The purposes of the study were: to determine the relationship between class size and academic achievement among university students in first-semester calculus classes, and to compare opinions about the instructor, course, and classroom learning environment of university students in small first-semester calculus classes with those in large classes. The sample consisted of 225 university students distributed among two large and two small sections of first-semester calculus classes taught at the University of Texas at Arlington during the fall of 1987. Each of two tenured faculty members taught a large and small section of approximately 85 and 27 students, respectively. During the first week of the semester, scores from the Calculus Readiness Test (CR) were obtained from the sample and used as the covariate in each analysis of covariance of four periodic tests, a comprehensive final examination, and final grade average. The CR scores were also used in a logistic regression analysis of attrition rates between each pair of large and small sections of first-semester calculus. Three semantic differentials were used to test the hypotheses relating to student opinion of the instructor, course, and classroom learning environment. It was found that for both pairs of large and small first-semester calculus classes …

This study concerns the characteristics of fund development directors employed in selected homes for the aged. The first purpose of this study is to develop a profile of job functions, through task analysis, among development directors in charitable homes for the aged. The second purpose of this study is to develop a profile of personal characteristics of development directors of charitable homes for the aged based on the following characteristics: age, sex, educational background, experience outside development, membership in community organizations and amount of specific training in fund development. One instrument was used to gather data for the study. It was distributed to a population of 29 development directors in charitable homes for the aged in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. This population was predetermined by an initial survey form sent to 193 chief executive officers in the five states mentioned above. Twenty-nine reported formalized programs employing a full-time person with at least a part-time involvement in fund development activities. Of the twenty-nine development directors surveyed, fifteen usable instruments were received (52 percent). A program was used for the survey that included crosstabulation of social characteristics, success in fund raising, length of time in position and educational preparation. …

This study examined the factors related to travel mode choices in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. Changes in population, life style and economy of the Dallas-Fort Worth region over the last few decades demand a careful re-examination of travel demand tools and methods. The purpose of the study was to provide an understanding of transportation modal choice in the region. Those demographic variables best predicting the choices were identified. The Home Interview Survey, a set of disaggregate data from the 19 84 North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Travel Survey, was analyzed using logistic regression. The major findings of the research indicate that about 97 percent of the travelers in the study area used private cars and 3 percent used public transit. Household income and cars-vans were significant explanatory variables. The impact of household income and number of car-vans available upon an individual's decision for travel mode choice were very important. The number of car-vans available in the household, and age of respondents were significant predictors in travel mode. Household members with incomes of $30,000 to $39,000 and those with incomes of at least $50,000 tended to use more private cars than did other income groups. Also, household …

The purpose of this study was to determine the local economic impact of alternative state budget reductions for Texas community colleges by investigating the income losses to the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) if state appropriations were reduced by 10, 15, and 20 percent. The objective of this study was achieved through an economic analysis of the local economy of selected MSAs and by computing the income size which was generated by selected colleges. Eight community colleges located in eight MSAs participated by answering mailed questionnaires. The model of Direct Economic Impact was applied to describe the colleges' economic impact. The model was composed of college expenditures, employee expenditures, student expenditures, and the economic multiplier. The study revealed that the selected community colleges were responsible for creating new jobs and increasing the income of the local economies. These eight colleges were responsible for increasing the income of the local economies by $294,945,560 and for creating 5,129 jobs. Reduction in state appropriations to the selected community colleges will reduce the income they produce. A state appropriation cut of 10 percent will result in a loss to the local economy of $6,153,951. A 15 percent reduction in state appropriations will cause the local …

The University of Piano was a private, liberal arts college with a campus in Piano, Texas and an extended campus in Frisco, Texas. The University was incorporated in 1964 under the original name of the University of Lebanon. Classes began in temporary space in downtown Dallas in 1964 and continued on its campuses in Piano and Frisco until the summer of 1976. The University of Piano was comprised of two separate schools within the University: the School of Developmental Education and the Frisco College of Arts and Sciences. This study explores the curricula of both schools and the students and faculty who participated in both programs. This study focuses on the establishment, development and final closing of a wholly privately supported university which accepted both traditional college students and students whose basic academic skills or neurological development prevented their acceptance into traditional college programs. It addresses the history of the University, the roles of its leaders, and the lasting effects of its programs.

The purpose of the study was to determine the direct influences of selected environmental, academic, and background factors as well as academic outcomes and expression of intent to leave on persistence or non-persistence of nontraditional students at a comprehensive community college in the Dallas County Community College District. The study applied a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Data for this study were collected during the Fall, 1987 semester from 312 first-year nontraditional students using the two-year institution questionnaires from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. In addition, follow-up surveys were administered to the 97 students who did not re—enroll for the Spring, 1988 semester. The data were analyzed using discriminant function, chi square, and product-moment correlation. For these nontraditional students, educational goal commitment, cumulative grade point average (GPA) and expression of intent to leave at the end of the semester had significant direct influence on persistence or non-persistence decisions. In contrast, environmental factors such as finances, employment status, and family responsibilities, and background factors such as high school academic performance, enrollment status and parents' education level did not directly influence dropout decisions. Nontraditional students reported receiving moderate to high levels of encouragement to remain in college …

One of the U.S. Army's requirements for reenlistment of first term soldiers is a minimum score on the General Technical composite of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery of one hundred. The score is a measure of academic ability. The primary goal of the Basic Skills Education Program is to assist the soldier in gaining basic skills, with a secondary goal of enabling him or her to retest at a sufficient level to become eligible for reenlistment. While most soldiers are able to meet this goal, a few are unable to achieve an acceptable score on the retest. It was hypothesized that some of these soldiers are learning disabled. The Army has not recognized learning disabilities or the need of the learning disabled for special teaching and testing methods. This study was designed to identify students enrolled in the Basic Skills Education Program who are learning disabled. Two instruments were involved: the Revised BETA II, which yields a measure of aptitude, and the Tests of Adult Basic Education, which produce achievement scores in the areas of reading, mathematics, language, and spelling. The instruments were correlated on 112 soldiers from the Training Brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas. They were then administered …

The research was designed to test the hypothesis that significant differences exist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students respecting background characteristics and reasons for enrollment in selected two-year colleges. The findings led to firm conclusions regarding the need for educational institutions to provide remedial and tutorial services, liberal financial aid, culturally sensitive institutional ambience, diversity in faculty, counselors, and staff, and instructional and student development programs responsive to the cultural diversity of all students.