Fifty education majors in two sections responded to an Attitudes toward Mathematics and Its Teaching (ATMAT) scale. Results with two psychometric models, classical true-score theory and the one-parameter Rasch model, supported the ATMAT's reliability, content and construct validity, and invariance over three time points. (SLD)

The effects of problem content on mathematics word problem performance were explored for 128 male and 128 female college students solving problems with masculine, feminine, and neutral (familiar and unfamiliar) cover stories. No effect of sex typing was found, and a small, but highly significant, effect was found for familiarity. (SLD)

Thirty-two content evaluation studies of teacher licensure tests were reviewed; and methodological differences were noted regarding evaluation focus, the stringency of the charge to expert panelists, and the manner in which panelists' ratings were analyzed. Normative expectations for such content ratings are prepared. (SLD)

Differential item functioning on 6 forms of the Scholastic Aptitude Test was examined for 181,228 male and 198,668 female students focusing on the points tested, the test format, and subject matter in which items are embedded. Implications of the identifiable differences are discussed. (SLD)

Departing from a realistic classroom context, this study focuses on the relationship between students' perception of task demands and their learning performance. History teachers (N=20) and their 11th-grade students (N=375) rated the relative importance of sections of an instructional text on which teachers would be giving a test. In addition,…

Currently available measures of self-efficacy described in educational and psychological research literature were cataloged and reviewed after a literature search. To identify and locate these measures, searches of "Psychological Abstracts" and the ERIC system were conducted using self-efficacy and related keywords. Results of the…

Results from a performance assessment in which 68 high school students wrote essays support the use of latent variable modeling for estimating reliability, concurrent validity, and generalizability of a scoring rubric. The latent variable modeling approach overcomes the limitations of certain conventional statistical techniques in handling…

Effects of passage and item-scrambling on equipercentile and item-response theory equating were investigated using 2 scrambled versions of the American College Testing Program Assessment for approximately 25,000 examinees. Results indicate that using a base-form conversion table with a scrambled form affects the individual examinee level. (SLD)

A meta-analysis was conducted of 107 classroom and laboratory studies concerning the effects of expecting a recall, recognition, essay, multiple-choice, or true-false test on students' subsequent achievement. Laboratory studies did not generalize well to classrooms. In classroom studies, subjects performed better when they knew which test type to…

A challenge for many EAP teachers working on pre-sessional programs is to find ways to reconcile the dual aims of preparing students for university study and for the IELTS test. The study described here seeks to provide some guidance on this issue through an analysis of the type of writing required in the two domains. We compared the standard…

A method was developed for assessing the extent to which a test reflects the topics addressed in the problems presented in a problem-based learning environment (curriculum validity). The intended curriculum for a unit from the second year of medical school at the University of Limburg in Maastricht (Netherlands) was analyzed, and an 132-item topic…

A set of prototype measures has been developed to measure students' understanding of content areas. Although the starting point has been history, the project has explored the use of a common model for assessment in geography and science as well. These prototypes are intended to provide models for users with assessment requirements who do not have…

The major goal of this study is to apply the essential unidimensionality statistic of W. Stout and the corresponding computer program (DIMTEST) to a hierarchical level mathematics achievement data set and to determine the extent to which the undimensional assumption can be accurately applied to mathematics achievement data. The study also…

The topic of assistive technology (AT) outcomes has only recently received attention in the professional literature. As a result, there is a considerable void in the profession's ability to address contemporary questions about the value and use of AT. The purpose of this article is to highlight the theory, development, and research efforts of the…

Reports on a study of the free response essays in the Advance Placement U.S. history test from 1963-92. Asserts that there were four significant transition years: 1964, 1965, 1973, and 1976 and predicts another in 1994. Presents data indicating trends toward social history, cultural pluralism, and economic/business topics. (CFR)