Developed and evaluated an assessment of orthographic knowledge designed to help teachers interpret children's spellings for instruction and to advance understanding of how children acquire knowledge of words. Reliability and validity studies with 1,016 urban and rural elementary school students support the use of the Developmental Spelling…

Reports on a longitudinal study of public-library borrowing that shows that high-volume borrowers are both consistent and persistent in their borrowing. Topics include identification of high-intensity borrowers; exploration of behavioral consistency; persistence of use; and personal and behavioral characteristics. (Author/LRW)

This paper describes the development of the Behaviour Function Inventory (BFI), an instrument designed to assess particular disorders of psychological development and functioning in children with developmental disorders including autism. A study of the reliability and validity of the scale indicated that the BFI provides precise information on the…

This survey explored faculty members' satisfaction toward the Web as a research source. Describes use of the End-User Computing Satisfaction instrument and discusses results that indicate that faculty members question the accuracy and reliability of much Web-based information and the sufficiency of Web resources for research. (Author/LRW)

Conducted meta-analysis of preschool and early elementary school self-esteem instruments, using reliability as criterion variable and different aspects of methodology used in testing an instrument as predictor variables. Found that reliability could be predicted by study setting, number of items in the scale, age of children being studied, method…

Developed indicators of classroom practice using teacher assignments to monitor the influence of school reform initiatives on students' learning environments and to support the improvement of instructional practice. Results for classes of 32 third and seventh grade teachers show good reliability and consistency in ratings based on assignments.…

Explored the measurement issues in a two-stage evaluation for an outstanding faculty award. Thirty college teachers were rated by 293 students using a newly developed inventory. Items fit a Rasch model fairly well, and the separation reliability for the teachers was high. A cut score was established, and a short version was developed. (SLD)

Investigates the relationship between nonverbal behaviors of immediacy and dominance on teachers' initial impressions of trust toward a supervisor. Notes that supervisor immediacy resulted in higher perceptions of trust than supervisor dominance, and immediacy also rated higher on measures of appropriateness and effectiveness than dominance.…

This paper reports data on the psychometric relationship between personality traits (Big Five), and preference for particular assessment methods in an Australian sample of University students (N=125). Reliability analysis showed that participants tended to have consistent attitudes toward assessment methods, across disciplines (e.g., History,…

The reliability and validity of a Dutch version of the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ) were evaluated. In Study 1, the instrument was found to exhibit a clear factor structure and acceptable reliability. Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, both a model with two process factors (Commitment, Exploration) and a model with four content…

Given that there is a continual need for school counselors to describe and account for what they do, it follows that an instrument that can be used to collect relevant process data is warranted. The importance of collecting process data describing school counselor practice is widely supported as a component of accountability. However, the lack of…

Research aimed at developing and validating an instrument to assess secondary school students' perceptions of assessment tasks was conducted. Following a review of literature, a five-scale instrument of 40 items was trialled with a sample of 658 science students in 11 English secondary schools. Based on internal consistency reliability data and…

The results of a study examining the psychometric quality of a pictorial scale to measure perceived physical competence, perceived cognitive competence and perceived social acceptance by peers and caregivers in individuals with intellectual disabilities are reported. The scale was administered twice to 100 subjects. The stability of the scale…

This chapter highlights the need for incorporating institutional and societal context into institutional research in order to ensure accurate interpretation of data.

Since their first appearance in 1983, the "U.S. News & World Report" rankings of colleges and graduate schools have generated much debate. This article takes a closer look at the "U.S. News" ranking formulas and finds an empirical basis for critics' concerns. The article begins with an overview of the rankings, followed by a discussion of the…