Examined low interrater agreement by decomposing common and unique variance among parent, adolescent, and observer reports of parental warmth and negativity into genetic and environmental factors. Model-fitting analyses findings generally supported predictions for warmth and negativity at Family and Individual levels. At the Social level, genetic…

The "Behavior Problems Inventory" (BPI) is a behavior rating instrument for self-injurious, stereotypic, and aggressive/destructive behavior in mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Evaluation with 432 residents in a developmental center found the BPI to be a reliable (retest reliability, internal consistency, and…

Two studies on young children are reported that address the psychometric characteristics of the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance (SAED). Results from the studies indicate that the SAED is a reliable and valid instrument for identifying young children who may qualify for the federal definition of emotional disturbance. (Contains…

Examined development of child and adolescent self-concept in two overlapping age cohorts as a function of the self-concept domain, social/developmental/educational transitions, and gender. Structural equation modeling addressed questions about stability of individual differences over time. Multilevel modeling addressed questions about mean-level…

This article comments on results of a study (EC 629 869) on the reliability of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a early detection screening test. It discusses concerns relating to clinic vs. population samples, data analysis, use of a parent questionnaire only to identify autism, and the age of screening. (Contains…

This article responds to comments (EC 629 869-70) on a study on the reliability of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a early detection screening test. It addresses concerns relating to clinic vs. population samples, data analysis, use of a parent questionnaire only to identify autism, and the age of screening. (Contains 6…

Two studies compared multidimensional self-concept measures in preadolescents. Findings indicated that the Self-Description Questionnaire and Self-Perception Profile for Children were highly correlated and comparable in reliability, stability, subscale interrelations, and associations with others' evaluations. Correspondence among various…

Studied the psychometric properties of the Six-Factor Self-Concept Scale (J. Stake, 1994) in a sample of 185 racial/ethnic minority college women. Results support the reliability and construct validity of the subscale scores of the instrument and the potential usefulness of the scale for studying ethnic and cultural differences. (SLD)

Developed a procedure for defining achievement levels on continuous scales using aspects of Guttman scaling (L. Guttman, 1950) and Item Response Theory. Using data from high school mathematics tests for about 6,000 students, found the new procedure to have higher reliability, higher classification consistency, and lower classification error than…

Developed and evaluated an assessment of orthographic knowledge designed to help teachers interpret children's spellings for instruction and to advance understanding of how children acquire knowledge of words. Reliability and validity studies with 1,016 urban and rural elementary school students support the use of the Developmental Spelling…

Reports on a longitudinal study of public-library borrowing that shows that high-volume borrowers are both consistent and persistent in their borrowing. Topics include identification of high-intensity borrowers; exploration of behavioral consistency; persistence of use; and personal and behavioral characteristics. (Author/LRW)

This paper describes the development of the Behaviour Function Inventory (BFI), an instrument designed to assess particular disorders of psychological development and functioning in children with developmental disorders including autism. A study of the reliability and validity of the scale indicated that the BFI provides precise information on the…

This survey explored faculty members' satisfaction toward the Web as a research source. Describes use of the End-User Computing Satisfaction instrument and discusses results that indicate that faculty members question the accuracy and reliability of much Web-based information and the sufficiency of Web resources for research. (Author/LRW)

Conducted meta-analysis of preschool and early elementary school self-esteem instruments, using reliability as criterion variable and different aspects of methodology used in testing an instrument as predictor variables. Found that reliability could be predicted by study setting, number of items in the scale, age of children being studied, method…

Developed indicators of classroom practice using teacher assignments to monitor the influence of school reform initiatives on students' learning environments and to support the improvement of instructional practice. Results for classes of 32 third and seventh grade teachers show good reliability and consistency in ratings based on assignments.…