Describes a study that sought to test for the factorial validity of the French version of the Beck Depression Inventory separately for nonclinical adolescent French-speaking males and females; cross-validate findings across a second independent sample for each gender; and test for equivalent factorial structure across gender for that population.…

Presents conclusions of an independent measurement expert that the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was constructed according to acceptable professional standards and tests curricular material considered by the Texas Board of Education important for graduates to have mastered. Also supports the validity and reliability of the TAAS and…

Used data from groups of 376 and 273 algebra teachers to study the reliability of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (G. Hall and S. Loucks, 1978) and explore changing it to a five-stage questionnaire rather than the seven current stages. Results confirm a lack of reliability but do not support a change to five stages. (SLD)

States that inspection has been an increasingly important feature of central monitoring of education in the 1990s. Examines the technical reliability of inspection processes in initial teacher training drawing extensively on methodology and procedures adopted by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) between 1996 and 1998. (CMK)

Lecturers at a British university participated in two workshops to examine the consistency of assessments of undergraduates' work. Use of both analytical and global quality measures, when clearly understood by the raters, improved assessment practices. Ongoing discussion of evaluation criteria was recommended. (SK)

The Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS) assesses intentionality in personal growth. Three studies were undertaken to (1) investigate the PGI construct; (2) describe the development and factor structure of the PGIS; and (3) test the internal consistency, temporal stability, and convergent and discriminant validity of scores on the PGIS. (EMK)

The stability of peer status of children (ages 9 to 12) with (N=38) and without learning disabilities (LD) was examined through sociometric measures twice in the same school year. Although test-retest reliability was good, children with LD were likely to lose peer status and be seen by peers in less favorable terms at Time 2 than Time 1. (Contains…

Explains and demonstrates a procedure that is commonly used to determine the reliability of a test in such a way that a person who has modest arithmetical skills can carry out the same analysis on a classroom test or examination. (ASK)

Describes results of study of a 45-item scale developed to measure the construct and administered to four separate samples. The Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale significantly correlated in theoretically predicted ways with measures of racial identity, empathy, health narcissism, feminism, androgyny, homophobia, and dogmatism (the last…

Reports on studies on the development and validation of the Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale (ARBS). In heterosexuals, subscales were strongly related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, frequency of religious attendance, political ideology, and prior contact. In lesbians and gay men, subscales correlated with prior experiences and…

Evaluated Angoff ratings from eight different occupational licensing examinations through generalizability theory to estimate the optimal number of raters. Results indicate that approximately 10 to 15 raters is an optimal target range. (SLD)

Investigated the reliability, validity, and practicality of a controlled production measure of vocabulary, consisting of items from five frequency levels and using a completion-item format. Two equivalent test forms were compared. The test was found to be useful in distinguishing between different proficiency groups. (Author/MSE)

Using portfolios for assessment of nursing competence raises issues of ambiguity, confidentiality, and honesty. More research is needed to develop a clear theoretical framework and measures of validity, reliability, and credibility for nursing portfolio assessment. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Evaluates the revised editions of the Self-Efficacy Scale for use with children in schools. Addresses the reliability and validity of the two versions of the scale. Proposes counseling interventions to increase student self-efficacy. (Contains 22 references, 1 table, and an appendix.) (GCP)

Research in the field of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is based on a wide variety of methodologies. In this paper, we focus upon content analysis, which is a technique often used to analyze transcripts of asynchronous, computer mediated discussion groups in formal educational settings. Although this research technique is often…