Using an argument-based approach to validation, this study examines the quality of teacher judgments in the context of a standards-based classroom assessment of English proficiency. Using Bachman's (2005) assessment use argument (AUA) as a framework for the investigation, this paper first articulates the claims, warrants, rebuttals, and backing…

Motivation deficits are common in high school and constitute a significant problem for both students and teachers. The Academic Amotivation Inventory (AAI) was developed to measure the multidimensional nature of the academic amotivation construct (Legault, Green-Demers, & Pelletier, 2006). The present project further examined the consistency…

Background: Medical schools use supplemental peer-teaching programs even though there is little research on students' actual experiences with this form of instruction. Purpose: To understand the student experience of being taught by peers instead of by faculty. Methods: We conducted focus groups with first- and second-year medical students…

The factor structure of the Dutch translation of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ; a continuous, quantitative measure of autistic traits) was evaluated with confirmatory factor analyses in a large general population and student sample. The criterion validity of the AQ was examined in three matched patient groups (autism spectrum conditions (ASC),…

The revised Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R) is the third stage of development of a widely used multiscale personality inventory that began with the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) and then the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The author describes the third stage of the psychobiological theory of temperament and…

The newly developed Assessment of School Counselor Needs for Professional Development (ASNPD; Dahir & Stone, 2003a, 2003b) survey measures school counselors' readiness to deliver comprehensive school counseling programs (ASCA National Model[R]; American School Counselor Association, 2005) and appraises school counselors' beliefs, priorities, and…

The psychometric properties of the Parent Self-efficacy in Managing the Transition to School Scale (PSMTSS) were investigated with a sample of 763 mothers whose children were starting primary school in Australia. Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors, Efficacy and Worry, accounting for 56.6% of the total variance in parent…

The purpose of the present study was to explore Dutch spelling development throughout the elementary grades. Two issues were considered (a) dimensional structure over time, and (b) rate of change. Whether the rate of change differs depending on gender, ethnicity, or word reading skill was examined in particular. A pseudolongitudinal dataset with…

"Diagnostic classification models" (DCM) are frequently promoted by psychometricians as important modelling alternatives for analyzing response data in situations where multivariate classifications of respondents are made on the basis of multiple postulated latent skills. In this review paper, a definitional boundary of the space of DCM…

Background: Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are believed to be common in children with intellectual disabilities (ID). Conners' Rating Scales are widely used for screening ADHD among children who do not have ID, but little is known about their usefulness among children with ID. Aims: To find cut-off scores for the…

This study examined the factorial structure of the "World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire--Brief Version" in a community sample of Canadians with spinal cord injuries. A confirmatory factor analysis provides evidence that the instrument is a multidimensional measure of quality of life. Additionally, the questionnaire is…

Influenced by work on teacher beliefs, personal epistemology, teachers' knowledge, implicit theories, and motivation, we conducted a two-part investigation exploring preservice and practicing teachers' beliefs about teaching knowledge and teaching ability. Study I qualitatively examined 53 preservice and 57 practicing teachers' beliefs about…

The purposes of this study were to examine the reliability and validity of a 4-factor model of the Drinking Motives Measure and to assess year in school and ethnic differences on different types of motives. Data were collected on 441 volunteer college students. Results indicated that fit indices for the 4-factor model were acceptable; fit indices…

The development, maintenance, and integration of multicultural competence into all aspects of psychologists' work is critical to ethical practice in an increasingly diverse society. Measurement of multicultural competency is critical to investigating the development of multicultural competence and the effectiveness of multicultural competency…

The purpose of this study was to examine student demographic, family characteristics, pre-college, and college academic factors that predict persistence between freshmen students who were placed or not placed in remediation courses. The participants for this study were comprised of 3,213 first-time, full-time and part-time, degree-seeking freshmen…