Examined test-retest reliability for Test of Language Development-2: Primary (TOLD-2 P) and Intermediate (TOLD-2 I). Findings from 60 children revealed that, with few exceptions, both tests had satisfactory reliability over 2-week interval. Less satisfactory reliability was found for TOLD-2 P Semantics Composite (ages 4, 6 ,and 8); Phonology…

Treatment manuals and protocols have made delivery of particular therapies purer and more consistent, initiating a demand that researchers not only use treatment manuals to improve purity of their therapy but document that their efforts to achieve purity have been successful. Strategies that have been used to document treatment integrity are…

Examines mechanisms underlying the misinformation effect, in which children can be made to believe that they have seen or experienced something they never have. Suggests that the effect in younger children is mainly due to memory errors, whereas in older children it is mainly due to acceptance of misleading information. (DSK)

Investigated the effects of types and prevalence of response patterns that might be provided by nonattending respondents on Cronbach's alpha (L. Cronbach, 1970) using three simulated data sets. Effects were greater as a function of increased prevalence in the respondent group, but as few as 5% of some types of nonattending patterns had inflating…

Examined the internal consistency of three tests from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (R. Reitan and D. Wolfson, 1992) with a sample of 334 children, 9 to 14 years of age. Gives reliability coefficients for the Seashore Rhythm Test, two forms of the Speech Sounds Perception Test, and the Aphasia Screening Test. (SLD)

Exploratory factor analysis of data from 564 people identified constructs for the Career Influence Inventory: parent/teacher/friend influence, high school academic experience, negative social events, self-efficacy, and ethnic-gender expectations. Negative social events proved to be an emerging construct for understanding career development and…

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to be used by teachers to measure the frequency of behaviors indicative of self-esteem and then to evaluate the instruments' reliability and concurrent validity. The Behavioral Indicators of Self-Esteem Scale proved to be reliable and a valid measure. (Author)

Presents a method for measuring interrater agreement on checklists. The technique computes a single agreement score from the concordance of raters' check mark configurations and derives an overall coefficient of agreement called "phi." A medical education study illustrates the phi methodology. (SLD)

Scores on the Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire for 268 college students (86 classified as undecided) showed convergence with the Career Decision Scale. The questionnaire's discriminant validity was confirmed in the areas of social desirability and anxiety. There were statistically significant differences between decided and undecided…

Investigates some of the psychometric characteristics of the results from visual-analogue scales used to measure mental imagery. Reports that the scores from visual-analogue scales are positively related to scores from longer pencil-and-paper measures of mental imagery. Implications and limitations for the use of visual-analogue scales to measure…

Discusses issues related to course evaluation and reliable feedback from students in distance education. Considers features that should be taken into account in the design and development of an evaluation instrument, including contemporary theoretical principles in distance education; contemporary critical practices in the field; and ascertaining…

Discusses personal innovativeness, perceived organizational innovativeness, and computer anxiety in relation to distance education. Investigates the reliability of measures used in relevant research studies, including the Innovativeness Scale, Perceived Organizational Innovativeness Scale, and Computer Anxiety Index. (Contains 12 references.) (LRW)

High school seniors (n=474), high school freshmen (n=1,153), salespersons (n=374), sheet metal workers (n=148), sheet metal applicants (n=424), and carpenter applicants (n=279) were used to test the short-form Ball Aptitude Battery (BAB). The development of the short-form BAB indicates comparable results to the long-form BAB in terms of…

Discusses state testing, various types of tests, and whether the increased attention to assessment is contributing to improved student learning. Describes uses of standardized multiple-choice, open-ended constructed response, essay, performance event, and portfolio methods. (JOW)

The Satisfaction with Appearance Scale (SWAP) was administered to 165 burn victims. SWAP showed a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, r(a)=0.87); an 84-subject retest measured reliability (r(tt)=0.59). SWAP is both a reliable and valid measure of body image for a burn-injured population. (Author/MAK)