Many higher education studies use self-reported gains as indicators of college student learning and development. However, the evidence regarding the validity of these indicators is quite mixed. It is proposed that the temporal nature of the assessment--whether students are asked to report their current attributes or how their attributes have…

Seven methods were used to measure the self-acceptance, self-description, and acceptance of others in 137 people ranging in age from 14 to 82. Results indicated that self-acceptance and self-description could not be clearly distinguished. (MH)

Construct validity was investigated for three tests of clinical competence in medicine: National Board of Medical Examiners examination (NBME), California Psychological Inventory (CPI), and Resident Evaluation Form (REF). Scores from 166 residents were analyzed. Results suggested low construct validity for CPI and REF scales, and moderate…

A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix was formed in which nine evaluation dimensions were the multiple traits, and different offerings of the same course were the multiple methods. Findings from the MTMM analysis and confirmatory factor analysis provide strong evidence for the multidimensionality of student ratings. (Author/BW)

Experiments were conducted to determine undergraduates' attributions for examination performance. A latent partition analysis of subjects' categories was performed by another group of educational psychology students. Combined attribution clusters reflected locus of control and stability dimensions. Students differentiated attribution clusters only…

The issue of grade inflation is clarified by examining the database of the College Board's Validity Study Service. Also examined is the effect of grade inflation on the validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test across a 15-year period. (Author/GK)

A longitudinal file was used to compute 61 indicators of college viability. Particular colleges identified as being in distress were used to validate the indicators. The validated indicators for each type of college were then used to construct a summary index of viability. (Author/BW)

This study extended the knowledge of the explanatory power of Tinto's theoretical model of college persistence/withdrawal through a multi-institutional validation. Path analysis was used to test the model overall and at three different groupings of postsecondary institutions: four-year, predominantly residential; and four-year, and two-year,…

The validity of the constructs underlying the Clark-Trow Typology of College Student Subcultures--academic interests and non-academic interests--are confirmed. However, there are indications that the involvement with ideas dimension does not discriminate satisfactorily among the four student groups. (Author/MV)

Results varied as a function of : (1) type of task (transfer, paired associate, or visual discrimination); (2) student age (kindergarten, first grade, or college); (3) stimuli size; and (4) number of response indicators. Research findings cannot be generalized from artificial orthographies to the English alphabet or from various aged subjects to…

Students viewed lectures varying in amount of substantive content and expressiveness of presentation. Subsequent achievement tests and ratings of lecture effectiveness revealed that high achievement level was associated with high content coverage and expressiveness. Sensitivity of ratings to content coverage and achievement did not improve after a…

The author contends that student evaluations of faculty should be adjusted before use in tenure, salary, and promotion decisions to eliminate irrelevant course and teacher attributes which color students' opinions and confound analysis. To eliminate possible bias, a multiple regression analysis procedure for the adjustment of student evaluations…

The Checklist of Instructional Characteristics (CLIC) was assessed by examining potential contaminating factors (class size, presentation format, students' initial interest, and personal impression of the instructor) and instructional outcomes (outcome interest, course performance, and self-reported learning). The relationships between the CLIC…

Student achievement in an introductory psychology course was found to correlate most strongly with the teaching assistant's Graduate Record Examination (GRE)-Advanced psychology score, and number of undergraduate psychology courses taken by the instructor. Student satisfaction with the teacher, however, was best predicted by the instructor's…

The relationship between the style, trait anxiety, and experience of professors and students' grades was investigated using Fiedler's contingency theory. Results indicated professors' trait anxiety is significant influencing student grades; professors having a high Least Preferred co-worker score assigned grades negatively correlated related with…