Presents dialog among David Lester, author of first critical survey of death anxiety measures, developer of scales, and researcher about suicide and fear of death; Donald Templer, Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) creator; and journal editor. Lester and Templer discuss origins, uses, results, limitations, and future of death anxiety scales and research on…

Criteria for planning, designing, and writing test items are suggested. The criteria were developed via a discussion by subject matter specialists, psychometricians, and test construction experts. Seven criteria proposed for test items of merit address the congruence of an item with its intended purpose, technical assumptions, and editorial…

Tips for designing user-friendly online surveys that can collect valuable data via the World Wide Web include the following: edit the questions, pretest, title the survey, provide an introduction, develop screening questions, determine length, offer promotional tie-ins, include the "other" option, make "no response" the default, provide a "clear…

Presents a variation of a "greedy" algorithm that can be used in test-assembly problems. The algorithm, the normalized weighted absolute-deviation heuristic, selects items to have a locally optimal fit to a moving set of average criterion values. Demonstrates application of the model. (SLD)

Investigated incorporating a testlet definition into the estimation of the conditional standard error of measurement (SEM) for tests composed of testlets using five conditional SEM estimation methods. Results from 3,876 tests from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and 1,000 simulated responses show that item-based methods provide lower conditional…

Demonstrates the advantages for test construction, validity studies, and extensions of unidimensional item response theory (IRT) of applying classical factor-analytic treatments, based on the independent clusters concept, of confirmatory (restricted) models and exploratory (unrestricted) models to multidimensional IRT and obtaining standard…

Describes the steps for estimating a population mean from three test items from a test that has been calibrated. Because the Rasch model allows for a direct transformation between raw scores and logit measures, if a population mean in logits is known relative to a set of item calibrations, the population mean in raw score units can be determined.…

The Satisfaction with Appearance Scale (SWAP) was administered to 165 burn victims. SWAP showed a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha, r(a)=0.87); an 84-subject retest measured reliability (r(tt)=0.59). SWAP is both a reliable and valid measure of body image for a burn-injured population. (Author/MAK)

Describes how multilevel logistic regression can be used to assess the consistency of an individuals' response pattern with an item response theory measurement model. Outlines the advantages of this proposed modeling approach over traditional techniques, specifically that the multilevel modeling approach allows explanatory variables to be entered…

Used confirmatory factor analysis with 2 samples (366 employees and 2,301 nurses) to compare the original and revised versions of the scales developed by J. Meyer and N. Allen (1991) to measure three- component commitment. Results show that substantially improved construct measurement is possible with relatively modest scale revisions. (SLD)

Compares four methods that map outlier statistics to a familiarity probability scale (a "P" value). Explored these methods in the context of computerized adaptive test data from a 1995 nationally administered computerized examination for professionals in the medical industry. (SLD)

Proposed person-fit statistics that are designed for use in a computerized adaptive test (CAT) and derived critical values for these statistics using cumulative sum (CUSUM) procedures so that item-score patterns can be classified as fitting or misfitting. Compared nominal Type I errors with empirical Type I errors through simulation studies. (SLD)

Proposes methods appropriate for solving multiple objective test assembly problems. Discusses the impact of the method on the optimality of the solution and gives an empirical example of a test assembly problem for a two-dimensional mathematics item pool. (SLD)

Using "careerhub.org" as a model, presents challenges and ethical issues in designing a website and developing career assessment instruments. Provides preliminary data on the psychometric qualities of the instruments and results of a pilot study of the site. (SK)

Describes a structural equation model that permits estimation of the reliability index and coefficient of a composite index for congeneric measures. The method is also helpful in exploring the factorial structure of an item set, and its use in scale reliability estimation and development is illustrated. (SLD)