We extended current knowledge by examining the performance of several Bayesian model fit and comparison indices through a simulation study using the confirmatory factor analysis. Our goal was to determine whether commonly implemented Bayesian indices can detect specification errors. Specifically, we wanted to uncover any differences in detecting…

Classroom observation rubrics are a widely adopted tool for measuring the quality of teaching and provide stable conceptualisations of teaching quality that facilitate empirical research. Here, we present four statistical approaches for analysing data from classroom observations: Factor analysis, Rasch modelling, latent class or profile analysis,…

By design, randomized experiments (XPs) rule out bias from confounded selection of participants into conditions. Quasi-experiments (QEs) are often considered second-best because they do not share this benefit. However, when results from XPs are used to generalize causal impacts, the benefit from unconfounded selection into conditions may be offset…

This action research project sought to understand how giving students a choice in how to demonstrate mastery of a reading would affect both grades and evaluations of the instructor, given that assessment choice might increase student engagement. We examined the effect of student assessment choice on grades and course evaluations, the two…

Investigated factor structures of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 212 normal children. Findings suggest correspondence between: (1) WISC-R Verbal Comprehension and K-ABC Achievement; (2) WISC-R Perceptual Organization and K-ABC Simultaneous Processing; and (3) WISC-R…

A three-dimensional (3-D) test, comparable to twenty-five items from the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, constructed to determine whether 3-D stimuli would facilitate responses when compared to two dimensional (2-D) stimuli, revealed no significant effects for the version of the test (2-D or 3-D) or the order of administration. (MB)

The five studies reported on in this article investigated the effects of testing schemes on end-of-course achievement. Variables were frequency of testing, repeated or non-repeated tests, and single-unit or cumulative tests. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

The nationwide sales force (N=540) of a large food and beverage firm responded to a mail survey designed to investigate the role of value orientation as a moderator of the relationship between organizational rewards and job satisfaction. Of the two main elements in the investigation, the first was concerned with the predictive efficiency of two…

Research was conducted to study possible alternatives to ACT and SAT for admission and placement purposes. A survey of California community colleges revealed that the information desired about students is how well they can write, how well they can read, and how well they can apply basic mathematics skills and that the test should not exceed $3.00…

In an attempt to find a test which minimized cultural bias, three tests were administered to 335 first grade pupils. The subjects comprised 2 groups (123 Anglo children and 212 Spanish surnamed children). The Goodenough Draw-A-Man Test (GDAM) and the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test (LT), Form A, were administered as measures of intelligence. The…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of four item selection rules--(1) Fisher information (F), (2) Fisher information with a posterior distribution (FP), (3) Kullback-Leibler information with a posterior distribution (KP), and (4) completely randomized item selection (RN)--with respect to the precision of trait estimation and the…

A study supplementing earlier research by Lalande and Schweckendiek investigated comparisons and correlations obtained from testing a group of 17 university students of German using both the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the most recent revision of the examination for the…

As part of an effort to develop strategies for measuring institutional effectiveness, a study was conducted at West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVU-P), a two-year institution with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, to determine the most appropriate instrument for measuring gains in general education between incoming freshman (i.e.,…

This study assessed whether providing examinees with a choice between computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and self-adaptive testing (SAT) affects test performance in comparison with being assigned a CAT or SAT, and evaluated variables influencing examinee choice of either test form. The relative influences of test type and test choice on examinee…