This study was designed to investigate the usefulness of the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) program as a nontraditional tool for identification of giftedness in educationally disadvantaged students. Twenty-three HOTS students were studied. The comparison group consisted of eight students. This study used the quasi-experimental pre-posttest design. Pre and post tests of the Cognitive Abilities Test (Cog AT) were administered to both groups. The HOTS group was given the Woodcock Johnson Psych-educational Battery: Part One (W-J) and rated on a teacher's checklist before and after treatment. Treatment consisted of sixty hours of HOTS instruction. The t Test for dependent samples was used to analyze all the data to determine any significant gains. Significant growth was noted with the HOTS group in the quantitative and Nonverbal areas as well as in all the W-J subtests. The HOTS program is useful in advancing students' thinking skills in a short period of time. Further research is warranted to determine if greater gains would be achieved through a larger sampling and longer study.

The purpose of the study was to examine the factor structure of the Social Skills Scale of the Social Skills Rating System-Parent (SSRS-P) (Gresham & Elliott, 1990) on a group of Navajo American parents. The SSRS-P Social Skills Scale was administered to a parent or a close relative of 218 Navajo children aged five through 8 years to assess children's social skills at home setting. The four-factor structure of the scale administered Gresham and Elliott (1990) was tested on this data using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The estimation results demonstrated that the four-factor structure was not supported by the data. Modifications to the four-factor structure models resulted in five factors. The estimation results indicated that the five factors fit the data very well, suggesting that the factor structure of the scale may differ for this population.

The reliability and validity of a new self-assessment questionnaire was evaluated. Fifty-five college freshmen with learning disabilities (SALT) and 55 freshmen with no learning disabilities (Control) rated their abilities using a Likert scale in 15 subscales (Writing, Spelling, Reading, Note Taking, Attention, Memory, Spatial Abilities, Mathematics, Cognitive Abilities, Social Relations, Study Habits, Motor Skills, Language, Processing Time, and Impact). The test-retest stability coefficient and the internal consistency proved the questionnaire to be reliable. Concurrent validity was examined by correlating the 15 subscales with the WAIS-R. Associations were found in the Writing, Attention, Memory, and Mathematics subscales. Construct validity was examined via t-test comparisons of the SALT and Control groups' mean scores on the subscales. The two groups rated themselves significantly different in abilities in 13 of 15 subscales (all but Social Relations and Study Habits), demonstrating that the questionnaire can discriminate between SALT and Control groups in these areas.

<p>Research has shown that there is a strong link between reading comprehension and vocabulary, yet many children lack the required vocabulary needed to perform adequately on reading comprehension assessments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the teaching of Larry Bell&rsquo;s 12 Powerful Words vocabulary program in order to raise third, fourth and fifth grade test scores on the North Carolina Reading Comprehension End-of-Grade Assessments. This study surveyed third, fourth and fifth grade teachers concerning their beliefs of the efficacy of this vocabulary program, surveyed third, fourth and fifth grade students to determine their knowledge of these 12 words, and tallied the occurrence of these 12 words on formative and summative assessments administered within the district. A regression analysis was performed to determine if there was a relationship between teachers&rsquo; perceptions and student performance on the North Carolina Reading Comprehension End-of-Grade Assessments. Results of the regression analysis showed no significant relationship between teachers&rsquo; beliefs of the value of teaching these 12 words and students&rsquo; mean scores across 12 years of third, fourth and fifth grade North Carolina Reading Comprehension End-of-Grade Assessments in the district of study. Results of the word searches indicate that only five of these 12 words occurred frequently enough to impact reading assessments. An implication of this study is that teaching and learning a short list of vocabulary words may not result in higher scores on reading comprehension assessments. </p>

