There has been increased interest in assessing the quality and usefulness of short versions of the Raven's Progressive Matrices. A recent proposal, composed of the last twelve matrices of the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM-LS), has been depicted as a valid measure of "g." Nonetheless, the results provided in the initial validation…

There is significant controversy over what counts as evidence in the evaluation of social interventions. It is increasingly common to use methodological criteria to rank evidence types in a hierarchy, with Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) at or near the highest level. Because of numerous challenges to a hierarchical approach, this article…

Researchers often argue that the structural models of the constructs they study are relevant to clinicians. Unfortunately, few clinicians are able to translate the mathematically precise relationships between latent constructs and observed scores into information that can be usefully applied to individuals. Typically this means that when a new…

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of…

The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI; Psychological Corporation, 1999) and the Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT; Glutting, Adams, & Sheslow, 2000) are two well-normed brief measures of general intelligence with subtests purportedly assessing verbal-crystallized abilities and nonverbal-fluid-visual abilities. With a sample of…

For a sample of seven and eight-year old Nigerian elementary pupils, validity coefficients of a modified matrix completion instrument entitled Modified Hall's Matrices, were determined relative to two achievement tests. The coefficients were quite high. (Author/JKS)

Empirical Bayes methods are shown to provide a practical alternative to standard least squares methods in fitting high dimensional models to sparse data. An example concerning prediction bias in educational testing is presented as an illustration. (Author)

An alternative derivation of Tryon's basic formula for the coefficient of domain validity or the coefficient of generalizability developed by Cronbach, Rajaratnam, and Glaser is provided. This derivation, which is also the generalized Kuder-Richardson coefficient, requires a relatively minimal number of assumptions compared with that in previously…

Employed were a small sample of fifth graders to examine techniques for assessing the validity of psychosocial maturity (PSM) and the scales used to measure it. Three validation techniques were examined: (1) Data obtained from self-report scales, teacher ratings, and peer ratings were used to generate three multitrait-multimethod matrices (total…

A recurring problem in educational research is how to account for non-random selection that has restricted the range of the variables of interest in correlational analyses. Several expressions due to H. Pearson (1903) and presented in matrix notation by D. N. Lawley (1943-44) are commonly used in selection settings to adjust for samples chosen on…

The strategy for investigating convergent and discriminant test validity, known as the multitrait-multimethod matrix, is investigated. A nonparametric significance testing procedure is suggested and demonstrated. (JKS)

The multitrait-multimethod matrix procedure was employed to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the five subscales of the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) Attitude Scale, Counseling Form B-1. (Author/LMO)

Introduces some methodological procedures from psychology that may be useful in curriculum research. Although the notion of construct validity lends itself well to an area as complex as curriculum, the author experienced difficulty finding studies that utilized a multimethod, multitrait matrix approach. (Editor)

High intercorrelations among the six subtests of the Pictorial Test of Intelligence raise questions regarding the construct validity of the instrument. A factor analysis was performed. A single factor with stable factor loadings emerged. (Author/JKS)

The relationship between two diverse but commonly used psychotherapy process rating scales was determined by correlating therapist statements classified via the Hill Interaction Matrix with statements rated on the dimensions of empathy, respect, genuineness, and specificity. Results suggest these measures share significant common variance. Empathy…