Algebraic equations and geometric forms are useful in teaching and learning composition. Algebraic equations can illustrate the modular nature of paragraph structures and can be refined by students to describe types of paragraphs. Discussion of the "slippery" nature of words and their power of transformation can be a lecture topic as the class…

This publication is a study guide prepared for use in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Chautaugua-Type Short Course for College Teachers. The purpose of the guide is to provide college teachers with a variety of modeling methods that can be used with problem solving. Mathematical applications and illustrations are included, along with listings…

A general procedure is presented for generating code values for a qualitative variable in multiple linear regression analyses that result in directly interpretable estimates of interest. The basic approach, in viewing ANOVA as a multiple regression problem, is to derive quantitative code values for the various levels of the qualitative ANOVA…

A model in which nonprice rationing has two effects on the number of medical school applicants in the United States is specified and estimated for the 1951-76 period. The results indicate that low acceptance rates discourage many potential applicants and that a fairly large and constant percentage of rejected applicants can be expected to reapply.…

The reliability and validity of measurement is analyzed by a sampling model based on generalizability theory. A model for the relationship between a measurement procedure and an attribute is developed from an analysis of how measurements are used and interpreted in science. The model provides a basis for analyzing the concept of an error of…

The appropriateness of the use of the standardized residual (SR) to assess congruence between sample test item responses and the one parameter latent trait (Rasch) item characteristic curve is investigated. Latent trait theory is reviewed, as well as theory of the SR, the apparent error in calculating the expected distribution of the SR, and…

Several methods of assessing test item bias are described, and the concept of fair use of tests is examined. A test item is biased if individuals of equal ability have different probabilities of attaining the item correct. The following seven general procedures used to examine test items for bias are summarized and discussed: (1) analysis of…

This report is concerned with the observation that many teenagers and adults are unable to apply arithmetic even when they know how to perform the operations. It is speculated that this is probably due to not having been taught when to use the fundamental operations. Examples of types of "real" problems which require the various…

The norm-referenced score scale used by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is described. The usefulness of standardized scores is explained by a simple numerical example, and the formulas and computations are shown for calculating a mean, a standard deviation, and a deviation or z score. The need for a representative sample is…

The problem of forecasting monthly demands for library network services is considered in terms of using forecasts as inputs to policy analysis models, and in terms of using forecasts to aid in the making of budgeting and staffing decisions. Box-Jenkins time-series methodology, adaptive filtering, and regression approaches are examined and compared…

Joreskog has developed a very general and powerful model and computer program for analyzing relationships among variables, called LISREL. Structural analysis of covariance matrices by Joreskog's LISREL method is proposed as an alternative to regression methodology in the analysis of aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) data. LISREL resolves some…

The one parameter latent trait theory of Georg Rasch has two assumptions: that student abilities can be measured on an equal interval scale, and that the success of a student with a given item is a function of student achievement and item difficulty. The grade four Michigan Educational Assessment Program reading test was designed to measure…

THE ABC (APPROACH BY CONCEPT) SYSTEM FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO AN EXTENSIVE PERFORMANCE TEST. IN LI 000 318 THE TEST PROGRAM AND SETUP WAS DESCRIBED AS WELL AS THE METHODOLOGY, AND IN THE SECOND REPORT, LI 000 317, A PRELIMINARY STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF THE TEST RESULTS WAS GIVEN. THIS…

THE PROBLEM OF PREDICTING THE PATTERNS OF USE OF LIBRARY MATERIALS IN ORDER TO DECIDE WHICH MONOGRAPHS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM A MAIN COLLECTION AND PLACED IN STORAGE IS STUDIED IN THIS REPORT. SPECIFICALLY, THE STUDY EXAMINES PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND DEVELOPS NEW MATHEMATICAL MODELS AND STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR STUDYING THE…

THIS REPORT PRESENTS A DISCUSSION OF 2 TECHNIQUES WHICH CAN BE USED TO REPRESENT AND INTERPRET MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL SYSTEMS WHEN IT IS FELT THAT THERE ARE CAUSAL RELATIONS BETWEEN SOME OF THE VARIABLES. THE BASIC TECHNIQUE IS PATH ANALYSIS AND THE OTHER IS ITS EXTENSION THROUGH THE USE OF RECURSIVE SYSTEMS OF EQUATIONS. THE ANALYSIS IS…