Three types of data were factor analyzed using principal components extractions with orthogonal and oblique rotations to test publisher claims for construct validity of the Personal Profile System (PPS). Behavioral descriptor data from 1,045 senior non-commissioned Air Force officers were factored as raw data, mean corrected data, and standardized…

This research aims to clarify the dimensionality of the Life Satisfaction Index A (LSIA). A multiple indicator structural equation model, which includes eleven items loading on three first-order factors and one second-order factor, is proposed to delineate the structure of LSIA. This model was empirically examined by using data from the 1974…

The paper is a critique of the traditional mode of interpreting factor analyses; it is not a criticism of factor analysis per se. Instead, the author proposes a statistical procedure based upon stepwise regression (SRP). The traditional mode focuses on the largest factor loadings (FL). A factor is both described and named by these heavily weighted…

The 35-item Family Needs Survey (FNS) is purported both to facilitate the acquisition of the parent's perspective on needs of families with handicapped children and to possess prescriptive utility. The FNS directs parents to indicate if they definitely do have a need, definitely do not have a need, or are uncertain if they have a need in six…

This paper reports on the development and refinement of the Connecticut School Effectiveness Questionnaire (CSEQ) and the Connecticut School Effectiveness Interview (CSEI), the primary data collection tools used in the Connecticut State Department of Education School Effectiveness Project. The primary purpose of both the CSEI and the CSEQ is to…

The initial form of the Coping with Death Scale consisted of 30 items designed to obtain responses arranged along a seven-point Likert-type scale. Each item on the scale was derived from personal responses of students who completed a death and dying seminar. The items appeared to fall into two categories: coping with self and coping with others.…

A questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of investigating various aspects of the career choices made by graduate students. The research was to determine the underlying structure of the questionnaire and to compare the capability of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and linear factor analysis (FA) to reveal dimensions measured by the…

Empathy, a basis for altruistic motivation, is viewed as a developmental process by Hoffman and others. Current measures of empathy, such as the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), have been analyzed by exploratory factor analytic methods which do not allow for the testing of a developmental model of the simplex form. This study was…

In an analysis of multitrait-multimethod matrices the criteria for discriminant validity are shown to include a "structure" criterion as an invariance of traits structure to methods. The criterion is meant to fit data to an additive model with traits and methods but not interaction terms. The importance of the structure criterion and the…

The results of this study suggest that for purposes of estimating ability by latent trait methods, the Rasch model compares favorably with the three-parameter logistic model. Using estimated parameters to make predictions about 25 actual number-correct score distributions with samples of 1,000 cases each, those predicted by the Rasch model fit the…

To provide diagnostic feedback for college faculty, a faculty evaluation rating scale was developed and used by college students. The instrument consisted of 2 global items--rate the instructor, rate the course; 5 questions on general teaching characteristic--presentation, enthusiasm, discussion, organization, and personal attention; and 42 low…

The need for objective evaluation of the social and emotional adjustment of elementary school children has become increasingly acute, yet few tools are available which can provide data on the epidemiology of psychopathology in the school-age child. The present study undertook to cross-validate a behavior checklist for boys, the Pittsburgh…