The purposes of this study were (a) to determine whether the two types of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs at Srinakharinwirot University (SWU), Thailand, made any differences on the students' English skill performances as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); and (b) to determine the relative English language strengths and weaknesses of EFL majors in the faculties of education and humanities. / The subjects were 157 fourth-year EFL majors in the faculties of education and humanities at three SWU campuses, namely, Prasarnmitr, Bangsan, and Songkhla. Eighty-four were from the faculty of education and 73 were from the faculty of humanities. / The independent variable was the EFL program which had two attributes: education EFL program and humanities EFL program. The dependent variables were four elements of the TOEFL score: TOEFL total scores, TOEFL listening comprehension scores, TOEFL structure scores, and TOEFL reading comprehension scores. The two control variables (the covariates in this study) were the student's grade point average in English courses and the number of years the student had studied English. / The hypotheses tested were that there were no significant differences between the mean scores in (a) TOEFL total, (b) TOEFL listening comprehension, (c) TOEFL structure, and (d) TOEFL reading comprehension of the education EFL majors and those of the humanities EFL majors. / Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The .05 alpha level was set as a criterion for the rejection of the hypotheses. / The findings showed that the two EFL programs at SWU did not make significant differences in listening comprehension, structure, or general English skills; but they did make a significant difference in reading comprehension skills. The total TOEFL scores of education EFL majors and humanities EFL majors were 420 and 437, respectively. These scores were below the level required for entry into U.S. and Canadian universities. However, both groups scored highest in language structure and lowest in listening comprehension. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, Section: A, page: 2008. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The purposes of this study were to determine any relationship between (a) the title of the evaluator and the sample population's responses on evaluation utilization; and (b) the style and consistency of the evaluation report and the sample population's responses on evaluation utilization. / Assessment of the evaluation report was concerned with the completeness, the documentation of results, the appropriateness for the target population, the interpretation of results, the language used, and the objectivity of the report. Assessment of the evaluator/report writer was concerned with thoroughness, self-confidence, knowledge of evaluation, credibility, knowledge of bilingual education, practicality, persuasiveness, and objectivity. / The subjects of the study were Title VII bilingual education teachers and administrators. The total sample consisted of 144 subjects selected from bilingual programs in five states (Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York). / A 21-item questionnaire divided into four sections was used to collect data. The first Part of the questionnaire asked for background information, the second part assessed the respondent's acceptance of the evaluation report's recommendations, the third part elicited respondent's reaction to nine characteristics of the evaluation report writer, and the fourth part used a scale to record the respondent's reaction to six characteristics of the evaluation report. / The amount of jargon and data-based statements included in the evaluation reports did influence the reader's ratings of the evaluation reports. Bilingual teachers gave very high ratings to consistently jargon-free and data-free reports while bilingual program administrators gave high ratings to jargon loaded and data loaded reports. These findings have very clear implications for the evaluator who wishes to have his evaluation reports widely accepted. Most importantly, the audience for the report should be carefully considered. Technical reports would be well received by administrators but less so by teachers. Reports free of evaluation jargon and statistical information would be well received by teachers and also administrators. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: A, page: 0073. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

This study was designed to obtain information about the teaching and learning of the basic concepts of fraction using the instructional unit which was developed on the basis of research and revisions introduced as a result of a pilot study. The major questions posed were: (1) How effective is the instructional unit taught in a classroom setting in terms of pupil achievement, retention and transfer? (2) How does achievement of pupils in the instructional unit compare with results from other populations? (3) What are the main difficulties pupils encounter in learning the basic fraction concepts? (4) What revision should be made in the instructional unit as a result of this study? / It is generally agreed that there is a need to provide children with more experience with the fundamental interpretations of fractions and their representations in concrete situation before going on to their more formal aspects. On examining the different interpretations and representations of fractions, it seems that the very basic concept of fraction is that it is a part of a continuous whole. Thus there is a need to develop and test curricula dealing with this stage of the fraction development using the part - whole interpretation. / The Unit was taught to two second grade classes (68 pupils in all) at an elementary school in Tallahassee. The classes were taught by two classroom teachers. Nine lessons were taught, one per day, each lasting between 30 to 45 minutes. Achievement measures included a posttest, a retention test, and a transfer test. A pretest was also given. / T-test was used to test the hypotheses of the study. Item and category analyses were used to identify the major difficulties encounterd by students. / The children has the most difficulty with the following: (1) Identifying a unit among many units. (2) Applying fractions to number line. (3) Comparison of fractions using symbols. / Recommendations for revisions of the Unit were made. / In conclusion the Unit is an effective instrument for instruction and can be used with success in classroom. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-09, Section: A, page: 2538. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

