The methodology for validating assessment techniques in a performance-based liberal arts curriculum was studied at Alverno College. Methods for validating a generic competence instrument that measures "social interaction" were investigated. A generic instrument is defined as one that assesses a competence level across content areas…

A study was conducted to document the educational status, history, and standardized test performance of London, Ontario, students in the first-grade class of 1978-79 who did not reach the fourth grade by the fall of 1981. Additionally assessed was the predictive validity of Early Identification Ratings (EID) made in 1978-79. The following…

This study examined the statistical and institutional influences on the prediction of first-year college grades. The sources of information were the Validity Study Services file which summarizes the results of College Board validity studies and the College Handbook file which includes data about college characteristics. The criterion was the size…

To determine the criterion related validity of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA), 156 college students enrolled in a beginning public speaking course were administered the PRCA and asked to evaluate peers' speeches using a standard evaluation form. Offering support for the PRCA's validity, results showed a correlation…

This section of the TESOL convention volume challenges basic assumptions which are held by language teachers and researchers while at the same time providing other assumptions for professionals to challenge. The following papers are presented: (1) My View of "Teaching Languages: A Way and Ways," by E. Stevick; (2) "'I Got…

A procedure was developed to combine subsets of curriculum-relevant items from a norm-referenced achievement test (NRT) with items comprising a locally-developed supplementary test in order to produce objective-referenced test (ORT) data for program evaluation. The study was designed to determine whether the ORTs were valid instruments for program…

A study applied research concepts from consumer product involvement to test a model for research on involvement with social issues. Issue involvement was defined as the state or level of perceived importance and/or interest evoked by a stimulus (issue) within a specific situation. Attitudes on four social issues--abortion, pornography, the…

This final report analyzes results of a comprehensive, integrative review of 273 primary research studies on modifying attitudes toward disabled persons. Attitude modification approaches identified included providing information, direct contact with disabled persons, vicarious experiences related to having a disability, systematic desensitization,…

In July 1988, Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) initiated the Systematic Assessment of Leavers (SAL), a 2-year, 2-phase research activity to develop and implement a monitoring process to identify the personal, demographic, institutional, and environmental factors associated with leaving the college. The target populations of the study were…

Practitioner use of learning style theory and measures can have an impact on curriculum design, instruction and assessment methods, and student guidance in the secondary school. Concern about the "operationalization" of learning style continues due to confusion concerning definitions, weakness in reliability and validity of measurements, and…

The factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was studied for 98 elementary school, 163 intermediate school, 162 secondary school, and 218 university teachers in Ottawa (Canada). The equivalence of factorial measurements and structure was tested across the groups. Exploratory factor analyses were used to examine the initial factor…

Questions on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with the largest score differences between women and men of all racial and ethnic groups were identified. Patterns of difficulty that would explain the SAT's continuing underprediction of female first-year college performance were studied. An item analysis of one form of the June 1986 SAT for 1,112…

This technical supplement to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Counselor's Manual presents the current research that has accumulated on the ASVAB. Information in this supplement was collected from published and unpublished sources, both civilian and military. This supplement contains both actual results of data analyses and…

The Management Assessment Center (MAC) of the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools is a unique project, employing multiple techniques to evaluate behavior for school-level administrator personnel selection. This final report of an evaluation deals primarily with issues of the validity and the utility of the MAC. To ascertain validity of the MAC,…

The development and validation of a shortened and revised version of the Belief in Personal Control Scale (BPCS-RS) are described. Like the original 85-item version of the BPCS, the BPCS-RS measures three empirically derived factors (a belief in general external control of outcomes, an exaggerated belief in personal control of outcomes, and a…