This article discusses development of the Blind Rehabilitation Services Functional Outcomes Survey during a research project on the rehabilitation of adults with visual impairments. It describes the development process, the methods used in establishing survey reliability and validity, and the results of intermediate analyses of the data. (Contains…

Critically examines use of student opinion surveys (SOSs) at eight Australian universities. Finds that current SOSs are neither designed nor structured according to sound questionnaire technique and, used as part of a teaching evaluation system, they have serious flaws. Deficiencies include their use as the sole measure of teaching effectiveness…

Presents a critical appraisal of resilience, a construct connoting the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite significant adversity. Addresses common criticisms, proposes solutions for those considered legitimate, and clarifies misunderstandings surrounding less valid criticisms. Concludes that work on resilience possesses…

Investigated characteristics of underachievement among Hong Kong elementary school children. Found that more males than females were identified as underachievers. Stability of underachievement increased during elementary school. Parents and teachers perceived that underachievers were more capable than same-grade nonunderachievers. Correlates of…

The D-48, a nonverbal test of general intelligence, was administered to 250 Mexican American and Anglo American community college students. Analysis of D-48 scores indicates no significant differences due to ethnicity or gender; adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability; and significant correlations with grade point average and…

Studied the relationship between reliability and assessment cost using two empirical examples to show that more than one combination of sources of error may result in a desired generalizability coefficient, and that it is possible to increase the number of observations while decreasing cost. The studies involved 50 undergraduates studying…

Psychometric properties of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) were examined. Findings suggested that the CDI reflects the progress of language development within the age range 10 to 27 months. Findings support caution in using results to identify individuals at risk for language deficits, to compare groups with different…

Used a design in which item stem direction and item response pattern were crossed to determine effects on internal consistency reliability. Results from high school and college students and teachers (150 individuals per test form) suggest using directly worded items with half of the response items going in one direction, and half in the other.…

Raises questions about the validity and reliability of doing research online via the proliferation of academic databases. Finds different versions of the Lexis-Nexis database have differing search capabilities. Argues that dependence on database research findings means dependence on decisions made by a few people who design search engines and…

The initial psychometric properties of the Assessment for Dual Diagnosis (ADD), a new scale designed to screen for psychopathology in individuals with mild and moderate mental retardation, was examined. The ADD was found to have high stability across raters, high stability over time, and good internal consistency. (Author/DB)

This study investigated the reliability and construct validity of a peer nomination form used to identify 670 Hispanic students of outstanding talent from three southwestern school districts. Results indicated adequate reliability, and suggestions are offered for improving the instrument's validity. (DB)

Approaches to Studying Inventory was administered to 503 adult students, most returning to study after many years. Results indicate low internal consistency for seven subscales. Comparison with results of mathematics instructional unit suggests learning orientations are fundamental and identifiable in students returning to study after long…

The National Center for Student Aspirations developed the Student Aspirations Survey to address issues of student aspirations at the secondary level. The developed instrument, 98 items with 13 scales, was administered to 1,674 students from rural and suburban high schools. Results provide evidence of internal consistency, although the factor…

Psychometric support for the use of the Los Angeles Symptom Checklist (LASC), a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), was provided by a study involving 639 high-risk adolescents. The LASC had appropriate levels of reliability and appeared to detect distress and PTSD as a function of trauma exposure. (SLD)

Describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Sources of Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (SASES). It will enable counselors to assess factors affecting the development of self-efficacy beliefs, design counseling strategies, modify environments for people with learning disabilities, and investigate patterns and determinants of…