A reliability analysis was conducted of an abbreviated, 10-item version of the Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI), using the Cronbach's alpha technique (L. J. Cronbach, 1951) and the computation of the standard error of measurement. The PCI measures a teacher's orientation toward pupil control. Subjects were 168 preservice teachers from one private…

This paper attempts to summarize the conclusions of the major reviews of the literature on student ratings of teaching. It is an update of a paper by the same name published as IDEA Paper No. 20 from the Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development in 1988. Viewing student ratings as data rather than evaluations may help to put them in proper…

Assessment has always played an important role in counseling. This book provides information about the various psychological assessment procedures that are relevant for practicing counselors. The text deals with the use of tests that are most often employed by counselors and it includes case studies. Its purpose is to help counselors become better…

The implementation of the Dallas (Texas) Public Schools 1995-96 Title I PK-2 reading and language arts portfolio entailed monitoring and data collection to determine the student outcomes and the technical quality of the instrument. A total of 2,001 portfolios were reviewed for prekindergarten through grade 2. The components were generally in place…

The Measurement and Evaluation Center conducted two validity studies designed to determine the test scores to be used by the Division in making decisions about credit by examination at the University of Texas Austin (UT Austin) in Biology 302, Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Biology 303, Structure and Function of Organisms. Seventy-nine…

The parents of 64 children (ages 5 to 12) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), other psychiatric diagnoses, and no history of school or home problems reported the frequency of their children's sleep disturbances in a 40-item questionnaire. Retrospective data were gathered by asking parents to report on the child's behaviors for…

The research project reported in this paper had two aims: to demonstrate what standard multiple-choice questions and two new varieties (multiple-choice cloze and guided summary test and to assess whether the new formats test the same skills. To find out what the various question formats test, the study looked at a battery of tests, each of which…

"Pickleball" is a new racquet sport which is one of the fastest growing educational activities in the Northwest. This paper describes the development of a test battery designed to measure students' pickleball skills for purposes of classification; to determine improvement of playing skills; and to aid in grading of individual…

This paper presents findings of a study that sought to determine whether a composite score is a more appropriate dependent variable in the measurement of school effectiveness than any one component score. The viability of using a composite score, such as the School Effectiveness Index (SEI), was compared with the viability of using any one of five…

A "Fundamentals of Speech Communication" course is required of all college students, and upon completion of such a course students should possess those basic speaking and listening skills necessary to complete successfully their college educations. With a view toward developing a new, more effective listening test, a study examined…

A study at the United States Air Force Academy examined reasons for "survey saturation" among students. Despite relatively high return rates, anecdotal student data suggested that students felt burdened by frequent administration of surveys; and administrators expressed concerns about the general validity of survey data. Information was…

The development and validation of a scale to assess English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' perceived self-efficacy are described. Self-efficacy expectations are beliefs about one's ability to perform a given task successfully. Research on self-efficacy and related concepts is reviewed, noting their significant role in predictor human…

Despite its supposed importance, children's emergent interest in literacy has been seldom studied. As a result, no easy-to-use and psychometrically sound measure of children's emergent interest in literacy exists. This study made an initial attempt at validating such a measure. On three separate occasions, 24 parents and their 2- to 3-year-old…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…

The nine-volume Survey Kit is designed to help readers prepare and conduct surveys and become better users of survey results. All the books in the series contain instructional objectives, exercises and answers, examples of surveys in use, illustrations of survey questions, guidelines for action, checklists of "dos and don'ts," and…