Existing Australian measures of racist attitudes focus on single groups or have not been validated across the lifespan. To redress this, the present research aimed to develop and validate a measure of racial, ethnic, cultural and religious acceptance--the Australian Racism, Acceptance, and Cultural-Ethnocentrism Scale (RACES)--for use with…

Many tests used in educational settings to identify learning difficulties endeavour to pick up only the lowest performers. Yet these tests are generally developed within a Classical Test Theory (CTT) paradigm that assumes that data do not have significant skew. Rasch analysis is more tolerant of skew and was used to validate two newly developed…

We report on a concept inventory for special relativity: the development process, data analysis methods, and results from an introductory relativity class. The Relativity Concept Inventory tests understanding of relativistic concepts. An unusual feature is confidence testing for each question. This can provide additional information; for example,…

Models of modern test theory imply statistical independence among responses, generally referred to as "local independence." One violation of local independence occurs when the response to one item governs the response to a subsequent item. Expanding on a formulation of this kind of violation as a process in the dichotomous Rasch model,…

This article presents the author's rejoinder to thinking about linking from issue 8(1). Particularly within the more embracing linking frameworks, e.g., Holland & Dorans (2006) and Holland (2007), there appears to be a major disjunction between (1) classification discourse: the supposed basis for classification, that is, the underlying theory…

The construct validity of the Australian version of the Multidimensional School Anger Inventory-Revised (MSAI-R) was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), Rasch analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a sample of 1,400 Australian students enrolled in Years 8 through 12. The EFA revealed a strong replication of the MSAI-R's…

In an invitational address to the Victorian Institute of Educational Research, the author discussed Bayesian theory and its relationship to the design and construction of tailored or adaptive tests. Bayesian thinking involves recognizing the role of prior probabilities and using these probabilities in combination with new data to arrive at future…

DICOT, a computer program for the Rasch analysis of classroom tests, is described. Results are presented in a self-explanatory form. Person ability and item difficulty estimates are expressed in a familiar metric. Person and item fit statistics provide a diagnosis of individual children and identification of problematic items. (Author/DWH)

The effect of test length on predictive validity is examined empirically. For four tests, the curve of validity against test length had a very gentle slope for the longer tests and all tests could be reduced by more than 60 percent without appreciable decreases in validity. (Author/BW)

Educational and psychological measurement has been a main area of work for the Australian Council for Educational (ACER) since its inception. The theoretical and practical contributions of latent trait measurement and commentary on the relatively recent use of these models in Australia were the focus of a seminar celebrating the 50th anniversary…

A survey of 54 teachers of undergraduate and graduate psychological testing courses illustrates the teaching of testing in Australia. Tests covered in a course vary extensively. Intelligence testing is the most commonly taught (covered in 89 percent of the courses); most time on testing is spent in first-year postgraduate courses. (SLD)

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a construct validity approach for testing whether the separation of positive and negative item subscales is substantively meaningful in self-concept research. Results from three published studies using the Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ) III were reanalyzed. The SDQ III measures 13…

This handbook was designed to help Australian technical, adult, and further education (TAFE) teachers, especially those in vocational education areas, to assess and evaluate students. The guide contains seven chapters, each written so it can stand alone. At the beginning of each chapter is an explanation of what is to follow and a statement of the…