Responds to Jepsen's (this issue [2000]) commentary on Sampson et al.'s theory-based approach to using readiness assessment to improve career services. Three topics are included: the reliability and utility of using readiness assessment measures; verbal ability and the use of cognitive information-processing theory in practice; and the potential…

Study seeks to develop a valid, reliable measure of lifetime religious and spiritual experience and to assess its value in explaining late-life health. Discusses the development of the Spiritual History Scale, a 23-item four-dimensional, retrospective summary measure of religious and spiritual practices and attributions over the life course.…

Studied the marking characteristics of experienced markers of GCSE role-play to ascertain the extent of variation between the marks they award and to determine whether more intermarker consistency could be obtained with a small increase in time for thought before a particular mark is awarded. Results underlie the importance of reducing the…

Analyzes simulated performance ratings on a six-point scale by two independent raters to account for nonsystematic error in performance ratings. Results suggest that rater agreement or covariance is not always a dependable estimate of score reliability and that the practice of seeking additional raters for adjudication of discrepant ratings is not…

Investigates the general factor and uniqueness characteristics of the individual tests of the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Ability-Revised (WJTCA-R). Only 2 of the 19 WJTCA-R tests examined had low general factor loadings, while 2 had low uniqueness. All other tests had medium or high uniqueness. Discusses implications for clinical…

Examines the performance characteristics of 83 school-identified learning-disabled children on the Differential Ability Scales. Sixty percent showed a significant standard score discrepancy between the General Conceptual Ability and at least one achievement test. Implications regarding the educational diagnostic and intervention processes…

A study of student evaluation of college instruction looked at how students weigh various teacher and course attributes. Student enjoyment of the learning process and student learning explained most of the variation in ratings. It was found that students apply weightings consistently across courses and teachers. (Author/MSE)

Concerns about and objections to competency-based assessment in higher education are examined, including superficiality, use of inference, neglect of knowledge and of process, and subjectivity. It is concluded that, although each objection raises an important issue, in each case, a well-designed competency-based assessment system can overcome…

Data from 104 school children were analyzed to determine the psychometric and conceptual soundness of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT), devised for children with limited English language proficiency. Examines test validity through construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis, and exploratory factor analysis in comparison with…

Ten speech-language pathology students judged five-second audiovisually recorded speech intervals as stuttered or nonstuttered in group and single-subject experiments. Results showed that judgment accuracy tended to increase after training, both for speakers used during the training process and unfamiliar speakers. Slight increases in interjudge…

Evaluated two alternate forms of self-report measurements of Africentrism defined as the degree to which a person adheres to the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) in African and AfricanAmerican culture. Four reliability and validity studies reveal a 15-item version that can be used for future testing and for properly directing use of African-centered…

Using feminist theory about the social construction of the female body, a scale was developed and validated to measure objectified body consciousness in young women (n=502) and middle-age women (n=151) using surveillance, body shame, and appearance control beliefs. The three scales were demonstrated to be distinct dimensions with acceptable…

Three methods based on the nonparametric item response theory (IRT) of R. J. Mokken for the estimation of the reliability of single dichotomous test items are discussed. Analytical and Monte Carlo studies show that one method, designated "MS," is superior because of smaller bias and smaller sampling variance. (SLD)

Study examines the reliability and validity of the Instructional Climate Survey-Form S (ICI-S), a 20-item instrument that measures school climate, administered to students (N=328) in three programs. Analysis indicates that ICI-S was best explained by one factor. Reliability coeffecients of the total score were within the acceptable range for all…

Discusses the validity and reliability of teacher observation in gifted child research. The benefits of teacher observation include an increase in professional authority and self-consciousness of teachers, an enrichment of the quality of relationships between teachers and parents of gifted students, and a revelation of the educational needs of…