The development of the Children's Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale--Preschool Version is reported. Construct validity of the scale was suggested by the pattern of relationships found between child and parent measures. Children's attitudes were not correlated with verbal ability, but with the degree to which children participated in…

Examines some problems of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS): multiple cutoff scores for passing the test and receiving a high school diploma, and artificially "tricky" items that disproportionately confuse language-minority students. Uses factor analysis and simulations to show ways to improve item selection for the TAAS.…

Personal responsibility has long been considered an important component in self-directed learning. And yet, a theoretical understanding of personal responsibility that could lead to meaningful instrumentation has eluded the field. The present study considers the merits of the Triangle Model of Responsibility (TMR) (Schlenker, Britt, Pennington,…

The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale (PDDRS; Eaves, 2003) is a rating scale that is used in the screening process for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The PDDRS contains three scales: Arousal, Affect, and Cognition. In this study, the construct validity of the PDDRS was examined with teacher ratings from a sample of 168…

This study examined the structure, distribution, and correlates of a new measure of self-reported callous-unemotional (CU) traits in 1,443 adolescents (774 boys, 669 girls) between the ages of 13 to 18 years. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits was subjected to exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory…

The development of the DETECT procedure marked an important advancement in nonparametric dimensionality analysis. DETECT is the first nonparametric technique to estimate the number of dimensions in a data set, estimate an effect size for multidimensionality, and identify which dimension is predominantly measured by each item. The efficacy of…

The 12-item short form of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ-SF) was originally developed by Bryant and Smith (2001) and modified and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis with mentally ill offenders by Diamond, Wang, and Buffington-Vollum (2005). In the current study, construct validity of the BPAQ-SF was assessed with a sample…

Background: Frith and Happe (1994) describe central coherence (CC) as the normal tendency to integrate individual elements into a coherent whole, a cognitive style which varies in the general population. Individuals with autism are at the extreme (weak) end of the continuum of coherence. There has been debate over whether CC is independent from…

This paper focuses on the validity of the research conducted under the leading paradigm in the evaluation of teaching in higher education. Messick's framework on validity is used to identify the strengths and limitations of the research, mostly centered on the study of student ratings of instruction. Critical issues that need to be addressed by…

Reliance on subjective grant proposal review methods leads private philanthropies to underfund mental health programs, even when foundations have mental health focuses. This article describes a private mental health foundation's efforts to increase the objectivity of its proposal review process by developing a reliable, valid proposal rating form.…

The author explored the underlying dimensions and construct validity of the Bullying Situations Identification Instrument (BSI; Hazler, Miller, Carney, & Green, 2001) using exploratory factor analyses. Three dimensions of bullying severity were found using 251 school professionals as participants. The three factors that emerged from analyses were…

School principals have difficulty embracing the competing demands of school restructuring. These demands include being accountable for the outcomes of other decision-making groups within, or external to, the school community; having strong views while making decisions collaboratively; and using group processes without wasting the time, commitment,…

Objectives: Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (C-IRI) for the assessment of empathy in Chinese people were examined. Method: The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was translated to Chinese, and an expert panel reviewed its content validity and cultural relevance. The translated instrument…

This study examined the validity of teacher assistant report of children's classroom peer play behaviors using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS). Participants for the examination of construct validity were 344 urban Head Start children. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in a reliable three-factor solution, corroborating the…

In this article we describe the development of the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire (CAEQ) that measures first-year university chemistry students' attitude toward chemistry, chemistry self-efficacy, and learning experiences. The instrument was developed as part of a larger study and sought to fulfill a need for an instrument to…