The authors describe the development and validation of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y), a child-report measure of psychological inflexibility engendered by high levels of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance. Consistent with the theory underlying acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), items converged into a…

Communication skills training is an accepted part of undergraduate medical programs nowadays. In addition to learning experiences its importance should be emphasised by performance-based assessment. As detailed checklists have been shown to be not well suited for the assessment of communication skills for different reasons, this study aimed to…

The purposes of this study were to investigate the reliability and construct validity of measures of reading component skills with a sample of adult basic education (ABE) learners, including both native and nonnative English speakers, and to describe the performance of those learners on the measures. Investigation of measures of reading components…

A psychological construct, such as personality, is an abstraction that is not directly seen but inferred through observed regularities in cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses in various settings. Two assumptions give meaning to the idea of construct validity. First, constructs represent real phenomena that exist apart from the potential…

The current research extended the three-factor (mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance) measure of achievement goals in a work domain to the four-factor conceptualization (in a 2 x 2 framework) by adding items to represent mastery-avoidance goals. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on two independent samples to evaluate…

This paper draws on semi-structured interview data and participant observations of senior secondary Physical Education (PE) teachers and students at two school sites across 20 weeks of the school year. The data indicated that the teachers in this study made progressive judgements about students' level of achievement across each unit of work…

Eighteen students (K-11th grade) with emotional/behavioral disorders who were at-risk for change of placement to more restrictive settings participated. Construct validity of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) was assessed with a multifunction-multimethod matrix that showed excellent convergent and divergent agreement with combined FBA methods…

Purpose: The Scales of Cognitive and Communicative Ability for Neurorehabilitation (SCCAN; L. Milman & A. Holland, 2007) was developed in the hospital setting to address changes in assessment practice. The SCCAN was designed to provide an overview of impairment and activity limitations across 8 cognitive scales (Speech Comprehension, Oral…

This article presents the authors' response to the discussants of their article "A Suggested Change in Terminology and Emphasis Regarding Validity and Education" (this issue)--Susan E. Embretson, Joanna S. Gorin, Robert J. Mislevy, Pamela A. Moss, and Stephen G. Sireci. Their response is limited to a brief summarization of their position…

This investigation was conducted to explore the reliability and validity of scores on the French Canadian version of the Self-Report Coping Scale (SRCS; D. L. Causey & E. F. Dubow, 1992) and that of a short form of the SRCS. Evidence provides initial support for construct validity by replication of the factor structure and correlations with…

The study reported in this paper, a Multistage Longitudinal Comparative (MLC) Design Stage II evaluation conducted as a planned preliminary efficacy evaluation (psychometric evaluation of measures, short-term controlled outcome studies, etc.) of the Changing Lives Program (CLP), provided evidence for the reliability and validity of qualitative…

Discusses design and evaluation concepts and methodologies in the context of comprehensive system design (CSD) and considers the concept of error throughout. Topics addressed include six core concepts of CSD; design processes; evaluation concepts; evaluation processes, including criterion-related validity, construct validity, and systemic…

Measurement properties of scores from the Preventive Resources Inventory (C. J. McCarthy & R. G. Lambert, 2001), a measure of stress-prevention resources, were evaluated. Sample-specific construct validity of 3 primary scales was supported. A 4th, Self-Acceptance, functioned as a higher order factor. Differences were found between those reporting…

Conventional wisdom in the area of assessment strongly supports the notion that instruments used for vocational or career decision-making purposes should possess sound psychometric properties. This study is a preliminary attempt to examine the reliability and validity of three important career decision-making measures administered to high school…

The "No Child Left Behind Act" signed into law in 2002 requires school districts to hire highly qualified teachers who possess the necessary dispositions to ensure that all children learn (Center on Education Policy, 2002). The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) (2002) defines dispositions as "the values, commitments,…