Path analysis is defined for explicitly formulating theory, and for attaching quantitative estimates to causal effects thought to exist on a priori grounds. The four basic kinds of path models are illustrated: (1) recursive; (2) block; (3) block-recursive and (4) nonrecursive. (Author/GDC)

This study investigated the impact of organizational and personality factors on three factors of teacher burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Results with 3,044 elementary, intermediate, and secondary teachers demonstrate that teacher burnout is not a unidimensional construct. (SLD)

The causal role of students' self-efficacy beliefs and academic goals in self-motivated academic attainment was studied for 102 ninth and tenth graders (50 males and 52 females) using path analysis procedures. Perceived efficacy to achieve motivates academic attainment both directly and indirectly by influencing personal goal setting. (SLD)

Perceptions of four reading-disabled middle school students were examined to reveal factors that may have prevented progress in reading. The following were identified as contributors: (1) ineffective use of reading strategies; (2) student perceptions of their reading instruction; (3) reading-related stress; and (4) students' educational histories.…