| Sample |
Cross Sources: Population
Definition: Sub-group of persons/items/observations drawn from and meant to represent a larger population
Reference: |
| Sampling distribution |
Cross Sources: Sample
Definition: Distribution of statistics obtained by selecting all the possible samples of a specific size from a population.
Reference: Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L.B. (1992). |
| Sampling error |
Cross Sources: Sample
Definition: The deviation between the characteristics of a sample and a population
Reference: Bordens, K.S., & Abbott, B.B. (1997). |
| Satisfaction |
Cross Sources: Contentment
Definition: A student's attitude towards their educational environment.
Reference: University of Georgia. (1998). |
| Scale score |
Cross Sources: True score
Definition: A derived score based on the raw score of a test which takes into account slight variations in the difficulty of different forms of the same test.
Reference: |
| SCANS Competencies |
Cross Sources: Workplace Skills
Definition: Five essential requirements for students going directly to work and those planning further education; includes resources, interpersonal, information, systems, technology
Reference: U. S. Department of Labor (2000). |
| SCANS Skills |
Cross Sources: Workplace Skills
Definition: Department of Labor Commission taxonomy of skills and attributes needed for effective job performance today and a set of criteria by which to measure their acquisition; in addition to technical skills, includes five competencies (resources, interpersonal, information, systems, technology) and a three part foundation (basic skills, thinking skills, personal qualities)
Reference: U. S. Department of Labor (2000). |
| Selected response |
Cross Sources: Constructed-response
Definition: Format which presents alternative responses, from which the student chooses the correct or preferred answer
Reference: Erwin, T.D. (1991). |
| Selection bias |
Cross Sources: Random selection
Definition: Bias that occurs when the method of selecting study participants means that they come from a particular (skewed) social or economic group, and not from others.
Reference: Astin, A. (1970). |
| Self adaptive |
Cross Sources: Computer-adaptive
Definition: Term use to refer to category of computer-adaptive tests in which the test taker selects to receive a more difficult or easier item based on feedback regarding their performance on the previously administered item.
Reference: Wise, S.L. (1994). |
| Self-assessment |
Cross Sources: Assessment, Reflective practice, Summative evaluation, Formative evaluation, Self-report
Definition: The process of evaluating one's own learning. The process often includes the ability to judge one's own achievements and performances, understanding how the product or performance was achieved, understanding why one followed the process he or she did, and understanding what might be done to improve the process, product or performance.
Reference: Brew, A. (1999); Brown, S.A., & Glasner, A. (1999). |
| Self-concept |
Cross Sources: Development, Motivation, Student development, affective, Self-esteem
Definition: A person's judgment of his or her competence or skills in comparison to those of others.
Reference: Pascarella, E.T., & Terenzini, P.T. (1991). |
| Self-esteem |
Cross Sources: Development, Motivation, Affective, Self-concept
Definition: Overall assessment of personal adequacy or worth.
Reference: Silverman, S.L., & Casazza, M.E. (2000). |
| Self-report |
Cross Sources: Self-assessment, Survey
Definition: Student evaluation of their own learning or abilities; halo error; Pike (1999) cautions as surrogate for direct measurement.
Reference: Pike, G.R. (1999). |
| Semantic differential |
Cross Sources: Rating scale
Definition: Rating scale which contains a series of items with each concept bounded by bipolar adjectives representing contrasting views of the performance or product
Reference: |
| Service learning |
Cross Sources: Civic involvement, Community Involvement
Definition: Typically student affairs program related to enhanced social responsibility through community based environments
Reference: |
| Significance |
Cross Sources: Effect size
Definition: Refers to the likelihood that relationships observed in a sample could be attributed to sampling error alone.
Reference: Babbie, E. R. (2001); The Internet glossary of statistical terms (2003). |
| Single case study |
Cross Sources: Qualitative/ critical ethnography/ grounded theory/ phenomenological studies
Definition: The researcher explores a single entity or phenomenon ("the case") bounded by time and activity (a program, event, process, institution, or social group) and collects detailed information by using a variety of data collection procedures during a sustained period of time
Reference: Merriam (as cited in Creswell, 1994); Yin (as cited in Creswell, 1994). |
| Skills |
Cross Sources: Performance assessment
Definition: Are observable behaviors that demonstrate levels of competence (i.e., knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis synthesis, and evaluation.
Reference: Bloom, B.S (1956). |
| Small group communication |
Cross Sources: Communication skills
Definition: A small group is a collection of three or more individuals who interact with one another to achieve a common task or goal.
Reference: Gaut, D. R., & Perrigo, E. M. (1998). |
| Social |
Cross Sources: Empathy, Community involvement, Tolerance
Definition: Students' sense of how they are related to human society as a whole. Social awareness implies sensitivity to the welfare of other members of our society. Students might demonstrate social awareness by, for example, joining a group to clean up the environment.
Reference: Astin, A. (1993). |
| Speeded test |
Cross Sources: Test
Definition: A test is considered a pure speed test if everyone who reaches an item gets it right but no one has time to finish all items. Thus, score differences depend upon the number of items attempted.
Reference: Mehrens, W.A., & Lehman, I.J. (1991). |
| Split-half |
Cross Sources: Reliability
Definition: An estimate of reliability determined by applying the Spearman-Brown formula for m=2 to the correlation between two halves of the same test, such as the odd-numbered items and the even numbered items.
