Introduces the Job Components Inventory, a new job analysis technique examining the use of tools and equipment, physical and perceptual requirements, mathematical requirements, communication requirements, and decision-making and responsibility requirements. Results of a study of 100 job holders demonstrate a high reliability of the technique.…

Measured the internal consistency reliability of the Holmes Am Scale in discriminating alcoholics (N=39) from college students (N=77). Results showed the Holmes Am Scale displayed low internal consistency reliability but did not discriminate significantly between the two groups. The Am Scale was related moderately to alcohol use among students…

Issues of reliability and validity in ethnographic design are compared to their counterparts in experimental design. Threats to the credibility of ethnographic research are summarized and categorized. Strategies intended to enhance credibility (study design, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of findings) are incorporated throughout…

Observational data were collected over a period of 120 school days from 11 elementary-level, self-contained, learning disabilities classrooms (N=105), using the Student Level Observation of Beginning Reading system. Findings indicate that reliable and unbiased observations of student behavior were obtained through the use of a single observer.…

Describes the use of the newly developed Demographic Advertising Analysis in assessing social positions and their presentations in advertising. Young adults (N=45) rated 12 television commercials and found little difference in prestige of sexual or marital status or occupation. Outwardly religious, political, ethnic, or lower-class representation…

Results bolster confidence in Crockett's standard two-peer Role Category Questionnaire (RCQ) as a measure of cognitive complexity (construct differentiation). Satisfactorily high four-week test-retest reliability estimates were obtained for differentiation measures based either on timed or untimed versions of the RCQ. Moreover, both versions…

Rajaratnam, Cronbach and Gleser's generalizability formula for stratified-parallel tests and Raju's coefficient beta are generalized to estimate the reliability of a composite of criterion-referenced tests, where the parts have different cutting scores. (Author/GK)

Uses an interactional analysis system to characterize beginning supervisory style. Considered the variance in supervisory interaction behaviors and the stability of such behaviors with different trainees. Concluded that beginning supervisors have individual predilections for supervisory behaviors that are stable with different trainees.…

Presents modifications of the Pleasant and Unpleasant Events Schedules for use with an elderly population. Constructed two revised schedules by selecting only items that met endorsement criteria with an elderly sample. Both possessed excellent internal consistency and correlated well to the original schedules. (Author)

It is suggested that error of measurement cannot be routinely incorporated into the "error term" in statistical tests, and that the reliability of test scores does not have the simple relationship to statistical inference that one might expect. (Author/GK)

Discusses classical test theory, including test construction, administration, and use. Covers basic statistical concepts in measurement, reliability, and validity; principles of sound test construction and item analysis; test administration and scoring; procedures for transforming raw test data into scaled scores; and future prospects in test…

Reviews previous research concerning locus of control and irrational beliefs. Presents a study of females in a weight control program, who exhibited no relationships between irrationality and locus of control. Subscales of the Irrational Beliefs Test varied with program success. Use of the Internal External Locus of Control Scale is questioned.…

Investigated college student scores and reliabilities on Rotter's Incomplete Sentences Blank (ISB) for the years 1965, 1970, and 1977. Results indicated: (1) no significant differences among the three years; (2) significant differences between scores in the present and original ISB norms; and (3) high interscorer reliabilities of rescoring…

Argues that informal reading inventories fail on several points to provide accurate and reliable scores on the subskills of reading. Asserts that the inventories cannot properly be used to assess children's specific strengths and weaknesses. (FL)

Describes a practical approach that teachers can use to check for test-item validity in test construction. The Kuder-Richardson Reliability Formula is used. Detailed instructions describe the procedure for evaluating items for difficulty and using statistical methods to determine test validity. (AM)