Presents results from two studies that investigate the measurement of childhood depression through self-report and reports from others. Results were discussed in terms of the need to consider self-report in the discussion of depression with its covert components and in terms of the need for improved measurement instruments. (BH)

Knowledge mapping is expected to measure deep conceptual understanding and allow students to characterize relationships among concepts in a domain visually. This research examined the validity of knowledge mapping as an assessment tool in science. The approach to investigating this validity was three-pronged. First, a model was outlined for the…

This study reports a multitrait-multimethod analysis of evidence relating to the validity of reporting on subdomains in science from national tests at age 14 in England and Wales in 1993. Data support the policy decision to report only a single test level. A multitrait-multiform analysis is also described. (Author/SLD)

Examined convergent and discriminant validity of various self-efficacy measures across two studies, one involving 358 U.S. high school students and another involving 235 Korean female high school students. Across the studies the first-order confirmatory factor analyses provide support for both convergent validity of different self-efficacy…

This study examined the relationship between children's sports participation and emotional well-being including self-reported emotional and behavioral problems and multidimensional aspects of self-concept. Data were collected from 203 young adolescents using a multitrait-multimethod assessment methodology. Information was obtained using a sports…

Four studies evaluate the new Self Description Questionnaire II short-form (SDQII-S) that measures 11 dimensions of adolescent self-concept based on responses to 51 of the original 102 SDQII items and demonstrate new statistical strategies to operationalize guidelines for short-form evaluation proposed by G. T. Smith, D. M. McCarthy, and K. G.…

Goal orientation research has developed two branches. One branch uses a two-factor dispositional model. The other branch uses a three-factor domain-specific model. The present multiwave study examines dispositional goal orientation constructs through both two and three-factor models using repeated-measure confirmatory factor analysis. Results…

Fifty years ago, L. J. Cronbach and P. E. Meehl (1955) advocated for the concept of construct validity, noting that psychologists study hypothetical, inferred entities and that validating measures of such entities involves basic theory testing. Three important developments in clinical assessment following that seminal article are noteworthy.…

The use of standards-based classroom assessments to test English learners' language proficiency is increasingly prevalent in the United States and many other countries. In a large urban school district in California, for example, a classroom assessment is used to make high-stakes decisions about English learners' progress from one level to the…

The construct validity of responses to the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) was evaluated in two sets of analyses. First, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and an analysis of variance model adapted from multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) research, were used to examine the internal structure of the TSCS responses. Second, MTMM analyses…

Surveys, content analyses, and laboratory experiment/judgment task strategies continue to be the dominant research methods used in mass communication research. Some researchers, however, are advocating method triangulation--the use of at least two and as many as five methods within the same study. A manual and computer search of several databases…

Compared alternative methods for examining relationship between two constructs and estimated true relationship between social skill and depression. Data from 68 subjects suggest that multitrait-multimethod data sets, analyzed via confirmatory factor-analytic techniques, can greatly enhance theory testing and development. (Author/NB)

The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) and the Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic (LAP-D) were compared using 121 children in a Head Start Program. Results suggest that profile interpretations of the scales may not differentiate skill domains and that these scales may be indicative of general…

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to model a multitrait by multisource matrix to determine the convergent and discriminant validity of measures of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-inattention (IN), ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in 917 Malaysian elementary school children. The…

An extension of latent state-trait (LST) theory to hierarchical LST models is presented. In hierarchical LST models, the covariances between 2 or more latent traits are explained by a general 3rd-order factor, and the covariances between latent state residuals pertaining to different traits measured on the same measurement occasion are explained…