These two reports describe the research, analysis, and results of the second phase of a three-phase research study sponsored by the Standards and Training for Corrections Program (STC) of the California Board of Corrections. The validation report consists of seven chapters. Following an introductory chapter that explains the rationale for the…

Previous research has suggested that extrinsic rewards operate to decrease intrinsic motivation to perform a task when they are offered for an initially intrinsically motivating task and then removed. To determine the initial intrinsic motivation of studying, 170 Canadian community college students were divided into one control and four treatment…

Community psychology, as a field based primarily on rhetoric and ideology, is in a particularly vulnerable position as changes occur in the social and political climate. A more realistic recognition of the complexities of the change process points to the unique contribution of community psychology as a field of inquiry. A major problem of…

Survey results have suggested that, while teachers like to have test information available, most do not have great skill or consistency in interpreting test score data. Teachers who consider a certain type of test very valuable or useful are less likely to question the accuracy of the scores than are teachers who consider a test to be of little…

In order to develop a valid replacement for the difficult to administer and costly Chalk Carving Test presently used in screening Dental Laboratory Specialist (DLS) candidates, an experimental battery of perceptual tests was given to 172 prospective DLS students. Dexterity tests were also given to a subsample. Experimental laboratory ratings and…

A concurrent validation analysis was conducted for the recently developed Test of Spoken English (TSE), using as an external criterion the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) direct proficiency interviewing procedure. Use-related validation data for the TSE were obtained as a predictor of the communicative effectiveness in English of non-native…

To determine whether admission interviews could differentiate commitment, 456 applicants from 2 medical schools were tested on the commitment, 456 applicants from two medical schools were tested on the Defining Issues Test, which measures the amount of principled or postconventional moral reasoning. The participating institutions were two Israeli…

The validity of American College Testing (ACT) scores and self-reported high school grades in predicting college freshman grade average is documented, and the accuracy of prediction equations based on these measures is reported for institutions of differing freshman class size, affiliation, degree level, and racial/ethnic composition. Results are…

A variety of terms related to test bias or test fairness have been used in a variety of ways, but in this document the "fair use of tests" is defined as equitable selection procedures by means of intact tests, and "test item bias" refers to the study of separate items with respect to the tests of which they are a part. Seven…

Research sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) between 1949 and 1974 is summarized. For each of 72 research projects, the project title, investigator's name, LSAC report number, and a one-paragraph statement of purpose and summary are presented. The methodological procedure, results, conclusions, and recommendations are also…

Research sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) between 1975 and 1977 is summarized. For each research project, the project title, investigator's name, LSAC report number, and a one-paragraph statement of purpose and summary are presented. The methodological procedure, results, conclusions, and recommendations are also summarized…

The validity of prediction equations based on American College Testing (ACT) Program test scores and high school grades is investigated. Presented are separate results for prediction equations based on ACT scores only, on high school grades only, and on both kinds of prediction jointly. Also included is a discussion of the relationship between…

OBJECTIVE INTERESTS AND MOTIVATION MEASURES WERE STUDIED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A SUITABLE METHOD FOR PREDICTING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. IT WAS FIRST NECESSARY TO DETERMINE THE STRUCTURE OF INTERESTS IN CHILDREN AND TO INCORPORATE THESE FACTORS INTO A TOTAL MEASUREMENT BATTERY. THE INTEREST MEASURES WERE THEN COMBINED WITH MEASURES OF ABILITY AND…

To improve vocational rehabilitation programs for schizophrenic persons, a project sought to design an effective assessment strategy. Inactive records of schizophrenic clients at New Jersey sheltered workshops were examined to determine validity and reliability of assessment instruments being used. General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) profiles of…

The validity of interpreting teachers' perceptions of their performance as an index of their actual performance was examined. Two matching instruments were constructed; each contained 72 items in 6 categories of skills. One assessed teachers' perceptions of their competence on behaviorally stated generic teaching skills, and the other assessed…