The paper represents a synthesis of results obtained in empirical studies of variables related to learning process. A number of studies were carried out within the Students Approaches to Learning perspective. According to the 3P model of learning, the complex of learning process comprises three learning approaches--Deep, Surface and Achievement…

Factor analysis has historically been used for myriad purposes in the social and behavioral sciences, but an especially important application of this technique has been to evaluate construct validity. Since in the present milieu both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are readily available to the researcher,…

International studies like PISA use context student or school questionnaires to collect data on student family background, attitudes and learning context. Questionnaire constructs are typically measured using dichotomous or Likert-type items. Scaling of questionnaire items in order to obtain measures of family background, student attitudes or…

The Adolescent Coping Scale (E. Frydenberg and R. Lewis, 1993) (ACS), developed in the Australian context, has been used widely since 1993 as an instrument to measure coping. Studies to date have published data highlighting the relationship between variables such as age, ethnicity, gender, attitudes and achievement, and coping. In doing so, they…

This paper presents two general approaches to the assessment of knowledge structures, the first of which entails the building of empirical evidence to support cognitive theory. This type of assessment is concerned with attempting to prove the existence of various knowledge structures; that is, evidence that leads to the construct validity of these…

In an address to the National Council on Measurement in Education, R. M. Jaeger (1987) commented that there appears to be a fundamental difference in measurement philosophy between those on the two sides of the debate over the Rasch model. Jaeger's observations are explicated by contrasting the views on measurement of B. D. Wright and E. F.…

A discussion of language testing in the context of a program in English for Special Purposes (ESP) focuses on the lack of "fit" between the two areas and makes some recommendations for improvement. It begins with overviews of recent trends in testing and recent issues in ESP. Overlap is seen in two areas: construct and content validity. It is…

This paper reviews a number of studies that have tested Fiedler's (1964) Contingency Model and Least Preferred Co-Worker Scale of leadership style and effectiveness, focusing on studies that have examined the characteristics and stability of this scale across age, ethnicity, and gender. The Contingency Model is based on three determinants of…

Psychometric theory has been one of psychology's stronger foundations and a major contributor to the recognition of psychology as a scientific discipline. Basic principles of psychometric theory led to the development of respected intelligence tests and large and comprehensive testing and assessment programs. This paper synthesizes major…

During a period when the reform-minded are very critical of the degree to which testing is actually related to the conditions for which data are employed, authentic assessment offers the opportunity to evaluate learning in settings closely related to the real world. It also allows the evaluator to tailor assessment conditions for individual…

A framework for understanding methodological practices from the perspectives of internal validity, external validity, statistical control validity, and construct validity is presented. One hundred doctoral dissertations completed between 1980 and 1988 at a single urban public university were analyzed for various methodological practices and types…