In this article, Hartley notes the difficulties of using questionnaires to assess the efficiency of new instructional methods and highlights nine issues that researchers must consider. Hartley continues the discussion about the use of questionnaires and suggests that psychology teachers can help improve the teaching of psychology by drawing…

Black and Hispanic students are undeniably underidentified as gifted and underrepresented in gifted education. The underrepresentation of the two largest groups of "minority" students is long-standing, dating several decades, and is a serious area of contention. Most debates focus on the efficacy of traditional intelligence tests with…

In defending tests of cognitive abilities, knowledge, or skills (CAKS) from the skepticism of their "family members, friends, and neighbors" and aiding psychologists forced to defend tests from "myth and hearsay" in their own skeptical social networks (p. 215), Sackett, Borneman, and Connelly focused on evaluating validity coefficients, racial or…

What is "fairness" in the context of educational assessment? I apply this question to a number of contemporary educational assessment practices and policies. My approach to philosophy of education owes much to Wittgenstein. A commentary set apart from the main body of the paper focuses on my style of philosophising. Wittgenstein teaches us to…

Presents shortcomings of using Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), especially problems with using it in counseling so that prospective users realize responsibilities for evaluation they need to accept if they experiment with it in their practice. Concludes there is not justification for substituting MBTI for instruments or counseling methods that…

Examines some issues raised in Gavin and Wamboldt's (1992) recent study on Family-of-Origin Scale (FOS). Discusses unresolved concerns regarding validity and utility of FOS and unsubstantiated and potentially misleading claims made by Gavin and Wamboldt. Makes case for conceptual and methodological precision in study of family phenomena.…

Responds to Abrami's proposals in "Improving Judgments about Teaching Effectiveness Using Teacher Rating Forms." Draws from comments made by members of an American Education Research Association special interest group and offers a personal perspective. (EV)

Preceding articles in this issue, "Improving Judgments about Teaching Effectiveness Using Teacher Rating Forms" (Abrami) and "Can We Put Precision into Practices? Commentary and Thoughts Engendered by Abrami's 'Improving Judgments about Teacher Effectiveness Using Teacher Rating Forms,'" offered: (1) Abrami's proposals to…

In this article, the authors provide their critique on a set of papers that investigated Mathematics Knowledge for Teachers (MKT) assessment and the underlying theory and characteristics of the validity enterprise. Three types of assumptions and inferences--elemental, structural, and ecological--are discussed in these papers. These assumptions…

In this issue of Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives, Schilling et al. are explicit about the centrality of assessment design and development and psychometric analysis in validation. Schilling and colleagues, Kane (2004, 2006), other contemporary validity theorists and practitioners, and their predecessors typically discuss…

Schilling et al. (this issue) have done a commendable job in illustrating a comprehensive process of validating assessments of teacher knowledge (and, more broadly, other types of tests as well). On one hand, the concrete illustration of a process that often remains murky and incomplete is profoundly heartening, as it provides a rigorous model for…

Responding to Field's criticism of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS), Guglielmino cites evidence supporting the scale's validity and reliability, Long notes gaps in Field's literature review, and McCune critiques Field's approach to factor analysis in testing the scale. (SK)

Considers problems with use of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Presents brief history of MBTI and brief theory of type. Examines MBTI's statistical structure, reliability, and validity. Concludes that MBTI does not conform to many basic standards expected of psychological tests. (NB)

Responds to article by Bagnato and Neisworth on social and treatment "invalidity" of intelligence testing for early intervention with preschoolers. Agrees with Bagnato and Neisworth that psychologists should employ wide variety of procedures and practices in their assessment of preschool children. Disagrees with conclusion that intelligence…

Responds to article by Bagnato and Neisworth on social and treatment "invalidity" of intelligence testing for early intervention with preschoolers. Contends that "intelligent" testing as part of appropriate assessment practice with young children will avoid many problems with "intelligence" testing as outlined by Bagnato and Neisworth. (NB)