Describes a course about interpretive research methods. Argues that the course is different than many methods courses in that it does not ask students to conduct field research, but rather, to read ethnography and focus on why ethnographers do what they do. Considers a unit about validity in detail. (DSK)

Responds to commentaries about the author's article "Teaching about Validity." Links these commentaries and the original article to suggestions for curriculum design in teaching about qualitative research methods. Discusses the idea of "meaning making" as a possible way to integrate the approaches described in the commentaries and original…

Examines various assumptions that underlie current definitions guiding the assessment of gifted and talented students, making suggestions reflective of the synthesis of available constructs defining gifted education. Implications of these assumptions for assessment (primarily identification) of gifted and talented students are noted. Using types…

Developed a needs-assessment model and validated the model with five groups of stakeholders connected with an undergraduate university nursing program in Canada. Used focus groups, questionnaires, a hermeneutic approach, and the magnitude-estimation scaling model to validate the model. Results show that respondents must define need to clarify the…

Setting pass/fail cutoffs that accurately reflect physical ability required for job performance is a key consideration for public-sector employment testing. Top-down ranking is less appropriate than job-performance expectancy banding. (SK)

Developed a multidimensional measure of affect and cognition in relation to adult learning of computing skills, the Computer Anxiety and Learning Measure (CALM). Results from 794 Australian undergraduates support the validity and reliability of the CALM with this population, although whether the measure is invariant across different adult…

Developed and standardized an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) questionnaire which was tested with 1,667 adolescents and 277 college students in Hong Kong. Results support the reliability and validity of the scores from this measure of AIDS knowledge among adolescents in Hong Kong. (SLD)

Examined alternative-item types and section configurations for improving the discriminant and convergent validity of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test using a computer-based test given to 388 examinees who had taken the GRE previously. Adding new variations of logical meaning appeared to decrease discriminant validity. (SLD)

Investigates the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) reading in English with bilingual Hispanic students. Results indicate that CBM reading in English is as reliable and valid for bilingual students as it is for English-only students. Supports construct validity of CBM reading as a measure of general…

Three studies investigated the effectiveness of the Computer Assisted Reading Diagnosis, a diagnostic system based on "rauding" theory (a collection of theories, constructs, and equations developed to describe, explain, predict and control the ability to comprehend relatively easy sentences) and a causal model of reading achievement.…

Developed a system for assessing students' reasoning proficiency in introductory genetics in the computer-supported environment GenScope (tm). Studied whether the assessment system helped students develop the understanding it was designed to assess. Results from 11 high school classes showing strong evidential validity and limited consequential…

This article discusses development of the Blind Rehabilitation Services Functional Outcomes Survey during a research project on the rehabilitation of adults with visual impairments. It describes the development process, the methods used in establishing survey reliability and validity, and the results of intermediate analyses of the data. (Contains…

Critically examines use of student opinion surveys (SOSs) at eight Australian universities. Finds that current SOSs are neither designed nor structured according to sound questionnaire technique and, used as part of a teaching evaluation system, they have serious flaws. Deficiencies include their use as the sole measure of teaching effectiveness…

The D-48, a nonverbal test of general intelligence, was administered to 250 Mexican American and Anglo American community college students. Analysis of D-48 scores indicates no significant differences due to ethnicity or gender; adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability; and significant correlations with grade point average and…

Investigates the stability of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) by testing a sample of 65 children from low socioeconomic status families. Mean scores for the group were roughly equivalent, correlation coefficients were high, and change scores for the majority of…