In recent years, many psychological constructs with associated measures have been proposed for educational research and the evaluation of educational programs. Among the most interesting and potentially useful are those reflecting motivational and volitional aspects of human behavior, the conative constructs. Among the conative constructs are…

The predictive validity of an original Piagetian instrument (the Piagetian Task Instrument) was compared with that of two frequently used published screening tests for children entering kindergarten: (1) the Brigance K-1 Screen, and (2) the Merrill Language Screening Test. The relative contribution of each test was determined when they were…

The purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss a set of standards that can be used to evaluate potential assessment instruments; and (2) to use these standards to evaluate the American College Testing Program's College Outcomes Measures Program (ACT-COMP) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Academic Profile. Using the work of S. Messick (1975,…

The reliability and validity of the Teaching Behaviours Scale (TBS) were examined using a sample of 40 male and female student teachers. The TBS was designed as a self-administered rating scale to evaluate one's teaching effectiveness. The five-point rating scale contains 22 items covering six categories: reinforcement, feedback, presentation,…

The proliferation of minimum competency testing in recent years has not resulted in a critical analysis of the construct validity of such tests. The present study examined the dimensionality and construct validity of an urban life skills competency test (the 1987 eighth-grade Chicago Minimum Proficiency Skills Test (MPST) via linear analysis. The…

This study was conducted in order to identify the major reading, cognitive, and linguistic skills that contribute to individual differences in performance on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at third, seventh, and tenth grades. The authors were also interested in understanding the primary deficiencies in…

Factors commonly associated with underachievement in the research literature include low self-concept, low self-motivation/self-regulation, negative attitude toward school, and negative peer influence. This study attempts to isolate these four factors within a secondary school population. The purpose of the study was to design a valid and reliable…

The construct validity of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) was evaluated with 94 kindergarten students. Results supported both the convergent and discriminant validity of the Social Skills and Problem Behavior scales of the PKBS. Results also support use of the PKBS for identifying young children who are behaviorally at risk.…

Psychometric evaluation of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) is reported. Factor analyses indicated the presence of a stable factor structure for both social skills and problem behaviors scales. Reliability studies indicated the PKBS has adequate-to-strong stability. Explorations of within-scale relationships yielded evidence…

The Handicap-Related Problems for Parents Inventory (HPPI) was developed for the measurement of handicap-related problems experienced by mothers of children with chronic physical conditions. An initial evaluation of its psychometric properties was completed with 119 mothers of children with physical or sensory impairments. The HPPI demonstrated…

Concept mapping is a structured conceptualization that can be used by groups to develop a conceptual framework that guides evaluation or planning. Twelve papers discuss concept mapping in evaluation/planning in terms of theory development; measurement, construct validity, and pattern matching; outcome assessment and internal validity;…

Describes the development and validation of the Microcomputer Beliefs Inventory (MBI) that was designed to measure the self-efficacy and outcome expectancy beliefs of middle school students in grades six, seven, and eight toward computers. Results are compared by grade level and gender, and uses of the MBI are suggested. (nine references) (LRW)

Describes the development of an instrument for evaluating building-level school library media programs based on "Information Power," the American Association of School Libraries' guidelines for such programs. Data collection at an Oklahoma teleconference is described, the use of factor analysis is explained, construct validity is…

In this study, 590 third graders from 12 Dutch schools took 32 tests indicating 16 semantic Structure-of-Intellect (SI) abilities and 1 of 4 reading comprehension tests, involving either multiple-choice or open-ended items. Results indicate that item type for reading comprehension is congeneric with respect to SI abilities measured. (TJH)

The Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF) is a behavior rating scale designed for children and adolescents with mental retardation. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the NCBRF in a sample of 330 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Parent and teacher ratings were independently…