Using the self-efficacy concept from Bandura's social learning theory, researchers developed an instrument to measure students' self-perceived competence in home economics core areas. Administration to all graduate students at a midwestern university during 1982-88 verified eight original competence areas and added a ninth. (SK)

The Behavior Summarized Evaluation (BSE) measures changes in behavioral parameters in autistic children over time and treatments. Tests of reliability and validity suggest that the BSE is an acceptable tool for the assessment of autistic behaviors, is easy to handle, and is accessible to both professional and paraprofessional medicoeducative…

Describes the development and validation of the Portuguese Speaking Test, a simulated oral proficiency interview that uses a semidirect approach to examine proficiency in personal conversation, direction-giving, description, narration, topical discourse, and real-life situations. (CB)

The paper presents an overview of 11 major models of individual learning styles comparing their elements, the populations for which they are appropriate, the reliability and validity of their instrumentation, and where they overlap and differ. (Author/DB)

Presented 33 case histories of suicidal patients to crisis workers (N=19) for ratings of short- and long-term suicide risk. Ratings revealed considerable variability raising question about reliability of such global assessments. The variability, as measured by the standard deviation, was comparable between short-term and long-term ratings.…

Single sample approximations are considered for the cross-validation coefficient in the analysis of covariance structures. Results of a random sampling experiment--using data from ability tests administered to high school students (sample sizes 100, 400, and 800)--illustrate the coefficient and adjustment for predictive validity. (SLD)

The construct and predictive validities of the Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) were examined. The results indicate that each of the subtests exhibits different predictive validity. A linear combination of PAT subtest scores was found to be more predictive of first-year dental school technique performance than the total PAT score. (Author/MLW)

Reviews current educational software evaluation methods, highlights problems, and describes the York Educational Software Evaluation Scales (YESES), an alternative criterion based model. Panel evaluation used by YESES is explained and YESES results are compared with evaluations from the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) to indicate…

Describes Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), new measure designed to identify the types of interpersonal problems that people experience and the level of distress associated with them before, during, and after psychotherapy. Presents psychometric data from two studies which demonstrated high internal consistency of IIP, high test-retest…

Examined factor structure of Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) in medically referred brain-damaged and learning-disabled children and adolescents. Extracted six factors: Conduct Disorder, Hyperkinesis, Distractibility, Depression, Dyssocial Behavior, and Introversion. Results support use of CTRS as brief objective instrument for assessing child…

This paper discusses applications of intelligence tests in schools, considering Binet's original warnings that his tests were primarily useful for identifying students needing intervention and inappropriate for classifying normal students. American applications of Binet's work for ranking are seen as stages of shifting from remedial to custodial…

"Profiles in Listening and Reading" is presented as a screening test assessing listening and reading comprehension of extended discourse, based on the sentence verification technique. A study of 60 seventh graders and another study of 166 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders show some promise for the test's validity and diagnostic usefulness.…

Analyzed Francophone university students' (N=182) performance on eight English-As-a-Second-Language cloze tests (in terms of cloze-taking ability, language knowledge, content domain, and knowledge of contextual constraints). Results revealed that cloze performance was dependent on language factors and nonlinguistic-specific knowledge related to…

Argues that this volume's Sanson, Prior, and Kyrios study on the overlap between measures of temperament and psychopathy is too narrowly framed. Maintains that there appears to be a pattern of linkage between specific early temperament scales and specific kinds of later behavior problems. (Author/BB)

Summarizes a reanalysis of the data from an investigation of a test designed to measure a learning sequence in geometry based on the work of van Hiele (1986). Discusses the test based on the Rasch model. (YP)