This study organizes items from seven behavior rating instruments into as few behavior clusters as possible. Methods used include card sort activities and a panel of experts examining items to establish their subgroup placement. Findings indicate a method for organizing behavior descriptors into clearly defined subgroupings and unifying behavior…

A group of covariance structure models was examined to ascertain the similarity between conventionally administered and computerized adaptive versions of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT). Results for 332 students indicate that the computerized version of the DAT is an adequate representation of the conventional test battery. (TJH)

Female and male three- to five-year-olds were presented with six story starts and were asked to finish the stories. Analysis of these narratives showed boys to be more concerned with coping with aggressive drives and channeling them into attempts at mastery and girls with caretaking and responding to the needs of others. (Author)

Factor analyses were performed on the masculine, feminine, and neutral items of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) for gender-schematic and gender-aschematic individuals separately. Results support the BSRI as a valid measure for distinguishing gender-schematic from gender-aschematic individuals. (FMW)

Agreement between two independent reviews of each of 278 manuscripts was compared on an overall recommendation and on specific rating items. Agreement between reviewers on separate dimensions, the unweighted sum of the dimensions, and various weighted sums was no better than that for the overall recommendation itself. (SLD)

An instrument developed to measure high school students' resistance to schooling was administered to 646 metropolitan high school students. Factor analysis and instrument modification supported construct validity and resulted in a 25-item instrument for measuring resistance to schooling. (SLD)

Discusses the applications of summative rating scales to assess frequency of language learning strategy use, describing the most widely employed strategy scale, the English-as-a-Second-Language/English-as-a-Foreign-Language version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Studies of strategy use frequencies and factor analytic…

Factor-analyzed data are reported from the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test for 1,535 whites, 226 African Americans, and 140 Hispanics. Factor structures yielded Fluid and Crystallized dimensions that were congruent across race and ethnic groups and provided construct validity for each subsample. (SLD)

Examines the differences and similarities between two approaches to the assessment of racial identification: a group-based approach (Multidimensional Racial Identification Scale, MRIS) and an Africentric approach (African Self-Consciousness Scale). Results from surveys of 150 black adults confirmed the existence of four factors for the MRIS,…

The validity of the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire as a measure of organizational commitment in the Japanese culture was studied with 1,481 Japanese employees. The three-factor model was a better fit to the data than the one- or two-factor models. Results support the cross-cultural utility of the measure. (SLD)

The assumption called PIRC (proportional item response curve) was tested in which PIRC was used to predict item scores of selected examinees on selected items. Findings show approximate accuracies of prediction for PIRC, the three-parameter logist model, and a modified Rasch model. (12 references) (Author/LB)

Results from a pilot group of 22 parents of preschoolers and 96 parents of toddlers suggest that 3 developed measures of the supportive relationship between parents and child caregivers--the Caregiver Support Appraisal Scale-V, the Caregiver Support Appraisal Scale-P, and the Caregiver Supportive Behavior Scale--are valid and reliable measures.…

Describes study that tested the validity of the Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) with MBA students. Demographic traits and cognitive styles are considered, the effect of computer courses on computer anxiety is studied, and factor analysis is used to assess the construct validity of the CARS. (24 references) (LRW)

A sample of 1,237 university students completed the Institutional Barriers Instrument regarding institutional, dispositional, situational, and physical barriers to participation. Factor analysis identified four deterrents: (1) lack of confidence; (2) family responsibilities; (3) institutional encouragement; and (4) time. (SK)

A procedure for evaluating a variety of rater reliability models is presented. A multivariate linear model is used to describe and assess a set of ratings. Parameters are represented in terms of a factor analytic model, and maximum likelihood methods test the model parameters. Illustrative examples are presented. (SLD)