Discussion of computer anxiety focuses on a study of undergraduates in an introductory psychology course that assessed the effects of relaxation and coping skills training on their anxiety and performance as they learned to use a spreadsheet program. The influence of the computer's user friendliness was examined, and treatments for the…

Data for third, sixth, eighth, and twelfth graders from the 1983-84 California Assessment Program are presented to support a new theory on the relationship between the size and performance of school systems. Size appears to be related to the socioeconomic status and performance of schools and school districts. (TJH)

Examines the adaptation of a set of library performance measures derived from a UNESCO manual to Swedish libraries. The basic principles of the measurement process and general library objectives are identified, and the difficulties encountered during the study are explained. The Swedish results are compared to the ideal measures presented in the…

Reports survey results of 126 students enrolled in first- or second-year biology courses concerning the effectiveness of different teaching methods within the lecture format. Indicates that the traditional, didactic lecture, although perceived as least effective, was regarded as highly effective when enhanced by active student involvement.…

Four groups' ratings of students on 15 attributes seen as key to performance on the job and in higher education indicate a wide gap between what students and their parents think of students' preparedness for jobs and college versus what their employers, college professors, and admissions officers think. (RLC)

Background characteristics (grade point average, degree level, college quality, major, work experience, and recruitment source) were correlated with performance appraisal scores of 564 entry-level public employees. Although most agency managers surveyed believed performance was linked to those characteristics, grade point average was the only…

This study examined the relationship between selected secondary characteristics of students and teachers and their perceptions of teacher communication style. It also examined the relationship between students' perceptions of student teachers' and cooperating teachers' communication styles. Surveys indicated a discrepancy between teacher and…

This study of 34 bilingual Spanish/English children (ages 9-13) revealed the influence of a codeswitching or language mixing factor in performance on the Test de Vocabulario en Imagenes Peabody-Adaptacion Hispanoamericana, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, their translations, and the combined results. Both combined/bilingual instruments'…

The effects of variations in learner control were examined for an interactive lesson presented as a videodisc visit to an art museum. The 101 first and second grade subjects were assigned to program control, learner control, and learner control with advisement conditions, or to a control group. Data on achievement and curiosity were analyzed. (28…

Small community homes in England for severely and profoundly mentally retarded adults are described and compared to institutional settings and larger community units. The small homes were found to produce beneficial client functioning and high levels of staff/client interaction. The paper concludes that interaction effects are possibly more…

A study at Tel Aviv University (Israel) demonstrated the utility of a faculty evaluation form on which the global "overall teaching performance" score can almost perfectly predict the mean of all teacher-attribute items for physics and chemistry faculty. However, for teaching assistants, a linear transformation is needed. (Author/MSE)

Performance data on three children with moderate to severe developmental disabilities, observed in both inclusive integrated and self-contained segregated kindergarten settings, support the conclusion that individual child and setting characteristics transcend administrative model in determining engagement levels across social and academic…

This study evaluated the school performance of 139 school-age and adolescent children, 22 of whom had been physically abused and 47 neglected. The abused children displayed pervasive and severe academic and socioemotional problems, while neglected children displayed academic delays. Both groups of maltreated children showed unexpected strengths on…

This study provides empirical evidence about the sampling variability and generalizability (reliability) of a statewide performance assessment for grade six. Results for 600 students at individual and school levels indicate that task-sampling variability was the major source of measurement error. Rater-sampling variability was negligible. (SLD)

The seven chapters of this issue focus on technical qualities of performance assessments and report the findings of systematic empirical inquiries. They add to the body of research that shows that performance assessment, although time consuming and expensive, merits the serious attention of educators. (SLD)