The critiques by L. Collins and L. Humphreys in this issue illustrate problems with the use of gain scores. Collins' examples show that familiar formulas for the reliability of differences do not reflect the precision of measures of change. Additional examples demonstrate flaws in the conventional approach to reliability. (SLD)

The Aiken Attitude to Mathematics Scale (L. Aiken, 1974, 1979) was administered to 430 adult students in a tertiary preparation program, and the factorial validity of the scale was investigated through exploratory factor analysis. Two factors were extracted with high reliabilities, as opposed to Aiken's four-factor structure. (SLD)

Discusses computer failures or destruction, explores hardware available to help save the intellectual content, and reviews backup strategies. Highlights include floppy disks; Zip drives; CD drives; DVD recorders; additional hard drives; Web storage options; testing backup systems for reliability; and commercial companies that offer restoring…

Studied the psychometric quality of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Childhood/Generalist assessment system through a FACETS analysis of tests from 596 candidates. In general, results indicate that the assessment system is functioning quite well, and overall, most candidate rating profiles show consistent performance…

Examines burnout and engagement among college students from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for students. Overall, these two instruments may be used for such a purpose, but both instruments, particularly the MBI-SS, do not pass a rigorous test of…

Research evaluated psychometric properties of College Alcohol Problem Scale (CAPS) using a sample of African American college students. CAPS was evaluated for reliability and accuracy in identifying potential abusive drinkers. Results indicate that CAPS is a reliable and effective device for identification of abusive drinking among African…

The Individualism-Collectivism Vocational Attitudes Questionnaire (ICVAQ) was developed to assess cultural attitudes and behaviors that may be important in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities from diverse cultural backgrounds. Results of study were mixed but provided some support for the reliability and…

Investigates the effects of consistency of candidates' performance across questions within an examination paper based on examiners' judgments of A level grade-worthiness for biology and sociology examinations. Finds that inconsistent performance produced lower judgments in biology, while very consistent performance was preferred in sociology.…

Results of the Self-Confidence Inventory, Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and Self-Efficacy Rating Scale for 399 students indicated the subscales were reliable for both African-Americans and European-Americans. There were few racial but significant gender differences regarding Holland's occupational themes. The scales had different degrees of…

Examines the psychometric properties of the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness among 320 Taiwanese junior high school students. Finds that connectedness measure subscales and composite scales demonstrated acceptable reliability and concurrent validity. Also finds, among other things, that girls report more connectedness to school than…

Discusses the distinct purposes of principal components analysis (PCA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), using two data sets as examples. Reviews the use of each technique in three major communication journals: "Communication Monographs,""Human Communication Research," and "Communication Research." Finds that the…

Describes the development and validation of the Standards Performance Continuum (SPC) for assessing teacher performance of the Standards for Effective Pedagogy. Three studies involving Florida, California, and New Mexico public school teachers provided evidence of inter-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and criterion-related validity…

Investigates how coder characteristics such as language skills, political knowledge, coding experience, and coding certainty affected inter-coder and coder-training reliability. Shows that language skills influenced both reliability types. Suggests that cross-national researchers should pay more attention to cross-national assessments of…

Discusses the use of wireless local area networks (WLANs) on college campuses. Highlights include traditional wired networks; cost, speed, and reliability; wireless networking standards; mobility; installation speed, simplicity, and flexibility; reduced cost of ownership; scalability; security issues; and a glossary of WLAN terms. (LRW)

Eighteen adult listeners assessed whether stuttering samples were authentic or simulated. Results support the concepts that the production of stuttered and nonstuttered speech disruptions are experienced as being qualitatively different; only stutterers can validly recognize the difference, and only when it occurs; stuttering is a…