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Research to date on adaptive (sequential, branched, individualized, tailored, programmed, response-contingent) ability testing is reviewed and summarized, following a brief review of problems inherent in conventional individual and group approaches to ability measurement. Research reviewed includes empirical, simulation and theoretical studies of adaptive testing strategies. Adaptive strategies identified in the literature include two-stage testing and multistage tests. Multistage tests are differentiated into fixed branching models and variable branching models (including Bayesian and non-Bayesian strategies). Results of research using the various strategies and research approaches are compared and summarized, leading to the general conclusion that adaptive testing can considerably reduce testing time and at the same time yield scores of higher reliability and validity than conventional tests, under a number of circumstances. A number of new psychometric problems raised by adaptive testing are discussed, as is the criterion problem in evaluating the utility of adaptive testing. Problems of implementing adaptive testing in a paper and pencil mode, or using special testing machines are reviewed; the advantages of computer-controlled adaptive test administration are described. (Author)

A two-stage adaptive test and a conventional peaked test were constructed and administered on a time-shared computer system to students in undergraduate psychology courses. (The two-stage adaptive test consisted of a routing test followed by one of a series of measurement tests.) Comparison of the score distributions showed that the two-stage test scores were more variable than the linear test scores; the distribution of two-stage scores was normal, whereas that of the linear test scores tended toward flatness. When considering the memory of the items, the two-stage test was found to have higher test-retest stability than the conventional. The relationship between the two-stage and conventional test scores was relatively high and primarily linear, but about 20% of the reliable variance in the conventional test scores was left unaccounted for. Further analyses of the two-stage test showed that the difficulty levels of the measurement tests were not optimal, and that 4 to 5% of the examinees were routed to inappropriate measurement tests. The poor internal consistency of the measurement tests in comparison with that of the routing and conventional tests was apparently due to the extreme homogeneity of ability within the measurement test sub-groups. The findings of the study were interpreted as favorable to continue exploration of two-stage testing. (Author/NE)

The role proposed for the consultant is one of creating need and demonstrating that educational progress can be made by systematic and well managed approaches. The extent to which the project consultant is able to establish the same basic helping relationship with project staff members as he desires the staff to have with the clientele, will determine the degree of success of the project. Today the consultant is more of an expert on the process of change, of modifying attitudes and assisting in effective behavioral changes, than an expert on content. Information regarding content can be achieved by more effective means; textbooks, programmed instruction, and audio-visual media. If the consultant relegates his role to information dispensing, he will miss his opportunity to perform his unique function. (KJ)

The increasing demand for accountability in education provides the framework for studying service delivery by school counselors. A brief theoretical discussion concluded that significant others' perceptions of self are effective stimuli to self-change. The project reported in this paper has two primary objectives: (1) to provide student feedback to counselors; and (2) to establish behavioral objectives for counselors. A secondary objective was to gather sufficient data for statistical analysis of the newly designed Counselor Image Questionnaire (CIQ), which is a 15-item, 5 category, forced choice questionnaire designed to yield student opinons of school counselors. Fifty students from the caseload of each of 27 secondary school counselors completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that students: (1) saw counselors as being only sometimes available; and (2) seldom viewed counselors as an individual to go to with a personal problem. Five recommendations based on the results are discussed. (TL)

Further research on the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSSQ) is reported herein (see TM 000 049). Item responses of two groups of university students were separately analyzed by three different factor analytic methods. Three factors consistently appeared across groups and methods: Compensation, Social Life, and Working Conditions. Two other dimensions, Recognition and Quality of Education, were relatively well supported. The Policies and Procedures factor was not consistently verified as a stable or appropriate dimension in the overall satisfaction of college students. Factor teachings for the two groups on the highest loading items are presented. (DG)

As part of an intensive study of college student satisfaction a questionnaire has been designed to measure six dimensions of student satisfaction: policies and procedures, working conditions, compensation (relationship of input to outcomes), quality of education, social life, and recognition. A field test of this instrument, the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSSQ), indicates that the six scales are internally consistent, and provides some support for their construct validity. The inter-scale correlations were found to be higher than desirable. Analyses of covariance across the CSSQ scales indicate that type of residence and year in school, but not sex differences, are related to several aspects of college student satisfaction. Generalization from the present study is limited because the sample was drawn solely from Iowa State University and was not completely randomized. However, the results of this study suggest that the CSSQ is a potentially useful measure. Data from another university is now being analyzed and further studies are planned. (DG)

