Presents results of an exploratory factor analysis of the mathematics self-efficacy scale. Results, based on 522 undergraduates from three different colleges, indicate that the scale is a multidimensional measure of math self-efficacy with reliable subscales. Four first-order factors were identified, suggesting that the scale taps different…

Data from the General Social Survey for 1977 (n=1,303) and 1991 (n=430) are used to examine the stability of attitudes toward abortion and women's roles. Findings support the hypothesis that public attitudes toward discretionary abortion and nontraditional sex roles are discrete but correlated sets of attitudes that remained stable from 1977 to…

The reliability of scores from four forms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was estimated using a hybrid item response theory model. It was found that there was very little difference between overall reliability when the testlet items were assumed to be independent and when their dependence was modeled. (Author/SLD)

Discusses problems with scoring reliability of the Vermont Education Department's writing portfolio test, particularly the difficulties teachers face in agreeing upon scoring criteria. (PA)

A study of 20 elderly people with hearing impairments was conducted to test the reliability and stability of different hearing-aid outcome measures. Measures of hearing aid benefit, performance, use, and satisfaction exhibited stability over time, on both a group and individual basis, especially at and beyond 30-day post-fit. (CR)

This meta-analysis examined 152 studies on social skill deficits among students with learning disabilities (LD). Quantitative synthesis showed that about 75% of students with LD manifest social skill deficits that distinguish them from comparison samples. Approximately the same level of group differentiation was found across different raters…

Compared 34 infants of very low birth weight (VLBW) and 40 full-term infants, using Ainsworth's Strange Situation procedure and Waters' Attachment Q-Set. Found that, at 14 months, VLBW infants were more likely than full-term infants to be insecurely attached when rated using the Q-Set but not when using the Strange Situation. (MDM)

Data from two standard-setting exercises were analyzed using the logistic regression model that assumes no variation in severity of raters, and results were compared with those obtained by logistic regression that allowed for severity variation. Results illustrate the importance of taking between-rater differences into account. (SLD)

Tested reliability and validity of an instrument designed to measure the strength of care, and justice as moral voices, in college students. Used 381 students in the study and found that the internal consistency and validity of the instrument were satisfactory. Construct validity was limited by the lack of other appropriate instruments. (RJM)

Validity of the Desire for Control on Examinations (DCE) scale, developed as a measure of an individual's desire for control in an examination context, was studied with 3 samples (total of 378 college students), using a 5-point Likert-type scale, a general 5-point scale, and the Desirability of Control (DC) scale. The DCE exhibited acceptable…

Editorial board members of "Educational and Psychological Measurement" were asked to list up to five publications each, written since roughly 1950, that they thought were seminal to shaping the measurement field. This bibliography lists 59 of their selections as a "hit parade" of measurement readings. (SLD)

Studied the meaning of Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory (PFAI; Conroy and others, 2002) by evaluating the comparability of PFAI factor structure over repeated assessments and the stability of the subscales over relatively brief intervals. Results for 356 college students generally show high stability for PFAI scores in long and short forms.…

Used confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the score integrity of LibQUALl+, an instrument to measure perceptions of library service quality. Results for 60,027 graduate and undergraduate students suggest that the model implied by LibQUAL is reasonable and invariant across independent samples and fits all three major subgroups of library users.…

Developed a measure of the quality of student experiences at an Australian university using a Rasch measurement model. Data for 363 college students support the view that eight aspects of the experiences questionnaire are linked and that the questionnaire has good construct validity and reliability. (SLD)

On the basis of data from 2 studies with counseling graduate students, the Multicultural Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills Survey--Counselor Edition was revised. The new 33-item instrument consists of 10-item Awareness, 13-item Knowledge, and 10-item Skills subscales. Evidence of reliability and validity are described. (Contains 35 references and 3…