The DA-T Gibbs sampler is proposed by Maris and Maris (2002) as a Bayesian estimation method for a wide variety of "Item Response Theory (IRT) models". The present paper provides an expository account of the DA-T Gibbs sampler for the 2PL model. However, the scope is not limited to the 2PL model. It is demonstrated how the DA-T Gibbs…

This study considers the importance of contextual effects on the quality of assessments on item bias and differential item functioning (DIF) in measurement. Often, in educational studies, students are clustered in teachers or schools, and the clusters could impact psychometric issues yet are largely ignored by traditional item analyses. A…

With concern over parental involvement in students' academic lives on the rise, research is needed to provide guidance for advisors and parents. In this article, student-parent interactions about academic and career decisions are examined. Data come from the Brown University Office of Institutional Research and semi-structured interviews with…

Research suggests effective classroom ICT integration occurs through needs-based, collaborative professional development (Chandra-Handa, 2001; Cuttance, 2001; Figg, 2000; Gibson, Oberg, & Pelz, 1999; Gross, 2000; Haughey, 2002). A community of practice (CoP) (Wenger, 1998; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002) can be an effective mode of such…

This study reassessed the extent to which socio-economic background, gender, and region endure as sources of educational inequality in Canada. The analysis utilized the 28,000 student Canadian sample from the data set of the OECD's 2003 "Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)". Results, consistent with previous findings,…

This article explores the statistical methodologies used in demonstration and effectiveness studies when the treatments are applied across multiple settings. The importance of evaluating and how to evaluate these types of studies are discussed. As an alternative to standard methodology, the authors of this article offer an empirical binomial…

Practical meta-analysis of correlation matrices generally ignores covariances (and hence correlations) between correlation estimates. The authors consider various methods for allowing for covariances, including generalized least squares, maximum marginal likelihood, and Bayesian approaches, illustrated using a 6-dimensional response in a series of…

The Behrens-Fisher problem arises when one seeks to make inferences about the means of two normal populations without assuming the variances are equal. This paper presents a review of fundamental concepts and applications used to address the Behrens-Fisher problem under fiducial, Bayesian, and frequentist approaches. Methods of approximations to…

A Bayesian analysis for 2 to the k power factorial arrangements of treatments is presented in this paper. To perform the analysis, an experimenter must specify prior distributions on an orthogonal set of linear functions representing the main effects and interactions and on a function representing the grand mean. The solution is relatively…

The standard statistical analysis of data classified in two ways (say into rows and columns) is through an analysis of variance that splits the total variation of the data into the main effect of rows, the main effect of columns, and the interaction between rows and columns. This paper presents an alternative Bayesian analysis of the same…

The use of some very simple loss or utility functions in educational evaluation has recently been advocated by Gross and Su, Petersen and Novick, and Petersen. This paper demonstrates that more realistic utility functions can easily be used and may be preferable in some applications. (Author/CTM)

Statistical procedures based on Bayesian estimation for obtaining estimates of a propensity (which would include estimates of proportions or relative frequencies) are described for the special case where the observer can only note whether the propensity exceeds or does not exceed a constant between 0 and 1. (JKS)

This study investigated statistical methods for identifying errors in Bayesian networks (BN) with latent variables, as found in intelligent cognitive assessments. BN, commonly used in artificial intelligence systems, are promising mechanisms for scoring constructed-response examinations. The success of an intelligent assessment or tutoring system…

This digest introduces ways of responding to the call for criterion-referenced information using Bayes' Theorem, a method that was coupled with criterion-referenced testing in the early 1970s (see R. Hambleton and M. Novick, 1973). To illustrate Bayes' Theorem, an example is given in which the goal is to classify an examinee as being a master or…

It is not unusual for several tests measuring different abilities to be given in one test administration. A common practice is to estimate these abilities independently of each other, but this paper proposes a more efficient method of estimating these abilities that takes into account the correlational structure of the abilities. The method uses a…