Reports on the results of a study of nontraditional undergraduate students that was conducted to determine whether self-directedness in learner profile was a predictor of computer anxiety. Analysis based on the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory and Oetting's Computer Anxiety Scale (COMPAS) indicates that self-directedness is a useful predictor.…

Discusses issues of validity and fairness in the use of intelligence tests for job selection. Expands set of constructs used to predict job performance and sets of performance criteria used to quantify job performance. Presents an agenda for research and practice in job selection and training for the future. (MMU)

Examines the incremental validity of Differential Ability Scales (DAS) factor scores in predicting standardized achievement scores in Word Reading, Basic Number Skills, and Spelling by using a nationally representative sample stratified on gender, ethnicity, geographic region, parental education, and educational classification. Results show that…

Reviews and extends the literature demonstrating that the various College Board examinations, especially the Scholastic Aptitude Test, underpredict women's college grades relative to those of men in all fields except engineering, even when corrected for discipline and sampling. This suggests women are underrepresented relative to merit in freshman…

Assessed long-term predictive validity of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories: Words and Sentences (CDI:WS) for children's expressive and receptive vocabulary development. Sixty-one New Zealand children were assessed with a New Zealand version of the CDI, and with the Expressive Vocabulary Test and Peabody Picture Vocabulary…

Compares multiple regression analysis and a simplified scale in predicting competitive employment after the provision of vocational rehabilitation services. The two prediction techniques yielded nearly identical results when applied to an independent, cross-validation sample. Discusses practical applications of the simplified procedure to client…

Presents a study of the spontaneous pre-sentential negations of preschool English-speaking children that supports the hypothesis that child English nonanaphoric pre-sentential negation is a form of metalinguistic exclamatory sentence negation. A detailed discourse analysis reveals these child negations as echoic and expressive of objection and…

Examines the predictive validity of placement test scores with course grade and retention in English and mathematics courses. Suggests that student dispositional characteristics explain the high proportion of variance in the dependent variables, and that instructor grading practices also make a significant contribution. Underscores the importance…

Reports on the development of a 12-item Likert-type measure of collective efficacy in schools designed to assess the extent to which a faculty believes in its conjoint capacity to influence student learning positively. A total of 452 teachers in 47 schools completed a 21-item scale later refined to 12 items. Discusses internal consistency and…

Of 120 female and 149 male master of business administration (MBA) students, women performed significantly less well on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). There were no differences in overall MBA grade point average, indicating no strong correlation between the GMAT and MBA performance. (SK)

We describe a simple classroom activity that demonstrated the process of assessing predictive validity. We assessed changes in student understanding of the process, confidence in psychological testing, and enjoyment in participating in the exercise. Students who completed the activity performed better on a test question about validity and reported…

Where do those in schools start sorting the wheat from the chaff, genuine growth potions offering long-term improvement from the elixirs, short-term opportunism and/or unrealistic expectations? The current and growing emphasis on evidence informed policy and practice is as good a place as any. The purpose of this article is to take up the issues…

We conducted 2 studies to assess and enhance levels of graduate preparation. In Study 1, 248 undergraduates and 28 graduate students completed a new measure of graduate preparation, the Grad Prep Quiz. Results documented the psychometric utility and the predictive validity of the measure, with graduate students scoring significantly higher on this…

To address criticisms that the empirical literature on assessment of career decision making has tended to lack a theoretical base, the present study explored the relevance of a general theory of decision making to career decision making by assessing the psychometric properties of the Decision Making Inventory (DMI), designed to measure Johnson's…

This study aims to advance our understanding of the assessment of numerous factors associated with recidivism among females and males involved in the juvenile justice system. In particular, this study examined the reliability (i.e., inter-rater) and validity (i.e., construct, criterion, and predictive) of the Santa Barbara Assets and Risks…