Course ratings as measures of instructional effectiveness

This study assesses the validity of instructor ratings as measures of instructional effectiveness. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between ratings of classroom practices, instructor characteristics and student commitment to the course and an overall rating of the instructor. Sixty-four percent of the variance in instructor ratings could be explained by variance in students' ratings for eleven course-related items. It was concluded that variance in instructor ratings reflected variance in classroom and instructional practices.     

Cognitive and perceptual measures as predictors of fourth-grade achievement

This study used a multivariate approach and longitudinal design to examine the relationship of early perceptual and cognitive development to later school achievement. The extent to which a set of 4th-grade achievement measures could be predicted from a set of variables collected when the students were in first grade was determined through a series of canonical and multiple correlation analyses. These results were compared to results of an earlier phase of the study. Similarities between the two phases indicated that: (a) A measure of visual perception added significantly to the prediction of achievement afforded by consideration of sex and academic aptitude. (b) The variables used to predict achievement may differ somewhat between boys and girls. (c) The usefulness of sex as a predictor of school achievement depends upon the specific achievement area under consideration. Differences in the two phases involved the extent to which sex was a predictor of a specific achievement area.     

Two readiness measures as predictors of first and third-grade reading achievement

Multiple-regression procedures were used to assess the effectiveness of the ABC Inventory and the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) in predicting first and third-grade reading achievement. Sex and chronological age were included in the first-grade analysis (N = 62) and the first-grade PMA intelligence test score was added to the equation in predicting third-grade reading (N = 65). MRT performance accounted for 11% of the variance in first-grade SRA reading scores (R = .34). In predicting third-grade reading, the MRT accounted for 26% of the variance and the PMA IQ scores accounted for an additional 6% (final multiple R = .57). No other predictor made a significant contribution to explaining variance in first or third-grade reading achievement.     

A study of two measures of spatial ability as predictors of success in different levels of general chemistry

Preliminary data (Bodner and McMillen, 1986) suggested a correlation between spatial ability and performance in a general chemistry course for science and engineering majors. This correlation was seen not only on highly spatial tasks such as predicting the structures of ionic solids (r = 0.29), but also on tasks such as multiple-choice stoichiometry questions (r = 0.32) that might not be expected to involve spatial skills. To further investigate the relationship between spatial ability and performance in introductory chemistry courses, two spatial tests were given to 1648 students in a course for science and engineering majors (Carter, 1984) and 850 students in a course for students from nursing and agriculture (La-Russa, 1985) at Purdue. Scores on the spatial tests consistently contributed a small but significant amount to success on measures of performance in chemistry. Correlations were largest, however, for subscores that grouped questions that tested problem solving skills rather than rote memory or the application of simple algorithms, and correlations were also large for verbally complex questions thaty required the students to disembed and restructure relevant information.     

Faculty ratings as a measure of departmental and administrator quality

This study examined the usefulness of faculty ratings as a measure of departmental quality. Two hundred and thirty-three faculty members from six departments responded to two questionnaires relating to the department—the Department Evaluation Survey (DES)—and to the department head—the Administrator Evaluation Survey (AES). A factor analysis of the DES revealed three underlying dimensions: Satisfaction with the Department's Academic Environment, Satisfaction with the Department's Governance and Operating Procedures, and Satisfaction with Student Quality. The factor analysis of the AES identified only one underlying dimension. Both the DES and AES were found to be highly reliable and effective in discriminating among departments. Very high positive correlations were also found between selacted DES and AES items suggesting that the performance of the head plays a very important role in faculty perceptions of the departments, and vice versa. Faculty ratings would appear to be a useful initial criterion in evaluating a department or head.     

Executive functions as predictors of math learning disabilities

In the past years, an increasing number of studies have investigated executive functions as predictors of individual differences in mathematical abilities. The present longitudinal study was designed to investigate whether the executive functions shifting, inhibition, and working memory differ between low achieving and typically achieving children and whether these executive functions can be seen as precursors to math learning disabilities in children. Furthermore, the predictive value of working memory ability compared to preparatory mathematical abilities was examined. Two classifications were made based on (persistent) mathematical ability in first and second grade. Repeated measures analyses and discriminant analyses were used to investigate which functions predicted group membership best. Group differences in performance were found on one inhibition and three working memory tasks. The working memory tasks predicted math learning disabilities, even over and above the predictive value of preparatory mathematical abilities.     

Teaching effectiveness as measured by student ratings and instructor self-evaluation

The present study is designed to evaluate teaching effectiveness based on effective teacher behaviors. Operationally, it is measured by assessing levels of agreement between perceptions of instructors and students on reported employment rates and rated ability for specific instructional behavior attributes. Individually-based and organizationally-based factors are incorporated in the study for a possible contribution to teaching effectiveness variance. Findings indicate a lack of agreement between perceptions on abstract instructional attributes but that agreement exists for attributes of a concrete nature. Analysis suggests that individually-based and organizationally-based factors do not contribute to agreement variance.     

