The controversy over what divergent thinking tests measure was addressed by conducting a study of the relationship between divergent thinking and vocational interests. Forty-one above-average fifth graders were administered Pattern and Line Meanings a year before they took the American College Testing Program (ACT) Interest Inventory. Divergent…

This paper examines possible explanations for the fact that evaluation results are rarely used. Most explanatory factors for use of results in decision making mentioned in the literature have been clustered in three categories of variables. They concern: (1) the making of decisions about the practical problem; (2) the way in which evaluation is…

This study investigated whether the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) norms, established with American children, are applicable to a Canadian population. Based on an early childhood model which incorporates ecological validity as well as predictive validity, the DIAL-R assesses three areas: motor, concepts…

This Graduate Record Examination (GRE) study assesses: (1) the relative contribution of a vocabulary score (consisting of GRE General Test antonyms and analogies) and a reading comprehension score (consisting of GRE sentence completion and reading comprehension sets) to the prediction of self-reported undergraduate grade point average (GPA); and…

Describes a survey of 356 adult students enrolled in university-level courses at the Open Learning Institute which was conducted to assess the predictive validity of Tinto's theoretical model of student dropout. It was found that, overall, the Tinto model appears to be a useful framework for such investigations. (Author/LRW)

Addresses the validity of the Cognitive-Affective Response Test-Music by clarifying the theoretical assertions on which the construct validity of the instrument rests. Presents nine specific assertions and data from two studies. Concludes that the test is valid for college-bound high school students. (CFR)

The York Region Board of Education in Ontario, Canada, screens students for giftedness in grade 3. This report analyzes data produced in the 1986-87 screening procedure, involving approximately 3,400 students. The report begins with a review of procedural changes that were designed to make the screening more effective and efficient than earlier…

The management development program (MDP) at the University of Tulsa provides an opportunity for identification and development of managerial skills among administrators in the elementary and secondary schools of northeastern Oklahoma. The validity of assessment center exercises for predicting performance as a school principal was examined by a…

The assessment framework underlying a science performance monitoring program is process-oriented and intended to appeal to generalizability theory for a suitable estimation paradigm. Preliminary applications are described. Results suggest that computerized question-banking, domain-sampling of questions, and generalizablity theory together provide…

To determine whether the Posner task, which measures the speed at which information is retrieved from the long term memory, improves prediction of reading comprehension, 121 students from reading and study skills and teacher education courses were administered the Posner task and listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and SAT verbal…

Specific questions addressed in this study include how time limits affect a test's construct and predictive validities, how time limits affect an examinee's time allocation and test performance, and whether the assumption about how examinees answer items is valid. Interactions involving an examinee's sex and age are studied. Two parallel forms of…

The Johari Window--a model that categorizes degree of self-awareness and openness in communication into (1) information known to self and others (open), (2) information known to self but not to others (hidden), (3) information known to others but not self (blind), and (4) information known neither to self nor to others (unknown)--is a frequently…

This paper summarizes and analyzes data from studies of differential validity and differential prediction for blacks versus whites and females versus males. Forty studies on racial differences and 53 on gender differences were selected from searches of the ERIC, PsychInfo, and Dissertation Abstracts International databases; Buros' Mental…

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was examined for sex bias. Data for student samples from two midwestern state-supported medical schools were analyzed. The criteria included average course grades in each of the first two years of medical school. Tests comparing various regression models based on male and female subgroups generally failed…

This paper investigated the predictive validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for members of different gender and minority status groups. The following data were obtainted on 45,067 undergraduates enrolled in 31 different institutions in a state college system: SAT Verbal (SAT-V) and SAT Mathematics (SAT-M) scores; high school average…