The role of self-regulated learning in successful academic performance at the college level was studied. Using a literature review, items were developed for a self-regulated learning questionnaire, which was written as a Likert scale and pilot tested with a small group. Subjects for the study were 39 male and 121 female education majors at a…

This study, part of a 10-year longitudinal study assessing the teacher education program at Iowa State University, examined the performance of student teachers and their teaching potential as judged by multiple raters. University supervisors, cooperating teachers, and student teachers (N=260) rated items on a questionnaire addressing professional…

The purpose of this study was to compare the reliabilities of two-, three-, four-, and five-choice tests using an incremental option paradigm. Test forms were created incrementally, a method approximating actual test construction procedures. Participants were 154 12th-grade students from the Portland (Oregon) area. A 45-item test with two options…

Classroom teachers have the best possible vantage point for constructing locally appropriate surveys and tests; the fact is, however, that teachers tend to rely on nationally mass-produced and marketed test packages. The purpose of this paper is to present a procedure for developing and refining teacher-made surveys and tests, which would be valid…

Equivalence in reliability and validity across 4-point and 6-point scales was assessed by fitting different measurement models through confirmatory factor analysis of a multitrait-multimethod covariance matrix. Responses to nine Likert-type items designed to measure perceived quantitative ability, self-perceived usefulness of quantitative…

Two newly developed instruments being used in a number of studies examining the influences of intrafamily and extrafamily resources and supports on parent, family, and child functioning are described. The instruments are the Personal Assessment of Life Events (PALE) Scale, developed by C. M. Trivette and others (1988), and the Personal Assessment…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

These four issues of "Gifted Education Quarterly" include the following articles: (1) "Using Test Results To Support Clinical Judgment" (Linda Kreger Silverman), which discusses some of the difficulties in obtaining accurate indications of a child's level of giftedness and the importance of using professional judgment in…

This report describes the development and psychometric qualities of a new instrument to assess clinical teaching effectiveness in medical education. The strength of the instrument is seen to lie in the qualitative development process involving iterative checking with key stakeholders; its high reliability, validity, and feasibility; and its ease…

There are no available measures that assess family interaction from a comprehensive theoretical perspective. This study reports analyses of the measurement integrity of scores from a measure developed to offer a comprehensive assessment. The preliminary version of the Family Interaction Inventory (FII) is a 24-scale instrument with 5 items per…

A study focused on the development and pilot testing of a student satisfaction instrument, the results of which may be used to identify weaknesses and strengths of nontraditional degree programs. The literature review demonstrated little empirical evidence that could support positive or negative conclusions regarding student satisfaction within…

Educational refinement is defined as attempts to improve education through incremental improvements in the existing structure, while educational reform refers to change in the structure itself. A strong move is underway to reform education in the United States. It is argued that the development of assessments in support of educational reform…

Researchers too frequently consider the reliability of the scores they analyze, and this may lead to incorrect conclusions. Practice in this regard may be negatively influenced by telegraphic habits of speech implying that tests possess reliability and other measurement characteristics. Styles of speaking in journal articles, in textbooks, and in…

College faculty are unlike other teachers in that they are not trained to teach and have little supervision. Effectiveness of language instruction is more difficult than most to evaluate. Contemporary models of supervision tend to emphasize training, not evaluation, even for teaching assistants. Some see teaching as an art, not susceptible to…

The 1992-93 school year saw the second statewide implementation of the Vermont portfolio-assessment program, and RAND continued its ongoing evaluation of the program's implementation, effects, and data quality. While the first year's study found evidence of the impact of the assessment program and low reliability of portfolio scoring, this year's…