As lines between research paradigms continue to blur with the ever-increasing popularity of mixed methods research, there are useful, and occasionally oxymoronic, opportunities for educational researchers to juxtapose tools from opposing methods. The gold standard is just not possible in so much of what we do with small-scale research, nor is it…

The Turkish edition of the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-T) was accomplished in three stages, each stage constituting an independent study with new samples. In the first study, using bilingual Turkish high school and college students, the transliteral equivalence between the Turkish and English TAI items were achieved. The second study, using a…

Presents a unified concept of test validity that integrates both the scientific and ethical considerations of test interpretation and use. Argues that the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of score-based inferences are inseparable, and that this integration is based on construct validity. (FMW)

Of the many short forms of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) that have been developed, the MMPI-168 is among the most promising. To determine whether clinical judgments based on the MMPI-168 are comparable to judgments based on the standard MMPI, 30 clinical psychologists participated in a randomized block, repeated treatment…

This paper focuses on issues of data trustworthiness in praxis-oriented empirical work, research openly committed to the building of a world in which we can all flourish. The central argument is that those exploring the possibilities for a change-enhancing advocacy paradigm for doing empirical research in the human sciences must begin to be more…

The Nuclear Locus of Control (NLOC) scales were constructed to assess beliefs as to whether nuclear war and nuclear policy decisions are, or can be, influenced by oneself, powerful others, or chance. Three scales measuring internal, powerful others, and chance nuclear LOC show internal consistency estimates (Cronbach's Alpha) of .87, .76, and .85,…

The development of the Parent Attitudes toward School Effectiveness (PATSE) questionnaire was conducted in two phases. The pilot test form contained 47 items reflecting parents' attitudes toward 6 categories: (1) school and community relationships; (2) clear school mission; (3) high expectations; (4) safe and orderly environment; (5) instructional…

Basic skills tests in which measurement of growth is defined in the context of national norms are discussed. An integral part of the construction of norms is the production of a trait or ability score which is normed. Test publishers define a multidimensional trait by including items which measure it. The trait as a construct is a distinct…

The ecological validity of three spatial ability tests was studied: The Embedded Figures Test, the Shepard/Metzler Mental Rotations Test, and the Differential Aptitude Spatial Relations subtest. The Building Memory Test was also examined in an attempt to replicate a previous study which supported its validity. These four tests were administered to…

Drawing from work on the meta-analysis of over 500 validation studies of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) by the U.S. Employment Service, the paper presents a methodological message and a substantive message. Gene Glass's methods, as used by Edwin Ghiselli in personnel selection, ignore study artifacts (sampling error, error of…

The incremental validity of the analytical measure of the revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, for predicting first-year graduate grade-point average (GPA), was assessed using data submitted to the GRE Validity Study Service between March 1983 and November 1984. All selected students had data for the three General Test measures…

This study evaluated the construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III) with children (ages 8 to 13) having learning disabilities who were either Hispanic (N=120) or Non-Hispanic white (N=120). Factor analyses found that the WISC III has a three factor structure consisting of verbal comprehension,…

A research project was designed and conducted to determine specifically whether the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) has any predictive value in determining how well masters of business administration (MBA) students perform in graduate management education. Several types of information were drawn from the student files of 360 past or…

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…

The Science Teacher Inventory of Need (STIN) was developed specifically to assess the perceived needs of science teachers in developing nations. The purpose of this reported study was to apply factor analysis to the perceived needs data collected from a sample of Malaysian secondary science teachers in order to clarify further the factorial…