The development of a series of parallel single-topic tests for testing attainment of 14 objectives concerned with inquiry skill in biology is discussed. The series of eight two-part tests are called "Explorations in Biology" (EIB). (CK)

Various aspects of Confidence Weighting are examined. Variant of Confidence Weighting, its effect on test reliability, and the validity of Confidence Weighting are discussed. (DG)

Monte Carlo simulation procedures were used to study the psychometric characteristics of two two-stage adaptive tests and a conventional "peaked" ability test. Results showed that scores yielded by both two-stage tests better reflected the normal distribution of underlying ability. Ability estimates yielded by one of the two stage tests…

The Kuder Richardson-20 Formula is shown to be a special case, where each examinee is given sufficient time to answer each item, of a more general formula where each examinee may not be allowed the necessary time. The formula is extended to allow two scores, knowledge and speed, to be extracted from each examinees test score. Using a sample of 82…

A strategy for comparing two sets of results (one based upon early childhood recollections (ECR) and another upon video taped (VT) group behavior) from the Perceptual Characteristics Rating Scale was developed. The null distribution of the mean deviation was estimated by randomly matching an ECR response vector with a VT response vector. To…

Surveys used for program and institutional evaluation, such as self-studies conducted for accreditation review, are discussed. Frequently, these evaluations take the form of faculty surveys and student surveys. This paper explores the following general considerations associated with mail surveys and other surveys: avoidance of response bias;…

Part I summarizes data on the final version of the Student Self-Report, an affective, multiple-chioce questionnaire developed to measure the kinds of behavioral and attitudinal chanqes which elementary counselors most often attempt to produce when providing services to students in Grades 3-6. Part I contains reliability and validity data for the…

To investigate the effects of wording in attitude test items, a five-point Likert-type rating scale was administered to 173 undergraduate education majors. The test measured attitudes toward college and self, and contained 38 positively-worded items. Thirty-eight negatively-worded items were also written to parallel the positive statements.…

The validity and reliability of essay scores were examined by comparing the mean scores assigned to good and poor quality essay responses of different lengths written by high school sophomores. In-service and pre-service social studies teachers graded essay responses to a test question requiring knowledge of the Constitutional provisions for…

Sedlacek and Brooks in measuring the attitudes of whites toward blacks with the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) have used trained white administrators in all previous studies. The purpose of white administrators was to avoid calling attention to the racial variable being measured. However the instrument is not the entire simulus presented to…

The initial study was based on responses of 103 examinees on an objective classroom test. Results indicated that response changes increased item difficulties as well as biserial and point biserial correlations. Test reliability was not decreased. This implies that not all students benefit from changing initial responses. The personal biserial…

The Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) contains 100 items and 12 scales designed to assess self concept in three areas: total self esteem, self-criticism, and self-consistency. One hundred and seventeen females and three males, 75% of whom were black, attending a Work Incentive training program were administered the TSCS to examine its construct…

This brief review explains some alternate scoring procedures to the classical method of summing correct responses. The novel procedures attempt in some way to retrieve and use even the information in the wrong responses. (Author)

A student's choice of an answer to a test question is a coarse measure of his knowledge about the subject matter of the question. Much finer measurement might be achieved if the student were asked to estimate, for each possible answer, the probability that it is the correct one. Such a procedure could yield two classes of benefits: (a) students…

A set of tests that might be reasonably used as provisional criterion measures in research on scientific thinking, particularly creative thinking, were developed and an assessment was made of the suitability of these tests as criterion variables from the standpoint of their psychometric properties. The Tests of Scientific Thinking are performance…