Three studies investigating the existence of sex bias in the grading of undergraduate students, by examining interrater reliability for blind and non-blind grading, are reported. Negative evidence found in the results and the confusing picture presented by previous research indicate little firm evidence of sex bias in grading. (Author/MSE)

Reports findings from a study of the confidence expressed by ministry-level decision makers in five developing countries (i.e., Somalia, Botswana, Liberia, Yemen, and Nepal) about the quality of the national-level education data available to them and reasons for the perceived 16-40 percent error rate. (DMM)

Reviews commercially available instruments to assess students' study skills/habits/behavior, finding that none completely meets the standards set by the American Psychological Association or the American Educational Research Association. Offers guidance on selecting and applying these instruments in college settings. (DMM)

Outlines and discusses the nature and assumptions of the Willingness to Communicate scale. Discusses data relating to the reliability and validity of the instrument. Concludes that the scale is of sufficient quality to be recommended for research and screening purposes. (SR)

Analyses of the internal consistency of three autism scales--the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Real Life Rating Scale (RLRS), and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)--were conducted with 34 children with pervasive developmental disabilities. Good internal consistency was found for the CARS. Adequate full-scale consistency was found for…

Coefficient alpha was examined through computer simulation as an estimate of test reliability under violation of two assumptions. Coefficient alpha underestimated reliability under violation of the assumption of essential tau-equivalence of subtest scores and overestimated it under violation of the assumption of uncorrelated subtest error scores.…

When using assessment instruments for personnel purposes, identify the purposes of assessment, specify criteria for excellent performance, determine behavior standards, and select appropriate methodology. Correlation analysis is a useful technique for establishing the validity of an instrument. (SK)

Investigation of the stability of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised scores of 25 college students over a 4-year period found that global and subtest scores were highly stable. Subtest scores tended to be higher on the retest, but global scores were not despite four years of educational experiences between test administrations. (Author/DB)

Tested Bugen's Coping with Death Scale. Individuals who had written wills, planned estates and funerals, and signed organ donor cards scored higher on the Coping with Death Scale. Because Coping with Death scores were more consistently different in those who prepared for death, this scale may help in efforts to predict those who will engage in…

Studies in five senior medical school classes at Southern Illinois University investigated whether using multiple standardized patients to simulate the same case in postclerkship medical student evaluation affects the measure's reliability. Results of three studies show little or no effect on reliability of total, checklist, or written test…

Investigated referral question bias on school psychologists' classification decisions across different types of cases. Findings from 175 school psychologists who classified 5 case studies on basis of scores from intelligence, achievement, and behavioral measures revealed lack of congruence among respondents' classification decisions that was more…

Created College Classroom Environment Scales (CCES), instrument with six subscales (Cathectic Learning Climate, Professorial Concern, Inimical Ambiance, Academic Rigor, Affiliation, and Structure) to assess social climate of college classrooms. Findings from four studies estimating CCES' reliability and validity suggest it is sufficiently reliable…

Twenty-one language tests that included norms for children ages 4 and 5 were reviewed for information on 10 psychometric criteria. Administration of the 4 tests meeting the most criteria to 20 preschool children with specific language impairments and 20 controls found that only 1 (the Structured Photographic Expressive Language Test) provided…

Developed and validated Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) in series of studies from 1980 to 1991 involving over 600 helping professionals. Across administrations, alpha reliabilities ranged between 0.83 and 0.91, and reliabilities of intrinsic and organizational satisfaction subscales ranged from 0.85 to 0.90 and 0.78 to 0.90, respectively. (Author/NB)

Summarizes the principles of instrument validity and reliability and identifies deviations from these principles in a random sample of 55 research studies published in 1989 in 5 refereed nursing journals targeted toward practicing clinicians. Provides documentation, justification, and suggestions for nursing educators, journal editors, and…