The assumption that people possess a repertoire of strategies to solve the inference problems they face has been raised repeatedly. However, a computational model specifying how people select strategies from their repertoire is still lacking. The proposed strategy selection learning (SSL) theory predicts a strategy selection process on the basis…

The emergence of theory-driven evaluation has drawn attention to the need for practical ways for evaluators to construct program theory to achieve the benefits of the approach. This article illustrates the use of concept mapping as a technique to explicate underlying program theory in the context of family support programs. In this example, 29…

With the individualisation and multiculturalisation of the world of education and training and the world of work, a new need has arisen to develop a more value-based and existentially oriented approach to guidance theory and vocational training courses. The pluralisation of ways of life and the late-modern confrontation with the authorities have…

Although there are many methods available for dimensionality assessment for items with monotone item response functions, there are few methods available for unfolding item response theory models. In this study, a modification of Yen's Q3 statistic is proposed for the case of these nonmonotone item response models. Through a simulation study, the…

Although some research has examined the factorial nature of the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB), none has tested hypotheses relevant to both oblique and orthogonal models via confirmatory factor analysis. Thus, in this investigation, a series of models was tested, which compared the model fit of both oblique/higher order models against a…

Certain definitions introduce appropriate concepts, among which are the definitions of the counting functions of the primes and twin primes, along with definitions of the correlation coefficient in a bivariate sample space. It is argued conjecturally that the characteristic functions of the prime "p" and of the quantity "p"+2 are highly…

This paper begins by reviewing some of the different models of third-party observation of university teaching that can be found in the literature. Having analysed these, it argues that--if "peer" is taken to indicate equality of status--only one is genuinely a model of peer-observation. It proposes an alternative categorisation of third-party…

The Program of Systematic Evaluation (PSE), which began as an attempt to explore the instructional dimensions of multimedia, has evolved into the most comprehensive set of experimental multimedia studies exploring the varied dimensions of cognitive load theory as they relate to the design of effective and efficient visual learning environments for…

This article traces the roots of narrative research in the social sciences and education, then centers on "story constellations," a version of narrative inquiry that uncovers teachers' knowledge of school reform in context. A fluid form of investigation that unfolds in a three-dimensional inquiry space, story constellations consists of a flexible…

This study examined whether children with mathematical difficulties (MDs) or comorbid mathematical and reading difficulties have a working memory deficit and whether the hypothesized working memory deficit includes the whole working memory system or only specific components. In the study, 31 10-year-olds with MDs and 37 10-year-olds with both…

Purpose: Investigate training-related changes in acoustic-phonetic representation of consonants produced by a text-to-speech (TTS) computer speech synthesizer. Method: Forty-eight adult listeners were trained to better recognize words produced by a TTS system. Nine additional untrained participants served as controls. Before and after training,…

This study examined the impact of rater agreement on decisions concerning the alignment between the "Golden State Examination in High School Mathematics" (California Department of Education, 2001a) and the University of California (UC) "Statement on Competencies in Mathematics Expected of Entering College Students" (Academic…

In many cross-cultural research studies, assessment instruments are translated or adapted for use in multiple languages. However, it cannot be assumed that different language versions of an assessment are equivalent across languages. A fundamental issue to be addressed is the comparability or equivalence of the construct measured by each language…

Investigation of the effects of a series of treatment conditions upon some social behaviors may require observation of subjects mutually paired, in round-robin fashion. Data arising from such experiments are difficult to analyze, partly because they do not fit neatly into standard designs. A model is presented. (Author/BJG)

A free-response method of data collection (questionnaires), in conjunction with nonmetric multidimensional scaling, produced results highly similar to those of a previous study, i.e., that an effective college teacher could be characterized in terms of "research,""teaching," and "service to the university." (Author/RC)