Although infrequently investigated, college student satisfaction and dissatisfaction are viewed as a clear indicator of student unrest. Results of a series of studies aimed at a systematic investigation of college student satisfaction are described. A measure was designed and used to investigate the relationships between student satisfaction and other aspects of student life. Four hundred and sixty-three Iowa State University students were administered the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSSQ) which measures six dimensions of student satisfaction: (1) policies and procedures; (2) working conditions; (3) compensation; (4) quality of education; (5) social life; and (6) recognition. From the initial 139-item instrument administration and analysis, a 92-item revised form was developed. Utilization of the questionnaire to date indicates that it is an internally consistent measure of several dimensions of college student satisfaction. Further research is stressed as necessary to produce evidence regarding the validity of the scales and for general refinement. (TL)

The marathon is a specific form of the psycho-process cluster which has its own identifiable characteristics, the basic one being intensity. The primary objective in structuring the marathon is to intensify physical and emotional contact in order to precipitate, encourage, and accelerate the process of behavior change. Myths which have evolved concerning marathons include: (1) participation in a marathon is good for anyone; (2) participation is a quick way to get rid of those "hang-ups" which have plagued you all your life; (3) participation promotes amoral and/or anti-social behavior; and (4) leading a marathon requires little training. Serious professional concerns are being voiced regarding the marathon which need to be dealt with: (1) leadership training; (2) absense of hard data evaluation of the outcomes of the marathon process; (3) publicity or advertisement; and (4) screening of participants. It is time to provide safeguards so that adequate use and protection from misuse can be made of this very effective therapeutic tool. (KJ)

In-depth structured interviews of 309 high school graduates judged to be "non-college bound" explored perceptions of their: (1) educational experiences, (2) vocational experiences, (3) self-concepts and (4) family relationships. Interview data was compiled two years after high school graduation from subjects residing in urban, "rurban," and rural environments in four mid-central states. Content analysis of written reports of subjects' perceptions resulted in four major conclusions: (1) employment bound, non-college oriented students perceive the school, the counselors and other personnel within the school as "favoring" the college bound student, (2) counselors were not perceived as being "helpful" in assisting employment bound youth to satisfactory vocational decisions, (3) subjects were unable to articulate "meaningful" concepts of self, and (4) generally, they did not perceive parents as being at all "helpful" in resolving personal, educational, and vocational problems. (Author)

This article examines the mobility of eight different occupational groups into the occupation of public school teacher. The results indicate that the position of public school teacher is presently more accessible to children of lower prestige origins than it was 30 years ago. (DE)

This seventy-item questionnaire for college students consists of items relating to various aspects of college life: policies and procedures, working conditions, compensations, quality of education, social life, and recognition. The student must choose, on a 5-choice Likert-type scale, the degree of satisfaction he feels regarding each aspect. Responses are marked on a scale ranging from Very Dissatisfied to Very Satisfied, scored 1 to 5 points respectively. The questionnaire can be administered to individuals or groups. There is no time limit, but most students complete the form in 10-15 minutes. See TM 000 978 for the CSSQ Manual. (MS)

It was the purpose of this study to examine and attempt to describe the humanities and/or interdisciplinary programs and courses which were offered in educational institutions from 1968-1972. The particular concern was the role of music in such courses. Information was derived from course syllabi, personal evaluations, reading lists, and/or college catalogs provided by 193 schools. The final objective of the study was to develop a subjective appraisal of the bases for humanities courses, including the educational theories employed, the psychological assumptions made, the ethic reflected, and the aesthetic philosophy implied. The justifications offered for humanities courses were also examined. The findings and conclusions of the study were: (1) literature and English dominated the disciplines included in the humanities; (2) music instruction in the humanities consists primarily of listening activities which are related to the topic; and (3) practices reported for humanities courses in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were nearly identical to those employed at the present time. (Author/LL)

This study concerns the development and status of the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire. Construct validity was suggested by analysis of convariance results indicating that type of residence and year in school, but not sex, were related to scores on satisfaction dimensions. (Author)

Teaching response-to-affect is a desired outcome of supervised practicum, then candidate involvement in group counseling emphasizing this dimension appears to have a carry-over effect to individual counseling behavior. (CJ)

The key conclusion is that institute supervisors and institute members have significantly higher positive agreement on who is a good counselor than that found among supervisors and students in a regular education program. (Author)

Based on undergraduates' responses to the College Student Satisfaction Questionnaire, the findings appear to give considerable support for viewing educational quality, social life, student living and working conditions, compensation (study pressures), and perhaps recognition as important dimensions of college student satisfaction. (Author)

The findings indicate that a measure of student satisfaction is useful in assessing student attitudes and, when localized to specific colleges, can provide clues to administrators as to how students feel and what kinds of changes might be further investigated to improve campus conditions and student perceptions and experiences. (Author)

A review of several leading counseling journals and some books reporting major research projects was performed, covering material from 1961 to the present. Instruments were sorted as follows: (1) Counselor characteristics measurements, and (2) Counseling relationship and effectiveness measurements. Also examined were areas of reliability and validity research. (CJ)

The occupation of public school teachers is analyzed in terms of the inter-generational flow of personnel from different occupational origins. (Editor)