790 EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT

many of the participants does emerge. Students will find Learning

Research and School Subjects a useful orientation to the views of a
number of leaders in a number of fields.
JOHN A. R. WILSON
University of California
Santa Barbara, California
Stephen Isaac and William B. Michael. Handbook in Research and
Evaluation San Diego: Robert R. Knapp, 1971. Pp. vi + 186.
.
$7.95 and $4.95 (paperback).
Handbook in Research and Evaluation falls somewhere between
recipe oriented books like Bruning and Kintz (1968) and Winer
(1971) on the one hand, and more discussion-oriented books such as
Kerlinger (1964) and Dayton (1970) on the other hand. Isaac
and Michael have put together a brief volume that achieves a happy
balance between the two ends of the continuum. As they state in
the Foreword, the book was prepared for a researcher or research
evaluator who simply wants an overview, a summary of alternative
approaches, an exhibit of reference models, or a listing of strengths
and weaknesses of different methods of research. In doing so,
the authors rightfully add the caution that this &dquo;balance&dquo; approach
has risks involved-those being possible oversimplifications of the
material. However, according to this reviewer, the material has
been handled in such a way as to make the risk factor minimal.
The book is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 deals with
planning research and evaluation studies. Topics range from com-
mon mistakes in the formulation of a research problem, through
advantages of a pilot study, to planning for computer analysis
and data processing. Chapter 2-the lengthiest of the five-deals
with research designs and strategies of research. The authors, for
convenience sake only, categorize nine different types of research
(historical, descriptive, true experimental, etc.). In addition, simple
research designs are explicated along with brief discussions of im-
portant topics such as confounding, interaction, internal and external
validity, statistical regression, and some disadvantages of matching
as a control device. Chapter 3 presents information on instrumenta-
tion and measurement. A test evaluation form is given, the oft re-
printed normal curve table from The Psychological Corporation is
presented, techniques for item analysis are discussed, reliability
and validity are outlined, along with information on such instru-
mentation as mailed questionnaires, research interviews, the seman-
tic differential and creativity tests. Chapter 4 provides a. summary
of the most widely used statistical tools-both basic descriptive
and elementary inferential. Computing guides are given for such
measures as percentiles, means and standard deviations, correlation,
chi square, and the t test. This chapter also summarizes informa-

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 BOOK REVIEWS 791

tion concerning hypothesis testing (type I and II errors), the power

of a statistical test, and sampling. Chapter 5, the final one, presents
criteria and guidelines for writing research proposals (do any of
these work?) and reports. Included is a checklist for evaluating a
research article, examples of vague and clearer behaviorally written
objectives, the inevitable Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
(Bloom et al., 1956), a model for evaluating school programs, and
finally-an excerpt from Skinner (1959) concerning a dissenting
view of research methodology and theory. An interesting way to
end the book. One wonders if it were a Freudian slip.
A few minor negative points on the material should be pointed
out. In Chapter 3 on measurement, it is mentioned that the stanine
scale consists of nine intervals-each being one-half of a standard
deviation wide. This is true for stanines 2 through 8, but not
stanines 1 and 9; these go to infinity. A small point, but it could
have been clarified. In the section on item analysis, chi square
is given as the technique, with the chi square value being computed
from the 2 X 2 table of Right-Wrong versus High scorers-Low
scorers. In this discussion, it is pointed out that a significant chi
square value indicates that a dependable difference between the
number of correct answers exists between the high and low scorers,
and therefore the item should be retained. However, one can obtain
a significant chi square value when more of the low scoring stu-
dents answer the item correctly than do the high scoring students.
Therefore, it should be mentioned that if more of the high group
get the item correct and the chi square value is significant, then one
should consider the item to have discriminating power. To the
person reading the book, the lack of making this point clear could
cause some confusion.
In Chapter 4 on statistics, two points should be mentioned. First,
in the computing guide for t, a footnote says &dquo;concerning negative
numbers, -1.70 is less than -1.65.&dquo; (p. 134). However, this is not
true as far as the t value is concerned. At value of -1.70 is larger
than -1.65. The minus sign only indicates the direction of the
differences in the sample means. In the first computing guide for
chi square, the basic formula given for the 2 X 2 table is the one
where each cell is labeled A, B, C or D and then the manipulations
are made with sums and multiplications of these values. However,
for tables greater than 2 X 2, the more traditional expected minus
observed frequency formula is then presented. It is my feeling that
the more familiar formula should have been presented for all chi
square computations. However, the alternate formula could be given
as useful when 2 X 2 tables are being used. I do think though, that
the more common formula should be the basic one that is started
with, and that giving it will allow the reader to better grasp the
basic idea of doing chi square.

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792 EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT
With the exception to the few minor points mentioned above, my
general reaction to the Handbook is very favorable; in fact it seems
to me to be the best book covering educational research material
to come out for a long time. The major strength lies in the chapter
on research design. Isaac and Michael have produced an excellent
practical guide for the audience that they intended it for. As
someone said, most textbooks could be condensed by at least 50 per
cent without any substantial loss in meaning. The current authors
have done precisely that with what I consider to be a gain in useful-
ness. I would strongly suggest that people interested in the research
endeavor to investigate the contents of this well done book.
REFERENCES
Bloom, B. S. Taxonomy of educational objectives, handbook I:
cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1956.
Bruning, James L. and Kintz, B. L. Computational handbook of
statistics. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1968.
Dayton, C. Mitchell. Designs of educational experiments. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1970.
Kerlinger, Fred N. Foundations of behavioral research
. New York:
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1964.
Skinner, B. F. Cumulative record. New York: Appleton-Century-
Crofts, Inc., 1959.
Winer, B. J. Statistical principles in experimental design, (2nd
ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
DENNIS M. ROBERTS
East Carolina University

Robert B. McCall. Fundamental Statistics for Psychology. New

York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1970. Pp. viii + 419. $9.50.
Considering the fact that dozens of elementary statistics text-
books are currently available, it may be viewed as presumptuous
to offer yet another one. But Robert McCall’s Fundamental Statistics
for Psychology is a couple of standard deviations above the mean,
and it is certainly worth examining by teachers of the introductory
course in statistics for the behavioral sciences.
The book has been designed with an eye to teachability and the
psychology of learning, an orientation which more textbook writers
might well adopt. Although a knowledge of high school algebra
and geometry is sufficient mathematical background for 95 per cent
of the book, the author recognizes the importance of logic, formulas,
proofs, and statistical concepts. A review of symbols, fractions,
factorials, exponents, factoring, roots, and interpolation is included
in an appendix.
The use of tabular inserts for more technical material and detailed
proofs adds to the continuity and ease of reviewing the text. Repe-

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