Two brief scales were proposed to assess effectiveness of teaching in laboratory and seminar/discussion group classes. (Author)

Two studies examined factors influencing the study approach of Australian college freshmen and seniors from a traditional psychometric perspective, supported by student comments. The first found that student interest, grades, and essay examinations encourage serious study; the second, that serious students see courses as encouraging independence…

The extensive program for formative and summative evaluation of medical students at a new medical school, including multidisciplinary planning and a wide range of testing procedures, is described and discussed. The objective is a faculty-wide, integrated, and comprehensive evaluation system developed with the collaboration of medical teachers and…

Examines existing analyses of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and further investigates the psychometric adequacy of the instrument. Proposes a revision with 10 items each measuring masculinity and femininity. (PD)

Revises the concept of verifiability of life events by requiring that they be verified. Presents three design issues which interact with verifiability and event qualification, which may result in threats to their validity. Suggests all three types of objectivity-subjectivity should be considered in designing life event studies. (Author/JAC)

Describes development of a new rating scale for use by teachers. The Prosocial Behaviour Questionnaire is designed for use in the investigation of elementary school children's behavior. A copy of the rating scale is included. (Author/DB)

The basic ingredients of test development and practice are validity and reliability, but the tested impact is equally important. The American Psychological Association Committee on Psychological Tests should be restructured to deal with testing problems, and more research should be done on the public impact of testing. (JAC)

Examines school psychologists' (N=339) rated acceptability of two approaches to assessing emotional and behavior problems and provides a large-scale validation of an instrument designed to evaluate assessment acceptability. Results indicate significant differences between assessment methods and ratings of acceptability: behavioral assessments were…

The authors of a report on the technical adequacy of alternative reading measures reflect on issues concerning "whole language" terminology, the use of both quantitative and qualitative measures, and instructional decision making. (DB)

Computerized and paper-and-pencil versions of four standard personality inventories administered to 147 undergraduates were compared for: (1) test-retest reliability; (2) scores; (3) trait anxiety; (4) interaction between method and social desirability; and (5) preferences concerning method of testing. Doubts concerning the efficacy of…

Suggestions are provided for future research in item bias detection, reduction of essay-reader variation in setting cut-score levels, and limitations of equating theory. (TJH)

Reports the results of several test-reliability experiments which compared a modified confidence weighted-admissible probability measurement (MCW-APM) with conventional forced choice or binary type (R-W) test scoring methods. Psychometric properties using G theory and conventional correlational methods are examined, and their implications for…

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate the factorial validity across gender of the Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) subscales measuring general, school, English, and mathematics self-concepts. When administered to 516 male/475 female 11th/12th graders in Ottawa (Canada), the questionnaire demonstrated…

The psychometric characteristics of constructed response items referring to choice and nonchoice passages administered to approximately 150,000 students in grades 3, 5, and 8 were studied through item response theory methodology. Results indicated no consistent differences in the difficulty and discrimination of items referring to the two types of…

Whether adequate levels of interrater reliability could be obtained on a national, standardized examination using one examiner per observation was studied with 101 paired candidate observations on an examination for optometry. Results indicate that psychometrically sound judgments can be obtained with one examiner. (SLD)