The article reports the development of the Structural Analysis of Written Language (SAWL), an instrument designed for use by classroom teachers in objectively documenting the ability of children to write in English. The SAWL allows teachers to use T-unit analysis to quantitatively assess language improvement regardless of whether the student…

Background: There is little information on the psychometric properties of instruments for assessing family care burden in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aim of this study is therefore to analyse the usefulness of the 'Subjective and Objective Family Burden Interview' (SOFBI) in the assessment of principal caregivers in Spain.…

A theory of the dynamics of dyadic interaction is presented, based on the concepts of "concern" (i.e., intentions, goals, and interests), "appraisal" and "contagiousness." Differences between children who participate in a specific interaction are linked to differences in social competence and social power. An overview is given of the social…

In this paper, the authors report research focused directly on the validation of the Coding of Academic Teacher-Student interactions (CATS) direct observation instrument. They use classroom information gathered by the CATS instrument to better understand the potential mediating variables hypothesized to influence student achievement. Their study's…

This study examined the psychometric properties of a new scale to measure adolescents' worry regarding outcomes of risky sexual behavior (i.e. sexually transmitted infections, including HIV [STI/HIV], and unintended pregnancy). The 10-item worry about sexual outcomes (WASO) scale, resulting in two subscales STI/HIV worry and pregnancy worry, was…

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of an oppositional defiant disorder toward adults, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-hyperactivity/impulsivity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattention, and an Academic Competence factor model between mothers' and fathers' ratings within Brazilian (n = 894), Thai (n =…

Two studies investigated the psychometric properties of a self-report measure of commonly recognized forms of aggression (FOA) that could be used to efficiently gather aggression data in large samples. EFA and CFA in Study 1 suggested that a five-factor model (Physical, Property, Verbal, Relational, and Passive-Rational) best represented the data…

This study was designed to assess the (score) construct-related validity of an instrument called the School-Wide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist (SCCOC). The instrument was developed to use as a tool in conducting culture audits as a means of assessing school-wide cultural competence, or how well a school's programs, policies, and…

This paper reviews and critically evaluates the psychometric properties of Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). The LSI was developed originally in the 1970s (Kolb, 1976a) and was revised in the 1980s (Kolb, 1985). Although the LSI has been very popular, extensive evidence available in the published literature indicates that both the original…

During the last 15 years, there has been a steady increase in the popularity and sophistication of the confirmatory factor analysis approach to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data. However, important problems exist, the most serious being the ill-defined solutions that plague MTMM studies and the assumption that so-called method factors primarily…

The primary objective of this study was to develop an instrument to measure adults' attitudes toward continuing education. Secondary objectives consisted of various statistical analyses designed to provide preliminary evidence of the instruments' criterion-related and construct validity. (JOW)

Traces history of construct known as "permanent availability,""universal availability," and "permanence/pragmatism." Connects latter with emerging research tradition labeled "causes and consequences of divorce." Based on data collected from college students, constructed an index of permanence/pragmatism in close relationship. (Author)

Responds to three points Tomm (1986) makes: the heart of science is explanation, not measurement; Tomm's disagreement with Shields over the term "objectivity"; and Tomm's contention that the focus of research and theory building should be the interactional nature of therapy itself. (Author/ABB)

The lack of a conceptually and psychometrically strong measure of human mental workload has undermined interpretations of research based on cognitive load theory. Applying a confirmatory factor analysis approach to construct validation, a Subjective Mental Workload Survey was developed with four distinct subscales: Difficulty, Incompetence,…

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the construct validity of scores from the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS)(R. Eisenberger and others, 1986) using responses of 205 college faculty and staff members. Consistent with previous research, the SPOS was found to be unidimensional and distinguishable from two similarly…