As the education reform movement increasingly focuses on teachers and teaching, educators, policy-makers, and researchers need valid and reliable measures that can be used to evaluate individual teachers, provide guidance for improving teaching performance, and support research in ways that advance instruction and classroom dialog and practice. A…

This article discusses how methodological practices can shape and limit how mixed methods is practiced and makes visible the current methodological assumptions embedded in mixed methods practice that can shut down a range of social inquiry. The article argues that there is a "methodological orthodoxy" in how mixed methods is practiced…

A method for point and interval estimation of change in criterion validity of multiple-component measuring instruments as a result of revision is outlined. The procedure is developed within the framework of covariance structure modeling, which complements earlier methods for testing change in composite reliability due to addition or deletion of…

The traditional kappa statistic in assessing interrater agreement is not adequate when multiraters and multiattributes are involved. In this article, latent trait models are proposed to assess the multirater multiattribute (MRMA) agreement. Data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) are used to illustrate the…

This paper suggests that in addressing the issue of parent-professional congruence in child assessment, researchers should avoid focusing on the conventional aspects of interrater reliability and rater interchangeability, but rather should focus on the reliability of the pooled assessment information from parents and professionals. A…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

Cason and Cason's model of performance rating was used to determine the extent to which variation in reviewer standards affected the reliability and validity of the program review process used to select papers for inclusion in the annual program. Data analyzed were the overall recommendation for acceptance and ratings on seven quality criteria…

For people-helping professionals, the concept of burnout describes the physical and emotional exhaustion they feel on the job. A cognitive-behavioral model defines burnout as a state in which individuals expect few rewards and considerable punishment from work, due to lack of valued reinforcement, controllable outcomes, or personal competence.…

Discusses the definition of creativity and the broad methodological issues associated with organizational creativity. Reviews the most relevant theoretical models for studying creativity in organizations. Specific methodological requirements for studying creativity in organizations are then discussed, with emphasis on issues of validity and…

This paper describes how a naturalistic inquirer can demonstrate rigor, or trustworthiness, and how an auditor might assess it. Looking at both inquiry products and processes, Part 1 of this paper describes how an audit may assess whether an inquiry's findings and conclusions are grounded in the raw data, and whether appropriate conventions were…

A conceptual model of quality of life, developed at the Centre for Health Promotion at the University of Toronto (Canada), and associated instrumentation for collecting data from persons with developmental disabilities are presented. Results from a preliminary study with 41 participants support the reliability and validity of the model's…

Estimates confluence model of intellectual development for a within-family sample of 321 children from 101 transracial adoptive families. Mental ages of children and their parents and birth or adoption intervals were used in a nonlinear least-squares estimation procedure to obtain children's predicted mental ages. Results suggest efficiency of the…

Explains that from a prediction standpoint the confluence model is not very efficient. Very modest increments in accuracy are associated with family configuration variables once chronological age is covaried. Suggests that the major postulates of the theory be tested directly, within individuals and with longitudinal data. (Author/AS)

The overall poor quality of educational software on the market suggests that educators must continue efforts to evaluate available packages and to disseminate their findings. In this paper, weaknesses in published evaluation procedures are identified, and an alternative model, the York Educational Software Evaluation Scale (YESES), is described.…

This article reviews the history of divergent thinking tests and provides a projection of current research suggesting a bright outlook for creativity tests. A model relating problem finding and problem solving is described, as are approaches to increasing test reliability. (DB)