Two approaches, the minimax approach and the Rasch procedure, are described for the simultaneous determination of passing scores for subtests when the passing score for the total test is known. (Author/LMO)

Describes a citation analysis of physics, engineering, and sociology literature which was designed to determine if there were any differences in conceptual referencing patterns. The research methodology is described and suggestions for further study are offered. (Author/LRW)

This paper investigates three methods for comparing medians rather than means in studying two independent treatment groups. The method that gave the best results is based on a normal approximation of the distribution of the sample median where the variance is estimated using results reported by Maritz and Jarrett. (Author/JAZ)

The two goals of this study were to examine factors affecting parents' teaching strategies with their children and to identify the effectiveness of different teaching strategies for engaging children in tasks. Results indicated that parents varied their teaching strategies according to both task and children's communicative status. (Author/LMO)

In Britain, higher education is inappropriate for simplistic 'marketisation' but it is appropriate for more internal competition. Graduation data is used as an output measure for higher education. When output measures are set against input measures, Britain compares well with other nations in higher education. (Author/MLW)

An investigation of equity theory's power to predict students' commitment to college obtained different results in three desciplines. In political science, the major predictor was the comparison of one's group with another; in economics, the comparison within the membership group; and in physics, the internal standard. (MSE)

From analysis of the use of a student rating form designed for multiple audiences and using a single global item, it was concluded that a multiple audience form showed distinct advantages in design. The single item most fairly and highly represented overall teaching performance for administrative decisions about retention, promotion, and merit.…

Campuses should act on salary equity issues before litigation arises. Campuses must resolve database problems, unfocused studies, problems in data interpretations, and constraints on implementing findings if they are to take timely actions. Internally motivated monitoring and court-ordered monitoring are discussed. (Author/MLW)

The number of regression studies being employed in sex discrimination cases is increasing. The need for caution in the case of multiple regression must be emphasized. Statistical concerns in sex discrimination cases are highlighted. (MLW)

The statistical methods used by courts and regulatory agencies to analyze data relating to equal employment and affirmative action are reviewed, along with suggested methods for colleges and universities to produce more meaningful Equal Employment Opportunity management documents. (MSE)

Discusses ways to improve quality of retrieval systems that depend on use of truncated words or quasi-word stems as indexing vocabulary. Problems of generalizability and stability of discriminant function analysis for selecting good topical terms in database drawn from abstracts of Harris Survey press releases are addressed. References are cited.…

Describes the Monthly Data Grapher, a microcomputer program which helps visualize data to discern patterns and which is suitable for use with elementary school children. Some of its uses are noted and the microcomputer program itself is included. (MBR)

Demonstrating good reliability for the difference score in measurement, the results of this study indicate that the difference score is often highly reliable when the correlation between true change and true initial status is nonnegative. In general, when individual differences in true change are appreciable, the difference score shows strong…

This paper develops and illustrates a latent trait approach to constructing an item bank when responses are scored in several ordered categories. This approach is an extension of the methodology developed by Choppin, Wright and Stone, and Wright and Bell for the construction and maintenance of banks of dichotomously scored items. (Author/PN)

The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…