Prediction of Post-High School Destination Choice from Curriculum,Financial Need,and Students’ Rating of Parents’ Wishes for Post-High School Occupation

Data from a survey of 2,431 students attending high schools in Hawaii indicated that students agreed with their parents’ wishes for post-high school occupation. Females tended to choose more academic post-high school destinations than males. An inverse relationship between academic high school curricula and post-high school academic goals was found, probably due to the fact that females were academically upwardly mobile. The need for financial assistance tended to decrease academic aspirations. It was concluded that knowledge of parental values, differences in academic aspirations between males and females, financial need, and a student’s high school curriculum would be valuable in helping students select post-high school destinations.     

Retention period differentially attenuates win–shift/lose–stay relative to win–stay/lose–shift performance in the rat

Hungry rats were trained in a two-lever conditioning chamber to earn food reinforcement according to either a win–shift/lose–stay or a win–stay/lose–shift contingency. Performance on the two contingencies was similar when there was little delay between the initial, information part of the trial (i.e., win or lose) and the choice portion of the trial (i.e., stay or shift with respect to the lever presented in the information stage). However, when a delay between the information and choice portions of the trial was introduced, subjects experiencing the win–shift/lose–stay contingency performed worse than subjects experiencing the alternative contingency. In particular, the lose–stay rule was differentially negatively impacted relative to the other rules. This result is difficult for ecological or response interference accounts to explain.     

Doing what it says on the tin? A psychometric evaluation of the Assessment Experience Questionnaire

The Assessment Experience Questionnaire has been widely used to measure conditions of learning from assessment. It is one of three methods used in the ‘Transforming the Experience of Students through Assessment’ research process, originally funded by the Higher Education Academy to explore programme assessment patterns, and now used extensively in universities in the United Kingdom. Given the growth of assessment and feedback research over the last decade, the Assessment Experience Questionnaire is ripe for revision. Critics have queried its theoretical and statistical robustness. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Assessment Experience Questionnaire, as the first step in the process of strengthening the instrument. Specifically, we examined the validity of the questionnaire with a sample of final year undergraduate students from eight UK universities (n?=?633). Results were mixed, confirming that the questionnaire has some value, but indicating that not all sub-scales possess adequate psychometric properties to underpin confident conclusions. As a result, we have embarked on a process of making conceptual modifications to the Assessment Experience Questionnaire, both to update the theoretical constructs, and to ensure stronger overall validity.     

Teachers’ Ratings,Sex, and SCAT as Predictors of Rank in High School Class

Data from 561 high-school seniors were analyzed using multiple linear regression to determine the independent contribution of each variable to the criterion of rank in class (R). Significant F ratioswere obtained for SCAT V and Q, teachers’ ratings of Accuracy (ACCU), Effort and Industry (E-I), and Reliability and Responsibility (R-R). R-R and ACCU, but not E-I, were found to be significant preditors of SCAT V and SCAT Q. Females were significantly higher than males on R, ACCU, E-I, and R-R and lower on SCAT Q. The data were interpreted as supporting the effectiveness of teachers’ ratings in predicting academic performance in high school. Females’ superior performance on teacher ratings was interpreted as evidence that females conformed more than males to teachers’ expectations.     

Human perceptions of artificial surfaces for field hockey

Measuring the performance of a sports surface is typically derived from a series of field and laboratory tests that assess the playing properties under simulated game conditions. However, from a player’s perspective their own comfort and confidence in the surface and its playing characteristics are equally if not more important. To date no comparative study to measure playing preference tests has been made. The aim of this research was to develop a suitable method for eliciting player perceptions of field hockey pitches and determine the key themes that players consider when assessing field hockey pitches. To elicit meaningful unbiased human perceptions of a playing surface, an individual subjective analysis was carried out, using interviews and inductive analysis of the recorded player statements. A qualitative analysis of elite hockey players (n = 22) was performed to obtain their perceptions immediately after a competitive match. The significant surface characteristics that emerged as part of an inductive analysis of their responses were grouped together and formed five general themes or dimensions: player performance, playing environment, pitch properties, ball interaction and player interaction. Each dimension was formed from a hierarchy of sub-themes. During the analysis, relationships between the dimensions were identified and a structured relationship model was produced to highlight each relationship. Players’ responses suggested that they perceived differences between pitches and that the majority of players considered a ‘hard’ pitch with a ‘low’ ball bounce facilitating a ‘fast’ game speed was desirable. However, further research is required to understand the relative importance of each theme and to develop appropriate measurement strategies to quantify the relevant engineering properties of pitch materials.