Assessed quality of care in 120 child care centers using several major process measures, including the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, to evaluate how well the quality of child care is measured by process and regulatable variables. The process measures proved to be highly redundant, and regulatable measures did not prove to be acceptable…

Considers the bases of criticism of parent report as an index of their children's behavioral development and ways in which problems associated with parent report were addressed in the construction of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs). Examines the nature of responses elicited from parents as they complete the CDIs. (BC)

This paper examines teacher evaluation practices in leisure studies programs, noting the perceived effectiveness of rating instruments. Surveys of leisure studies professors nationwide indicated many institutions used evaluation instruments and processes that were not statistically validated; key decisions were often made on the basis of these…

Examines the responses to the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC) of college women (n=654) sexually abused as children, sexually assaulted as adults, sexually assaulted as children and adults, and nonabused. Results support the validity of the TSC as a measure of sexual abuse trauma and point to family patterns associated with prolonged symptomatology.…

While student evaluations of teaching performance can provide useful feedback on faculty, particularly on dimensions of course delivery, there are serious limitations. Bias and distrust are often overlooked in interpreting student ratings. An inappropriate use is in rank-ordering faculty in a department. Student evaluation data must be integrated…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of using the Observational Checklist of Conversational Skills to facilitate early teacher referral of 37 primary-level children suspected of having language problems and 37 age-matched peers. Twenty-five of the at-risk group scored at least 1.5 standard deviations below the mean; 27 were subsequently referred…

Reliability and validity of 4-point and 6-point scales were assessed using a new model-based approach to fit empirical data from 165 graduate students completing an attitude measure. Results suggest that the issue of four- versus six-point scales may depend on the empirical setting. (SLD)

In a counterbalanced, within subjects, repeated measures design, 130 undergraduates were administered the Computer-Assisted Hypnosis Scale (CAHS) and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale and were hypnotized. The CAHS was shown to be a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring hypnotic ability. (SLD)

A new instrument, the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), was developed. Results from 6 studies with nearly 600 children indicate that the SPAI-C is a reliable and valid measure for childhood social anxiety and fear. It may be useful for improving clinical assessment and documenting treatment outcomes. (SLD)

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPIs) were administered to an urban mixed-race sample of 218 adolescent psychiatric patients. Wiggins scale elevations for African Americans and whites were compared, and the validity of the scales was assessed through comparison with parent observations. Implications for the MMPI-Adolescent content…

Discusses an ethical dilemma that emerged in a study with bereaved college students. The instruments used to gather data clearly elicited grief-related distress, and more bereaved students in control groups left the study than did participants in social support groups. Three alternatives to a traditional control-group design are discussed for…

This study investigated diagnosis of learning problems in 177 boys (ages 6-13) with behavior problems. The standard score discrepancy method and standard score plus low achievement method were more likely to identify children with above-average intelligence quotients as learning disabled, whereas a regression approach identified learning…

Reactions to the national study of children's problems and competence by Achenbach et al. are offered, with focus on the development of a new survey instrument, the ACQ Behavior Check List. A reply from the researchers is included. (12 references) (LB)

Educational reform typically includes modifications in testing. The article discusses misconceptions about testing and reform, noting reform involves changing test structure or increasing amounts of testing. To provide accountability within educational reform, curriculum must be unified nationally, statewide, or locally because students cannot be…

Three analysis procedures were used to study the dependability and validity of ESLPE, a criterion-referenced English-as-a-Second-Language placement test developed at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1989. Findings led to the suggestion that some students might have been differently placed if subtest scores were used for placement.(38…