This study utilized a straightforward system of crediting successes and assigning failures to items not administered during computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to determine if the data yielded by CAT could be used to monitor item calibrations over time. (Author/LMO)

This paper critically reviews studies of administrator work activities which follow the work of Henry Mintzberg (1973), concentrating on these shortcomings of the method: (1) procedural difficulties in coding; (2) design limitations of classifying activities; (3) inadequate testing of Mintzberg's hypotheses; and (4) failure to explore antecedents…

Two hundred child care program directors were surveyed as to their most pressing administrative concerns. The primary problem areas targeted by most administrators involved (1) evaluating personal effectiveness; (2) developing a center's philosophy; (3) evaluating the effectiveness of the center for the child; and (4) establishing effective…

This study investigated the attitudes of faculty members toward the reliability and validity of student ratings and its uses for administrative purposes, i.e., promotion and tenure considerations. The effects of background and organizational variables were also researched. (Author/LMO)

This article describes procedures to be followed in developing a system for observation of teachers in the classroom and use of the observation to evaluate teachers. A list of criteria is presented, including various types of validity, measurement characteristics, and practicality characteristics for observation systems. (Author/LMO)

This study identified dimensions of classroom control derived from factor analysis of selected classroom process variables, interpreted these dimensions in relation to two contemporary models of classroom control, and explored the relationships between dimensions of control and certain cognitive and affective outcomes. (Author/LMO)

Data drawn from a qualitative study of teachers' perceptions of work stress is presented. Linkages between teacher stress and teacher performance are firmly established. Study data are discussed in terms of the Performance Adaptation Syndrome, a term used to describe the deleterious effects of prolonged work stress on instructional ability.…

A framework for studying teachers' informal expectations in the context of reading education is presented. Social Judgement Theory (SJT) entails an idiographic analysis of various aspects of cues used to form policies and make judgments. (Author/LMO)

A latent-construct causal model of the process of mathematics achievement is presented. When the model was compared between men and women, it was found that mathematics ability and attitudes toward mathematics had stronger effects on mathematics achievement for men than for women. (Author/LMO)

Two explanations of the levels effect in text memory were examined in two experiments. Results supported the predictions of the referential coherence formulation and failed to support the structural height account. (Author/LMO)

The effects of examples used with application adjunct questions on concept learning were evaluated. Results indicated that application adjunct questions did not produce significantly higher performance on criterion questions than no-question treatments. Matched adjunct questions produced higher levels of performance on criterion than unmatched…

Determinants of children's self-perceptions of ability were assessed in 158 second and sixth graders by examining intercorrelations among self-ratings of ability, effort, and conduct and by exploring criteria used for these judgments. Results suggest that children's judgments of ability, effort, and conduct are interrelated but distinguishable.…

This study was conducted to address gaps in the research on gender characteristics of reading materials. Pupils in grades 4, 7, and 11 read four narratives, one for each of four sex role conditions. Neither comprehension nor interest was diminished by the use of sex-fair materials. (Author/LMO)

Effects of course characteristics on student ratings in a variety of instructional situations were examined. Data were collected from 1,777 classes in five departments at all levels of instruction over three years. Overall results confirmed generally accepted trends, but in some departments at particular levels of instruction, relationships varied…

This research examined whether software for preschool and kindergarten children, which was designed in accordance with certain cognitive-developmental principles, would result in better learning compared to software teaching the same content but which did not incorporate such principles. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)