A new spatial ability test was administered online to 223 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory science courses. The 30-item multiple choice test measures individual differences in ability to identify the two-dimensional cross section of a three-dimensional geometric solid, a skill that has been identified as important in science,…

The "Children's Interview for Psychiatric Syndromes-Parent Version" (P-ChIPS) is a structured psychiatric interview designed to assess the presence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. This study examined the reliability and validity of the P-ChIPS in 61 youngsters (6- to 17-years-old) with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Reliability…

A lot of research has been done into the motivations in teachers in primary/secondary education and into student motivation. However, teachers' motivations for teaching in higher education are rarely studied. A growing interest exists though in the professional development of teachers in higher education, of which motivation is an important…

The experience of a calling may be seen as the ultimate form of subjective career success that has many positive consequences for individuals and organizations. We are here concerned with the conceptualization of a new multidimensional measure of calling, the MCM. In the first two studies we employed a qualitative approach and came up with five…

The Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP) is a personality assessment instrument designed for use by expert clinical assessors. Critics have raised questions about its psychometrics, most notably its validity across observers and situations, the impact of its fixed score distribution on research findings, and its test-retest reliability. We…

Lewis structures are a simplified two dimensional "cartoon" of molecular structure that allow a knowledgeable user to predict the types of properties a particular substance may exhibit. However, prior research shows that many students fail to recognize these structure-property connections and are unable to decode the information…

The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the Attitudes Toward Research scale (ATR), including the validity of the scale through confirmatory factor analysis. After slightly altering the scale by deleting 19 items, and by narrowing down the subscales to four, the fit of the model was established. The revised version…

Increasing public knowledge remains one of the key aims of skin cancer awareness campaigns, yet diagnosis rates continue to rise. It is essential we measure skin cancer knowledge adequately so as to determine the nature of its relationship to sun-related behaviors. This study investigated the psychometric properties of a new measure of skin cancer…

This study reports the development and validation of the Graduate Skills and Attributes Scale which was initially administered to a random sample of 272 third-year-level and postgraduate-level, distance-learning higher education students. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis. In a second study, the scale was administered to a…

This article provides GP-CORE norms for a South African university sample, which are compared to published data obtained from a United Kingdom university sample. The measure appears to be both reliable and valid for this multilingual and multicultural South African sample. The profiles of the psychological distress reported by white South African…

The self-determination theory (SDT) distinguishes between intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations or life goals, which tend to fall into two separate constructs. The pursuit of intrinsic goals, relative to extrinsic ones, is associated with numerous cognitive, affective and behavioural outcomes that are considered to be positive for individuals as…

This policy report provides a guide and framework to early childhood policymakers considering formative assessment. The report defines formative assessment and outlines its process and application in the context of early childhood. The substance of this document is the issues for consideration in the implementation of the formative assessment…

We describe the conceptualization, development, and piloting of two instruments--a survey and a scenario-based assessment--designed to assess, teachers' recognition of an obligation to the discipline of mathematics and the extent to which teachers justify actions that deviate from what is normative on account of this obligation. We show how we…

Students who complete kindergarten with an inadequate knowledge of basic mathematics concepts and skills will continue to experience difficulties with mathematics throughout their elementary and secondary years and may be at increased risk for math disabilities. There is a critical need to identify students experiencing difficulties in mathematics…

Simpler is better. There are a lot of "needs" in e-Learning, and there's often a limit to the time, talent, and money that can be thrown at them individually. Contemporary pedagogy in technology and engineering disciplines, within the higher education context, champion instructional designs that emphasize peer instruction and rich…