The Second International Mathematics Study was conducted in 20 countries under the sponsorship of the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Among the instruments used in this study was a questionnaire investigating student attitudes about school, instruction, and mathematics. The fit of an a priori model that…

Surveys used for program and institutional evaluation, such as self-studies conducted for accreditation review, are discussed. Frequently, these evaluations take the form of faculty surveys and student surveys. This paper explores the following general considerations associated with mail surveys and other surveys: avoidance of response bias;…

This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of cloze procedures as norm-referenced instruments by comparing the differential responses of four groups of college students of English as a second language on two identical cloze passages. The responses were scored using both exact-answer and acceptable-word methods. The results indicate that…

Theoretical framework, instrument development, and psychometric qualities are reviewed for some measures of learning style currently in use with adults. Instruments reviewed include: (1) Kolb's Learning Style Inventory I; (2) Kolb's Learning Style Inventory II; (3) the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; (4) the Productivity Environmental Preferences…

A review of literature serves as the basis for a discussion of various aspects of criterion-referenced tests. The aspects discussed are: teaching and evaluation objectives, criterion- and norm-referenced measurement, stages in construction of criterion-referenced tests, construction and selection of items, test validity, and test reliability.…

This paper discusses the use of assessment instruments at the preschool level and systematically reviews several measurement instruments used with young children. The first section briefly discusses the selection of educational objectives, consideration of alternative methods of collecting information about children, the selection of a specific…

A study was conducted to compare tailored testing procedures based on a Bayesian ability estimation technique and on a maximum likelihood ability estimation technique. The Bayesian tailored testing procedure selected items so as to minimize the posterior variance of the ability estimate distribution, while the maximum likelihood tailored testing…

Three methods of item selection were used to select sets of 38 items from a 50-item verbal analogies test and the resulting item sets were compared for internal consistency, standard errors of measurement, item difficulty, biserial item-test correlations, and relative efficiency. Three groups of 1,500 cases each were used for item selection. First…

Four experiments were designed to identify socioeconomic differences in preschool locus of control, develop a measurement technique for differentiating between internal and external locus of control in preschoolers, and study the effect of four kinds of preschool programs on locus of control. During the first experiment, the Stephens-Delys…

The study examines the reliability of the Community College Occupational Programs Evaluation System (COPES). The COPES process is a system for evaluating program strengths and needs. A two-way test, college self-appraisal with third party validation of the self-appraisal, is utilized to assist community colleges in future institutional planning…

The rod and frame performance of 70 children, 5 to 7 years of age, with respect to sex and age differences, reliability, and its relationship to general intelligence, was investigated. The rod and frame test was administered individually and again following a period of 35 to 69 days, at which time the Lorge Thorndike Intelligence Test, form 1A,…

Compares five commonly used English-Spanish language dominance instruments according to area of language measured, domain assessed, developmental comparability, and language variety or dialect. Examines the proficiency information provided and the validity, reliability, and norming of the instruments. Concludes that the tests are not comparable…

Critics charge that the use of standardized examinations for initial teacher certification fails to measure teacher competency accurately and results in high failure rates for minorities. Compares minority bias review panels in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and finds greater minority involvement and attention to minority culture in Illinois' test…

Chinese secondary school students (n=242) and teachers (n=415) responded to the Chinese version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ). Comparison of the scales derived from the four isolated factors with the original WCQ suggests that they are useful in studying a Chinese population. (SLD)

A study sought to correlate University of Minnesota, Minneapolis clinical medical students' performances in neurology on an objective structured clinical examination with previously and independently collected student feedback on teaching. Student evaluation of instruction was found to accurately reflect more effective teaching occurring at one of…