Background: Meta-analyses of educational interventions have consistently documented the importance of methodological factors related to the choice of outcome measures. In particular, when interventions are evaluated using measures developed by researchers involved with the intervention or its evaluation, the effect sizes tend to be larger than…

Recent publications emphasize the need to take greater account of differences in teaching quality between subjects. The empirical analysis of this topic requires a comparison of teaching quality in different subjects to distinguish generic aspects of teaching quality from subject-specific ones. In this paper, we compare teaching quality in…

Multiple-choice (MC) reading comprehension test items comprise three components: text passage, questions about the text, and MC answers. The construct validity of this format has been repeatedly criticized. In three between-subjects experiments, fourth graders (N[subscript 1] = 230, N[subscript 2] = 340, N[subscript 3] = 194) worked on three…

The underlying constructs for an experimental battery (EB) consisting of artistic judgment tests--the Design Judgment Test (DJT), the Visual Designs Test (VDT), Proportion Appraisal (PA), and the Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test--were studied. Scores for 1,686 clients of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation's aptitude-testing service were…

The relationship was examined between six scales of the Locus of Control for Three Achievement Domains (LOCITAD), the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and the Rotter Internal-External Scale. Subjects were 140 adolescent boys and girls. Significant correlations provided some support for LOCITAD's validity. (Author/GDC)

Examined utility and construct validity of Children's Depression Inventory and youth version of Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Data from 1,207 students in grades 4 through 12 revealed no significant grade, gender, or race effects for either measure. Examination of convergent and discriminate validity revealed high…

Development and determination of the construct validity of a scale designed to assess aversion to computers are described. Based on a social learning model emphasizing efficacy, outcome, and reinforcement, the Computer AVersion Scale (CAVS) was developed for use with mental health clients who were high school age and older, as well as mental…

This study evaluated the validity of the Type A behavior pattern as measured by paper-and-pencil questionnaires. The Jenkins Activity Survey, Framingham Type A Scale, Thurstone Activity Scales, a new bipolar adjective Type A measure, and measures of achievement and nurturance needs were completed by 418 students. (Author/BS)

Results from a pilot group of 22 parents of preschoolers and 96 parents of toddlers suggest that 3 developed measures of the supportive relationship between parents and child caregivers--the Caregiver Support Appraisal Scale-V, the Caregiver Support Appraisal Scale-P, and the Caregiver Supportive Behavior Scale--are valid and reliable measures.…

The present study reports data supporting the construct validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991), and the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA; McDermott, Marston, & Stott, 1993) through convergent…

It is believed by some that most tests are multidimensional, meaning that they measure more than one underlying construct. The primary objective of this study is to illustrate how variations in the secondary ability distribution affect the statistical detection of dimensionality and to demonstrate the difference between substantive and statistical…

Five studies involving medical students over a four-year period were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the Medical Helping Relationship Inventory (MHRI)--an instrument for evaluating medical communication skills. Evidence of the MHRI's construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity is discussed. (SLD)

Two of the most popular assessment instruments for measuring college student educational outcomes are the College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) of the American College Testing Program (1987) and the Academic Profile of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Characteristics of these tests were compared, and the sensitivity of each test to…

One of the most important effect sizes used in meta-analysis is the standardized mean difference (SMD). In this article, the conditions under which SMD effect sizes based on different measures of the same construct are directly comparable are investigated. The results show that SMD effect sizes from different measures of the same construct are…

C. Davis and M. Cowles (1989) analyzed a total trait anxiety score on the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales (EMAS)--a unidimensional construct that this multidimensional measure does not assess. Data are reanalyzed using the appropriate scoring procedure for the EMAS. Subjects included 145 undergraduates in 1 of 4 testing conditions. (SLD)