This study explored the effectiveness of three types of adjunct questions incorporated in a print-based lesson on statistical rules. Subjects--80 graduate students at San Jose State University in California--were randomly assigned to one of four instructional conditions, defined by the type of questions included. Questions were designed to support either context activation, expectancy clarification, or cognitive strategy activation. / Dependent variables included total posttest score as well as scores on three subcategories of interpretation and calculation questions. Moderating variables considered in the study included the number of adjunct questions answered correctly and the amount of time spent completing the instruction. / Neither type of adjunct question improved overall criterion performance in comparison to the control condition. Control subjects did complete the instruction more quickly than most other subjects (F (3, 69) = 8.00, p $<$.001). A moderate correlation between the number of adjunct questions that collective subjects in adjunct question conditions adequately answered and posttest performance also emerged (r (52) =.434, p $<$.01). / Results support the view that the number of adjunct questions answered appears to positively correlate with the quality of criterion performance. Overall, however, adjunct questions as employed in the study do not appear to support encoding and learning. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-06, Section: A, page: 2012. / Major Professor: Walter W. Wager. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

The purpose of this study was to examine the cumulative effects of incremental practice on the retention of mathematical rules. Fifty-four fifth grade students were instructed by the same instructor over a three week period of time in the addition and subtraction of fractions. Students were ranked and paired according to standardized mathematics scores from the California Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills test. / Members of each pair were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups, one consisting of daily practice problems reflective of the skills taught that day (nonincremental) and the other, daily practice problems reflective of skills taught since the first day of the instructional unit (incremental). A unit posttst was administered immediately following the instructional unit and a delayed retention test was administered two weeks later. / An Analysis of Covariance indicated that the use of incremental practice had no significant effect on student performance on either the immediate posttest or the delayed retention test. The entry skills test covariate accounted for most of the explained variance. / There were no significant differences in attitude toward mathematics as a result of the treatment. However, results of a Multiple Regression Analysis indicated that the use of incremental practice produced more favorable attitudes toward mathematics for students with low entry skills that the use of nonincremental practice. / Results also indicated a significant relation between the degree to which students maintained previously learned skills and how well they performed on both the immediate posttest and the delayed retention test. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, Section: A, page: 0372. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

The present study was designed to identify the best single measure of prior knowledge and the best linear combination of measures of prior knowledge that predicts best student achievement for the verbal information and intellectual skills domains. Rothkopf's model of instruction was used as the theoretical framework for this investigation. Five measures of prior knowledge were considered: (1) number of science courses taken (NC), (2) grade point average in science courses (GPA), (3) free-association test scores (ASSO), (4) vocabulary test scores (VOC), and (5) prior achievement test scores (PA). Results from post-test scores in a lesson on Mechanics were used as the dependent variable. Eighty-four twelfth graders from Florida State University Developmental Research School were the subjects for this study. Regression techniques were used for analyzing the data. / The results indicate that the prior achievement test (PA) was the best single predictor of prior knowledge for the verbal information and intellectual skills domains as well as the best predictor of total student performance. The results of the other four measures differ depending on the learning outcome considered. While ASSO, VOC, and GPA accounted for a significant amount of explained variance in verbal information, it was only GPA that did so for intellectual skills. / A linear combination of measures of prior knowledge was determined: for the verbal information PA, ASSO, and VOC was used; PA and GPA for intellectual skills; and PA, GPA and VOC for the total student performance. / General measures of prior knowledge (NC and GPA), were compared with specific ones (PA, ASSO, and VOC). Specific measures accounted for a significantly greater amount of variance than general measures in verbal information and total student performance. The difference in explained variance favoring specific measures was small (1.92%) in the intellectual skills domain. / Rothkopf's model of instruction, as defined in this study, accounted for a significant amount of variance in all three types of student performance investigated. However, two of the variables considered, disparity and covert mathemagenic activities, accounted for an insignificant amount of explained variance. Instruction-relevant experience--prior knowledge--was found to be the most important factor affecting student achievement. This result is in accordance with what theory suggests. The implications of the findings and future research areas are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, Section: A, page: 0369. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of five variations in the location of meaningful illustrations in relation to their referent text on immediate recall and retention of verbal information and concrete concepts, on time to completion of the instruction, and on students' opinions about the instructional materials, the subject matter, and their own performance. / The bases for the conceptual framework for the study was the information-processing model of Robert M. Gagne and research on the functions of pictures in text. / Assessment instruments were an immediate posttest, a parallel delayed retention test, and an opinionnaire. Covariates were standardized reading test scores; time, in minutes, to completion of the instruction; and, for analysis of retention test scores, immediate posttest scores. / The study was conducted in two phases--a pilot study and the experiment. Data from 45 fifth-grade students in two intact classrooms were analyzed for the pilot study. Data from 291 fifth-grade students in twelve intact classrooms were examined for the experiment. / Analysis of covariance resulted in no significant differences in the effects of the five illustration placements on total immediate posttest scores, total delayed retention test scores, the subparts of verbal information scores and concrete concepts scores on the two tests, or on the time taken to completion of instruction. Chi-square analysis of response frequencies on each of the ten items of the opinionnaire revealed no significant differences among the five treatment groups for any item. The covariates accounted for most of the explained variance in the analyses of covariance. / This study provided a theoretical basis for research in the use of pictures in text, but did not add to the body of research on which the decisions of graphic and instructional designers about the use of pictures in text should be based. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, Section: A, page: 0368. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

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