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…

During round 16 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), 900 NLSY sample members were randomly assigned to be interviewed about the period since their round 14 interview. Their responses were compared to those of approximately 8,000 NLSY sample members who were assigned to be interviewed about the 1-year period since their round 15…

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…

Reinterviews were conducted to measure the response variance of selected questions from the 1991 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) administrator, school, and teacher questionnaires. Response variance measures one component of the nonsampling error in the data collected by a question, and it indicates how consistently respondents answer questions…

Measures of normal variations in personality, called "psychological type," are frequently used in education (e.g., to identify learning styles) and counseling (e.g., in career counseling). However, the most frequently used measure of types has been criticized on various psychometric grounds. The present study investigated 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…

This paper summarizes main findings from a two-step investigation of the translation of a psychological scale from English into Spanish. The overall purpose of the study was to document the effects of tailoring a scale with etic items (i.e., culturally general items) and emic items (i.e., culture specific items) on the quality of the information.…

A method for measuring the contribution an individual makes to group work is described, and its use is supported through a study of 57 university students aged from 20 to 46 years working in 8 groups of 4 to 10 members each. The method recognizes that the most valid sources of information on the contribution of each individual to the group work…

Olae is a computer system for assessing student knowledge of physics, and Newtonian mechanics in particular, using performance data collected while students solve complex problems. Although originally designed as a stand-alone system, it has also been used as part of the Andes intelligent tutoring system. Like many other performance assessment…

This review covers the test components of validity, reliability, job-relatedness, and test bias in relation to teacher licensing examinations and the legal decisions that have affected policy in this area. The literature provides a history of court decisions and legal rulings that have shaped policy, test design, and test use. The important…

Content integration in performance assessment involves mixing different areas of knowledge in one assessment. In this type of testing situation, assessment tasks are designed to measure the ability of students to solve problems by applying their knowledge and skills in multiple content areas. This study examined the effect of integrated science…

This reference guide contains clear and concise explanations of concepts related to educational testing and standards. The book may be read straight through as a primer on educational assessment or may be used as a reference for particular topics. The sections are: (1) Accountability (Consumers, Taxpayers, and Citizens); (2) Authenticity in…

Noting the lack of self-concept research in nonwestern cultures and the need to determine if a western measure of self-image is embedded in the same network of constructs in another culture, this study examined the appropriateness of using the Self Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents (SIQYA) with Nigerian students. Participating in the study…

This study explored the possibility of using the Multi-Trait Multi-Method (MTMM) approach of D. Campbell and D. Fiske (1959) to examine the educational ecology of classrooms. Using the MTMM approach, the study focuses on the extent to which multiple methods of inquiry (surveys, drawings, and videos) are valid indicators of classroom teaching and…

This paper presents the outcomes of a study that investigated the psychometric properties of the School Independence Measure (SIM), an assessment designed to evaluate functional performance in a school setting and to monitor changes in function over time. The SIM operationally defines and criterion references tasks essential to a child's…