Multimethod data analysis is a complex procedure that is often used to examine the degree to which different measures of the same construct converge in the assessment of this construct. Several authors have called for a greater understanding of the definition and meaning of method effects in different models for multimethod data. In this article,…

The authors examined the dimensionality of the VARK learning styles inventory. The VARK measures four perceptual preferences: visual (V), aural (A), read/write (R), and kinesthetic (K). VARK questions can be viewed as testlets because respondents can select multiple items within a question. The correlations between items within testlets are a type…

In 2001, Elliot and McGregor proposed a 2 x 2 (mastery-performance x approach- avoidance) achievement goal frameworks and developed a questionnaire to measure four goals (mastery-approach, mastery-avoidance, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals). This study examines the dual meanings of items in 2 x 2 achievement goal…

The authors show how structural equation modeling can be applied to analyze change in longitudinal multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) studies. For this purpose, an extension of latent difference models (McArdle, 1988; Steyer, Eid, & Schwenkmezger, 1997) to multiple constructs and multiple methods is presented. The model allows investigators to separate…

This article describes the validation of scores on actual and preferred forms of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC). The WIHIC is a 56-item instrument that assesses seven classroom environment dimensions: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement, Investigation, Task Orientation, Cooperation and Equity. A sample of 978 secondary…

This article proposes a multilevel modeling approach to study the general and specific attitudes formed in human learning behavior. Based on the premises of activity theory, it conceptualizes the unit of analysis for attitude measurement as a scalable and evolving activity system rather than a single action. Measurement issues related to this…

Standardized rating scales remain the primary mechanism through which child behaviors are recorded. Despite the many advantages of such systems, the documented lack of agreement among different informants' ratings of the same child remains a pervasive problem for clinicians. This study examines the degree to which observed behavior ratings were…

Three multitrait-multimethod studies are described, which indicated that ill-defined solutions were frequent, and alternative parameterizations tended only to mask this problem. Moreover, method factors sometimes represented trait variance as opposed to method variance. However, specification of method effects as correlated uniqueness proved more…

The composite direct-product model for the multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix is reparamaterized as a second-order factor analysis model. This process facilitates the use of widely available computer programs--LISREL and LISCOMP--for fitting the model. If bounds on phi and theta are not imposed to avoid inadmissible values, convergence problems…

The use of standards-based classroom assessments to test English learners' language proficiency is increasingly prevalent in the United States and many other countries. In a large urban school district in California, for example, a classroom assessment is used to make high-stakes decisions about English learners' progress from one level to the…

This paper describes the validation of actual and preferred forms of a new classroom environment instrument--the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI)--using multitrait-multimethod modelling. The 80-item TROFLEI assesses 10 classroom environment dimensions: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Involvement,…

This study examined the factor structure of the parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; R. Goodman, 1997) with a sample of first-grade children at risk for educational failure. The 5-factor model previously found in studies using exploratory factor analysis was fit to the data for both parent and teacher…

Reexamines a 49-year-old study of P technique applied to a psychotherapy patient with a recurrent physical symptom. Explores dimensions of psychotherapeutic change as well as the context for the recurrent symptom. Illustrates the contributions from applying the P technique to psychotherapy research, to psychosomatic medicine, and to personality…

The relationship of multiple linear regression to various multivariate statistical techniques is discussed. The importance of the standardized partial regression coefficient (beta weight) in multiple linear regression as it is applied in path, factor, LISREL, and discriminant analyses is emphasized. The multivariate methods discussed in this paper…

To examine the utility of a self-report scale of sexual assault trauma, 223 female victims were interviewed with the 43-item Sexual Assault Symptom Scale II (SASS II) at 1, 3, 7, 11, and 15 months postassault. Factor analyses using principal-components extraction with an oblimin rotation yielded 7 common factors with 31 items. The internal…