Beyond cognitive competence, other abilities are relevant to labor market nowadays, including critical thinking, self confidence, teamwork and communication. It is then important to introduce in the learning process practices that contribute to both the acquirement of knowledge and the development of soft skills. A prominent answer to this…

This study explored how teachers and school administrators connect large-scale assessment results with school improvement planning. Using a semi-structured format, 20 teachers and 18 administrators were interviewed from two school districts in southern Ontario, Canada. The interview protocol contained a range of questions related to teaching and…

Research on implicit beliefs or theories about intelligence has shown that those with entity theories tend to be oriented toward performance goals--that is, toward documenting their intelligence, while those with incremental theories tend to be oriented toward learning goals--that is, toward developing their intelligence. This paper discusses…

In conjunction with a longitudinal study of the effects of the school environment on the self-concepts and mental health of first- and second-grade students, a primary level group-administered self-report self-concept inventory (PSCI) was developed. The PSCI, based on Pauline Sears' Self-Concept Inventory for middle grades, does not require…

Defining critical thinking as a conscious process means that teachers can make students aware of the process and can affect the process. In addition, teachers can help students to evaluate their use of the process. The goal in any course is to involve students in the practice of critical thinking, and the oral exam reflects the students'…

This article discusses practical and theoretical problems related to the measurement of formal operations. The first section of the article discusses problems in measuring formal operations using the clinical interview method. These problems include the lack of both a standardized interview and a uniform scoring procedure. Section two discusses…

The LOGTRUE program can be used to obtain a scale of equated raw scores for two tests with parameter estimates on a common item response theory scale. The program derives its name from the method of logistic true score equating described by Lord (1980). The method can be applied to two tests with overlapping items administered to different groups…

Prevalence rates of cognitive impairment in persons 75 to 85 years of age have been documented in the range of 10-15%, and exceeding 20% after age 85. A recent study has demonstrated even higher prevalence rates: 18.7% between the ages of 75-84 and 47% in persons over 85 years of age. Screening for dementia in persons 75 years of age and older…

Two hundred-sixteen fifth- and sixth-graders were dichotomized on attitude toward school (positive or negative) and randomly assigned to three conditions in which they were instructed that they were about to take either an Intelligence, Achievement, or a Routine test. Results of analysis of variance on Kuhlmann-Anderson scores revealed significant…

This paper discusses the ethical and practical issues involved in the development and implementation of a preschool screening battery. A screening program is described and the resulting data presented in an attempt to illustrate the investment in time, money, and energy required. The ethical questions that arise because of the lack of…

Confirmatory maximum likelihood estimation of measurement models was used to evaluate the construct generality of self-report measures of anxiety across male and female samples. These measures included Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and two forms of Endler, Hunt and Rosenstein's S-R Inventory of…

Reviewed is the research on the early prediction of academic underachievement or learning difficulty and described are predictive projects currently underway by the author. Suggested by the review are that the child at highest risk for school learning difficulties is a later-born male, who has a history of pre or perinatal complications and who is…

A method for measuring recognition memory (free of distractors) and false recognition was based on the assumption that the subject was "honest." A distractor-free test of word recognition (a single-item test trial in which the 36 targets were presented prior to the 36 distractors) was compared with a traditional target-distractor…

In the specific methods of standard setting in testing, judgments about individuals being tested, contrasting groups being tested, and judgments about the test items are discussed. In judgments about individual test-takers, assumptions are presented based on the knowledge and skills the test is intended to measure, the test-takers' skills at the…

The research in progress that is presented in this paper focuses on the preliminary results of a study examining the differences and similarities in data obtained using the one-to-one versus small group procedures for designing and conducting formative evaluations of instructional materials. The materials chosen were the microbiology print module…