In 1999 Stephen Gorard published an article in this journal in which he provided a trenchant critique of what he termed the "politician's error" in analysing differences in educational attainment. The main consequence of this error, he argued, has been the production of misleading findings in relation to trends in educational performance over time…

The purpose of this study was to develop standardization data for the Functional Assessment Intervention Program (FAIP; University of Utah, Utah State University, & Utah State Office of Education, 1999), a computerized, functional behavioral assessment expert system. Reliability, validity, and utility analyses were conducted with students serving…

Researchers studying eating disorders in men often use eating-disorder risk and symptom measures that have been validated only on women. Using a sample of 215 college women and 214 college men, this article reports on the validity the Eating Disorder Inventory2 (EDI-2), one of the best-validated among women and the most widely used risk and…

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI; Silverman et al., 1991) in a sample of urban African American elementary school children. One hundred forty-four 4th- and 5th-grade children completed the CASI as part of a larger project. In contrast to prior research with community samples, CASI…

Objectives: To develop valid and reliable alternate forms to measure college students' attitudes toward health. Methods: Final scale, composed of 2 different but equivalent 15-item forms, was administered to 2 sets of college students. The mixed format of 30 items was administered to one sample of college students whereas a pre-post format was…

This article describes a study that examined the reliability and validity of scores on the Big Five Inventory (BFI; O. P. John, E. M. Donahue, & R. L. Kentle, 1991) in a sample of 336 African American college students. Results from the study indicated moderate reliability and structural validity for BFI scores. Additionally, BFI subscales had few…

The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a new instrument, the "Mental State in Learning Environment Questionnaire" (MSLEQ), to assess student's mental state in a given learning environment. The MSLEQ has high internal consistency reliability values between 0.70-0.92 as well as good construct validity and predictive validity. After…

Evidence has been accumulating that shows the promise of multidimensional conceptualizations of anxiety in investigating the effects of anxiety on different aspects of human behavior and intellectual performance. In view of the lack of an L2 writing anxiety scale explicitly developed from a multidimensional perspective, this study aims to develop…

Background: The construct of quality of life (QoL) has been the focus of a great deal of recent research and has been operationalized in the assessment of the effectiveness of biomedical and rehabilitative interventions. Consequently, the effective measurement of QoL has become a relevant issue. QoL assessment should take account of both objective…

This article discusses issues related to the development and dissemination of evidence-based assessment strategies for anxiety disorders and associated problems. It begins with a review of the criteria that should be considered when determining whether particular assessment procedures are evidence-based. These include such factors as reliability,…

The present study, based on three samples of college students totaling 1,832 participants, resulted in the conclusion that a 5-level response continuum for the short form of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale (CDSE) proved at least as reliable and valid as the 10-level continua used in normative studies. Values of coefficient alpha ranged…

Self-rating of pubertal development is the recommended method to assess puberty in large community-based surveys of adolescent development and behavior. The aim of this study was to validate for the first time pubertal self-assessment using the sexual maturation scale developed by Tanner among Black South African adolescents (n=182) aged between…

The present study proposes a teaching satisfaction measure and examines the validity of its scores. The measure is based on the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). Scores on the five-item Teaching Satisfaction Scale (TSS) were validated on a sample of 202 primary and secondary school teachers and favorable psychometric properties were found. As…

Using the Rasch Rating Scale model, data collected from 200 ninth grade students in North Sulawesi Indonesia were analysed. This analysis sought to validate instruments developed to measure the Democratic Climate of Civic Education Classrooms (DCCEC) and Student Engagement in Civic Education Classrooms (SECEC). Category used, item and person…

Although the rubric has emerged as one of the most popular assessment tools in progressive educational programs, there is an unfortunate dearth of information in the literature quantifying the actual effectiveness of the rubric as an assessment tool "in the hands of the students." This study focuses on the validity and reliability of the rubric as…