The relationship between inattentiveness in the classroom and reading achievement (Part A): methodological issues

Conclusions drawn from recent reviews of research concerned with relationships between child behavior disorders and learning difficulties highlight major methodological and analytical problems that have plagued empirical research in the field. This paper (Part A) identifies and discusses some of these problems, including those associated with the design and use of psychometric instruments, cutoff scores, and statistical modeling techniques. The paper provides a contextual rationale for the choice of methods and statistical models used in a large explanatory study of the relationship between inattentiveness in the classroom and reading achievement, reported in Part B.