The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between aggression, empathic tendency, expression of emotions and self-compassion, and to find out whether empathic tendency, expression of emotions and self-compassion significantly predict aggression. The sample of study consists of 526 female and 290 male in total 816 students who are…

A safe environment is a prerequisite for productive learning. Using a unique panel data set of survey responses from New York City middle school students, the article provides insight into the relationship between feelings of safety in the classroom and academic achievement. The survey data include the reported feelings of safety for more than…

Across stages of acquisition, second language (L2) competencies are contingent on the variation among individuals learning the language, in both informal and formal learning contexts. This study investigates a group of outliers whose extreme test scores serve as a foundation to examine them as individuals. The study addresses the outliers'…

Within initial teacher education there is increasing pressure to enhance the use of assessment data to support students to improve their knowledge and skills, and to determine what standards they meet upon graduation. For such data to be useful, both programme designers and students require meaningful and comprehensive assessment reports on…

An Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) may be evaluated either during the interview procedure (direct-method) or from a tape-made oral interaction (semi-direct method). Such variety in methods of assessment can influence test takers' scores extensively. However, it is not conclusive whether such differences are due to test format or something else.…

This study explored the potential effect of college students' self-generated computerized mind maps on their reading comprehension. It also investigated the subjects' attitudes toward generating computerized mind maps for reading comprehension. The study was conducted in response to the inability of the foundation-level students, who were learning…

Describes popularity of using percentile rank and offers interpretation of use of percentile rank with normal and skewed score distributions. Explains that, because percentile rank is not linear transformation of raw scores, percentile-rank transformation in lower and upper part of raw-score distribution relates percentile rank and raw scores…

The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

Offers standard errors of prediction and confidence intervals for Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) that help in deciding whether variation in obtained scores of scale administered to the same person more than once is a result of measurement error or whether it reflects actual change in examinee's functional level. Presented values were…

This paper demonstrates how the problem of calibrating measures can be formulated in terms of confirmatory factor analysis. The relationships between traditional approaches and a confirmatory factor approach are specified. (Author/CTM)

In setting the cut-scores on National Curriculum tests it is important to maintain standards. In the process of test development, both within and across years, changes are made to the style of the questions in order to increase their "accessibility". This raises the question of whether a more accessible test should have higher cut-scores. Purely…

This analysis compares student test scores before and after school busing in New Castle County, Delaware, in an attempt to see if busing to achieve racial balance reduces the achievement gap between black and white students. School authorities pre-tested students with the California Achievement Test (CAT) in 1978-79, the first year of busing, and…

Reports reliability data for Wechsler Subtest comparisons to supplement the data in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised manuals. Results indicated that the reliabilities of the differences between Wechsler Subtest scores are low enough to warrant the exercise of caution in interpreting…

Reviews Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised (PIAT-R), a revision of the 1970 PIAT. Describes administration and scoring criteria, psychometric properties, and new features of test design. Emphasizes implications for the practitioner. Concludes that PIAT-R may be useful screening tool when general information concerning student achievement…

Addresses practical issues concerning test score interpretation. Percentile bands are recommended for reporting to clients the extent and limits of what test scores reveal. Variety of suggestions and examples are provided for rendering interpretations meaningful. (Author)