Comparison of the General Ability Measure for Adults and the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test with college students

Ninety‐four college students were administered the GAMA and KAIT. GAMA IQs were significantly and moderately correlated with KAIT Fluid, Crystallized and Composite IQs, supporting the convergent validity of this instrument. Although significant correlations between measures emerged and nonsignificant differences were found between mean scores across these instruments, GAMA IQ scores did not accurately predict KAIT Composite IQ scores when GAMA IQ scores were compared to KAIT Composite IQs. Similarly, when the sample was divided into two groups by ability level, GAMA IQs accurately estimated the intelligence for individuals of Average and Below Average intelligence, but underestimated the KAIT Composite IQ scores by 4 points for the Above Average group. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. © 2002, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An examination of the CTONI utilizing Gc‐Gf theory: A comparison of the CTONI and WJ‐III

The present investigation examined the validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) with the Woodcock‐Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ‐III COG) by administering these instruments in counterbalanced order to 60 college students. Results indicated that the mean CTONI NIQ score was not significantly different from the mean WJ‐III COG General Intellectual Ability (GIA) score. However, mean score differences were found between the CTONI NIQ and the WJ‐III COG Verbal Ability, Thinking Ability, Comprehension‐Knowledge, and Fluid Reasoning cluster scores. Although the correlations between the CTONI and the WJ‐III COG cluster scores were generally of small magnitude, the CTONI Geometric Nonverbal IQ composite score demonstrated construct specificity, whereas the CTONI Pictorial Nonverbal IQ scale did not. The implications of the findings are discussed and practitioners are asked to use caution when using this instrument to assess the fluid reasoning abilities of college students. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A longitudinal study of state government homepage accessibility in Maryland and the role of web page templates for improving accessibility

It is well documented that government agencies, at all levels, continue to have problems ensuring that government web sites follow laws related to web accessibility for people with disabilities. Although there are a number of published studies on government web accessibility that are point-in-time, there are no published studies consisting of a longitudinal analysis of state-level government web site accessibility. This paper contributes to the research literature in three ways: 1) an accessibility inspection of 25 Maryland state government homepages in 2012 which involved 150 human inspections of web pages, 2) a comparison of the results from 2012 to a similar accessibility evaluation in 2009, and 3) a discussion of the role of a web page template, which was introduced in Maryland state government shortly after the 2009 evaluation. The data from this longitudinal evaluation leads to the conclusion that web page templates do tend to result in more accessible sites within state government.     

Do Technological and Course‐Related Variables Impact Undergraduates’ Perceived Favorability and Willingness to Recommend Online/Hybrid Business Courses?

Lower teaching evaluations can affect students’ willingness to recommend an online course. To maintain online course quality, it is important to keep the “integrity” of a course, that is, offer to the extent possible, the same content and learning outcomes in an online course as the face‐to‐face (F2F) equivalent. This study explored the impact of background, technological, and course‐related variables on perceived favorability of online (versus F2F) courses and willingness to recommend courses using two independent “mixed course format” samples of business undergraduates, that is, simultaneously taking online/hybrid and F2F courses. Participants were recruited based on their enrollment in at least one online or hybrid course. A complete data sample of 259 students filled out an online survey in the Fall 2015 semester, followed by a second independent sample of 269 students in the Spring 2016 semester. Hierarchical regression results showed that after controlling for background variables, one course‐related variable (instructor effectiveness) and one technological‐related (perceived ease of use) consistently explained perceived favorability of online (versus F2F) courses across both samples. For the willingness to recommend courses, after controlling for background variables, both course‐related variables (instructor effectiveness and student motivation) and the perceived favorability of the online course were each significant across both samples.     

