The National Household Education Survey (NHES) CD-ROM for 1991, 1993, and 1995 contains an Electronic Codebook (ECB) program that allows the user to examine the variables in each of the NHES data sets easily and to create Statistical Analysis system and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (for DOS or Windows) that will generate an extract…

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of choice of item response theory (IRT) model, parameter calibration group, starting ability estimate, and stopping criterion on the conversion of an 80-item vocabulary test to computer adaptive format. Three parameter calibration groups were tested: (1) a group of 1,000 high school seniors, (2) a…

The use of indices and statistics based on nonlinear factor analysis (NLFA) has become increasingly popular as a means of assessing the dimensionality of an item response matrix. Although the indices and statistics currently available to the practitioner have been shown to be useful and accurate in many testing situations, few studies have…

The purpose of this study was to estimate the validity of the Competence subscale of the Teacher Staff Development Survey (TSDS) as a measure of the teacher efficiency construct. Results from regular education elementary school teachers (N=296) revealed a subscale structure of the TSDS that differed from the subscale structure originally designed…

Suggesting that experiential learning exercises are potentially powerful means for promoting student learning, this paper explains an experiential learning model, offers guidelines to consider when utilizing experiential learning strategies in the classroom, and presents 15 experiential learning activities that can be used in teaching…

This article analyzes the function of deixis in the poetry of the 20th century Italian, Eugenio Montale, in particular, his "In limine." The main objective is to show how deixis is involved in the dynamic relationship between text and reader. A constant problem in Montale's texts is that of a disharmony felt by the poetic voice with the…

A study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using item response theory (IRT) equating to reduce test form overlap of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Subject Test in Mathematics. Monte Carlo methods were employed to compare double-part equating with 20-item common item blocks to triple-part equating with 10-item common item blocks.…

As any parent knows, anger towards children is a natural occurrence of parenting. Since it is important to identify and address some of the emotional issues that underlie child abuse, the role of anger in parenting and in child maltreatment is covered in this paper. An ecological analysis of parental anger is presented, with special emphasis on…

The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics, which has the legislative mission of collecting and publishing data on the condition of education in the United States. The NHES provides information on educational issues that are best addressed by contacting households…

This paper reviews "Slim Hopes: Advertising & The Obsession with Thinness," a 30-minute video produced by the University of Massachusetts' Media Education Foundation, which discusses America's compulsion with thinness. Although the format of the video is the traditional "talking head," over 120 print and television…

Failure to include nonnative English speaking students in a testing program, something that is especially important in a state where a high school graduation test is administered, can cost students the opportunity to practice for the test, as well as the opportunity for diagnosis of educational attainment and feedback about their progress. For…

A series of studies conducted over an 8-year period by the National Research Center on Literature Teaching and Learning examined the ways people think when they read literature and the ways in which instruction could support those kinds of thinking. The research studies were based on both a constructivist and social/communicative tradition. Some…

An item analysis study was conducted for two multiple-choice tests of introductory psychology created from a publisher's test bank. A 47-item multiple-choice test was administered to 247 students, and 433 students took a different 42-item multiple-choice test. Participants were from a large northeastern suburban community college. The difficulty…

This booklet presents the Written Response part of the English 30 Grade 12 Diploma examination. After instructions for students, the booklet presents the first part of the examination in which students respond to Patricia Keeney's poem "Swimming Alone," which addresses the complexities of risk-taking. The booklet then presents the second…

This report traces the recent recognition given to the needs and feelings of siblings of individuals with mental retardation. The development of social support groups for siblings from 1960 to the present is described, including the establishment of the landmark Brother-Sister Group, the founding of the Association for the Help of Retarded…