International large-scale assessments provide cross-national data on students' cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics. A critical methodological issue that often arises in comparing data from cross-national studies is ensuring measurement invariance, indicating that the construct under investigation is the same across the compared groups.…

Teaching is a stressful profession with a high turnover rate. Schools and related institutions need to take more action to support teachers and keep teacher stress at a manageable level. The continued research and practical effort require measures to examine teachers' stress in a briefer and accurate manner. The Teacher Stress Scale is a recently…

This article is a commentary on McGill et al.'s (2020) article "Use of Translated and Adapted Versions of the WISC-V: Caveat Emptor." McGill et al. use caveat emptor in their title to indicate that the buyer of an assessment must be careful about the product being purchased, presumably because the seller of the assessment is not being…

This article contains two measurement development studies on writing apprehension. Study 1 reexamines the validity of the writing apprehension measure based on the finding from prior research that a second false factor was embedded. The findings from Study 1 support the validity of a reduced measure with 6 items versus the original 20-item…

The application of high-stakes tests to choose students for higher education in Turkey has been considered as a reliable and effective way of assessment for so long. However, the application of a multiple-choice test in testing various skills could bring a number of side-effects with itself. This study aimed to investigate the backwash effect of…

Discusses the structure, reliability, stability, validity and usefulness of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) and the results of factor and regression analyses of data collected using the NBAS. (Author/BH)

A secondary analysis was conducted to test the validity of five behaviors from five classroom observation systems: approves/praises; asks questions; criticizes/disapproves; gives directions; and presents facts or judgments. Scores for each were intercorrelated and arranged in a multitrait-multimethod matrix. Evidence was found of construct…

A number of different ways of ascertaining whether or not a test measures the same thing in different cultures are examined. Methods range from some that are obvious and simple to those requiring statistical and psychological sophistication. Simpler methods include such things as having candidates "think aloud" and interviewing them about how they…

Cross-cultural validity studies for psychological instruments may result in overestimation of structure invariance due to some items being scored on more than one scale. This problem, called the common-item effect, is investigated with some data from the literature. (JKS)

Seven hierarchical clustering methods were applied to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) scores of 121 medical rehabilitation clients to investigate the possibility of method-dependent results and determine the stability of the clusters. This multiple-methods cluster analysis suggests that the underlying constructs of the…

Speech specialists have developed a taxonomy of concepts and abilities related to verbal argument as used in ordinary discourse. This study represents one possible step in the validation of that taxonomy: an evaluation of the Wisconsin Tests of Testimony and Reasoning Assessment (WISTTRA) and the underlying abilities or dimensions measured by…

A series of behavioral expectation scale applications were analyzed in an attempt to point out an appropriate number of dimensions to be included in such studies. Results reflected the problems of dimension interdependence when the number of dimensions exceeds nine. (Author/JKS)

This study examined efficacy of different story collection procedures with normally developing (N=10) and language disordered (N=6) preschool children. Factor analyses probed such possible interfering factors as home vs. school environments, familiarity of the story requester, coaxing cues, stimulus structure, and presence of such props as dolls…

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)

Traditionally, studies investigating the relationship between mental abilities tests and performance on learning tasks have attempted to establish a direct relationship between these two domains by use of factor analytic techniques. It is suggested that an alternative approach can be formulated in terms of an information processing analysis of…