Administered a modified version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to 448 high school students, as well as to psychiatric patients and juvenile offenders. Results suggest that students' responses were comparable to normal and clinical groups. The MMPI was effective in appraising the emotional problems of troubled…

A study involving 49 Canadian individuals with spinal cord disorders investigated using the LIFE-H, a measurement designed to assess the life habits of individuals with disabilities. The LIFE-H assessment was found to be reliable, covered most of a person's life habits, and could determine the appearance of disability situations. (Author/CR)

Reports on the psychometric properties of a new semistructured interview, the Structured Interview for the Five-Factor Model of Personality (T. Trull and T. Widiger, 1997). Data from clinical and nonclinical samples (187 undergraduates and 46 mental health outpatients) support the reliability and validity of the measure's scores. (SLD)

A study of 239 British female undergraduates explored the potential of using the Child Abuse and Trauma Scale to measure childhood emotional abuse. The concurrent validity and internal consistency of this new childhood emotional-abuse subscale were found to be at an acceptable level. (Author/CR)

A questionnaire developed to measure barriers to help-seeking behavior in adolescents was tested with 280 high school students following a pilot study. The instrument, Barriers to Adolescents Seeking Help, was found to have good test-retest reliability and adequate validity. Its use in identifying adolescents amenable to or resistant to therapy is…

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Environmental Rating Scale, a measure specifically designed to assess residential treatment programs for individuals with autism. The measure's reliability was demonstrated by assessments of the internal consistency, stability, and interrater reliability. Preliminary analysis of validity…

Evaluated psychometric properties of the Aggression Scale, a self-report measure of aggressive behaviors for middle school students. Found that reliability scores were high. Found no significant variations by gender, ethnicity, or grade level. Also found stability through 2 years, and positive association with independent ratings of student…

This attempt to determine the reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale for assessing the severity of muscle spasticity for ankle plantarflexors in 30 patients with traumatic brain injury concluded that the reliability was minimally adequate to support the scale's continued use. Interrater reliability was less than that previously reported for…

Paper introduces a collection of papers on educational assessment, noting controversies surrounding both old and new assessment methods, discussing the persistent set of technical issues that must be addressed by the research community in measurement, and examining work by the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student…

The validity of the 600-yard walk/run, the 20-meter shuttle run, and a modified 16-meter shuttle run was determined to measure aerobic capacity (VO2peak) in 34 children with mental retardation (ages 10-17). All field tests were found to be very reliable, and VO2peak was significantly related to them all. (Author/CR)

Demonstrates that a high degree of fairness may be achieved in international comparative research on school achievement, using the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as an example and employing the methods of advanced pedagogical-psychological diagnosis. Includes references. (CMK)

Describes the development of the Hassles Assessment Scale for Students in College, which measured student stress. Development involved item generation, psychometric evaluation, and revision. Separate student samples participated in each phase. Results found very high levels of internal consistency for the frequency, unpleasantness, and dwelling…

Data collected from 95 college students found the Comprehensive Childhood Maltreatment Inventory to have excellent test-retest reliability and 2 of the 4 subscales (Psychological Maltreatment and Neglect and Sexual Abuse) to possess adequate internal consistency. Reasons for low internal consistency for the Physical Maltreatment and Physical…

Data are reported on the long-term (6-month) test-retest reliability of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), which is a strength-based assessment instrument. Participants included 95 typical elementary students and 26 children at risk of having or having emotional or behavioral disorders. Moderate to high test-retest correlations were…

The article presents a psychometric description of 11 statements related to use of physical violence. The items were tested in a normal sample (N=1700, age: 15-16) from urban and rural areas in Western Norway. The internal reliability was @a=0.86, and the factor analysis resulted in two factors. Boys had higher mean scores than girls.…