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of cultural bias in essay topics on non-native speaker (NNS) undergraduate writing performance. To do this, this study uses the essay subsection of Florida's College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). Motivation for this study came from: (a) a call for research in this area; (b) evidence that racial/ethnic minority groups perform inconsistently on the CLAST essay exam, while White Non-Hispanics demonstrate consistent pass rates across administrations; and (c) evaluations of prior CLAST essay topics that show that some CLAST topics are culturally biased. / In order to determine whether cultural bias in essay topics affects NNS writing performance, other factors that influence writing proficiency were controlled for in the sample selection process and in the research design: the reader, the writer, the task, and the scoring procedure. Each of the 56 subjects in this study was assigned either a culturally biased or culture fair essay topic at random. The mean score of the culturally biased group (n = 29) was then compared to the mean score of the culture-fair group (n = 27). The results of both the parametric and nonparametric statistical tests led to the rejection of the null hypothesis at the 95 percent level of confidence or higher. / The findings of this study are consistent with the alternative hypothesis which states that on average, NNSs produce better writing scores on culture-fair essay topics than on culturally biased essay topics. Thus, if some CLAST exams contain culturally biased essay topics, while some contain culture-fair essay topics, this inconsistency may explain the observed inconsistencies in the pass rates of racial/ethnic minority groups. If exams are not culture-fair, they may not provide equal opportunities for all examinees to achieve a passing score. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: A, page: 0890. / Co-Major Professors: Frederick L. Jenks; Elizabeth Platt. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This study was designed to investigate problems of perceptual biases in needs assessment data from different sources, to demonstrate a methodology for addressing biases, and to determine the relationship of teaching experience and length of training to perceived safety program needs. The sample consisted of 10 administrators, 44 technical instructors, and 92 technical teacher students. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data was analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), and multivariate regression. The safety program needs identified by the three groups of respondents were integrated and prioritized by using the Multiattribute Utility Analysis (MAUA). / The following were the study findings and conclusions: (a) Administrators, instructors, and students perceived considerably high safety program needs at Medan technical Teacher Upgrading Center Medan. (b) The perceptions of safety program needs between administrators, instructors, and students were different. (c) Administrators perceived higher needs than did instructors for safety programs that affected the general appearance of the center. (d) Instructors perceived higher needs than did administrators for safety programs that affected every day operations of the center. (e) Instructors' perceptions regarding safety program needs were positively related to their length of technical training. (f) Teaching experience was not linearly related to perceptions of safety program needs. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0493. / Major Professor: Garrett R. Foster. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purposes of this study were to: (1) develop a model for identifying learner attitudes that correlate significantly with learners' posttest performance; (2) demonstrate the predictive validity of the model; and (3) examine the relationship between twenty instructional attitudes and learners' acquisition of intellectual skills and verbal information. / To achieve these purposes, attitude measures, based on the model, were administered to two sections of an introductory educational psychology class. Performance tests and the attitude measures were administered at midterm and at the end of the semester. Two sets of hypotheses and twenty research questions were posited to examine the relationship between learner attitudes and performance. Results indicated that the learner attitudes posited by the Instructional Attitude Model were not related to their posttest performance. Although some significant correlations were found, the lack of consistent findings either across the two samples or between midterm and final scores failed to support the research hypotheses and the predictive validity of the model. / However, two patterns emerged from the data. Significant correlations were found predominately on the relevance or confidence scales of the attitude measure and when the attitude and performance measures were administered to Section One students at the end of the semester. The practical and theoretical implications of the research findings are discussed in relation to the proposed model. Limitations of the study are then described followed by suggestions for future research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-02, Section: A, page: 0491. / Major Professor: John Keller. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of this study was to use Everett Rogers' Innovation-Decision Process model as a basis for examining Level Four (Business Results) evaluation practices to gain greater insight into Level Four evaluation and to determine the adequacy of the model to explain the adoption status of Level Four evaluation. Specifically, this study examined (1) knowledge level of Level Four evaluation, (2) perceptions of the innovation attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, observability, trialability, and complexity) of Level Four evaluation, (3) extent of adoption of Level Four evaluation, and (4) the applicability of Rogers' hypothesized relationship between innovation attributes and extent of adoption for Level Four evaluation. / This study's sample was 315 training evaluators and training directors/manager/coordinators who were members of the National Society for Performance and Instruction (NSPI). Data were obtained using a 39 item mailed survey instrument and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. / Results indicated that 85.2% of the training professionals possessed sufficient knowledge of Level Four evaluation to consider it for adoption. Additionally, results showed that the overall extent of use of Level Four evaluation is quite low with the majority of training organizations (78.4%) either not using or only considering or experimenting with Level Four evaluation. Hypothesis testing revealed that Rogers' hypothesized relationship between five innovation attributes and extent of Level Four adoption was not supported (alpha =.05). However, the results did show a significant positive relationship between compatibility and trialability with Level Four evaluation adoption and a significant negative relationship between observability and Level Four evaluation adoption. Additionally, the results indicated that the five innovation attributes did explain approximately 43% of the variability in extent of use of Level Four evaluation. Concerning Level Four evaluation innovation attributes, results indicated that the sample's perceptions were best described as undecided with slight trends toward viewing Level Four evaluation as trialable but not relatively advantageous or observable. These findings, when examined in light of previous research, call into question the validity of some of the assumptions of Rogers' Innovation-Decision Process Model, but do suggest that there is a basis for the model. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-07, Section: A, page: 2342. / Major Professor: John M. Keller. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of motivation, prior strategy use, and locus of control when using embedded cognitive strategies for daily work and posttest performance. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the entry behaviors of notetaking, questioning, and use of other sources of information and posttest performance. To conduct the study, a series of analyses were conducted to include stepwise regression, ANOVA, t-tests and Pearson-Product Moment correlations. One hundred-eleven ninth and tenth grade students participated in the study by taking a series of tests to measure entry behaviors, motivation, prior strategy use, and locus of control. Fifty-eight of the students then worked through the treatment of a computer-based problem-solving program designed to teach map skills and to use strategies for solving novel problems posed by the program. Students were asked to record their notes and answer questions to assist in solving the problems posed by the lessons. Their notes and responses to questions were placed in a portfolio at the end of each lesson, for later analysis. The remaining fifty-three students served as a control group and did not participate in the computer-based activities. Upon completion of the computer-based lessons, all students were given a posttest performance test designed to measure their ability to solve novel problems. The results indicated that students using embedded cognitive strategies within the treatment condition performed significantly better than students in the control group. It was indicated also that the entry behavior questioning was correlated significantly with posttest performance. Results suggest that motivation, prior strategy use and use of other sources of information are not significant predictors of performance when using embedded cognitive strategies. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3482. / Major Professor: Robert K. Branson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The purpose of the study was to investigate faculty attitudes toward grading, their grading practices, and their opinions regarding the development of a grading policy. The sample consisted of 107 of the 117 faculty teaching education undergraduate courses in the 1989-90 academic year who completed a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. / The following were the study findings and conclusions: (a) Faculty members generally have positive attitudes toward grading. (b) Their attitudes toward grading relate positively to their length of teaching experience. (c) Differences in the use of criteria between experienced and inexperienced faculty, dissatisfaction over the number of high grades awarded, inconsistency in opinion regarding what the undergraduate grade distribution should be and the actual grading practices all indicate that a grading policy is necessary. / The following recommendations were made: (a) The college should consider developing a grading policy for faculty teaching undergraduate courses. (b) Inexperienced faculty should attend courses on test construction and grading policies. (c) A similar study using other approaches such as interviews is recommended to add greater depth and detail to the findings of this study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-03, Section: A, page: 0757. / Major Professor: Garrett R. Foster. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.