Discusses the role and consistency of judges' interpretations of teacher performance as part of an evaluative scheme for complex performance, with reference to the ideological framework of professional standards. The tension between assessment decisions and the recognition that assessment involves interpretation is explored. (SLD)

Issues of dimensionality, validity, reliability, and generalizability of students' ratings of instruction were studied with 610 college students who evaluated their instructors on the Teacher Effectiveness Scale. The Scale had high internal consistency, but interrater reliability, generalizability, and predictive validity warrant further study.…

Ten Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) fake-bad scales/indexes are reviewed with respect to their potential usefulness in evaluation of feigning mental illness, and a meta analysis of the MMPI is performed. One scale and two indexes were superior when effect sizes were calculated. (SLD)

In the context of developing assessment instruments in psychology, issues of standardization, norming procedures, and test reliability and validity are discussed. Criteria, guidelines, and rules of thumb are provided to help the clinician with instrument selection for a given psychological assessment. (SLD)

Describes the development of the School-Age Temperament Inventory (SATI) as a parental report of children ages 8 through 11 years. A total of 435 mothers and 228 of their spouses served as parent informants in its assessment. Suggests that the SATI has adequate validity and reliability for use in research and structured parenting programs,…

Approaches to studying were investigated in 227 U.S. college students using a short form of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. The factor structure of responses differed from that previously obtained in the United Kingdom, suggesting that basic study orientations are interpreted in a manner distinct to each cultural context. (SLD)

Distinguishes between school and class environment, examining research on teachers' perception of school environment and students' perception of classroom environment. Describes the Work Environment Scale and the School-Level Environment Questionnaire, and reports on the use of these instruments in investigating differences between high school and…

Progress, or lack thereof, in the development of ability testing is reviewed. Current tests, though inadequate, respond to the demands of test consumers. Test publishers must look ahead to changing demands and begin to lead the market, rather than follow it, by drawing on basic research in testing. (SLD)

The predictive power of the short-form Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale of P. Satz and S. Mogel to provide equivalent information about IQ scores and age-corrected scale scores was not differentially affected by the side of the lesion for 63 patients with brain tumors. (SLD)

A study of 253 college presidents, academic vice-presidents, and deans investigated relationships of institution type, position level, and demographic variables with job satisfaction. Results indicated chief academic officers and deans were relatively dissatisfied with their work. Additional research and continued use of the Job Descriptive Index…

Describes Quality of Student Life Questionnaire (QSLQ), which may be of particular use to family therapists attempting to understand perceptions of adolescents within family constellations. Notes that QSLQ is comprised of four factors (Satisfaction, Well-Being, Social Belonging, and Empowerment/Control). Calls QSLQ reliable, unobstrusive, and…

Discusses the problem of educational testing that results in differential educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. It critically examines the proposition that there may be ways to justify the decisions made on the basis of differential test performance that are consistent with the requirements of equality. (GLR)

The Computer-Assisted Medical Problem-Solving system, designed to teach problem solving and pattern recognition, has also been found useful for identifying medical students' problems with clinical reasoning. Analysis of individual test results allows development of a student problem-solving profile score that augments the initial test score. (MSE)

Data from 6,472 South Carolina residents aged over 55 years support the reliability of S. Katz's Activities of Daily Living scale when data are collected by self-report telephone interview. Results indicate that telephone interview methods are a fast, inexpensive, and safe way to collect data for research and policy formation. (SLD)

The history of the concept of intelligence is reviewed, and the construction and uses of psychological tests are explored. Skills consist of a large number of abilities. It is argued that the psychological entity, intelligence, is determined by particular contexts, contexts often induced by social demands. (SLD)