This cross-validation study investigated the relationships among teacher sense of efficacy, superintendents' ratings of teacher competency, and selected demographic and background variables. One hundred fifty-five teachers from 15 districts in a Southeastern state participated in the study. Multiple regression indicated variables significantly related to efficacy scores were: competency rating by superintendent, birth order, and whether the teacher would again choose teaching as a career. Using discriminant analysis, superior and average competency teachers could be differentiated from low competency teachers on the basis of four significant variables, one of which was efficacy scores. This analysis placed 80.52% of the teachers in the appropriate group, and accounted for 29% of the variance in groups. Analyses also indicated some support for the consistency of superintendents' ratings of teachers across districts.

This study compared interactive videodisc-simulated laboratories with two types of traditional labs: a traditional general cardiovascular physiology participation lab and a traditional fibrillation/positive pressure ventilation demonstration lab. The two laboratory sections (a total of 85 first-year veterinary medical students) were divided into 12 lab groups of 3-4 students per lab section. These groups were randomly assigned to either a traditional live animal laboratory or an interactive videodisc-simulated laboratory to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods in teaching physiology. A 22-item, multiple-choice/short answer test was given to all students after the laboratories. In both the participation and the demonstration laboratories, there were no significant differences between group test scores of the interactive videodisc groups and the live animal laboratory groups, but there were differences in time spent by both students and instructors. It was concluded that the interactive videodisc-simulated lab was as effective as the traditional live-animal labs and was more time efficient than the traditional participation lab.

This paper summarizes one institution's efforts to develop an ongoing strategy for gathering and analyzing data from constituents for use in appraisal and improvement efforts in its instructional programs. Although a large number of different constituents were identified, for logistical reasons it was decided to focus on five groups: undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, alumni and industry. The primary emphasis of this paper is on the results from the alumni and industry surveys. Demographics of these two groups are given and the influence of these characteristics on responses to survey questions is noted. Comparisons drawn among the two groups show that alumni and industry responses are virtually identical on the importance of specific attributes associated with newly graduated engineers. A short discussion is also given which compares the responses of all five constituent groups on certain instructional program attributes.

At the postsecondary level, instructional effectiveness is typically evaluated by student ratings. Such ratings, which serve many decision-making purposes within the college or university system, are meant to illustrate particular characteristics of the instructor being rated. However, the same ratings may also reflect particular characteristics of those doing the rating. Because each student has a unique set of experiences and perceptions, student ratings cannot be considered perfect images of instructors' pedagogical abilities. Rather, factors inherent to students' individual natures are also a component of these ratings; and when such factors do not appear to be related to pedagogical ability, the utility of the information provided by student ratings becomes questionable.One such factor that has received attention in the literature is gender--both of instructors being rated and of students providing the ratings. As for instructor gender, numerous past studies have offered little support for overall male or female

In order to study the patterns of reading attitude internalization among gifted learners, the authors administered the Mikulecky Behavioral Reading Attitude Measure (MBRAM) to 399 gifted seventh and eighth grade students. Although the data revealed that the reading attitudes of gifted subjects were generally positive, nearly twice as many subjects were classified at the two lowest stages of attitude internalization (attending and responding) than were classified at the two highest stages (organization and characterization). Nearly 10% of the students did not meet the criterion for even the lowest stage. Differences by sex were statistically significant, (females had better reading attitudes) but differences across stages by grade were not.