The effectiveness of the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) as an aid in placing students into introductory English courses was studied by relating test scores to course outcomes for students entering the University of Houston between the fall of 1977 and the spring of 1981. For students placed into the regular introductory English…

Two competing definitions of test fairness and their differing implications are explained and illustrated, and data from a number of published studies on test bias are reanalyzed; the focus is on unfair bias that may exist in tests that are approximately equally valid for both majority and minority groups. (Author/JM)

This paper comments on the impact of computers on statistical analysis and presents a concise, nontechnical overview of five statistical methods now being applied in educational research. Appropriate uses of these techniques are pointed out, along with dangers concerning misapplications. (PP)

Describes an introductory educational statistics course taught at the University of Maine using an interactive computer system for graduate students having no skills in statistics or computers. Details given include course schedule, instructions for using terminals, statistical packages and files, and a sample file and deck setup for SPSS. (EAO)

A comparison of Ohio's financially troubled districts (FTD) with its financially nontroubled districts (FNTD) revealed that FTD are characterized by special cost students, limited fiscal capacity, and low tax effort. FTD also tend to be either large city or rural districts, and are not characterized by overstaffing, severe declining enrollment, or…

Clues in the answers given to the Spanish Advanced Placement Examination questions can identify the test-taker as having learned the language in the classroom or as a native speaker. The Educational Testing Service has found mechanisms to ensure that the tests are equally suited to the two groups. (MSE)

The academic records and other characteristics of freshmen in a Spanish university were analyzed to determine the optimal predictors of academic performance in the university. Secondary school grades, academic achievement tests, and university exams were the best predictors. Implications for admissions and counseling are discussed. (MSE)

Differentiating between time-series design and time-series analysis, examines design considerations and reanalyzes data previously reported by Mayer and Kozlow in this journal. The current analysis supports the analysis performed by Mayer and Kozlow but puts the results on a somewhat firmer statistical footing. (Author/JN)

Discriminant analysis is applied to data from previous research dealing with assessing the particularities of cognitive development in young (four to nine years old) Montagnais Indians and French Canadians. The most important future contribution of discriminant analysis to intercultural research will be its ability to conceptualize group…

Statistical study of attrition and performance among external students of the University of Papua New Guinea found the most important factors in student attrition to be age, number of children, and to a lesser extent, housing conditions, sex, sponsorship, and region of residence. (EAO)

Describes behavior analysis as a radical approach for solving educational research problems that prebehavioristic social science has not solved; compares the methodology and assumptions of behavior analysis and conventional social science research; and suggests that misinformation has resulted in an irrational bias against behaviorism among…

Describes and illustrates Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) procedures appropriate for book collection data analysis. Several different procedures for univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis are discussed, and applications of procedures for book collection studies are presented. Included are 24 tables illustrating output…

Describes a study partially replicating the 1978 University of Pittsburgh library materials study. Findings presented include the five-year circulation patterns of DePauw University books sampled compared with the University of Pittsburgh's patterns, and circulation of books given to and purchased by DePauw University. Provided are four tables and…

Examines educator drop out rates in Illinois and reveals that this problem is not as great as has been reported in the media. (FL)

Examines the relationships between class, ethnicity, and the natural community life cycle and determines how these factors bear on the racial composition of suburban communities. Suggests that the variables associated with the ecological life cycle model are not significant predictors of change in suburban racial composition. (Author/APM)