This discussion constructs a survey data quality strategy for institutional researchers in higher education in light of total survey error theory. It starts with describing the characteristics of institutional research and identifying the gaps in literature regarding survey data quality issues in institutional research and then introduces the…

This paper intends to construct a survey data quality strategy for institutional researchers in higher education in light of total survey error theory. It starts with describing the characteristics of institutional research and identifying the gaps in literature regarding survey data quality issues in institutional research. Then it is followed by…

Finds support for the hypothesis that individuals who prefer a visualization strategy will obtain higher scores on the "Mental Rotation Test" than individuals who prefer an orientation strategy. (RL)

This investigation of the effect of making a set of alternatives conform grammatically to a test item stem showed there is subject sensitivity to such cues. Content-free versions of American College Testing Assessment Experimental Social Science items representing singular-plural and vowel-consonant agreement without inappropriate grammatical…

Presents evidence from a study of examination answer changes by students and from supporting literature to discredit the idea that first impression answers on objective tests are dependable enough that subsequent changes more often result in lower scores than in higher scores. (JT)

The Randominzed Response Technique was used with 83 undergraduate students in an Introductory Statistics course to: (1) demonstrate a means by which information of a sensitive nature can be obtained in a confidential manner; and (2) illustrate to a group of somewhat skeptical students an application of statistics to an interesting, real-world…

A Likert seven-choice response format for personality inventories allows finer distinctions by subjects than the traditional two-choice format. The Eysenck Personality Inventory was employed in the present study to test the hypothesis that use of the expanded format would result in a clearer and more accurate indication of test structure.…

A multiple true-false item is one where a testee has to identify statements as true or false within a cluster (of two or more) of such statements. Clusters are then scored as items. This study showed such a procedure to yield less reliable results than traditional true-false items. (JKS)

One way to minimize the test taking advantage that test-wise students have is to offer all students the opportunity to become test-wise through formal instruction in test taking. This paper describes the development and use of "Form Z," a test that can be used as a teaching aid or as a research instrument for test wiseness. The test was designed…

Under a mastery learning system students can take successive parallel tests with study interspersed between tests until they demonstrate a minimal level of competency. For most students, such procedures increase final performance, yet some may experience repeated subjective failure. Self-worth theory predicts that repeated failure in the face of…

The effects of achievement-oriented and neutral instructions on the humor ratings of both testing and non-testing cartoons were assessed for high- and low test-anxious students. The effects of humor in reducing state anxiety were also evaluated. Fifty-two undergraduate students were selected on the basis of their Test Anxiety Scale scores. Both…

The study investigated the effect of response mode variation (the use or non-use of separate answer sheets) on subject responses (N = 1017) to affective instruments treating both instrument and subject characteristics. Instrument characteristics examined included attitudinal versus personality scale composition, scale items written in first versus…

Effects of response mode, response format, perceived response style, sex, and anonymity on raw scale scores and extreme response tendencies for two distinct measures of affective behavior were investigated. The two measures were a self-acceptance scale developed by J.R. Phillips and the Machiavellianism IV scale. Where (response mode) and how…

Analyzes the differences in responses of 94 bilingual South African college students to questionnaires in both English and Afrikaans. Concludes that the use of translated questionnaires need not lead to biased results. (FMW)

To determine whether placement of items on a teacher rating scale affects the factor structure underlying the scale and to determine whether changing the item format alters the ratings given, a 12-item, high-inference student rating scale was developed containing two global items pertaining to overall teacher effectiveness and 10 evaluative items…