Investigated the reliability- and criterion-related validity of 11 curriculum-based measures of early academic skills. Analysis of 30 first-grade students suggest that some measures displayed better reliability and validity than others. Discusses the measures' practical utility in light of their technical characteristics and the need for further…

The factor structure of the Charles F. Kettering Climate Scale, a measure of educational environment, was studied with 351 junior high school students on 2 school campuses. Primary and secondary factor structures are reported, as are the Cronbach alpha reliability measures for scores on the second-order structures. (SLD)

The development and validation of an instrument to assess goal orientation for the work domain are reported. Results of exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and nomological network analysis of results from 556 undergraduates all support the conclusion that the instrument operationalizes the theorized…

Evidence is presented for the reliability and validity of the Talent Identification Instrument, an observation process in music and dance in which multiple judges rate students throughout a multisession audition. Strong agreement among raters and adequate stability estimates were found. Factor analysis and construct validity procedures provided…

A study of 83 people working in the field of autism evaluated the psychometric properties of the Autism Survey, an instrument to assess respondents' knowledge about autism. The survey was found to measure one factor, to be stable across time, and to have an internally consistent total score. (Author/CR)

Reports on a study testing the validity of the Names Test, an individually administered phonics assessment. Provides support for the Names Test's validity by showing it to be significantly correlated with established tests of word recognition and decoding ability. (SR)

A study of 76 Swedish patients (ages 40-86) with lacunar infarctions used a life satisfaction questionnaire to investigate whether the patients were satisfied and how their life situation was affected by the infarction. Results found that the questionnaire was not an effective instrument for measuring life satisfaction in this population. (CR)

This paper discusses the effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Success Rate (RSR) in measuring outcomes of workplace-based occupational rehabilitation services. The RSR is a ratio of the number of employees eligible for a rehabilitation program and the number of eligible employees successfully rehabilitated in one year. Two pilot studies involving…

The Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) screens for multiple problems among adolescents at risk for substance use. A shortened version of the POSIT was developed, using factor analysis, and correlational and reliability analyses. The POSIT-SF shows potential for a reliable and cost-efficient screen for youth with substance…

Examines religious practices of Hindus in the United States and develops measures of their religious pathways. Four religious pathways were identified: devotion, ethical action, knowledge, and physical restraint/yoga. Results indicate that the measures of the religious pathways possessed adequate psychometric properties and were predictive of…

Describes the development and pretest of a content analytic category scheme for objectively measuring the sexiness of women's business attire in media presentations. Finds the television samples significantly more provocative than real world attire. Finds a significant positive correlation between the degree of sexiness as measured by the content…

The psychometric adequacy of the Social Interaction Scale and the Social Phobia Scale (both by R. P. Mattick and J. C. Clark, 1989) was studied with 165 patients with anxiety disorders and 21 people without anxiety. Results support the usefulness of the scales for screening and treatment design and evaluation. (SLD)

This project piloted a rapid assessment self-report measurement to be used with child and adolescent sexual abuse victims to ascertain the effectiveness of counseling. Results from 103 girls ages 10-17 years who had been victims of intrafamilial abuse suggest high test reliability, but content and discriminant validity of the test remain…

Applied multidimensional scaling to similarity data to produce a model of Attachment Q-Set (AQS) items as points in a 3-dimensional space. Represented criterion sorts, individual Q-sorts, and empirical correlates as vectors, interpreting each according to the vector's contributions from the three global dimensions. Tested the model's validity and…

Examined the degree to which test scores reflect English proficiency using data on students whose native language was Spanish. They had taken the GRE, English proficiency tests, and the PAEG, a test in Spanish used for admission to graduate schools in Puerto Rico. Found that quantitative, analytical, and subject tests are more highly related to…