Classroom researchers are frequently urged to provide evidence of the reliability of their data. In the case of observational data, three approaches to this have emerged: observer agreement, generalizability theory, and measurement error. Generalizability theory provides the most powerful approach given an adequate data collection design, but…

The Registered Holistic Scoring Method, which has been used for one year to score the ninth grade writing test of the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, is described. Registered Holistic Scoring was developed from the previous holistic approach in order to provide more reliable scoring guidelines year after year. Two trained evaluators…

The Computer Attitude Scale (CAS) is a Likert-type instrument consisting of 30 items which present positively and negatively worded statements of attitudes toward computers and the use of computers. The CAS was subjected to three validation studies. The first study examined the reliability and factorial validity of the CAS and its subscales. The…

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory (RSE) is a 10-item scale purporting to measure self-esteem using self-acceptance and self-worth statements. This analysis covers concerns about the degree to which the RSE items represent a particular content universe, the RSE's applicability, factor analytic methods used, and the RSE's reliability and validity.…

The psychometric characteristics of the Graduate Record Examinations General Test (GRE-GT) were studied for three handicapped groups. Experimental subjects took the GRE-GT between October 1981 and June 1984; they include: (1) 151 visually-impaired students taking large-type, extended-time administrations; (2) 188 visually-impaired students taking…

Diagnostic testing can provide specific information about student skills as a decision-making aid to teachers in prescribing instruction, identifying needs for remediation, determining effective instructional materials and methods, and ultimately, improving student learning. Diagnostic testing, as viewed here, includes individual and group…

This panel presentation presents results of an assessment study of the reliability, validity, and utility of caregivers' reports on: (1) the behavioral competencies of severely handicapped children, and (2) the adaptive and intellectual behaviors of moderately handicapped children. The Kent Infant Development (KID) Scale (used with severely and…

A new psychometric instrument for measuring the impact of divorce on elementary school age children was developed: the Child's Report of the Impact of Separation by Parents (CRISP). This structured projective test was specifically designed to assess children's postdivorce stress/adjustment. An initial version of the CRISP was administered to 99…

The major finding of the Law-Related Education Evaluation Project report for Year 1 (1981), that law-related education courses can reduce juvenile delinquency, is of limited use to educational decision makers and could be misleading. The research design leaves much to be desired; however, that fact must be considered in light of the difficulty of…

The development, formative evaluation, and potential uses of the "Sixteen Quality Indicators" (16 QI) rating scale are described. The scale was developed as a systematic way to rate the quality of Skill Qualifications Tests (SQTs) in the United States Army. An SQT measures a soldier's knowledge of a military occupational specialty. It is…

The purpose of this study was to provide evidence for adapting and generalizing the use of the Children's Academic Motivation Inventory (CAMI) to high school students. The instrument was originally developed to provide a reliable, valid, theory-based measure of academic achievement motivation; it was suitable for use with children aged 12-14…

This report presents the results of a study designed to evaluate the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation's (JOCRF's) measurement of structural visualization. Three experimental tests--the Incomplete Open Cubes Test, the Guilford-Zimmerman Spatial Visualization Test, and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices--were added to the JOCRF's test battery…

This manual describes the theory behind the Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ) used in Australia and defines what the subscale and scale scores mean. The LPQ is a 36-item self-report questionnaire that yields scores on three basic motives for learning and three learning strategies, and on the approaches to learning that are formed by these…

The graded response (GR) model of Samejima (1969) and the partial credit model (PC) of Masters (1982) were fitted to identical writing samples that were holistically scored. The performance and relative benefits of each model were then evaluated. Writing samples were both expository and narrative. Data were from statewide assessments of secondary…

Procedures for developing and validating a modified cloze test are described. The multiple-choice cloze procedure was developed to aid in the rapid placement of college freshmen who are students of English as a second language. It was designed to overcome some problems in the original cloze test, to reduce anxiety, and to be machine scored. The…