Age 26 cost-benefit analysis of the child-parent center early education program

Using data collected up to age 26 in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, this cost-benefit analysis of the Child-Parent Centers (CPC) is the first for a sustained publicly funded early intervention. The program provides services for low-income families beginning at age 3 in 20 school sites. Kindergarten and school-age services are provided up to age 9 (third grade). Findings from a complete cohort of over 1,400 program and comparison group participants indicated that the CPCs had economic benefits in 2007 dollars that exceeded costs. The preschool program provided a total return to society of $10.83 per dollar invested (18% annual return). The primary sources of benefits were increased earnings and tax revenues and averted criminal justice system costs. The school-age program had a societal return of $3.97 per dollar invested (10% annual return). The extended intervention program (4-6 years) had a societal return of $8.24 (18% annual return). Estimates were robust across a wide range of analyses including Monte Carlo simulations. Males, 1-year preschool participants, and children from higher risk families derived greater benefits. Findings provide strong evidence that sustained programs can contribute to well-being for individuals and society.     

The determinants of undergraduate degree performance: How important is gender?

This study uses data drawn from three recent cohorts of undergraduates at the University of Sussex to investigate the key determinants of degree performance. The primary theme of the study is an examination of the gender dimension to degree performance. The average ‘good’ degree rate for female students was found to be superior to the male rate. The modest raw gender differential in first class degree rates favoured women but was found to be attributable to their better endowments, particularly pre-entry qualifications. The largest differential favouring women was in the II:i classification, where almost all of the difference was attributable to differentials in coefficient treatment rather than endowments (or characteristics). The analysis undertaken also allowed the investigation of a number of sub-themes relating to the effects on degree performance of, inter alia, pre-entry qualifications, ethnicity, socio-economic background and health disability. The largest effects were reserved for the role of pre-entry qualifications with more modest effects detected for ethnicity and socio-economic background.     

The Stanford-Binet mental age and the WISC-R test age: A comparison study

The Stanford-Binet and WISC-R were administered to 100 students (CA—6 to 15 years) to determine the comparability of the age equivalent scores obtained from each test. The limited range of test age (TA) values in the WISC-R Manual required the use of extrapolated values for some subjects. The results indicated that, for subjects whose WISC-R scores fell within the TA table, the Binet MAs and WISC-R TAs were comparable (p>.05). However, when the use of extrapolated TAs was required, the scores were not comparable (p<.05). Implications for test age and mental age equivalency were discussed.     

Canonical variates in longitudinal achievement data

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that would explain the observed longitudinal correlations between educational measures commonly secured at the primary and middle grades. Data obtained on two samples of over 300 pupils each were subjected to canonical variate analysis. The canonical correlations and canonical loadings indicated the existence of a single dominant factor between the primary and middle grade data. This factor was interpreted as general scholastic ability, and the results were discussed along with educational implications.     

Performance Support Engineering: An Emerging Development Methodology for Enabling Organizational Learning

This paper discusses an emerging development methodology, Performance Support Engineering, that can be used to design and build performance support systems. It introduces a new model called the Organizational Performance/Learning Cycle that describes the dynamics of the organizational learning process and provides a framework for thinking about the technologies (Ariel 1994) and methodologies that enable that process. The author argues that previous definitions of EPSS were too limited and restricted in their scope and expands on these earlier definitions to take into account this new model of organizational learning. The new dofinition clparly distinguishes EPSS from traditional systems development, which focuses on data, not on knowledge, and from expert systems development, which focuses on knowledge rather than on enabling performance. This new view of EPSS offers a clear opportunity for organizations to recognize the strategic importance of managing their knowledge assets. Most of the current methodologies in use by different functional groups are limited in their capability to enable this model and the expanded definition of EPSS. The author describes how the emerging Performance Support Engineering methodology overcomes those limitations.     

The Determinants of Web Use Within an Economics Principles Course

This article considers the determinants of student access of a specific course Web site from a Principles of Macroeconomics course. As they prepare for the course's in-class exams, students may choose either or both of two Web resource types, a dynamic resource (interactive multiple choice practice exams) or various static resources. The article addresses two related questions. First, we ask whether a given set of characteristics affects the access of these different Web site resources similarly. Second, we explore the influence of certain student characteristics on the student decision to access a given Web resource. In general terms, our findings suggest results that are consistent with existing studies of how students learn. Our results also suggest that a greater diversity of resources will, in fact, elicit wider use of one's course Web site.     

Performance Support Engineering: An Emerging Development Methodology for Enabling Organizational Learning Originally published in 1995, PIQ 8.1

This paper discusses an emerging development methodology, Performance Support Engineering, that can be used to design and build performance support systems. It introduces a new model called the Organizational Performance/Learning Cycle that describes the dynamics of the organizational learning process and provides a framework for thinking about the technologies (Ariel 1994) and methodologies that enable that process. The author argues that previous definitions of EPSS were too limited and restricted in their scope and expands on these earlier definitions to take into account this new model of organizational learning. The new definition clearly distinguishes EPSS from traditional systems development, which focuses on data, not on knowledge, and from expert systems development, which focuses on knowledge rather than on enabling performance. This new view of EPSS offers a clear opportunity for organizations to recognize the strategic importance of managing their knowledge assets. Most of the current methodologies in use by different functional groups are limited in their capability to enable this model and the expanded definition of EPSS. The author describes how the emerging Performance Support Engineering methodology overcomes these limitations.     

The Birth of a New Journal: Editor's Introduction

This article traces several historical landmarks in the development of the burgeoning field of learning environments and shows that the time is ripe for the birth of this new journal. The scope of the new journal is described. A brief overview of the six other articles in this issue is provided.