Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) are psychometric models that can be used to estimate the presence or absence of psychological traits, or proficiency on fine-grained skills. Critical to the use of any psychometric model in practice, including DCMs, is an evaluation of model fit. Traditionally, DCMs have been estimated with maximum…

To detect differential item functioning (DIF), Rasch trees search for optimal split-points in covariates and identify subgroups of respondents in a data-driven way. To determine whether and in which covariate a split should be performed, Rasch trees use statistical significance tests. Consequently, Rasch trees are more likely to label small DIF…

Psychometric characteristics of CESD-R scores were explored on a sample of 966 undergraduate students. Internal consistency ([alpha] = 0.92), external convergent and discriminant validity, and response bias were adequate to excellent. Strong measurement invariance was evident for gender and race comparisons, and the unidimensional model fit the…

Background/Context: In Brazil, the 1920s and 1930s were characterized by initiatives intended to reform public school systems at the state level. As in the case of both educators whose work we analyze in this article, Brazilian educators traveled abroad searching for experiences that could help them think about the modernization of education in…

Acting upon target stimuli from the environment becomes faster when the targets are preceded by a warning (alerting) cue. Accordingly, alerting is often used to support action in safety-critical contexts (e.g., honking to alert others of a traffic situation). Crucially, however, the benefits of alerting for action have been established using…

Aberrant behavior refers to any type of unusual behavior that would not be expected under normal circumstances. In educational and psychological testing, such behaviors have the potential to severely bias the aberrant examinee's test score while also jeopardizing the test scores of countless others. It is therefore crucial that aberrant examinees…

In this data brief, we examine both the scores and pass rates for the Praxis 5403 School Psychology test (Praxis 5403) by racial-ethnic group and gender for the period September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024. The Praxis 5403 is the most often used external assessment in school psychology, and a passing score on the Praxis 5403 is a requirement to…

Item response theory (IRT) refers to a family of mathematical models which describe the relationship between latent continuous variables (attributes or characteristics) and their manifestations (dichotomous/polytomous observed outcomes or responses) with regard to a set of item characteristics. Researchers typically use parametric IRT (PIRT)…

This dissertation aims to bridge the gap between validity theory and the practice of validation. The dissertation employs a three-article approach. Following the introduction in Chapter I, three independent manuscripts representing three empirical studies are presented (i.e., Chapters II - IV). Each chapter is a stand-alone publishable manuscript,…

While the research on report-writing time is sparse, there is evidence--some empirical, some anecdotal--that school psychologists are devoting more time than ever to report writing. Critics of common report writing practices have been calling for reforms for decades, proposing that reports should be more relevant, readable, and useful (Brenner,…

Federal law requires that psychoeducational evaluations be comprehensive, and utilize variety of assessment measures that evaluate the child's functioning along academic and cognitive domains as well as life skills outside of the classroom (Wiley, 2014) . Previous research suggests the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Harvard University Press,…

We examined state evaluation anxiety, trait evaluation anxiety, and neuroticism in relation to New Zealand first-year university students' (n = 234) task performance on either a test or essay assessment. For both assessment types, the underlying components of state evaluation anxiety (cognitive worry, emotionality, and distraction) reflect…

The mental health and psychological crisis of college students has aroused the attention of all walks of life. College students are unable to cope with various pressures, and crisis situations such as suicide are not uncommon. Solving the psychological crisis of college students is urgent. The psychological crisis of college students is a major…

Education of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities requires adequate assessment of their educational needs and potential to learn. Dynamic testing using analogical reasoning tasks may be a promising way to perform such an assessment. However, it remains unclear how dynamic testing with these children may be done in practice.…

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) is widely utilized to assess non-specific psychological distress. However, when applied to COVID-19 pandemic experiences, its psychometric properties have not been examined. This study investigated the factor structure, reliability, and latent profile of K-10 using data from 3032 Filipino teachers…