Discusses issues in conceptualizing and measuring counselors' theoretical orientations to practice. Evaluates 15 instruments previously proposed as measures of counselors' and therapists' theoretical orientations, and examines psychometric properties and the utility of each instrument. Few instruments show evidence of reliability and even fewer…

Provides a thorough psychometric evaluation of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale. Provides a summary of the initial construction and development of the scale, followed by a comprehensive review of the results from various investigations on its reliability and validity. Concludes with ideas for additional research. (JPS)

Data on 11 samples of 1,012 toddlers used to construct and validate the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire (TBAQ) revealed that the component of negative affectivity (anger proneness and fearfulness) were independent, and item analysis suggested that shyness and other fears were independent as well. (MDM)

Reviews the results of four studies included in this issue of "School Psychology Quarterly" which found all four cognitive profile reports lacking reliability, validity, or diagnostic utility. Argues that ipsative methods are inferior to normative methods in cognitive assessment. Recommends that psychologists eschew the application of…

Discusses the development of the Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs-Preliminary 2 (MCSA-P2) Scale, an assessment tool to measure multicultural competence in a higher education context. Reports the results of two studies that investigated the validity and reliability of the MCSA-P2. Explores future research needs as well as applications…

Examines the reliability and validity of the scores of the Assessment of Academic Self-Concept and Motivation Scale (AASCM), a new instrument developed according to motivational systems theory. The AASCM was administered to African American, European American, and Hispanic participants (N=492). Presents evidence of the measurement's strong…

Voice range profiles (VRP) were analyzed according to 11 frequency, intensity, and morphological characteristics for 94 typical children and 136 children with vocal fold pathologies (ages 6-11). Normative data are presented showing marked differences between the groups. The use of the VRP Index for Children for screening is discussed. (Author/CR)

Study conducts confirmatory factor, reliability, and correlational analyses of scores on the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS). Analyses revealed evidence of reliability, a four-factor structure (Parent, Teacher, Classmate, and Close Friend subscales), and construct validity. There is evidence that the CASSS can be used to…

Reviews the D48, a nonverbal analogies test used as a measure of general intelligence. Results of a study with 126 Mexican American and 139 Anglo American 7th graders show the D48 to be reliable, free of slope or intercept bias, a valid indicator of performance on Stanford Achievement subtests, and significantly correlated with both achievement…

Three studies are reported addressing the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition (BERS-2): Parent Rating Scale (PRS). In the first study, test-retest reliability was investigated over a one-week period to determine the stability of the BERS-2 PRS over time. Reliability…

Back-translation is typically used to verify semantic equivalence (SE) of a translated measure to the original scale. Although validity of the adapted scale depends fundamentally on SE, back-translation always involves subjective evaluations. This study developed "dual-language, split-half quantitative methods of verification to supplement…

The latent structure, reliability, and validity of the Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Activation Scales (BIS/BAS; C. L. Carver & T. L. White, 1994) were examined in a large sample of outpatients (N = 1,825) with anxiety and mood disorders. Four subsamples were used for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In addition to generally…

This study describes the four-phase process used in developing the "Employer Openness Survey" (EOS). The EOS is an 18-item instrument designed to measure the openness of employers to hiring, accommodating, and promoting workers with disabilities. During the first phase, the authors generated potential questions and pilot-tested them with…

When raters assign different scores to a performance task, a method for resolving rating differences is required to report a single score to the examinee. Recent studies indicate that decisions about examinees, such as pass/fail decisions, differ across resolution methods. Previous studies also investigated the interrater reliability of…

Although gender issues have been addressed in clinical drug abuse literature, very little research has focused on gender differences in terms of the psychometric properties of assessment instruments. If boys and girls interpret instruments differently, the accuracy of clinical evaluation, referral, and treatment decisions based on these measures…