THE EFFECT OF A SPECIAL CURRICULUM FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN ON TEST-RETEST RELIABILITIES OF THREE STANDARDIZED INSTRUMENTS1

Test-retest (stability) reliability coefficients are, by their nature, affected by what has happened to the tested subjects during the period between testings. Similarly, changes in subjects' mean performance will reflect what happened to them in the interim period. In this regard, the relative values of stability coefficients for experimental and control groups are indicative of the relative degree to which an experimental program is able to change the rankings of the students on criteria measures at pre- and posttreatment times. Changes in students' rankings however do not necessarily affect the level of the group's average performance. This study examines the stability reliabilities of three standardized testing instruments used in the evaluation of a special (enriched) curriculum for young disadvantaged children and the changes in their average performance over a 2-year period. Magnitudes in test-retest reliability differences between treatment groups seem to parallel differences in mean scores. Using the stability reliability coefficients as indices, the program discussed in this report seemed to be most effective in producing change in the skills measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. However, significant differences in mean performance between the treatment groups indicates the effectiveness of the program not only in the skills measured by the PPVT but also in those areas measured by the Stanford Binet and the Columbia Mental Maturity Test.     

Disruptive Behaviour in Non-Referred Mainstream School Children,Aged Seven to Nine: A psychophysiological contribution

Data are summarised relating resting heart/pulse rate to teachers' ratings of disruptive behaviour in a sample of 206 non-referred children, aged 7-9 years, attending mainstream schools and not subject to specialist attention. Low base heart rate (BHR) was found to be associated with teachers' ratings of disruptive behaviour, confirming similar earlier research based on children aged 11-16 years. The findings are discussed in relation to psychophysiology and child development and with reference to several theoretical frameworks, identifying the need for further research.     

A Model for Retooling School Counselors

If school counseling is to continue as an ongoing dynamic profession, counselor educators must address their attention to the improvement of practitioner competencies as well as toward counselor preparation. The development of a program designed to accomplish both tasks must be dependent upon the needs of counselors, counselor educators, and considerations emanating from the environments in which they work. The purpose of this paper is to share one educational approach which can facilitate movement toward achievement of these desired needs.     

The Use of University Rankings in the United Kingdom

University league tables and rankings are produced annually in the United Kingdom by the leading "quality" newspapers using statistical data on universities and colleges published each year. The newspapers claim that the up-to-date independent measures which they provide annually on the changing quality of universities are necessary to guide students in choosing universities in which to enroll. Many, however, are skeptical about the accuracy (as opposed to the precision) of the data, where year-to-year movements in the rankings of institutions are as much artifacts of the data and their manipulation as real changes. Prospective students seem not to be strongly influenced by the annual changes in the league table position of a given institution but are influenced more strongly by competition for places and the quality of the learning environment offered by the university.     

The legal responsibilities of the health–care librarian

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