Two instruments, one a self-report measure and one an informant assessment, were developed to assess the strength of a person's end goals and motivational sensitivities. Results of seven studies involving 2548 adults and adolescents support a 15-factor solution for each instrument, with solutions similar to each other. Implications for a model of…

A study involving 92 adults with mental retardation examined the validity and reliability of the Leisure Assessment Inventory. Two indexes (Leisure Activities Participation and Leisure Interests) demonstrated higher reliability from test to retest whereas the remaining two (Leisure Preference and Leisure Constraints) showed only moderate…

This study evaluated the reliability of the Child Behavior Checklist with 42 children and youth with mild mental retardation. Use of kappa coefficients and intra-class correlations at item and syndrome levels indicated that the Child Behavior Checklist may not always represent a reliable checklist for the assessment of psychopathology in this…

Recognizes the attraction of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), a technique that uses a scale to measure client's achievement, but suggests that there are concerns about the calculation of its standard scores. Examples show how GAS may be used in service development, whether or not numerical values are attached. (Author/CR)

Twenty-two children with autism were given four tests of false belief understanding: the Sally-Anne task, two variants of the deceptive box task, and the three boxes task. The overall consistency of the children's performance was high, 77 percent either passing or failing all tasks. Convergent validity and reliability are discussed. (Contains…

Psychometric data are presented for 223 children and adults with autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS), or nonspectrum diagnoses who took the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic. Within each module, diagnostic groups were equivalent on expressive language levels. Results indicate substantial…

Psychometric theory focuses primarily on tests that are homogeneous, measuring only one attribute of a psychosocial entity. However, the complexity of psychosocial behavior often requires tests that are heterogeneous, measuring more than one attribute. In this presentation, reliability and internal consistency are extended to heterogeneous tests…

A reliability generalization of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) was conducted using the normative sample. The RCMAS consists of a Total Anxiety scale as well as four subscales. Results suggest that the Total Anxiety scores are typically reliable (median across 48 samples = .81). Subscale scores were less reliable: The median…

Various policy papers and research studies assert that teamwork is one of the most important skills for students to learn if they are to become meaningful contributors to the 21st century workforce. However, outside of organizational psychology and adult populations, few reliable assessments of this construct exist, with suitable validity evidence…

Background: Coaches and physical educators must obtain valid data relating to the contribution of each of their players in order to assess their level of performance in team sport competition. This information must also be collected and used in real game situations to be more valid. Developed initially for a physical education class context, the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the types of instruments being used to document mathematics and science teacher quality characteristics in 48 nationally funded mathematics and science education awards. Each of the 48 projects operationalized teacher quality and determined how to assess it. The main research questions examined the…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

The relevance of assessing attention or concentration skills for personnel selection is discussed, and how a person's interpersonal characteristics are influenced by and influence attentional skills is explored. Scales in the Theory Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) inventory developed by Robert Nideffer are described. The interaction of…

Several techniques to use in evaluation and grading are presented. Some grading problems are discussed briefly. (PEB)

Measurement terms used in Title I evaluation are contained in this glossary. Several types of measurement techniques are identified and defined. Other measurement terms which are defined include those relating to validity, reliability, statistical analysis, test interpretation, and program effectiveness. (DWH)