A set of instruments designed to measure generalizable interpersonal relations skills was validated with students in Illinois area vocational centers. The instruments developed possess a relatively high degree of content and face validity and moderate to high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. (JOW)

The reliability and accuracy of evaluations of 126 surgical faculty made by 47 general surgery residents over 2 years were examined. The general accuracy and reliability over both years indicate that anonymous ratings of surgical faculty by groups of residents can be a valuable evaluation method. (SLD)

A study investigating variables in Canadian Chief Executive Officers' use of information sources to scan external business environments is reported. Findings show that frequency of source use correlates to perceived uncertainty and that source quality is more important than source accessibility--a finding that contradicts past user studies. (28…

The applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), developed in the United States, to another culture was assessed by investigating reliability and validity of the SWLS with 99 boys and 118 girls from Portugal. The cross-national validity of the scale and its utility with different age groups are supported. (SLD)

Changes in information retention resulting from changes in reliability and number of intervals in scale construction were studied to provide quantitative information to help in decisions about choosing intervals. Information retention reached a maximum when the number of intervals was about 8 or more and reliability was near 1.0. (SLD)

The Matrix Analogies Test measures nonverbal ability of handicapped and nonhandicapped children, ages 5-17, in a culture-fair fashion. It assesses pattern completion, reasoning by analogy, serial reasoning, and spatial visualization, with a short form available as a screening instrument. This paper describes the test's administration, format,…

The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, intended for children ages 3-7, is used to diagnosis exceptional intellectual ability in school settings. Its 12 subtests measure both Performance Intelligence Quotient and Verbal Intelligence Quotient. This paper describes the test's administration, summation of data,…

In longitudinal study, California Child Q-Set descriptions of children aged 7-12 were given by teachers, mothers, peers, and child. Consistency of descriptions was expected to have causal relationship with two aspects of competence. Small reciprocal relationship between consistency of self- and child-descriptions and school achievement was found;…

Medical school admission interview ratings for four entering classes (n=356 students) were compared with preadmission academic variables (admission test scores, undergraduate grades), student characteristics (age, gender, residence), and interviewer characteristics (gender, professional background, admission committee membership). Recommendations…

A study investigated the consistency of faculty and peer evaluations of the oral communication skills of 44 fourth-year pharmacology students. Substantial agreement between faculty and students was found. Peer evaluations were independent of their own communication skills. In addition, a significant correlation between oral and written…

Describes the use of interactive videodiscs in Dutch secondary vocational school departments of pharmaceutical education for testing theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a simulated real-life situation. An example is given, feedback and scoring are explained, and criteria for reliability with a classical text analysis are discussed.…

Evaluated the influence of three testing conditions on college students' ratings of instruction, along with relationships between ratings and amount learned. Students rated instruction lowest immediately after taking the posttest. Correlations between learning and instructional ratings were low. Agreement between perceived amount learned and…

Discusses five common myths about statistical significance testing (SST), the possible erroneous and harmful contributions of SST to educational research, and suggested alternatives to SST for mathematics education research. (Contains 61 references.) (MKR)

Simulated data typical of those from meta analyses are used to evaluate the reliability, Type I and Type II errors, bias, and standard error of the meta-analytic procedures of Schmidt and Hunter (1977). Concerns about power, reliability, and Type I errors are presented. (SLD)

Drawing on the experience of Oregon's new-teacher evaluation system, describes teacher work-sample methodology and evidence for its reliability and validity in evaluating the performance of prospective teachers. This is a methodology that responds to the challenge issued by the National Commission on Teaching and the America's Future challenge.…