A series of studies was conducted to investigate the nature of children's goals and the role of goals in children's competence in peer relations. First, a conceptual framework was devised which consisted of eight goal types reflecting social-interpersonal and task-related achievement aspects of game playing: task mastery, approach-oriented…

The study of the same people at several occasions is known by various names: panel studies, multi-wave, multi-variable models, cohort analysis, and gain score analysis. The use of econometric concepts, path analysis, and structural equation analysis to study multi-wave, multi-variable models became widespread in methodological practice in the late…

A Foreign Language Enrollment Motivation Inventory was administered to 400 secondary school foreign language students in Minnesota. The following considerations were found to be influences on decisions by students to continue or not to continue language study: (1) language classroom activities, (2) interest in speaking the target language, (3)…

Five questionnaire forms containing 61 items specifying potential inservice topics for public school teachers were sent to a stratified random sample of Indiana public school administrators and curriculum supervisors. The five forms differed in that, for two forms, the items were ungrouped and appeared in different orders; and, for three forms,…

To investigate whether student attitudes toward basic school subjects were multidimensional, responses of 876 students in grade 6 to a preliminary pool of 72 items from the Survey of School Attitudes (SSA) were factor analyzed. If attitudes are unidimensional, as suggested by the four scores yielded by the SSA (one each for reading/language arts,…

To measure the sex role attitudes of Army personnel, an initial set of 174 items was developed. These items were administered to 721 soldiers at three Army installations; the sample consisted of 540 men and 181 women--401 of these were officers and 320 were enlisted personnel. Factor analysis of these 174 items indicated one strong…

Multiple group discriminant analysis was used to determine if college students' evaluations of instruction were influenced by the course, the instructor, both, or neither. A measure of students' course-oriented attitudes, the Adjective Rating Scale (ARS), and a rating of instruction form, the Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment…

Two questions were addressed: the clustering pattern of postsecondary deaf students' ratings of classroom instruction compared to the ratings of hearing students, and the relative merits of a checklist format versus a Likert response format. Seven principal factors related to classroom instruction were evaluated: (1) practical gain, or course…

Factor analyses of two forms of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test were undertaken to better understand the abilities affecting test performance. Results suggest that three global abilities--two verbal and one quantitative--are consistently tapped by the GRE Aptitude Test. Other less prominent dimensions--some of which appear to…

A variety of factor analysis techniques were employed to explore the structure of five reading readiness instruments (Gates Reading Readiness Test, Developmental Tests of Visual Perception, Metropolitan Readiness Tests, Specially Constructed Readiness Test by Olson, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) as predictor variables of performance on…

This study of predictive validities of Academic Interest Measures (AIM) is based on a follow-up through Grade 12 and one year after high school graduation, of students tested in Grade 11. Major topics considered are: prediction of both marks and interests in Grades 12 and 13, emphasizing differential prediction; structure of abilities, interests…

The Purdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO) and the School Survey (SS) were studied to determine their comparative effectiveness in measuring similar aspects of teacher morale. Elementary and secondary school teachers from a Wisconsin middle-class school district completed both instruments. Analysis of the data revealed six significant canonical…

Arguments which suggest that improved prediction of multiple criteria can be achieved employing pattern scoring of responses, as opposed to conventional methods, are examined. Models for improving prediction of single and multiple criteria were examined. The findings are: (1) simple linear combinations of predictor variables perform as well…

Lessons in values development were observed in classes of Dutch students, aged 10-15. A 22-item observation instrument was used to record the amount of classroom time spent on a particular category. Factors which affected students' behavior included nondirective versus directive teaching behavior and certain questioning techniques. (GDC)

Cognitive and affective scales for assessing computer attitudes were administered to 2,525 students and educators. Results supported test validity and reliability. Generally positive cognitive attitudes were found, as well as a rejection of negative affective attitudes. (The 14 items are included) (GDC)