Provides background information and a practical guide for including demographic information in developmental research. Describes historic demographic trends reflecting ways family and economic environments have been and continue to be transformed; presents demographic statistics to provide basis for comparison of research populations; and offers…

What students emphasize in their evaluations of teachers was studied with 465 high school students in Norway. Factor analysis revealed that affective and emotional aspects related to classroom learning situations play a major role, as do student feelings of security and acceptance. (SLD)

Examines the construct validity of a scale for 7-year-old children and analyzes the degree of factorial similarity between this analysis and another study performed on 4-year-old children. Results indicate that the cognitive abilities measured by the scale become more general with age and the level of schooling. (RJM)

This study develops and tests an instrument useful for evaluating the quality of academic library Web sites. Discusses criteria for print materials and human-computer interfaces; user-based perspectives; the use of factor analysis; a survey of library experts; testing reliability through analysis of variance; and regression models. (Contains 53…

Illustrates the use of factor analysis in interpreting large sets of data. Describes how factor analysis of a 19-question survey revealed faculty opinions about library policies for (1) computerized access; (2) circulation; (3) specialized collections/services; and (4) the general collection. A characterization of each category is followed by…

Two divergent views are contrasted: the multidimensional and the unidimensional views of faculty evaluation. The views of H. W. Marsh, the most outspoken advocate of the multidimensional view of evaluation based on factor scores, is summarized and a response to his concerns is presented. (Author/MLW)

The Client Interaction Scale is a 12-item assessment tool for measuring client integration into the client-to-client interactive milieu in community support programs for persons with chronic mental illness. Results from administration of the scale to 95 clients indicate that the scale shows excellent inter-item reliability. (TJH)

Examines the ratings of 395 science teachers on 38 Intellectual Skills Co-ordination Controls in Teaching (ISCONT) variables. Identifies 5 factors using factor analysis. Proposes a structural model of an Integrated Teaching Plan. (YP)

Examines second-order factors that emerge from the results of the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ) when given to Zimbabwean male students. Determines that the nonemergence of the personality factor of independence lends support to the notion that this factor is lacking among adolescents, while providing evidence of cross-cultural…

Presents the case for the maintenance of Cantonese and Modern Standard Chinese in Australia. The article examines the numerical strength of the speakers, cultural dissimilarity between the dominant and minority groups, concentration of minority groups at focal points, interaction patterns of the minority group and change in Australian language…

A 72-item survey, examining 6 types of instructional media, was administered to 85 preservice teachers to examine their beliefs with respect to instructional media. Factor analysis supported two strong constructs, technological beliefs and traditional beliefs. Whole and subscale reliabilities are also reported. (SLD)

The validity and reliability of a scale measuring attitudes toward foreign language were studied with 536 high school seniors. Results of principal components analysis identified five interpretable dimensions and suggested the need to improve the internal structure of the measure. (SLD)

Approaches to studying were investigated in 227 U.S. college students using a short form of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. The factor structure of responses differed from that previously obtained in the United Kingdom, suggesting that basic study orientations are interpreted in a manner distinct to each cultural context. (SLD)

Results indicated that the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales II, one subscale of the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, and all but one subscale of the Children's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory produced equivalent measures of an English-speaking Hispanic sample and an Anglo-American sample. (BC)

Administration of the Willoughby Personality Schedule-R to 27 adult male Yugoslav stutterers revealed internal consistency of the assessment. Factor analysis revealed three separate dimensions: social isolation, social confidence, and social sensitivity. Results are consistent with the contention that hypersensitivity to interpersonal stress is…