The role of item response theory (IRT) in determining the validity of second language tests is examined in the case of one specific test, the listening subtest of the Occupational English Test (OET), used in Australia to measure the language skills of non-native English-speaking health professionals. First, the listening subtest is described. Then…

Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in the use of response latencies in psychological assessment. Some research has suggested that response times associated with answering personality and integrity questionnaires may be useful in differentiating among honest responders and individuals who are lying. Using an experimental paradigm…

This paper presents findings of a study that: (1) identified the most salient organization, personal, and professional factors contributing to administrator burnout; and (2) determined the relationship among these variables to each of the three dimensions of burnout. Data were obtained from a survey of 1,000 school administrators--169 elementary…

Three private preschool classes, one with 3-year-olds and two with 4-year-olds, were observed to determine if there was differential treatment of boys and girls. The observer used an observational form developed to observe and assess sex equity or inequity in teacher-child interactions. The data obtained from the observations was processed through…

This monograph provides a schema that educators can use to help make the behavior of children and young people more sensitive to the intricacies of the world in which they learn and develop. Features include: (1) a review of the literature on the key issues facing teachers; (2) information on developmentally related discipline issues; (3) an…

The debate over American dominance of mass media exports gained new momentum in the late 1980s, when the European Community moved toward restricting the number of television programs imported from non-European countries. Research suggests that Europeans enjoy American television programs such as "Dallas" because the series embody basic…

This paper proposes a reorientation of classroom practices in the teaching of literature, a reorientation proceeding from new understandings of literary reading. The first section of the paper reviews convergences in current theory and research on literary reading that teachers ought to consider when rethinking classroom practice. The second…

This guide to stress and time management for educators defines stress as a physiological response to the pressures of daily living and differentiates between stress as a motivator and a debilitator. The guide presents stressor inventories for teachers, administrators, and counselors, and outlines a personal behavior contract for implementing…

To investigate the higher level comprehension strategies used by children reading basal reader stories, a study compared the results of an earlier investigation of 50 fourth grade level readers' comprehension strategies with findings gained from 30 subjects using a sixth grade basal reader. Subjects were asked to read aloud from a basal and stop…

With up to one quarter of some school systems' teachers being laid off and reduction-in-force notices routinely given to teachers with even 10 to 15 years seniority, obtaining an additional elementary school endorsement is viewed by many secondary school teachers as a prudent step. To determine secondary school teachers' preparedness in teaching…

Specialists committed to an examination of speech communication patterns have emphasized the interpersonal aspects of communication over the intrapsychic realities of various subjective statuses. If the rhetorical model operates at a psychological level, invention and disposition might be said to characterize the thinking mode, perhaps growing out…

Young children's nonverbal affective expression and communication reveals an emotional complexity and sensitivity which exceeds their verbal abilities. To investigate the development of nonverbal emotional communication in young children, two studies were undertaken. In the first study, equal numbers of 5- and 11-year-old children from two schools…

As an alternative to using written guidelines to direct peer feedback on student writing, teachers can allow students to use their own language and conversational habits in peer group conversations and then monitor peer feedback while modeling the type that is most conducive to true exchange. To create a collaboratively run writing workshop,…

RAED provides a computerised infrastructure to support the development and administration of Vicarious Learning in collaborative learning communities spread across multiple universities and workplaces. The system is based on the OASIS middleware for Role-based Access Control. This paper describes the origins of the model and the approach to…

Reports a series of studies conducted to investigate possible differences in the exploratory manipulation and play behavior of human infants 7-1/2- 11-1/2 months of age as a function of the attributes of the stimulus, the familiarity of the subject with the stimuli, the age and sex of the infants, and individual differences. (Author/CS)