Research funders and policymakers increasingly focus on societal benefits of their investments in research. Research institutions thus face increasing pressure to demonstrate their societal impact to prove their legitimacy and worth. To this end, research institutions need reliable, quantitative methods to measure societal impact. This article…

The conventional focus of validity in educational measurement has been on intended interpretations and uses of test scores. Empirical studies of test use by teachers, administrators and policy-makers show that actual interpretations and uses of test scores in context are invariably shaped by local users' questions, which frequently require…

A growing body of research documents the positive outcomes of research experiences for undergraduates, including increased persistence in science. Study of undergraduate lab learning experiences has demonstrated that the design of the experience influences the extent to which students report ownership of the project and that project ownership is…

The ability to reason scientifically and communicate research appropriately is central to psychological literacy. Scientific research has little value unless scientists are able to convey results and their consequences clearly to others. In this study, we outline a method of assessing the development of psychological literacy in undergraduate…

Laboratory courses serve as important gateways to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. One of the challenges in assessing laboratory learning is to conduct meaningful and standardized practical exams, especially for large multisection laboratory courses. Laboratory practical exams in life sciences courses are frequently…

Many expectations concerning performance on educational and psychological tests are sex-stereotyped. Females, for example, are expected to do better on verbal tests, while males are expected to do better on mathematical tests. These expectations are being reevaluated in terms of the cultural influences that may underlie them. (Author)

The factor analytic model of the practitioner-oriented "Opinions about People" was tested with a population of gerontological practitioners. An analysis eliminated nine items not warranting inclusion in the instrument, redistributed the factors, and brought out a completely new factor. (Author)

The authors investigated the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for employed non-college-degreed men using two inventories of vocational orientation. The results revealed that two scales of one and four scales of the other inventory successfully differentiated the occupational groups consistant with Holland's theoretical framework. (Author/SE)

The study was designed to explore the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for employed non-college degree black men. Concurrent validity was studied by administering the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Self Directed Search (SDS) to workers. Results tend to suggest that Holland's theory is meaningful for employed non-college…

This study evaluates the reliability of profile analysis for assessing differential abilities on the McCarthy Scales for Children's Abilities (MSCA). Subjects were enrolled in private schools. Results indicated 70.9 percent of the sample showed profile variability not reasonably accounted for as real fluctuations in measurable abilities. (Author)

The predictive validity of the American College Test (ACT) for two classes totaling 2,289 students was investigated at successive intervals over four years of college. Correlational coefficients and expectancy tables substantiated the validity of the ACT for prediction of GPA, for progress, and for graduation within four years. (Author)

A Hebrew interest inventory for females in Israel, based on Holland's vocational classification, was examined on 322 female pupils and 167 working females. Results showed subjects occupied in a field had highest interest scores in that field and the highest interest score was the score of those engaged in that field. (Author)

A sample of male Investigative subjects (N=171) who completed the SDS as freshmen in 1970 was sent a questionnaire four years later. Results indicated that, for Investigative-type freshman males, the SDS has moderately high efficiency in predicting, four years later, their ultimate major and their immediate and future vocational plans. (Author)

A test of the personality constructs hypothesized by Holland was performed using a list of adjectives believed to be descriptive of the respective types. The sample used the adjectives to describe themselves in a manner consistent with Holland's model, however the correspondence was closer for males than females. (Author)

This study considers using the Inventory of Religious Activities of Interests and the extensive data for men associated therewith in the counseling of women who may be interested in entering occupations related to the Protestant Church. The Inventory differentiates among subgroups of men more effectively than it does among women. (Author)