The Perceptions Of School Culture (POSC) instrument was designed to measure the perceptions of a school staff regarding various dimensions of school culture contained in a hypothesized model of school cultural change. Specifically, this model posits that the development of a high-performance learning culture is influenced by school vision and…

The purpose of this report is to document the pilot test of the Instruction and Learning Appraisal (ILA) and describe the quality of the ILA process. The ILA process was developed by Edvantia staff who serve as technical assistance providers to schools and districts in the region. Low-performing schools and districts (i.e., those that fail to…

This research sought to examine the link between different situational demands, in this case three different types of science achievement tests (multiple-choice, constructed response, and performance assessments), and perceptions, beliefs, and performance of 491 high school students. The students were characterized by three well-established…

The Internet is still in its infancy yet it has become one of the most frequently used resources for obtaining information of all sorts. From scientific findings to gossip to support groups, it would be difficult to find a topic not represented on the Internet. While there is a wealth of valid information, the Internet has more than an ample…

This paper offers a broader framework for assessment and evaluation of teachers in developing countries. Teacher is seen not only as some one who imparts knowledge and skills but in the developing world, teacher has a wider role to play. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 13 footnotes.)

This paper describes major concepts related to item analysis for criterion-referenced tests including validity, reliability, item difficulty, and item discrimination, particularly in relation to criterion-referenced tests. The paper discussed how these concepts can be used to revise and improve items and listed suggestions regarding general…

The accuracy and fairness of standardized testing is taken very seriously in the education world. These issues are a major focus of both the testing experts who develop standardized tests and the researchers who endeavor to ensure a test's fairness, reliability, validity, and accuracy. But many issues remain both controversial and complex. The…

The external audit is a way of assessing the trustworthiness of a study, attesting to its dependability from a methodological standpoint and to its confirmability by reviewing the data, analysis, and interpretations and assessing whether the findings represent the data accurately. This paper discusses issues in the audit process, drawing on data…

The relationship between self-efficacy/interests and college major was the focus of a study. A sample of 760 midwestern college students reported their present college major on a demographic questionnaire and completed either the research version of the 1994 Strong Interest Inventory (SII) or the actual 1994 SII and the 1996 Skills Confidence…

Drawing on the work of Pruyser (1976) and Malony (1985, 1987), the Religious Status Interview (RSI), a measure of theological functioning, was created. The RSI was designed to help counselors judge the health of a parishioner's religious beliefs as they relate to the problem that brings the person to pastoral counseling. This study investigated…

The 1988 National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF-88), later named the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty, was the first comprehensive study of higher education instructional faculty conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics since 1963. This report provides a description of the 1993 NSOPF and the data generated by its…

This study, part of ongoing research to establish the construct validity of a science attitude assessment instrument, evaluated the instrument with 72 elementary school science teachers. The measure, "Assessment of Attitude Toward Science and Science Teaching," contains 27 statements to which the respondent expresses degrees of agreement. This…

This book offers a resource guide for qualitative researchers in education, discussing data collection techniques, data analysis, reporting, and the issues of validity, reliability, and ethics. Part 1 reviews the nature and design of qualitative research; it discusses various types of qualitative research (including case studies), and how to…

Factor analyses identified 3 domains of resiliency with 11 separate factors involving 54 items for exceptional urban students based on 613 parent ratings of an initial pool of 94 items for an experimental Coping with Disabilities Scales. The factors were labeled: Knowledge of Exceptionality; Planning for Needs; and Alternative Thinking for the…

An instrument was developed to measure perceived levels of anxiety of students enrolled in a resident outdoor adventure education course, and to confirm four underlying factors that contribute to anxiety in such settings. These factors are level of control, program inadequacies, personal inadequacies, and level of comfort. A 53-item Outdoor…