Reference: Aiken, L. (1994). |
| Stability of an instrument |
Cross Sources: Instrument design
Definition: The stability of an instrument is often expressed by the coefficient of stability which is used to express the degree of the relationship that exists between scores on the same test (or parallel forms of the same test) observed at two points in time.
Reference: Cohen, R. J., Montague, P., Nathanson, L.S., & Swerdlik, M.E. (1988). |
| Stakeholder- internal/external |
Cross Sources:
Definition: Stakeholders are those who have a stake in the program to be evaluated or in the evaluation’s results. Stakeholders can be internal or external to a program. Both types of stakeholders need to be identified and considered when planning program evaluation, as each may have a different perspective of the program and different expectations of the program and the evaluation.
Reference: Worthen, B.R., Sanders, J.R., & Fitzpatrick, J.L. (1997). |
| Standard |
Cross Sources: Competency; Standard setting
Definition: A pre-determined criterion or expectation of a level of student learning; a passing score.
Reference: Erwin, T.D. (1991). |
| Standard deviation (SD) |
Cross Sources:
Definition: The square root of the variance, used as a measure of dispersion or spread of a group of scores
Reference: Aiken, L. (1994). |
| Standard error of measurement (SEM) |
Cross Sources:
Definition: The standard error is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of a statistic.
Reference: Aiken, L. (1994). |
| Standard setting |
Cross Sources: Standards; Angoff; bookmark
Definition: Process by which an expectation of performance level (standard) is determined
Reference: |
| Standardization |
Cross Sources: Test
Definition: A consistent set of procedures for designing, administering, and scoring a measure. The purpose of standardization is to assure that all students are evaluated under the same conditions so that their scores/ratings have the same meaning and are not influenced by differing conditions. Standardized procedures are very important when scores/ratings will be used to compare individuals or groups.
Reference: |
| Standards |
Cross Sources: Competency, Content standards, Performance standards, Benchmarks
Definition: The broadest of a family of terms referring to statements of expectations for student learning, including content standards, performance standards, and benchmarks.
Reference: Jaeger, R.M. (1996). |
| State |
Cross Sources: Trait
Definition: An unstable cognitive, affective, or psychomotor characteristic possessed in different amounts by the same person at different times and situations.
Reference: Aiken, L. (1994). |
| Stop out |
Cross Sources: Retention
Definition: When a student leaves school for a term and then returns to school.
Reference: |
| Structural equation modeling (SEM) |
Cross Sources: Path analysis
Definition: Like path analysis, a method for studying the direct and indirect effects of variables hypothesized as causes of variables treated as effects. Unlike path analysis, this method allows for causal pathways to be specified between factors in addition to manifest variables and it also allows for the estimation of measurement and latent errors. Structural equation modeling is thought to subsume path analysis as an analytic approach.
Reference: Maruyama, G.M. (1998). |
| Student affairs |
Cross Sources: Student development
Definition: Division of a higher education institute charged with providing programs and services that assist students in growing, progressing, or increasing his or her developmental capabilities as a result of enrollment, usually in out-of-class activities
Reference: Komives, S.R., & Woodard, D.B., Jr. (1996). |
| Student development |
Cross Sources: Development
Definition: The ways that a student grows, progresses, or increases his or her developmental capabilities as a result of enrollment in an institutions of higher education
Reference: Evans, N.J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). |
| Student involvement |
Cross Sources:
Definition: Student engagement in project, activities, or their own learning.
Reference: |
| Student learning |
Cross Sources: Student outcome, Student development
Definition: The acquisition of knowledge or behavior as a result of participation in programs and services
Reference: Erwin, T.D. (1991). |
| Student outcome |
Cross Sources: Student learning, institutional outcome
Definition: The achieved results or the actual consequences of what a student has demonstrated or accomplished; maybe academic and occupational, as well as the intellectual, personal, civic development, attitudes, values, and beliefs that students attain as a result of postsecondary education.
Reference: |
| Study |
Cross Sources: Experiment
Definition: The principle method for investigating the relationship among variables
Reference: |
| Subjective measures |
Cross Sources: Objective measures, Constructed response, Checklist, Rating scale, Scoring rubric
Definition: Tests or measures that are scored or rated with some degree of subjective judgment (e.g., performance)
Reference: |
| Success in transitions |
Cross Sources:
Definition: A learner exits a learning and/or work experience and enters a different learning and/or work experience successfully.
Reference: |
| Summative evaluation |
Cross Sources: Formative evaluation, Accountability
Definition: A sum total or final product measure of achievement at the end of an instructional unit or course of study
Reference: |
| Survey |
Cross Sources: Questionnaire
Definition: Any measurement procedure that involve asking questions of respondents. A "survey" can be anything from a short questionnaire feedback form to an intensive one-on-one in-depth interview.
Reference: |
| Synthesis |
Cross Sources: Constructed-response
Definition: Combining elements into a whole by using an original structure or solving a problem that requires a combination of several principles sequentially into a novel situation
Reference: |
| Systematic |
Cross Sources: Institutional management
Definition: Systematic denotes any methodical procedure or plan. In higher education, a systematic approach to management, for example, implies a careful analysis of “choices about organization, effectiveness, priority, and decision” in order to allocate scarce resources.
Reference: Balderston, F.E. (1995); Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, (1993). |
