Two experiments on multiple-choice assessment of students learning from sentences were conducted. Interference arising from intersentence similarity was a function of both the kind of learning strategies students were instructed to employ and the kind of strategies they reported having employed spontaneously. Implications for test construction and…

The problem of the appropriate comparison group for bereavement studies is discussed. The use of the retrospective pretest design is illustrated through a longitudinal study of bereavement outcome following pregnancy loss, involving 138 bereaved women and a comparison group of 215 currently pregnant women. (SLD)

Measures the effectiveness of a medically oriented educational game in increasing knowledge and decreasing young children's fears regarding common medical procedures. Paired t-tests indicated a significant increase in children's knowledge of health care concepts and decrease in fear of medical procedures after the game was played. (BB)

This study investigated differences in achievement for control groups learning college algebra using traditional classroom instruction methods compared to experimental groups using computer algebra tutorials for three precalculus topics. Two instructors each taught one control group and one experimental group. No significant differences were…

The regression-discontinuity design involving a treatment interaction effect (TIE), pretest-posttest functional form specification, and choice of point-of-estimation of the TIE are examined. Formulas for controlling the magnitude of TIE in simulations can be used for simulating the randomized experimental case where estimation is not at the…

An experimental class in introductory statistics (n=40) using simulation software at American University was compared to a traditionally taught control group (n=36) with respect to achievement and accrued beliefs about the benefits of the simulations. Results indicate significantly higher achievement scores for the experimental class with about…

The epidemiological method of case-control study is described, and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed for use in health program evaluation. Examples are reviewed, with a step-by-step description of the method. Potential applications are discussed, including worksite health promotions, screening programs, and large-scale public health…

The question of memory-based processing when transfer is delayed was addressed for 181 college students in a transfer-for-training paradigm. Results indicate that the use of a general and a specific schema for retrieval when memory-based processing is required to demonstrate transfer in a problem domain. (SLD)

This commentary argues that the study reported in EC 605 442, which indicated long-term gains for children with autism who experienced intensive behavioral intervention as preschoolers, needs to be replicated to be convincing, especially given the problem of nonrandom assignment of experimental and control groups. (JDD)

Discusses strategies researchers can use to help young children understand the research process and be better able to give informed consent. Argues that proxy consent from parents (historically used as a substitute for children's informed consent) does not fully meet the requirements of informed consent. (Author/GR)

Describes a computer-based instructional system called Stat Lady and reports the results of an evaluation study of undergraduates that tested the efficacy of learning probability from this program compared to a traditional lecture and a no-treatment control group. Aptitude treatment interaction is also investigated. (Author/LRW)

Describes how the University of Pennsylvania is testing a new way of teaching involving team-taught interdisciplinary courses on some its freshmen, while keeping others in a control group. (EV)

The use of the Internet is expected in foreign-language classrooms. The present study investigated and evaluated the effectiveness of a language course supplemented with online material for college-level Japanese learners. The study compared exam scores from students enrolled in traditional inclass instruction taught 5 consecutive days for 50…

The notion of item context effects implies that psychometric properties of an item or scale are altered by the presentation format, for example, blocked versus randomized. In an experimental study with high school students, the experimental group (n = 407) answered a four-dimensional academic self-concept questionnaire, in which the items were…

Pedagogical intervention regarding engagement with natural, artistic and moral beauty can lead to an increase in trait hope. In a quasi-experimental design with college students the intervention group showed significantly higher gain scores on trait hope than did the comparison group; the effect size was moderate. The experimental group also…