The results of classifying test items on the basis of their Mantel-Haenszel (MH) alpha estimates were compared to the results of classifying these items using an item response theory (IRT) based procedure involving the comparison of item difficulties in the interest of identifying the alpha value that maximized the decision concordance between the…

Because the test information function and its two modified formulas provide useful information, the reliability coefficient of a test is no longer necessary in modern mental test theory. Yet it is interesting to know how to predict the coefficient using the test information function and its modifications, tailored for each separate population of…

This study investigated the ability of high-functioning verbal individuals with autism or Down syndrome (DS) to respond appropriately to conversational "social scripts" involving reactions to another person's distress. Subjects were 13 persons with autism and 13 with DS, aged 5-27, matched on verbal mental age. During a "tea…

The purpose of this paper is to link empirical Bayes methods with two specific topics in item response theory--item/subtest regression, and testing the goodness of fit of the Rasch model--under the assumptions of local independence and sufficiency. It is shown that item/subtest regression results in empirical Bayes estimates only if the Rasch…

A project conducted by Britain's Further Education Unit: (1) identified and evaluated strategies used by Educational Guidance Services for Adults (EGSAs) to feed back to providers of learning opportunities the unmet needs of adult clients with particular reference to the unemployed and unwaged; (2) identified and evaluated mechanisms used by…

The study examined how adding students with learning disabilities (LD) to regular education classrooms changed the behavior of nonhandicapped students and their teachers. Initial observations were of mainstream classes containing no learning-disabled students. Observations were again conducted after LD students had been mainstreamed for 8 months.…

In addition to her work as novelist and critic, Eudora Welty is also a valuable resource for the teaching of composition, particularly through both her theory and example, for she is always writing about writing. Many of Welty's essays on literary theory speak to problems encountered in the college writing class. Perhaps the most accessible text…

A study examined the perceptions of black and white voters in the 1988 Southern Regional presidential primary (labeled "Super Tuesday") to determine whether or not discernible racial differences exist in the use and impact of political information. Data were gathered by trained interviewers from 678 randomly selected primary-aware…

Some parents fear that what their children learn in school theatre programs departs from family values. School theatre proponents have opened a Pandora's box by promoting theatre's potential to teach, rather than focusing solely on its aesthetic goals. Both sides in the theatre censorship controversy share the misperception that theatre causes…

The University of Washington Student Teacher Assessment System has identified 11 skills as necessary for effective teaching. This study examined the relative importance of these skills by surveying 234 elementary/secondary teachers, principals, and student teacher supervisors. The respondents were asked to group the most and the least important of…

A study was conducted to answer several research questions involving: (1) decision models used by teachers; (2) nature of preactive and interactive decisions made by teachers; (3) what governs teachers' decisions; (4) interaction between teachers' decision making and the need to maintain activity flow; (5) how teachers establish a "learning…

Thirty classroom teachers, 19 reading teachers, 33 students, and 13 supervisors were interviewed in a study to gather information concerning the degree of congruence that exists in the instruction provided during core curriculum reading instruction and compensatory reading instruction. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions that…

The Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BG), a test of visual-motor integration, is a screening device used to investigate school-related factors that may produce poor academic achievement and learning disabilities. Because BG test stimuli are not obviously related to classroom content, and because BG scores are frequently offered as evidence of…

A college-level course in business literature is an ideal place to raise and discuss ethical issues. To be successful, a teacher of this course must engage student interest, help the students articulate and understand their own ethical attitudes, clarify the stance and artistry of the author, and refine student responses to ethical questions. When…

Focusing on reader response in the classroom, the works collected in this book represent the results of a five-week summer institute in which 25 middle school, high school, and college teachers studied the principles and applications of literature instruction. The following essays are included: an introduction by G. Garber; "An Overview of the…