The Quality of Life Inventory, a measure of life satisfaction for psychological assessment and treatment planning, was evaluated with 54 inpatients, 54 recovering alcoholics, 18 private alcohol- and drug-treatment patients, 127 college counseling recipients, 272 undergraduates, and 19 criminal offenders. Results support the measures' psychometric…

Psychometrically linking a state criterion-referenced test (CRT) and a norm-referenced test (NRT) to yield NRT information through the CRT was studied with samples of 1,500 to 3,000 elementary school students per subject and grade level in Connecticut. A CRT/NRT link can create a focused and coherent assessment system. (SLD)

Examines gender role orientations of characters in prime time television advertisements through the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) completed by 426 college students (43.2% females). Results confirm the appropriateness of the scale for self- and person-perception ratings. Uses of the BSRI in gender role research are discussed. (SLD)

An evaluation of the Manic Depressive and Depressive Association of Chicago (Illinois) used an adapted version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) as part of a mail survey. Results for 184 respondents reveal characteristics of both the instrument and client satisfaction factors. (TJH)

This study assessed the Resident Lifestyle Inventory for congruent validity, test-retest reliability, and social validity using 19 severely disabled adults in community-based residential facilities. Results indicate the test is psychometrically acceptable and accurately used by residential programs. Support staff also consider it useful for…

The item-response-theory-based (IRT) rule-space model was used to diagnose student knowledge about how exponents behave in multiplication and division in a sample of 431 tenth-grade students. Implications for using feedback from the rule-space model in instruction and assessment are discussed. (SLD)

The case against the use of psychometric assessment as the primary vehicle for diagnosing specific reading disability is presented; instead, the authors suggest that diagnosis should begin with remedial intervention. The child's response should be the most important piece of diagnostic information. Findings from a recent intervention study support…

Explores the relationship between measurement theory and practice, considering five broad categories of: (1) models, assumptions, and terminology; (2) reliability; (3) validity; (4) scaling; and (5) setting performance standards. It must be recognized that measurement is not an end in itself. (SLD)

This article uses a question-and-answer format to describe the major categories of technical information usually presented in technical manuals for tests used by speech/language clinicians, including logical evidence of validity, empirical evidence of validity, types of reliability estimates, and practical issues in applying standardization data…

Examines some problems of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS): multiple cutoff scores for passing the test and receiving a high school diploma, and artificially "tricky" items that disproportionately confuse language-minority students. Uses factor analysis and simulations to show ways to improve item selection for the TAAS.…

Objective: The objectives of the study were: (a) to develop a scale to assess CSA-related loss among a college sample of CSA survivors (CSALM), (b) to examine the measure's convergent validity through associations among depression, alexithymia, coping, and social support, and (c) to test whether social support moderates the relation between…

Informal Reading Inventories (IRI) are often recommended as instructionally relevant measures of reading. However, they have also been criticized for inattention to technical quality. Examination of reliability evidence in nine recently revised IRIs revealed that fewer than half report reliability. Several appear to have sufficient reliability for…

This chapter describes a new conceptual model for measuring competencies of higher education graduates. The proposed instrument can become a valuable tool for higher education quality management, policy evaluation, and scientific research. (Contains 1 figure.)

This study provides a qualitative test and illustration of a model of how students cope with the demands of part-time study. The model shows that students who are successful in finding the time to complete the requirements of part-time courses do so by adopting three mechanisms; sacrifice, support and the negotiation of arrangements. All three…

Developed and tested a 20-item measure of work-family interface with child care providers. Confirmed five factors: general overload, conflict of family to work, spillover of family to work, spillover of work to family, and conflict of work to family. Regression lines for low, medium, and high levels of work-family interface indicated that high…