A modified regression procedure for finding a common metric for item response theory (IRT) parameter estimates and for total test scores is proposed and compared to the chi-square method of equating. The chi-square method was chosen after literature review for the currently used scaling procedures. The modification used with the regression…

Hierarchical Bayes procedures were compared for estimating item and ability parameters in item response theory. Simulated data sets from the two-parameter logistic model were analyzed using three different hierarchical Bayes procedures: (1) the joint Bayesian with known hyperparameters (JB1); (2) the joint Bayesian with information hyperpriors…

This study investigated the role that emotional factors play in learning about sexual health and in adopting sexually healthy behaviors. Learning about health and adopting healthy behaviors hinges on two variables: the desire to avoid illness and a belief that one can avoid threats to health through personal action. This paper reports on…

This paper explores the comparability of item calibrations for three types of items: (1) text only; (2) text with photographs; and (3) text plus graphics when items are presented on written tests and computerized adaptive tests. Data are from five different medical technology certification examinations administered nationwide in 1993. The Rasch…

This paper revisits the literature on the nature of school organizations and presents a view of secondary schools as complex social systems, as opposed to bureaucratic-rational structures. Research was conducted into three Western Australia secondary schools planning to implement school-based decision making and planning procedures. The…

A study of item response theory in language testing research investigated the influence of sample size on (1) the statistical test of data-model fit and (2) the invariance of parameter estimates. Data were drawn from a 1993 administration of the examination of Dutch as a second language to about a thousand candidates, using results from only the…

The strengths of item-response theory (IRT) are used to examine the degree of information individual test items provide, as well as to investigate how the individual item types contribute to the overall measurement accuracy of the Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) reading test. Using the graded-response model of Samejima (1969), the amount…

Most school practitioners, policymakers, and patrons hold strong opinions on year-round education (YRE). This paper determines which of the various assertions made about YRE are supported by research findings and evaluation studies of YRE. Specifically, the paper summarizes and synthesizes what is currently known about the impact of YRE on…

Using the findings of an earlier study regarding differences between student and teacher perceptions of what circumstances might contribute to a student's being "at risk," a follow-up study investigated what teachers and other school personnel can do to help at-risk students. Based on responses to two open-ended questions from the…

This research probes the content and consequences of the decisions that teachers make while conducting a lesson. Subjects included 2 middle school teachers (grades 7 and 8) and 35 of their students. This research employed participant observation, informant interviewing, and shared viewing of a videotaped lesson to explore interactive decision…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on appreciating literature is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an…

This seminar overview presents a summary of widely accepted findings by researchers on the qualities, behaviors, and characteristics of effective teachers. As defined in this paper, an effective teacher is one who can engage students in the learning processes, minimize disruptive behavior, and produce desired learning in a large number of…

To determine the influence of the health care provider's gender and profession on readers' memory for health information, 48 university students were asked to read a three page article on heart attacks that was attributed to either (1) a female nurse, (2) a male nurse, (3) a female physician, or (4) a male physician. After reading the article, the…

The current literary tradition observes a canon of hierarchies, a ranking of great writers and genres, that tends to exclude or downgrade women and lower caste males. The response of feminist scholars to this state of affairs falls into two general categories: the first is to find great women authors to fit into the canon on its own terms; the…

Effective communication between teachers and students is a very complex skill. In order to draw conclusions about effective youth-adult relationships, four research studies (Adolescent-Adult Relationships; Best and Poorest Junior High School Student-Teacher Relationships; Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions; and Comparison of Two Good…