The construct validity of hypothesized survey items and data reduction procedures for selected psychosocial constructs frequently used in breast cancer screening research were investigated in telephone interviews with randomly selected samples of 1,184 and 903 women and a sample of 169 Hispanic clinic clients. Validity of the constructs is…

Discusses the role of the Rasch model IRT in evaluating two subtests of the Occupational English test and argues for its use in exploring test constructs and in considering the implications of the empirical analysis presented for the validity of communicative language tests involving speaking and writing skills. (39 references) (Author/JL)

In this study an artificial intelligence assessment tool used disease-by-feature frequency estimates to create disease prototypes for nine common causes of acute chest pain. The tool then used each subject's prototypes and a pattern-recognition-based decision-making mechanism to diagnose 18 myocardial infarction cases. (MLW)

Investigated the concurrent validity of various PLACE (Program for Licensing Assessments for Colorado Educators) tests, noting how they fared on judgments of more contemporary notions of validity. Analysis of seven iterations of PLACE tests from five Colorado institutions supported the construct validity of the PLACE. This paper reports the…

The dimensionality of students' attitudes toward regular classroom activities and enrichment clusters were studied with 379 urban elementary school students using two instruments developed for the study. Analyses allowed examination of the construct validity of the scores from both measures while indicating that derived factors were not the same…

In 1994 the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners instituted a three-step U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Step one of the USMLE may be vulnerable to legal challenge on the basis of minority group bias and lack of construct validity. (SLD)

A 3-factor solution of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Revised (WAIS-R) in 260 adults with suspected head injury suggested relatively good construct validity for the factors, based on correlations with neuropsychological tests. Findings are discussed in terms of the multidimensional nature of neuropsychological tests and WAIS-R factors.…

Examined relations among measures of child language derived from observations of 20-month-olds' speech with mothers, experimenter assessments, and maternal reports. Found that structural equation modeling supported strong relations among the three sources, the loading of multiple measures on a single latent construct of vocabulary competence, and…

This paper describes the testing and refinement of an instrument for identifying and measuring Problem Formulation and Resolution (PFR) in online asynchronous discussions (OADs). The instrument was used to analyse a transcript of an OAD designed specifically for PFR with 30 participants in an undergraduate course for teachers in training. Results…

The authors evaluate the validity of the Social Provisions Scale for physical activity among adolescent Black (n = 896) and White (n = 823) girls. The girls completed the scale and measures of subjective norms and physical activity in the eighth and ninth grades. Within the sample of White girls, the Social Provisions Scale contained 24 items that…

Two aspects of the reliability of multidimensional measures can be distinguished: the amount of scale score variance that is accounted for by all underlying factors (composite reliability) and the degree to which the scale score reflects one particular factor (construct reliability). Confidence intervals for composite and construct reliabilities…

We examined the gender appropriateness of the DSM-IV symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD). In Study 1, 100 mothers (35 of children with and 65 of children without ADHD) rated how gender-typical and problematic they saw DSM-IV symptoms of ADHD, ODD, and CD;…

The purpose of this study was to provide initial results on the development and validation of the Career Futures Inventory (CFI), a new 25-item measure of positive career planning attitudes. Items were originated using the rational method. Results from an item analysis of scale homogeneity and exploratory factor analysis in a sample of 690…

This paper reports on an action-research project that focuses on the assessment of second language teacher education. It was carried out in the context of the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) and centres on how assessment criteria for this qualification are interpreted and operationalized by teacher educators…

The lack of valid, research-based methods to identify potential artistic talent hampers the inclusion of the arts in programs for the gifted and talented. The Talent Assessment Process in Dance, Music, and Theater (D/M/T TAP) was designed to identify potential performing arts talent in diverse populations, including bilingual and special education…