Subjects are asked to answer six questions, partly with a frequency and partly by marking a verbally anchored scale with five categories. Some univariate and multivariate analyses are performed to elucidate the relations between variables with the two different modes of response. Although there are similarities in results for the two types of…

The concept of scaled achievement tests is discussed and a method of selecting those items of a test that form the most scalable (i.e., having the highest coefficient of reproducibility) subset is presented. Sometimes called a monotonic-deterministic model, this type of test assumes that the test items may be sequentially ordered. To determine the…

An attempt is made to explore the use of subjective probabilities in the analysis of item data, especially criterion-referenced item data. Two assumptions are implicit: (1) one wants to obtain a maximum amount of information with respect to an item using a minimum number of subjects; and (2) once the item is validated, it may well be administered…

Livingston's reliability coefficients and Harris' indices of efficiency were computed along with the classical internal consistency coefficients, KR-20's (Kuder-Richardson internal consistency coefficient), for 678 criterion-referenced tests in the A through E levels of an individualized mathematics program. The coefficients were carefully studied…

The Behavioral Objectives Writing Skills Test (BOWST) was designed to provide an estimate of the elementary teacher's ability to write behavioral objectives. This instrument, which requires the teacher to develop three behavioral objectives for each of four hypothetical classroom settings, has wide utility as a teacher-training tool. It may be…

The development and preliminary validation of an instrument to measure attitude toward school subjects (GRASS) is described. An item pool consisting of 30 items was generated and refined. A 23 Likert item scale was then administered to 893 eleventh and twelfth grade high schools Ss. A principal component analysis and obliquimax transformation…

Teachers and assistant teachers (N = 32) from two rural counties in North Carolina rated five pre-school educational settings and one hypothesized ideal setting using a semantic differential in order to determine if the semantic differential could be used to reliably differentiate between pre-school educational environments. Five discrepancy…

An attitude questionnaire, administered to third, fourth, and fifth grade students, is discussed. The questionnaire, "How I Feel," was composed of a packet of directions to the teacher, directions to the student with sample questions, and 11 concepts, each of which was evaluated by six bipolar adjective pairs that were chosen because of…

Male and female enlistees were compared on the basis of their performance on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Mean Aptitude Index scores were compared for male and female enlistees on the original testing and on retest. Males scored higher on mechanical and electronics, and females scored higher on administrative and general. Both…

The feasibility of using multiple choice questions as a reliable procedure in testing trainees is discussed, and suggestions for test construction are offered. (BP)

An examination of the weaknesses of the common statistical approaches suggests that change scores are unnecessary and often even inappropriate for statistical studies. Alternative statistical procedures are suggested. (Author/VW)

In this comment a recent attempt by Samuel A. Livingston to develop a theory of reliability for criterion-referenced measures is critiqued. For Livingston's rejoinder see TM 500 560. (Authors/MB)