The Rasch item fit approach for detecting multidimensionality in response data is compared with principal component analysis without rotation using simulated data. Results indicate that both approaches work in a variety of multidimensional data structures, but the Rasch item fit is better under some circumstances, as discussed. (SLD)

The utility of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory personality disorder scales was studied with 217 male adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Analyses of variance found patterns consistent with research on adult samples in spite of differences in factor structure. These similarities suggest that adolescent assessment may provide information…

A revised 138-item, 13-category version of the "Things I Worry About" Scale was administered to 3983 adolescents in Northern Ireland. Results suggest a slightly modified 13-category structure and provide preliminary evidence of construct validity. The scale also appears to reflect predictable differences in adolescent concerns. (SLD)

Principals in 103 elementary and 76 junior high schools assessed the importance of 39 school effectiveness criteria. A satisfactory eight-factor solution was found for junior high schools but the elementary solution was less discrete. Implications for assessing school effectiveness are discussed. (SLD)

Seven separate studies over 3.5 years developed the Trauma-Related Guilt Inventory, examined its internal consistency, factor structure, and the questionnaire's convergent and discriminant validity. Results with college students, veterans, and battered women support the conceptualization of trauma-related guilt as a multidimensional construct.…

A sample of pregnant women (N=705) was given the monopolar version of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) in prenatal counseling for advanced maternal age to develop normative data and to determine the factor structure of the POMS for this group of women in the first trimester of pregnancy. (SLD)

Seven hierarchical clustering methods were applied to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) scores of 121 medical rehabilitation clients to investigate the possibility of method-dependent results and determine the stability of the clusters. This multiple-methods cluster analysis suggests that the underlying constructs of the…

The relationship between job skills and specific tasks is difficult to analyze, since any one task may require multiple skills. In this study, a sequence of statistical evaluations was conducted to examine the reliability of a subject matter expert panel's association of tasks and job skills and the factor structure of the task by job skill…

A 12-item Self-Confidence in Teaching Scale was completed by 1,176 students entering a teacher preparation program and 861 teacher candidates completing their final semester. For the total sample, gender subsamples, and "entry"/"exit" subsamples, principal axis factor analyses yielded only one factor with an eigenvalue greater…

Measurement fidelity (reliability, factor structure, and validity) of Aschenbach's Youth Self-Report scale was studied with 226 adolescents at a psychiatric hospital. Findings confirm convergent validity and reliability of four of the measure's seven narrowband syndromes, and seven meaningful subdimensions were extracted from the other three…

Implementation of a career ladder in the Cave Creek Unified School District (Arizona), with a five-factor teacher performance evaluation and accompanying placement algorithm successfully dispersed teachers across plan levels. After three years, there have been no teacher grievances filed, and teachers feel ownership and authority over the career…

Reexamined Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale (CERS) using confirmatory factor analysis. Analyzed 185 self-rated CERs. Findings suggest that, when counselors use CERS to rate themselves, different factors may emerge from those emerging when experienced supervisors use CERS to evaluate supervisee progress and performance. (Author/NB)

Examined dimensions of personal loss from such events as divorce, career change, geographical relocation, illness, institutional change, aging, injury, death, or loss of one's personal dreams among 251 college students. Findings support notion that personal loss is multidimensional human experience involving unique interaction of several important…

Validity studies conducted with the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) are reviewed. Results support its validity as a measure of general mental ability and that it can distinguish between groups of youngsters with differing intellectual abilities. Recommendations are made for use of the SB:FE. (SLD)

Examined factor structure of Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) and its internal consistency for 128 high school and 145 college students. Means were higher than those of adults who reported never considering suicide. Goodness of Fit Index was poor, suggesting that factors in teenagers' reasons for living are different from those of adults.…