Two unanswered questions about child care are: (1) Does compliance with state child care regulations have a positive impact on children? and (2) Have predictors of program quality been identified? This paper explores a research study and related model that have had some success in answering these questions. Section I, a general introduction,…

Children diagnosed with environmentally based failure to thrive early during their first year of life were seen at 12 and 18 months for assessment of psychological development (cognition, language, symbolic play, and behavior during testing). Based on a transactional model of outcome, factors reflecting biological vulnerability (wasting and…

The parents of 746 children enrolled in grades from kindergarten through high school in 1985 were interviewed in a national study designed to identify factors affecting parent involvement in schools and education-related activities. Three kinds of parent involvement were measured: (1) willingness to visit the child's school three or more times…

High rates of attrition among students in Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT) is a major concern for Air Training Command. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the Basic Navigator Battery (BNB), a multi-test experimental selection instrument, for its potential to increase the validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test…

Building communication theory in terms of three-variable relationships is a promising route to developing better theory, because three-variable relationships stand midway between sometimes overly simplistic two-variable relationships, and the more complex path analysis. The analysis of three-variable relationships has been done in many previous…

In the past few decades, senior centers have developed at an exponential rate. To investigate elderly citizens' knowledge of senior center activities and services, 250 white older adults (125 center users and 125 nonusers) from a small urban community were personally interviewed about the services and activities provided by their local senior…

The role of anxiety, stress, and social support in predicting negative obstetrical outcomes was examined in a high-risk group of pregnant women. The predictor variables were assessed with separate self-report scales, including The Sarason Life Experience Survey, the Spielberger State/Trait Inventory, and a modified version of the Lazarus and Cohen…

The present research program began as a preliminary attempt to examine the relationship between client and treatment loci of control as a predictor of success in weight control programs. In the first phase of the research, individuals previously attempting weight loss, and the programs they had pursued, were classified as being either primarily…

A study identifying the relationships between quantitative academic characteristics--specifically, grade point average (GPA) and MCAT scores--and admission into medical school for minorities is presented. Explanations are proposed for contradictory findings related to this question that have appeared in literature. Data from 58 minority student…

In 1987, a study was conducted to evaluate the ability of several variables to predict student performance on Florida's minimum competency test for rising juniors, the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). The variables included grades received in required courses; semesters elapsed prior to taking required courses after entering college;…

The purpose of this paper was to identify the role of several person variables (gender, mathematics competency, attitudes toward statistics, computer competency, and grade point average) contributing to success in introductory statistics. The performance of 103 students on four examinations during a semester constituted the dependent variable. A…

According to social-psychological theory, violent acts in a marital relationship can be understood by examining environmental stressors and violent acts spouses experienced as children. Because there is a great variety in the type and frequency of abuse suffered by battered women, it is important to examine abuse type and abuse frequency…

An attempt was made to identify aspects of the family environment that predict social competence in the school environment. A total of 69 second graders were administered a revised verion of Furman and Buhrmester's (1985) Network of Relationships Inventory. Social competence was assessed sociometrically and with seven behavioral nominations.…

A study investigated the rationale of and procedures for gathering data on foreign language programs in secondary schools in Tennessee. The study transcends previous foreign language surveys by suggesting a method of presenting data in a useful format by analyzing foreign language support (FLSPT) in terms of quantifiable factors or "favorable…

A study was conducted to identify factors contributing to the success of instructional development projects. Success factors derived from factor analysis were compared with those in a previous study (Lawrason and Hedberg, 1979), and values obtained on the prediction model for this study were compared with those in the study cited. The Survey of…