Performed orthogonal and oblique factor analysis using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) standardization sample (N=1,880). Analysis of the variance components for each subtest at every age level revealed a substantial proportion of subtests at a wide range of age levels evidenced high or intermediate levels of specific…

Discusses the significance of confidence intervals around IQ scores based on a misleading interpretation of the standard error of measurement terms provided in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) manual. Presents standard error values and a table for determining the abnormality of verbal and performance IQ discrepancies.…

Reports on study in which students of Hebrew as a second language took four versions of oral proficiency test. Results indicate that different speech styles and topics significantly affected students' scores, and correlational analyses between pairs pointed to low reliability and lack of stability of the test. Urges caution in making decisions…

Three versions of a rating scale were compared for reliability and level of ratings. Results indicated that the wording of items influence these factors; that items should be written in order to maximize their meaning; and that response categories should be unique to each item. (Author/RW)

This study compares differential relations between unweighted and weighted decision-making scores and selected resource variables. The findings suggest that there are few significant relationships between individual decisions and resource variables. (Author)

This discussion illustrates the application of generalizability theory to a design commonly employed in the collection of evaluation data and provides a detailed analysis of the dependability of student evaluations of college teaching. (RC)

Changes in the full scale reliability of the WISC-R were computed at three age levels when each subtest was omitted by itself. The same procedure was followed with those subtests which independently had the smallest effect in lowering full scale reliability. Cautions were noted concerning the exclusion of subtests. (Author)

Reanalysis of Wakefield and Carlson's data confirmed canonical correlations of .84 and .69, but analysis of redundancies revealed that only 34 percent of the total WISC subtest variance is redundant with the ITPA and 39 percent of the ITPA subtest variance is redundant with the WISC. (Author)

Response error refers to the tendency to respond to items based on the perceived social desirability or undesirability of given responses. Response error can be particularly problematic when all or most of the items on a measure are extremely attractive or unattractive. The present paper proposes a method of (a) distinguishing among preferences…

This paper provides analytic evaluations of expected (marginal) true-score measures for binary items given their item response theory (IRT) calibration. Under the assumption of normal trait distributions, marginalized true scores, error variance, true score variance, and reliability for norm-referenced and criterion-references interpretations are…

To improve the admission process for teacher education at Henderson State University, Arkansas, and to ensure that teacher education candidates have appropriate dispositions for teaching, this study investigated the interview was an admissions criterion. Criteria for assessment and levels of proficiency were determined. A scoring rubric was…

To improve the admission process for teacher education at Henderson State University, Arkansas, and to ensure that teacher education candidates have appropriate dispositions for teaching, this study investigated the interview was an admissions criterion. Criteria for assessment and levels of proficiency were determined. A scoring rubric was…

Coefficient alpha is a simple and very useful index of test reliability that is widely used in educational and psychological measurement. Classical statistical inference for coefficient alpha is well developed. This paper presents two methods for Bayesian statistical inference for a single sample alpha coefficient. An approximate analytic method…

This digest discusses sources of error in testing, several approaches to estimating reliability, and several ways to increase test reliability. Reliability has been defined in different ways by different authors, but the best way to look at reliability may be the extent to which measurements resulting from a test are characteristics of those being…