Technical characteristics of the peabody individual achievement test as a function of item arrangement and basal and ceiling rules

The effects that item order and basal and ceiling rules have on test means, variances, and internal consistency estimates for the PIAT mathematics and reading recognition subtests were examined. Seven items on the math subtest and one item on the reading recognition subtest were significantly easier or harder than their test placement indicated. The use of basal and ceiling rules had a pronounced effect on the means, variances, and reliabilities on the multiple choice math subtest, while the rules' effects on the reading recognition subtests were minor. Item order also affected scores on the math subtest.     

Effects of achievement standards,choice, sex,and educational level on mathematical performance

The study assessed the effects of achievement standards, and choice of such standards, on mathematics performance in conditions where no tangible rewards were presented for reaching such standards. Elementary, junior high, and high school students performed a multiplication task in conditions where they chose standards, had standards imposed by an experimenter, or had no standards. Results demonstrated that high school students worked more multiplication problems when they chose standards than when identical standards were imposed by an experimenter or when no standards were present. Moreover, male students who chose standards worked more problems than did male students who had no standards; this effect was not found for female students.     

Teaching general science through film production

Conclusion Differences in achievement under the two methods in the acquisition of information and in the ability to apply information to novel situations were in favor of the film-presentation method, and were large enough to be significant at the 2 and 5 percent levels of confidence respectively. Therefore, under the conditions of this experiment, joint pupil-teacher film production was not as effective in producing achievement in the learning outcomes measured as the film-presentation method. As regards retention of learning, the experimenter concluded that neither method was superior. It was also found that the film-production method was more costly, and that most pupils preferred it even though they did not always feel that they learned the most science by that method. How effective is the use of student film production for the teaching of content in a subject matter area? This study shows the superiority of conventional film presentation techniques over such joint pupil-teacher film production. Carlton W. H. Erickson is director of the audio-visual center and associate professor of education at the University of Connecticut. The article is based on a doctoral dissertation at the Boston University School of Education, entitled, “The Effectiveness of Joint Pupil-Teacher Motion Picture Production as a Method of Teaching General Science.”