The applicability of the Rasch model to data from a typical personality test, the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), was studied. The data were gathered on Junior High and High School students in the Louisville Public Schools (Kentucky). Item easinesses and person abilities were estimated and compared by age group, within each age…

A technique for detecting and studying item (or test) x group interactions independent of differences in level or dispersion of the groups is described. It involves construction of a scatter plot with two groups represented, one on each axis. Each point in the scatter plot represents the coordinates of a measure of a characteristic for one group…

The use of a mathematical model supported by empirical findings had developed a method of cost effectiveness that can be used in evaluations between educational objectives and goals. Educational time allocation can be studied and developed into a micro-level economic theory of decision. Learning has been defined as increments which can be…

The International Relations Archive undertakes as its primary goals the acquisition, management and dissemination of international affairs data. The first document enclosed is a copy of the final machine readable codebook prepared for the data from the Political Events Project, 1948-1965. Also included is a copy of the final machine-readable…

The Oregon Board of Higher Education approved a revision of its existing budgeting procedure, the result of nearly two years' work. The effort was undertaken because of deeply held concern about both the adequacy of the resources provided and the equity of the distribution of the available funds to the several institutions. It was determined that…

Abstracts of 36 research reports are provided. The reports were prepared by investigators for presentation at the 55th annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A broad range of topics related to mathematics education is covered. Nine reports deal with problem solving, eight are concerned with instructional methods, five…

This paper proposes a model for the process of attaining occupational status and income, where change in attainment is generated by the creation of vacant positions in social structure. The distribution of attainments, or the structure of inequality, is assumed fixed and described by a simple exponential or geometric distribution function,…

Reviewing psychometric and statistical developments in criterion- referenced testing, this paper presents six sections: uses of criterion- referenced test scores, reliability of criterion-referenced test scores, determination of test length, determination of cut-off scores, test development and validation, and summary and suggestions for further…

Discusses the classification of binary oxides as acidic, basic, or amphoteric. Demonstrates how a numerical scale for acidity/basicity of binary oxides can be constructed using thermochemical data for oxoacid salts. Presents the calculations derived from the data that provide the numeric scale values. (TW)

The mathematics lesson of 63 Year 5 Australian teachers were observed over a term. A casual model linking student, school, and teacher background information, class size, teaching practices, and mean class mathematics achievement was developed for testing the relationship between class size, teaching practices, and student achievement. (Author/JAZ)

A descriptive model of how people make judgments under ambiguity is proposed. Two factors are reflected in the model: (1) the amount of ambiguity, which affects the size of the simulation, and (2) one's attitudes toward ambiguity. The model is tested in four experiments using individual and group analyses. (Author/LMO)

This book shows the advantages of Rasch measurement (G. Rasch) for school district testing programs. The results of Rasch methods are contrasted with conventional statistics for assessing student responses to basic skills testing. Chapter 1 shows how the Rasch probability-based method produces measures that are more useful for students, parents,…

The 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) looked at a national sample of elementary and secondary public and private schools. Components of the SASS, a data collection effort of the National Center for Education Statistics, were surveys of teacher demand and shortage, schools, administrators, and teachers. Approximately 13,000 schools and…

Empirical findings lend credence to the postulation that differences among teachers regarding content knowledge ( being more pronounced in the upper grades regarding cognitive attainment of course specific content), instructional skills, and teaching experience do result in cognitive attainment differences among classes of learners. (Author/RL)

Discusses how all applications of mathematics have a unifying theme, namely, that of mathematical modeling. Three examples of models in science and technology are briefly described. These are suggested as suitable project work in the classroom, which involve collaborative work between science and mathematics. Advantages and benefits of modeling…