The problem under investigation in this research is the development of a general approach that will establish a students knowledge level so that the student's learning can be optimized by beginning it at the most effective point. In preparation for this study, an active test with an acceptable CT3 homogeneity index was found. Two computer programs, RightOrder and MathTest, were written in Visual Basic. The latter administers the test, producing a file or responses that serves as input for the former, which performs the calculations and matrix manipulation necessary to determine the CT3 of a set of test items and construct a difficulty strata scale. The test was administered twice to the same population, the first time in the original item order. In the second administration, one item from each successive level of difficulty, beginning with the easiest, was given until the respondent answered incorrectly. Then all the remaining items were presented in order of difficulty, beginning with the easiest. The three hypothesis of this study are (a) the difficulty strata scale generated from the computerized retest, using a z-score to be determined as critical value, is congruent with that derived from the analysis done on the data of the …

This study utilized an ethnographic methodology to examine and describe the various aspects and processes occurring in a children's group as the members created their own puppets and accompanying puppet plays. Individual and interactive behavior patterns were isolated and analyzed as a means of gaining an in depth understanding of the puppetry process. The puppetry process, in turn, was viewed in terms of information it provided regarding the individual members and the group process. The facilitative and non-facilitative aspects of the procedure were delineated. The adult leader met with a group of six boys, in grades four and five, for 12 one-hour sessions in which they made puppets and then created puppet plays around issues that they had articulated as problems. The group sessions were videotaped and transcribed. The transcriptions were coded in an effort to extensively analyze the puppetry process and the group process, and the ways in which the two processes interacted. An independent observer/rater was utilized in order to provide some validity for the researcher's reported results. The puppet-making task appeared to offer an opportunity for individuals to begin to come together in a common, but individual task. Characteristic styles and individual personality dynamics were evidenced. General …