This proof-of-concept investigation describes a computer-based approach for deriving the knowledge structure of individuals and of groups from their written essays, and considers the convergent criterion-related validity of the computer-based scores relative to human rater essay scores and multiple-choice test scores. After completing a…

Contrasts between constructed response items and stem-equivalent multiple-choice counterparts typically have involved averaging item characteristics, and this aggregation has masked differences in statistical properties at the item level. Moreover, even aggregated format differences have not been explained in terms of differential cognitive…

The concept of a user-specified validity sector is discussed. The idea of the validity sector combines the work of M. D. Reckase (1986) and R. Shealy and W. Stout (1991). Reckase developed a methodology to represent an item in a multidimensional latent space as a vector. Item vectors are computed using multidimensional item response theory item…

Several techniques for conducting studies of measurement integrity are explained and illustrated using a heuristic data set from a study of teachers' participation in decision making (D. L. Taylor, 1991). The sample consisted of 637 teachers. It is emphasized that validity and reliability are characteristics of data, and do not inure to tests as…

The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales have been used both to evaluate program effects and to assign subjects to treatment modalities. This study explored the construct validity of scores from the MHLC scales when the measure is used with adults who solicit intervention to promote their own health. The MHLC measures health…

The construct validity of the standardized-patient (SP) examination used at Southern Illinois University (Springfield) School of Medicine was assessed by comparing 66 second-year and 70 fourth-year medical students on 5 SP cases. The results show sizable differences between the groups. The usefulness of passing rates the effect-size measures as a…

Possible relationships between student study behaviors and academic achievement were studied in an extension of a large-scale project at the Far West Laboratory. Factor analysis was used to identify latent variables measured by the 76-item Study Activity Survey (SAS) that might be more strongly related to college course achievement than are the…

The types of validity evidence that are appropriate for teacher licensure tests are discussed. Included are a discussion of the current popularity of teacher competency tests and the reasons for that popularity. Licensure, certification, and employment examinations are differentiated. Because the area of interest is the minimum competency…

A study tested the validity of a speaking apprehension questionnaire developed by Marshall that monitors the performance of secondary school teaching in oracy in the Netherlands. This questionnaire, intended for 11- to 16-year-old students, was administered to 86 secondary school students. The improved instrument, the Speaking Apprehension Measure…

A study investigated whether or not a discrete-item test of English affixes could be used to measure second language reading comprehension. Subjects were 1,254 mostly first-year university students in four academic departments studying to pass the first half of a foreign language requirement, an English reading comprehension test. Results from two…

Psychometric theory has been one of psychology's stronger foundations and a major contributor to the recognition of psychology as a scientific discipline. Basic principles of psychometric theory led to the development of respected intelligence tests and large and comprehensive testing and assessment programs. This paper synthesizes major…

The Science Teacher Inventory of Need (STIN) was developed specifically to assess the perceived needs of science teachers in developing nations. The purpose of this reported study was to apply factor analysis to the perceived needs data collected from a sample of Malaysian secondary science teachers in order to clarify further the factorial…

This paper presents the investigation of the psychometric properties of the Graduate Program Self-Assessment (GPSA) questionnaires, developed by the Educational Testing Service, for the evaluation of nursing doctoral education. The data are from the 1984 cooperative program evaluation from 326 faculty, 659 doctoral students, and 296 alumni. The…

Data from the authors' previous research (1979, 1980, 1987), consisting of responses to five masculinity-femininity (M-F), two esteem, and two social desirability instruments, were reanalyzed. The subjects were 104 male and 133 female college students who completed the: Bem Sex Role Inventory, Personal Attributes Questionnaire, ANDRO instrument…

The purpose for which a test is used and the examinees' stage of learning are two anchor points that are incorporated into a suggested framework for conducting construct validation studies for tests of students with English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL). The framework includes the use of generalizability theory,…