Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine students' perception of end-of-semester Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET), and to explore the extent to which SET are biased by non-instructional factors. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire about the end-of-semester SET was designed and administered to 819 students selected from…

An objective measure of Erikson's ego-identity construct is being developed. The total scale includes seven relatively independent subscales designed to reflect the residuals (part conflicts) of Erikson's psychosocial stages of development. An initial item pool of 194 items has been reduced to 113 items by means of judgemental and statistical…

This second volume of the final report contains the statistical tables, coding key, and the rating manual for the coding key. Data on interrater reliability, factor analyses, and discriminant analyses are included and described. The manual for the coding key includes the data base and/or criteria for each item to be coded. (MNS)

A preliminary study examined the interrater reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the Haak Sentence Completion (in which the respondent is given a sentence stem and asked to provide the remainder of the sentence) using a three-point scoring system. The subjects were 100 boys ranging in age from 6 to 11 years who were randomly…

This study used generalizability theory and other statistical concepts to assess the application of the Angoff method to setting cutoff scores on two professional certification tests. A panel of ten judges gave pre- and post-feedback Angoff probability ratings of items of two forms of a professional certification test, and another panel of nine…

Factors that affect the utility of financial data collected through the Higher Education General Information Surveys (HEGIS) are examined. Attention is also directed to the process associated with the collection and use of that data; roles and responsibilities of various parties to that process, with a focus on researchers' roles; and possible…

The chi-square procedure has been suggested as a viable index of test bias because it provides the best agreement with the three parameter item characteristic curve without the large sample requirement, computer complexity, and cost. This study examines the effect of using different numbers of ability intervals on the reliability of chi-square…

A method for statistical analysis of semantic differential data in educational evaluation is discussed. Estimated scores for unobserved affective variables are obtained using the canonical factor regression method. This method overcomes previous prolems of bias and inefficiency in computing composite affective indices. In an application of the…

A detailed description is provided of the variable belief in individual differences (INDIV), which is part of the analysis in phase I of the Evaluation of Practices in Individualized Schooling. The variable is defined; the questionnaires on which the variable is based are listed; the procedures used to scale the variable are explained; the…

A detailed description is provided of the variable general staff background (GSB), which is part of the analysis in phase I of the Evaluation of Practices in Individualized Schooling. The variable is defined, the questionnaires on which the variable is based are listed; the procedures used to scale the variable are explained; the distribution of…

This issue of Measurement in Education is presented in the form of a dialogue between Dr. Robert L. Ebel, Distinguished Professor of Educational Measurement at Michigan State University, and Dr. Samual A. Livingston, Program Research Scientist at the Educational Testing Service. Alternative views on some aspects of the use of tests in assessing…

Rules, procedures, and algorithms intended to aid researchers and practitioners in the application of generalizability theory to a broad range of measurement problems are presented. Two examples of measurement research are G studies, which examine the dependability of some general measurement procedure; and D studies, which provide the data for…

Procedures for determining cutting scores have been proposed by Angoff and by Nedelsky. Nedelsky's approach requires that a rater examine each distractor within a test item to determine the probability of a minimally competent examinee answering correctly; whereas Angoff uses a judgment based on the whole item, rather than each of its components.…

The Stull Act (after its principal sponsor, Assemblyman John Stull) requires all school districts in California to adopt a uniform set of guidelines for use in evaluating the professional competence of their certificated personnel. The act went into effect on September 1, 1972. In the spring of 1972, it became apparent from newspaper articles that…

This study attempts to determine whether the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale is appropriate for use with varying population types, and whether the dimensions identified by it are sufficiently consistent across samples to allow some clarification of the nature of self-concept in children. (AE)