Describes the process used to develop two examinations, an achievement test of computer literacy and a computer anxiety index. Highlights include a definition of computer literacy, determination of the validity and reliability of the tests, and a study to evaluate the final versions of the tests. (Author/LRW)

Presents study findings which supported the use of answer-until-correct tests. Discusses results based on responses of secondary students from England (N=387) that revealed that the answer-until-correct test of mechanical reasoning had similar findings to the spatial reasoning test. (ML)

The Self-Report Depression Questionnaire (SRDQ), a measure of depressive symptomatology in persons with mental retardation, was administered to 89 mentally retarded adults living in community-based settings. The SRDQ demonstrated high internal consistency reliability, as well as moderate stability over an 11-week period. Content validity and…

Discussion of ways in which second-language learners' processing of and interaction with narrative and expository texts affects their performance on cloze tests suggests that researchers and teachers interpreting these tests should not assume that such tests only assess language ability. (CB)

Reliability and validity of "Degrees of Reading Power" test and "Iowa Tests of Basic Skills" reading comprehension and vocabulary tests were compared. Test scores, grades, and assigned reading levels of 191 fifth and sixth graders and 186 sixth and seventh graders in an eastern Iowa school district were used. Reliability and…

Argues that the tests used to measure reading achievement do not reflect recent advances in the understanding of the reading process, and that effective instruction best can be fostered by resolving the discrepancy between what is known and what is measured. (FL)

Reports on a study conducted to assess the effect of a reduction of tuition in the Virginia community college system on enrollments during fall 1986, contrasting state figures with national trends. Presents survey results, enrollment trends, results of interviews with students, faculty, and employers, and data on unemployment. (AYC)

The relative accuracy of teacher judgments of academic performance in classifying students as learning disabled (LD) or nonhandicapped (NH) was contrasted to standardized tests of intelligence and academic achievement. Results indicated that teacher judgments were as accurate in separating LD and NH groups as standardized tests of intelligence and…

To control for response bias in student ratings of college teachers, an index of rater error was used that was theoretically independent of actual performance. Partialing out the effects of this extraneous response bias enhanced validity, but partialing out overall effectiveness resulted in reduced convergent and discriminant validities.…

Lafferty's Life Styles Inventory was completed by 556 managers (Level I, Self-Description) and by 2,922 peers, subordinates, and supervisors (Level II, Description by Others). Factor analysis revealed the same three factors in both ratings. Coworkers generally agreed with each others' ratings, but correlations between self and coworker ratings…

During a major population study of adolescent functioning, pupils from four comprehensive schools were used to compare validity of several screening measures in this age group. Showed that screening instruments tended to be behavior specific and that antisocial and neurotic behavior were relatively sex specific. (Author)

Forty learning-disabled fourth graders learned to use a spelling study strategy, studied words under varying conditions, and predicted their scores on a subsequent test. Results indicated that, even without inclusion of specific metacognitive training components, strategy training produced important metacognitive improvement and that metacognitive…

A discussion of student ratings of faculty looks at problems in measurement and interpretation, including such factors as the ability of raters to evaluate complex behaviors, the salience of personal characteristics in judging task performance, and emphasis on the students as consumer. (Author/MSE)

A study of three different applications of cloze procedure to test reading comprehension in college students of German as a second language suggests that the procedure may not yield a valid or reliable assessment of global comprehension in second-language learning. (Author/MSE)

Student perceptions of teaching clarity of vocational agriculture teachers were measured by a 21-item instrument administered to 878 high school students. The face validity and reliability of the instrument were established using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and analysis of variance. (SK)