Samples of children (N=1,267) in rural Australian primary schools completed the "Where Are You Game" for the assessment of self-regard. Results indicated acceptable estimated test reliability and considerable convergent validity. Comparatively, self-regard was higher in younger children, boys, and higher academic achievers. (Author/SJL)

Some 1,620 Australian high school students responded to 68 items that measure adolescent stressors. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop and test a model leading to the High School Stressors Scale. This scale, which has sound construct and predictive validity and adequate reliability, can be a useful instrument for studying…

An Australian study of 110 mother-infant dyads and 85 mother-toddler dyads in which the mothers were mentally ill evaluated the effectiveness of the Mother and Child Risk Observation (MACRO). Results found that MACRO offers a convenient framework for assessing risk and interpreting the impact of maternal mental illness upon children. (Author/CR)

Investigates potential problems with training native speaker interlocutors to carry out a series of oral interactions with a candidate for overseas employment with the Australian government. Findings reveal the effects of interlocutor variables and audiotape quality on ratings. Evaluates the overall feasibility of the procedure and examines…

The Residential Checklist portion of the Adaptive Functioning Index was evaluated with 218 individuals with mental retardation in a large Australian residential facility, and found to be both valid and reliable for rating the intellectual and behavioral functioning of individuals, despite some inconsistency in the more subjectively rated measures.…

Examines the structure, validity, and reliability of Guglielmino's self-directed learning readiness scale. Reviews related literature and refutes Guglielmino's thesis. Reports data derived from an administration of the scale that reveal problems in wording and show that the scale measures a homogeneous construct not associated with readiness for…

Explores the effects of task characteristics and structural characteristics on aspects of information processing based on a survey of employees in the Australian telecommunications industry. Relevant research is reviewed; the analysis of results is explained; and implications for organizations are suggested. (Contains 42 references.) (LRW)

Critically examines use of student opinion surveys (SOSs) at eight Australian universities. Finds that current SOSs are neither designed nor structured according to sound questionnaire technique and, used as part of a teaching evaluation system, they have serious flaws. Deficiencies include their use as the sole measure of teaching effectiveness…

An instrument was developed to assess needs of students with disabilities in regular classes and was used as the basis for providing funding support for 12,375 students. The three domains of the instrument, physical needs, learning needs, and social needs, had good construct and face validities and high score reliabilities. (Contains 10…

During the 1986 administration of the Work Aspect Preference Scale (WAPS) in a study of career development from Year 8 to Year 9, some of the students in Mount Druitt, west of Sydney, Australia, had difficulty in understanding the meaning of some terms. A closer investigation was then conducted of the usefulness of the WAPS for this group of…

This paper reports upon the evaluation and implementation of a 30-item Likert-type rating scale for teachers to use in assessing children's behaviors within preschool classrooms. The Preschool Observation Scale (POS) was developed to evaluate programs of the Mt. Druitt Early Childhood Project, North Ryde, Australia. Items were constructed on the…

Addresses applications of the coefficient of variation as a measure of educational inequality or as a means of measuring changes of inequality status. Suggests the Gini coefficient has many advantages over the coefficient of variation since it can be used with the Lorenz curve (Lorenz provides detail Gini omits). (BRR)

The aptitude tests used in Queensland (Australia) to standardize secondary school leavers' school evaluations was assessed for reliability with various student group sizes and for a range of abilities. The error found was significant for small and moderately sized groups, suggesting the need for care in test interpretation. (Author/MSE)

The place of peer review in the process by which the Australian Research Council allocates funds under the Large Grants Scheme, the primary funding source for basic research, is examined. Validity and reliability of peer review, the decision-making process, and cost effectiveness of the procedures are considered. (MSE)

The structure of temperament over the ages 3 to 7 years was investigated through factor analysis of maternal ratings of 1,366 children on the Childhood Temperament Questionnaire (CTQ). Found four strong factors (inflexibility, sociability, persistence, and rhythmicity) and two weak ones (activity-mood and threshold). Discusses the strengths and…