting flexibility, budget form, expenditure oversight, tuition and revenue control, local authority, and personnel administration. The highest degree of state control was over budgeting form and local autonomy, while the lowest was over…

The Level-11 vocabulary subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills was analyzed using a two-stage latent trait approach and data set of 2,356 examinees, approximately 11 years of age. It is concluded that the nonparametric approach leads to efficient estimation of the latent trait. (SLD)

Presents results from the 1992 Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program that measures illicit drug use among persons arrested for criminal behavior. Adult use of specific drugs, male juvenile drug use, and the role of the DUF are explored. (GLR)

Presents results of a survey comparing British and U.S. political scientists' familiarity with different journals, evaluations of journal quality, and measures of journal impact. Concludes that British and U.S. subjects agree about quality but read different sets of journals. Reports the two groups' familiarity with different literature,…

Analysis of data on freshman-to-senior developmental gains in 722 University of Tennessee-Knoxville students provides evidence of the advantages of structural equation modeling with latent variables and suggests that the group differences identified by traditional analysis of variance and covariance techniques may be an artifact of measurement…

This study investigated the relationship between specific teacher evaluation items and course rating by students (n=1,064) at the University of Yaounde (Cameroon). Results suggest variables (such as student increase in interest during the course, overall course organization, and student perceptions of what they are gaining) are most predictive of…

Examines whether class size in the introductory-level economics course affects subsequent performance in intermediate-level economics courses. Studies University of Massachusetts (Boston) students who are allowed to choose large or small lecture classes. Finds that students enrolled in large sections received lower grades in subsequent…