Demonstrates how the partial credit model, a variation of the Rasch Measurement Model, can be used to develop performance-based assessments for nursing education. Applies the model using the Practical Knowledge Inventory for Nurses. (SK)

Examined the influence of item parameter estimation errors across three item selection methods using the two- and three-parameter logistic item response theory (IRT) model. Tests created with the maximum no target and maximum target item selection procedures consistently overestimated the test information function. Tests created using the theta…

Senior nurses' (n=139) expectations of 36 beginning nurses were compared with the beginners' competence ratings by their clinical preceptors. Senior nurses' expectations were lower than the actual competence demonstrated by the graduates, suggesting that assessment instruments should not be derived solely from supervisor expectations. (SK)

Multiple-choice items are a mainstay of achievement testing. The need to adequately cover the content domain to certify achievement proficiency by producing meaningful precise scores requires many high-quality items. More 3-option items can be administered than 4- or 5-option items per testing time while improving content coverage, without…

This article discusses the rationale for, and explicates the process used in, developing differentiated authentic assessments for middle school classrooms (many of which contain gifted students) that are aligned with state academic standards. The assessments were developed based on learner-centered psychological principles and revised based on a…

The Job Descriptive Index family of job attitude measures includes the Job in General (JIG) scale, a measure of global satisfaction with one's job. The scale was originally developed and validated by Ironson, Smith, Brannick, Gibson, and Paul. Following structured scale reduction procedures developed by Stanton, Sinar, Balzer, and Smith, the…

This note sketches aspects of the development of the Interpersonal System of Personality (ISP), using information appearing in dissertations, theses, notes, correspondence, and publications prior to the classic 1951 paper by M. B. Freedman, T. F. Leary, A. G. Ossorio, and H. S. Coffey. Topics include the setting and the creation of the ISP, the…

Reviews the fundamental principles associated with achieving a high level of content validity when developing tests for students. Suggests that the short-term efforts necessary to develop and integrate measurement theory into practice will lead to long-term gains for students, faculty, and academic institutions. (Includes 21 references.)…

This research paper explores the frameworks and clusters that are thought to comprise the Emotional Intelligence (EI) dimension and establishes a distinction between EI and Emotional Competence (EC) as a basis for testing, measurement and analysis. The principal aim of the study was to investigate existing instruments that purport to measure EI…

The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) is the fifth in a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) secondary longitudinal studies. The core research questions for HSLS:09 explore secondary to postsecondary transition plans and the evolution of those plans; the paths into and out of science, technology, engineering,…

Staff development is very significant for the achievement of overall goals of higher education in Pakistan. The success of innovations depends largely upon the skills of instructors; but in Pakistan, the people with a simple masters degree (without any pedagogical training) are inducted as teaching staff at the university level, so it is time to…

Many art museum programs aim to facilitate the development of young people's critical-thinking skills, but most are unclear in their definitions of critical thinking and their notions of how it is best facilitated. This article shares a diagnostic tool for identifying instances of critical thinking in art museum programs. Specifically, the authors…

This article describes the process by which one study utilized qualitative methods to create items for a multi dimensional scale to measure twelve step program affiliation. The process included interviewing fourteen addicted persons while in twelve step focused treatment about specific pros (things they like or would miss out on by not being…

High-stakes writing assessments currently exert a strong influence on the writing curriculum and instruction in schools across the United States. Under these circumstances it is important to examine the construct of writing competence on which these assessments are based, as well as the extent to which this construct supports the goals of…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a Turkish adaptation of an existing instrument for measuring teacher interpersonal behaviour. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) maps teacher behaviour in terms of two dimensions: Influence (Dominance-Submission) and Proximity (Cooperation-Opposition). A sample…