This paper addresses theoretical problems arising from the vagueness of language terms, and intuitions of the vagueness of the concepts to which they refer. It is argued that the central intuitions of prototype theory are sufficient to account for both typicality phenomena and psychological intuitions about degrees of membership in vaguely defined…

The testing of English language learners (ELLs) is, to a large extent, a random process because of poor implementation and factors that are uncertain or beyond control. Yet current testing practices and policies appear to be based on deterministic views of language and linguistic groups and erroneous assumptions about the capacity of assessment…

Written by a social worker for social work students, this is a nuts and bolts guide to statistics that presents complex calculations and concepts in clear, easy-to-understand language. It includes numerous examples, data sets, and issues that students will encounter in social work practice. The first section introduces basic concepts and terms to…

We conducted generalizability studies to examine the extent to which ratings of language arts performance assignments, administered in a large, diverse, urban district to students in second through ninth grades, result in reliable and precise estimates of true student performance. The results highlight three important points when considering the…

This study examined the use of generalizability theory to evaluate the quality of an alternative assessment (journal writing) in mathematics. Twenty-nine junior college students wrote journal tasks on the given topics and two raters marked the tasks using a scoring rubric, constituting a two-facet G-study design in which students were crossed with…

The factor structure of a Chinese version of the Zarit Burden Interview was assessed with a random sample of Chinese caregivers in Canada. The results indicated that the latent constructs identified in earlier studies on caregivers did not fit well when tested with Chinese caregivers. Exploratory factor analysis reported a five-factor solution,…

Examined the factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) in a sample of 200 medical patients and 271 psychiatric patients. Results indicate the WAIS-R has a robust factor structure and provide evidence of Verbal, Performance, and Freedom From Distractability factors in psychiatric and medical populations. (Author/BH)

Developed a procedure for overcoming the computational and technological limitations of analyzing data with missing observations by extracting data from a sparsely filled data matrix into analyzable smaller subsets of data. Demonstrated the validity of this subdividing method using a Monte Carlo simulation. (SLD)

Reviews some of the more salient conceptual features of generalizability (G) theory. Provides a framework for considering some misconceptions about G theory. Focuses on particularly prevalent or serious misconceptions. G theory provides a rich conceptual framework and tools for working with a defined universe, but it does not tell an investigator…

In 1997, noting that the 50th anniversary of the publication of "Coefficient Alpha and the Internal Structure of Tests" was fast approaching, Lee Cronbach planned what have become the notes published here. His aim was to point out the ways in which his views on coefficient alpha had evolved, doubting now that the coefficient was the best way of…

An approach called generalizability in item response modeling (GIRM) is introduced in this article. The GIRM approach essentially incorporates the sampling model of generalizability theory (GT) into the scaling model of item response theory (IRT) by making distributional assumptions about the relevant measurement facets. By specifying a random…

One potentially feasible tool for use in the formative assessment of social behavior is the direct behavior rating, yet empirical support for the reliability of its use is limited. In this study, generalizability theory was used to provide preliminary psychometric data regarding the generalizability and dependability of the direct behavior rating…

The authors center their presentation of material around a conceptual understanding of psychometric issues, such as validity and reliability, and on purpose rather than procedure, the "why" rather than the "how to." Their goal is to introduce psychometric principles at a level that is deeper and more focused than found in introductory…

Reviews the criticisms of sampling assumptions in generalizability theory (and in reliability theory) and examines the feasibility of using representative sampling, stratification, homogeneity assumptions, and replications to address these criticisms. Suggests some general outlines for the conduct of generalizability theory studies. (SLD)

An algorithm is described for fitting the DEDICOM model (proposed by R. A. Harshman in 1978) for the analysis of asymmetric data matrices. The method modifies a procedure proposed by Y. Takane (1985) to provide guaranteed monotonic convergence. The algorithm is based on a technique known as majorization. (SLD)