Static and dynamic single leg postural control performance during dual-task paradigms

Combining dynamic postural control assessments and cognitive tasks may give clinicians a more accurate indication of postural control under sport-like conditions compared to single-task assessments. We examined postural control, cognitive and squatting performance of healthy individuals during static and dynamic postural control assessments in single- and dual-task paradigms. Thirty participants (female = 22, male = 8; age = 20.8 ± 1.6 years, height = 157.9 ± 13.0 cm, mass = 67.8 ± 20.6 kg) completed single-leg stance and single-leg squat assessments on a force plate individually (single-task) and concurrently (dual-task) with two cognitive assessments, a modified Stroop test and the Brooks Spatial Memory Test. Outcomes included centre of pressure speed, 95% confidence ellipse, squat depth and speed and cognitive test measures (percentage of correct answers and reaction time). Postural control performance varied between postural control assessments and testing paradigms. Participants did not squat as deep and squatted slower (P < 0.001) during dual-task paradigms (≤12.69 ± 3.4 cm squat depth, ≤16.20 ± 4.6 cm · s^?1 squat speed) compared to single-task paradigms (14.57 ± 3.6 cm squat depth, 19.65 ± 5.5 cm · s^?1 squat speed). The percentage of correct answers did not change across testing conditions, but Stroop reaction time (725.81 ± 59.2 ms; F_2,58 = 7.725, P = 0.001) was slowest during single-leg squats compared to baseline (691.64 ± 80.1 ms; P = 0.038) and single-task paradigms (681.33 ± 51.5 ms; P < 0.001). Dynamic dual-task assessments may be more challenging to the postural control system and may better represent postural control performance during dynamic activities.     

Speaking Personally—With Susan C. Aldridge

Researchers conducted a national survey of administrators at doctorate-granting universities to determine the current status of institutional policies and practices related to the organization and governance of online courses, faculty incentives to develop and teach online, and course ownership. Survey results document a wide variation in policies and practices, yet they also identify common practices. About 82% of the universities gave extra pay to faculty to develop online courses, and 94% provided campus-based faculty development workshops or training on online education. The large majority of institutions hired professional course designers (84%) and provided technical assistance to students (86%). Another 84% had an intellectual property policy in place or were developing one, and 77% shared revenues from online courses with academic colleges, schools, or departments. Although these practices existed on campuses, they were not always instituted campuswide. The researchers found statistically significant relationships for a number of faculty incentives and support services and faculty willingness to be involved in online education.     

Doing more with less: the impact of lexicon on dual-language learners’ writing

Dual-language learner (DLL) children typically learn to write while still learning English, with vocabulary appearing to be a particularly vulnerable domain. This study investigates how a reduced English lexicon impacts English writing in DLL children. Participants were 100 Spanish-speaking DLLs and 100 of their monolingual classmates in first through fourth grades. Children were administered standardized tests of decoding and vocabulary and a written narrative task. Narratives were analyzed for productivity, complexity, and accuracy. DLL children performed comparably to monolingual children on productivity and complexity measures. However, they differed in measures of orthographic, lexical, and morphological accuracy. They also differed in vocabulary scores. When controlling for differences in vocabulary, no differences between the DLL and monolingual groups in accuracy were found. In addition, the DLL children used a greater proportion of literate language features in their texts than the monolinguals did. The results suggest that improving DLL children’s vocabulary would improve their writing in multiple areas. The possibility of a DLL advantage in literate language is addressed in the context of the children’s need to regularly switch between their home and school languages.     

Building Capacity for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics: A Case Study at Georgia College

The Georgia College mathematics department has reimagined its major requirements to integrate meaningful undergraduate research experiences. We have developed and implemented a multi-year action plan to transform our major. In this article we discuss how the department has developed and implemented a year-long research experience as a capstone requirement. We address how we gained faculty and student buy-in, built a curriculum to support the experience, and developed assessment and evaluation tools. We conclude with a discussion of challenges and next steps in the program.     

College student performance on the general ability measure for adults and the wechsler intelligence scale for adults‐third edition

This study examined the concurrent validity of the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA¹; Naglieri & Bardos, 1997) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Third Edition (WAIS‐III; Wechsler, 1997). Sixty college students were administered both instruments in counterbalanced order. A comparison of the mean scores on the GAMA and WAIS‐III indicated that the sample obtained similar GAMA and WAIS‐III PIQ scores. In contrast, the sample's mean GAMA IQ score was significantly lower than the sample's mean FSIQ and VIQ scores. Although the GAMA IQ score was positively correlated with all WAIS‐III IQ and Index scores, this new instrument was more clearly associated with visual‐spatial reasoning, as defined by the WAIS‐III PIQ. The GAMA's accuracy in predicting performance on the WAIS‐III FSIQ and PIQ also was examined, with the GAMA underestimating WAIS‐III FSIQ and PIQ scores for participants falling within the Superior and Very Superior range of intellectual functioning. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.