The relationship of the WISC-R and WRAT: A study based upon a selected population

So as to compare predicted achievement based upon WISC-R IQs and observed achievement by the WRAT standard scores, both instruments were administered by the same school psychologist to 282 urban students referred for psychological evaluation. The correlations obtained, even on this nonrandom population, were substantial, significant (p < .001), and should be useful to school psychologists in statistically relating intelligence test scores to school achievement.     

A comparison of the WISC and WISC-R

So as to compare the results of the WISC and WISC-R, both instruments were administered to 58 children randomly selected from a school population of 583. All administration and scoring was performed by the same psychologist, with a two-month interval separating the administrations for each child. All IQs were significantly higher (p <.01) on the WISC, with the Performance difference being greater than the verbal difference. Also, 8 of the 10 required subtest scaled scores were significantly greater (p <.05) on the older instrument. Regression equations were obtained to predict WISC-R IQs from WISC scores.     

Teacher as token dispenser: Effect of an observer

Data were collected on rate per minute of administering token reinforcement for one male and six female teachers enrolled in a behavior modification course. Data were obtained from record cards maintained by pupils for tokens received during an observer-present condition and for an observer-absent condition. Comparison of reinforcement rates for observer-present vs. absent indicated significantly higher rates of token delivery (p <.025) in the observer-present condition. The observer effect has important implications for those programs in which assessment procedures introduce an observer into the classroom to collect data on changes in teacher behavior.     

An Analysis of Some New Statistical Methods for Selecting Test Items

In this study, the relationship between student affective performance and classroom physical environment, social climate, and management style were investigated in a sample of classes in Hong Kong primary schools. The results of Pearson and canonical correlation analyses indicated that among the measures of classroom environment, perceived quality of physical environment and class master's expert power, personal power, and coercive power were the strongest predictors of affective performance. This finding supports the importance of class master's management style in the classroom environment. Students' attitudes toward school and teachers appeared to be most sensitive to variation in the classroom environment, and self-concept was the least sensitive among the seven student affective measures. Students' self-efficacy of learning and intention to drop out were moderately sensitive to classroom environment. Profiles of effective and ineffective classroom environments were also mapped. In effective classrooms, class masters care for students, pay attention to teaching, do not use force or punishment but do create a good classroom climate with their professional knowledge, personal morality, and personality. Physical environment and psychological environment are both important; a good classroom environment is highly correlated with student affective performance.