Selected short-term memory tests as predictors of reading readiness

Three standardized measures of short-term memory (STM) were compared to determine their relative efficacy in predicting reading achievement for primary grade students (n = 36) over a two-year time period. Regression analyses revealed that not all of the STM tests were significant (p < .05) predictors of reading. Moreover, predictive power varied as a function of the reading skill assessed (e.g., decoding or comprehension) and the grade placement of the student. A letter sequences test was found to be the task most frequently associated with reading performance. A memory-for-sentences task also showed a significant relationship to certain aspects of reading. However, a word sequences test was found not to be predictive of reading achievement. Implications for test selection and remedial planning are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reasoning and working memory as predictors of school grades

The present paper contributes to individual difference research in the field of working memory (WM) and reasoning and their contribution to the prediction of real-life criteria. Therefore, a broad WM test battery, a well-established measure of reasoning, and school grades were applied. It is argued that abilities as assessed with the WM component coordination are relevant for good performances at school, especially for science courses. The verbal task of the WM component storage in the context of processing was assumed to be relevant for the prediction of performance in language courses. As expected, reasoning turned out to be the best predictor of school grades. However, it was also confirmed that variance shared by coordination and reasoning can explain school performance, especially as concerns science courses. The verbal storage in the context of processing task significantly accounted for variance in language courses above and beyond reasoning. Thus, the present study provided further insights into the differential validity of different WM components.     

Personality traits and abilities as predictors of academic achievement

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the respective effects of cognitive abilities and personality traits on academic achievement. The subjects were 141 sixth-grade French adolescents (mean age: 12) who took three cognitive tests (g factor, numerical ability, and spatial ability) and answered a personality questionnaire based on the Big Five Model. Path analyses indicated that Openness-intellect had an effect on junior high school achievement in all disciplines, with most effects being indirect ones mediated by verbal achievement (French). Neuroticism-anxiety also had an effect, although not as marked and mainly on mathematics. Personality is complementary to abilities in predicting academic achievement. Possible conceptual extensions and field applications are addressed in the conclusion.     

Tutor and tutee characteristics as predictors of tutorial outcomes

A peer tutoring program in spelling was developed to investigate the effects of several tutor and tutee characteristics on tutorial outcomes, amount of learning and learning efficiency. Examination of the data reveals that only the tutee's pretutorial spelling score was a significant predictor of the amount of learning.     

The Aerial View of Parnassus (Literature as Objective Knowledge)

People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate. (James Baldwin)     

相似性:政论文中四字结构的翻译旨归

四字结构的特点使其在英译时,英语无法在结构上与其对应,政论文中四字结构的翻译说明了这一点。因此,在这类文本翻译中本文强调:译者以期在尽量考虑目标语读者接受习惯的同时,最大程度的提高目标语文本与源语文本的相似性。     

A description of effective college teaching in five disciplines as measured by student ratings

Student rating of teachers in five disciplines (science and math, education, social sciences, humanities, and business) were analyzed to determine which teacher attributes were important in predicting ratings of teaching effectiveness. Rating results from 1,439 courses taught at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale from 1973 to 1974 were used as data for this study. The results indicated that the instructor attributes rated as characteristic of effective instruction were highly consistent across disciplines, and the effective instructor was described as (1) knowing when students understood him, (2) increasing students' appreciation of the subject matter, (3) answering impromptu questions satisfactorily, (4) achieving the objectives of the course, and (5) giving several examples to explain complex topics.     

Differential relationships between RAN performance,behaviour ratings,and executive function measures: Searching for a double dissociation

Abstract. In this study, we investigated the relationships between rapid naming of letters, digits and colours, and reading ability and executive function. We gave fifty-six grade three and four children rapid automatised naming tasks using letters and digits as stimuli, executive function measures including the Stroop task, a working memory task and the Trailmaking B task. The latter three tasks were used as measures of executive function. We also administered tests of verbal ability, reading and a behaviour checklist. The rapid naming of letters and digits was significantly correlated with reading, but not with executive function or behaviour ratings. The rapid naming of colours (from the Stroop task) was significantly correlated with the executive function tasks and the behaviour ratings but not with reading. We discuss the implications of this double dissociation for further studies of RAN.     

Decoding strategies as predictors of reading skill: A follow-on study

A follow-on study was conducted on first- and third-grade children who were tested on the Word Identification subtest of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test. Errors were phonetically transcribed and proportions of total errors were assigned to one of four strategy types based upon the type of decoding analysis: whole word, part word, and either probable (legal) or improbable (illegal) phonetic decoding. The type of strategy employed was highly correlated with concurrent reading test scores and predicted 30 to 37% of the variance in word recognition 19 months later. Use of phonetic decoding was a strong positive predictor and whole word decoding a negative predictor at both first and third grade. Part word decoding became a negative predictor at third grade. Nearly all children used more than one strategy and there was a developmental trend to shift to a phonetic strategy. But this shift was not inevitable and had not occurred for 31% of the children at the close of the study. Children who stayed with the most inefficient strategies had significantly higher vocabulary scores and equivalent phonemic processing ability when compared to readers with more efficient decoding strategies.     

Testing interest and self-efficacy as predictors of academic self-regulation and achievement

We examined whether individual interest, as an affective motivational variable, could predict academic self-regulation and achievement, above and beyond what academic self-efficacy predicted. We tested the relationships between academic self-efficacy, individual interest, grade goals, self-regulation, and achievement of Korean middle school students (N = 500) in four different subject areas. Consistent with previous findings, self-efficacy predicted achievement both directly and indirectly via grade goals. Self-efficacy also predicted self-regulation, but only when grade goals mediated the relationship. Supporting our hypothesis, individual interest functioned as a correlated yet independent and direct predictor of self-regulation. It also predicted achievement, but only when self-regulation mediated the relationship. We thus suggest that academic self-regulation could be encouraged through the promotion of two distinct motivational sources, academic self-efficacy and individual interest. We further suggest that the pathways linking individual interest to academic self-regulation and achievement may differ from those linking academic self-efficacy to the same variables.     

Some cues rats can use as predictors of danger and safety

Learning & Behavior - Twenty-one thirsty rats were first trained to drink water from a tube 5 min per day. Then, six brief shocks were presented with an FI 45-sec schedule with (Group Sig) and...