The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) oral proficiency interview -- computer (OPIc) testing system represents an ambitious effort in language assessment: Assessing oral proficiency in over a dozen languages, on the same scale, from virtually anywhere at any time. Especially for users in contexts where multiple foreign…

This study investigated the effect of item position on descriptive statistics, psychometric information, and factor structure of the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist 17-item social-emotional screening instrument (PSC-17). The goal was to determine whether item position, either grouped by factor or mixed across constructs, produced similar results.…

The objective of this study was to develop Physics critical thinking skill test using computerized adaptive test (CAT) based on item response theory (IRT). This research was a development research using 4-D (define, design, develop, and disseminate). The content validity of the items was proven using Aiken's V. The test trial involved 252 students…

Geographic skills area major competency that must be developed through spatial thinking. This paper describes whether learning material questions about Geographic Information System (GIS) in geography textbooks contains components of spatial thinking: concepts of space, use of representation tools, and reasoning processes. This study uses a…

Recent work examining science test performance in the earliest grades of school has demonstrated that science test score gaps by race/ethnicity are apparent as early as kindergarten and that, in a number of cases, the racial/ethnic test score gaps in science are significantly larger than the corresponding gaps in reading or mathematics. This study…

Using newly available data from the Trajectories in Education and Careers Study, the first longitudinal study on a representative sample of high school students in Russia, we examined the importance of investments in human and cultural capital on students' mathematics and reading standardized examinations, as well as on the likelihood of…

A primary purpose of cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) is to classify examinees based on their attribute patterns. The Q-matrix (Tatsuoka, 1985), a common component of all CDMs, specifies the relationship between the set of required dichotomous attributes and the test items. Since a Q-matrix is often developed by content-knowledge experts and can…

In this study Type I Error and the power rates of omega (?) and GBT (generalized binomial test) indices were investigated for several nominal alpha levels and for 40 and 80-item test lengths with 10,000-examinee sample size under several test level restrictions. As a result, Type I error rates of both indices were found to be below the acceptable…

Summary Retrieval practice and spacing out studying help increase learning. Introductory Psychology students at nine colleges/universities took quizzes with more (RP+) or less (RP-) retrieval practice and more (SP+) or less (SP-) spacing between quizzes. We compared (N = 351) scores on class exams and on a standardized test. We also measured key…

Aberrant response has an important impact on item parameter estimation, individuals' evaluation, and other statistical analysis. There are various types of aberrant response behaviors in educational and psychological tests, like sleeping, guessing, and plodding. Random response is the most common one. The purpose of this research was to clarify…

A split-sample cross-validation confirmatory factor analysis (N = 1,210) confirmed the 4-factor structure of the Adlerian Personality Priority Assessment (APPA) with 2 distinct subsamples. Discriminant validity, prevalence rates of priorities, and preliminary group norms are reported.

In the current study, we present the development of the Global Self-Esteem (GSE) measure. The six-item GSE fulfills a need for a short unidimensional measure of global self-esteem conceptualized as "overall positive view of self." The construct is traditionally measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE); however, several important…

Factor loadings and item discrimination parameters play a key role in scale construction. A multitude of heuristics regarding their interpretation are hardwired into practice--for example, neglecting low loadings and assigning items to exactly one scale. We challenge the common sense interpretation of these parameters by providing counterexamples…

Many large-scale assessments are designed to yield two or more scores for an individual by administering multiple sections measuring different but related skills. Multidimensional tests, or more specifically, simple structured tests, such as these rely on multiple multiple-choice and/or constructed responses sections of items to generate multiple…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the learning style construct conceptualized by Honey and Mumford (1986) in educational settings in the United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach: Two independent samples from the UAE were used: one comprised 1,463 undergraduate students at the UAE University, and the other…