Evaluates the usefulness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a routine measure to screen for emotional and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents referred to a community child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). Results reveal that the SDQ is sensitive in detecting emotional and behavioral problems and may…

Defines parental tolerance for misbehavior and provides reliability and validity data for two newly developed parent report measures of tolerance, the Child Rearing Inventory (CRI) and the Annoying Behavior Inventory (ABI). Data were collected from 262 primary caretakers of children ages 3 to 10. Results provide preliminary evidence of good…

A study of 20 children (ages 3-6) with autism and 20 children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) examined the validity of a Dutch version of the revised Psychoeducational Profile (PEP-R). No differences were found on the PEP-R developmental subscales, but on the pathology subscales children with autism showed more severe behavior than…

Examined the Test of Written Expression's (TOWE) ability to identify students with various problems. Reviews indicate that the test is reliable in internal consistency, stability, and rater variance. All tests of writing, though, correlate poorly with intelligence tests. Some complications accompany the administration and scoring of the TOWE. (RJM)

Analyzed a 64-item checklist used in a university counseling center by collecting data from 226 closed client files. The checklist was analyzed in terms of its factor structure and the reliability of its resultant subscales. Analysis indicates that the problem checklist could be reduced from 64 to 44 items and can reliably assess 10 factors. (KW)

Hirsch's Cultural Literacy Test was completed by 200 undergraduates. Subjects who scored highest had higher grade point averages and Scholastic Assessment Test scores. Results for minorities were inconsistent and based on small samples. Effectiveness of the test for adult literacy students remains unproven. (SK)

Used two investigations to assess competing interpretations of a racial identity measure. A meta analysis suggested that the measure's structure is less complex than the theory it is assumed to measure. Confirmatory analysis of two data sets likewise revealed that scale structure found in the data are more parsimonious than those suggested by…

Used three studies to examine a diagnostic questionnaire's psychometric properties. Results strongly supported the psychometric properties of the tool. Convergent validity and criterion validity were both supported by meaningful correspondences, and incremental validity was also supported in that the tool yielded more accurate diagnoses when…

The Problem Recognition Questionnaire (PRQ), administered to 234 adolescents undergoing chemical dependency treatment, was examined with respect to its reliability, factor structure, and predictive validity. Results indicate that the PRQ (a measure of adolescent motivation to change substance-use behaviors) has acceptable reliability and potential…

Discusses the use of the Test of Written Language (3rd ed.) in assessing the writing ability of students with significant hearing losses. Reviews the test's format, administration, scoring, standardization and norming. Evaluates the test's reliability and validity as a screening tool for determining student strengths and weaknesses. (CR)

A study investigated the consistence of 222 children's (ages 3-16) reports of sexual and physical abuse. Older children were more consistent, children were more consistent when reporting sexual abuse, and girls were more consistent in sexual abuse reports. Consistency in sexual abuse reports was predicted by measures of memory. (Contains…

Reports on the development of the Hospitality Scale, which measures the extent to which adolescents perceive they have social capital in school, and the extent to which they provide social capital to others. Examines the reliability of the scale, and the association between scale scores and behavioral factors that may reflect social isolation.…

Examines the generalizability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) through research with Black South African samples. The estimates of the factor structure as well as other reliability and validity estimates provided strong support for the generalizability of the PSI to South African Black college students. The results also provided partial…

Examines the psychometric properties of a set of preliteracy measures modified from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) with a sample of 75 kindergarten students. The results of the analysis support the use of the DIBELS-M measures for identification of kindergarten students who are at-risk for reading failure and for…

Examines the reliability of consensual assessment, where experts rate creative products. Focuses on musical compositions by fourth and fifth grade students. Addresses the reliability of certain types of judges using this method (composers, music teachers, theorists, seventh-grade children, and second-grade children). (CMK)