Likert response scales are widely used in the social sciences, typically to measure attitudes and personality. This study seeks to understand the optimal number of categories to include in a Likert scale measuring attitudes. Therefore, the author examined four versions of an attitude measure, the Religious Motivation Scale, ranging from a 4- to…

A comparison between six rater agreement measures obtained using three different approaches was achieved by means of a simulation study. Rater coefficients suggested by Bennet's [sigma] (1954), Scott's [pi] (1955), Cohen's [kappa] (1960) and Gwet's [gamma] (2008) were selected to represent the classical, descriptive approach, [alpha] agreement…

There is limited research about the validity and reliability of civic engagement indicators. This study examines the measurement invariance of a Civic Values construct based on students' responses on the 2000 Freshman Survey and 2004 College Senior Survey, which are both part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). Results show…

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and reliability of the modified Berg Balance Scale (mBBS) in persons with severe intellectual and visual disabilities (severe multiple disabilities, SMD) assigned Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) grades I and II. Method: Thirty-nine participants with SMD and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a new disabled service user-specific service quality model ARCHSECRET against a modified SERVQUAL model in the context of disabled students within higher education. Design/methodology/approach: The application of SERVQUAL in the voluntary sector had raised serious issues on its portability…

The purpose of this replication study was to confirm a model of middle grades principal leadership, Developmentally Responsive Middle Level Leadership (DRMLL), proposed by Brown and Anfara (2002) through the validation of the "Middle Level Leadership Questionnaire" (MLLQ), which was developed by Anfara, Roney, Smarkola, DuCette, and…

This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Adolescent Sexual Expectancies Scale (ASEXS). Data were obtained from three annual longitudinal surveys of youth aged 10-17 at the first administration (N = 932 at Wave 3). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that 4 correlated factors corresponding to Social Risk, Social…

The aim of this research is to develop and validate a self-report measure of mindfulness and coping, the mindful coping scale (MCS). Dimensions of mindful coping were theoretically deduced from mindfulness theory and coping theory. The MCS was empirically evaluated by use of factor analyses, reliability testing and nomological network validation.…

Contrary to previous research on sequential ratings of student performance, this study found that professional essay raters of a large-scale standardized testing program produced ratings that were drawn toward previous ratings, creating an assimilation effect. Longer intervals between the two adjacent ratings and higher degree of agreement with…

The Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS) purports to measure reactance: a motivational state experienced when a behavioral freedom is threatened with elimination. To date, five studies have examined the psychometric properties of the HPRS, but reached different conclusions regarding its factor structure. The current study further investigated…

This article makes the case that cost functions are the best available methodology for ensuring consistency between a state's educational accountability system and its education finance system. Because they are based on historical data and well-known statistical methods, cost functions are a particularly flexible and low-cost way to forecast what…

An important part of test development is ensuring alignment between test forms and content standards. One common way of measuring alignment is the Webb (1997, 2007) alignment procedure. This article investigates (a) how well item writers understand components of the definition of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) from the Webb alignment procedure and (b)…

Despite substantial research use, measures of the five-factor model (FFM) are infrequently used in clinical settings due, in part, to issues related to administration time and a reluctance to use self-report instruments. The current study examines the reliability and validity of the Five-Factor Model Score Sheet (FFMSS), which is a 30-item…

The Modified-Classroom Observation Schedule to Measure Intentional Communication (M-COSMIC) was developed as an ecologically valid measure of social-communication behaviour, delineating forms, functions, and intended partners of children's spontaneous communication acts. Forty-one children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 48-73 months were…

This paper discusses importance of technology education and evidence of declining performance of junior secondary school students in basic technology subject. Benefits of PowerPoint presentation in classroom instruction as a means to improve classroom teaching in the developing countries are also discussed. The effectiveness of PowerPoint…