An instrument was developed to identify schools that might be more prone to the occurrence of violence. The first draft of the instrument was developed by a research analyst, the project evaluator, the school resource officer at a junior high school, and school officials. This draft went through several pilot administrations, revisions, and factor…

The Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ), a multidimensional instrument designed to measure seven facets of self-concept hypothesized in Shavelson's hierarchical model was administered to fifth- and sixth-grade students. Teachers also evaluated each student's self-concept along the same dimensions. There was substantial student-teacher agreement…

Contains four articles related to depression and aging. Compares normal adults with those having a major depressive disorder. Focuses on life satisfaction in the elderly, describing an individualized measure of life satisfaction. Describes similarities and differences between grief and depression. Contains a psychometric analysis of the Zung…

Observations were conducted in desegregated elementary school classes to determine the relationship between classroom conditions and pupils' interracial behaviors. Diffuse positive intergroup contacts were more likely to occur when teachers emphasized interpersonal concerns. Purposeful intergroup contacts were facilitated by teacher patience and…

A questionnaire assessing achievement motivation in Israeli and American middle managers was developed and its structure was analyzed. A three-facet definition of achievement motivation--behavior modality, type of confrontation, and time perspective--was suggested which provided guidelines for the formulation of hypotheses. (Author/JKS)

This study investigated the factor structure of Tuckman's Student Perception of Teacher Style scale, designed to measure teachers' directiveness. Grade 10 students rated their male and female mathematics and English teachers. Factor analyses failed to confirm Tuckman's factor structure. Variations by sex and subject matter were noted. (Author/SJL)

A method of measuring students' preferred characteristics of instructors includes the use of factorial designs, monotonic analysis of variance, and cluster analysis. In this case, preferred characteristics included work load, grading, classroom style and format, and teacher style. (Author/GDC)

Stephens et al. (EJ 055 112) committed a serious methodological error in holding chronological age constant in their IQ measures and allowing it to vary in their Piagetian developmental measures. This error is unrelated to differences in factor rotation methods used by these authors and was not answered in their reply. (CTM)

The relationships between scores on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, the Brown Personal Beliefs and Teaching Practices Inventories, and the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale for 191 female, beginning teacher education students were investigated using canonical and simple correlation analyses. (Author/GDC)

Students (Grades 9-11) in two Florida metropolitan high schools rated their interest in 28 topics, such as travel, popular music, religion, the opposite sex, war, and politics. Interests were analyzed by sex, grade, and ability track in English (Honors, Average, Basic). Findings, especially those on romantic interests, are discussed. (SJL)

Evidence is presented for the existence of two types of factors when semantic differential data are factor analyzed by treating each concept-scale combination as a variable: (1) factors defined by scales within given concepts; and (2) factors defined by scales across concepts. (Author/MH)

Used 105 learning disabled children in grades one through three to assess the psychometric properties of a pictorial scale of perceived competence. Results reveal a three-factor solution for factor structure: (1) academic competence; (2) physical competence; and (3) social acceptance. Findings suggest that learning disabled pupils can discern…

Objective criteria for evaluating the Eysenck Personality Inventory's internal structure are discussed. An approach based on targeted rotations and the test's scoring key is proposed as a means of providing common criteria. Data from earlier structure and test results for 195 undergraduates support the utility of 3 criteria developed. (SLD)

This analysis of 12,266 responses to the 3 Self-Description Questionnaires (which measure dimensions of self-concept in preadolescence) examined age and sex effects during preadolescence and early adulthood and alternative operationalizations of the proposition that self-concept becomes more differentiated with age. Well-defined factor structures…

The latent composition of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory for High School (LASSI-HS) was studied through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of results from 367 ninth-grade students. Evidence supports a three-factor model. Interrelationships among the constructs are examined, and use of the instrument is discussed. (SLD)