The study focuses on the development and partial validation of scales measuring a complex of attitudes toward human fertility. Attitudes were collected from a 270-item questionnaire and factor, multiple regression, and correlation analyses of the collected data were conducted. Inferences for the development of a population education curriculum are…

Traditionally, the psychometric qualities of instruments used in guidance research are not reported and concerns of validity are passed over lightly. This article examines this problem by delineating instrument development from the identification of content through initial validation processes. Procedures for item selection, item validation, and…

A biographical inventory has been used in the selection of students for naval aviation training since World War II, and its validity in predicting their retention-attrition in this training has been well established. This study investigated the constructs underlying the inventory and their relations to students' retention-attrition. A factor…

The Stanford-Binet (Fourth Edition) (S-B:FE) and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) were administered in counterbalanced order to a sample of 30 non-handicapped, preschool children (13 males and 17 females). The children ranged in age from 3 years 11 months to 6 years 2 months, with a mean age of 4 years 11 months. Mean scores on the…

A plausible "s"-factor solution for many types of psychological and educational tests is one in which there is one general factor and "s - 1" group- or method-related factors. The bi-factor solution results from the constraint that each item has a non-zero loading on the primary dimension "alpha(sub j1)" and at most…

The application and utility of confirmatory second-order factor analytic methods are discussed. Factor analysis is central to concerns regarding measurement validity. Confirmatory methods are especially useful because they explicitly consider measurement error influences and because the methods are inherently theory-driven and theory-oriented.…

In an era of declining enrollments, it is vital to identify potential causes of absenteeism and implement strategies for reducing it. A study was conducted at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) to identify factors related to absenteeism. A survey instrument listing 51 reasons for missing class was developed and…

Multivariate methods were used to identify between-set factors relating the criterion set of eleven Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised subtest variables to the predictor set of demographic variables: age, race, sex, education, occupation, geographic region, and urban versus rural residence. Although factor analysis is usually used to…

A survey of computer scientists was conducted to identify factors that affect software complexity. A total of 160 items were selected from the literature to include in a questionnaire sent to 425 individuals who were employees of computer-related businesses in Lawrence and Kansas City. The items were grouped into nine categories called system…

Confirmatory multidimensional item response theory (CMIRT) was used to assess the structure of the Graduate Record Examination General Test, about which much information about factorial structure exists, using a sample of 1,001 psychology majors taking the test in 1984 or 1985. Results supported previous findings that, for this population, there…

This study investigated changes in organization and crystallization of self-concept that may occur during early school years. Three models from self-concept literature that address early childhood development of self-concept are briefly described. Hypotheses are predicted on the assumptions that: (1) changes should manifest themselves between…

This study examines the nature of the highly variable black-white difference across diverse tests and indicates the major systematic source of this between-population variation, namely, Spearman's g. Eleven large-scale studies (discussed in the appendix), each one comprising anywhere from 6 to 13 diverse tests, show a significant and substantial…

Age and sex effects in multiple dimensions of self-concept were examined in responses by 3,562 preadolescent students (grades 2 to 6) to the Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ). A factor analysis of responses clearly identified the seven facets of self-concept which the SDQ is designed to measure: physical ability, physical appearance, peer…

Different aspects of the mentoring process as reflected in Carter's Mentor Scale (1983) were studied. The scale is composed of 16 statements of mentoring behaviors, including the following functional roles for mentors: role model, emotional supporter/counselor, sponsor, and evaluator. Attention was directed to the following questions: whether the…

Two bootstrapping or resampling strategies were investigated to determine their applicability to estimating standard errors and ensuing confidence intervals on variance components in two-factor random analysis of variance models. In light of prior negative findings regarding the application of bootstrapping to this particular problem, a…