Examines the reliability and validity of the scores of diverse informants from the Child's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory (CRPBI). Also considers the utility of aggregating scores of parental behavior derived from multiple observers. CRPBI items were adapted to obtain mother's, father's, sibling's, and subject's ratings of parental behavior…

Two criteria are discussed for determining cutting scores on a predictor variable for identifying cases of likely child abuse--utility maximizing and error minimizing. Utility maximizing is the preferable criterion, as it optimizes the balance between the costs of incorrect decisions and the benefits of correct decisions. (Author/JDD)

Discusses the problem of measuring the validity of interview ratings in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI), proposes frameworks to distinguish abilities from testing methods, and considers factors affecting test performance. Suggestions for research and development on the ACTFL OPI…

This special issue covers recent technical developments in the field of criterion-referenced testing. An introduction, six papers, and two commentaries dealing with test development, test score uses, and evaluation of scores review relevant literature, offer new models and/or results, and suggest directions for additional research. (SLD)

Intercorrelations among multiple true-false items were examined to determine to what extent each choice can be treated as independent. Results from 157 health science and 170 medical students indicated that correlations between options from the same stem were larger than those from different stems. Methods for computing reliability estimates were…

LISREL program was used to examine measurement model assumptions and to assess reliability of Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory for Children, Form B. Data on 722 third-sixth graders from over 70 schools in large urban school district were used. LISREL program assessed (1) nature of basic measurement model for scale, (2) scale invariance across…

Notes that significantly different results frequently exist between tests that purport to measure the same skill when the same child is tested on both instruments. Considers discrepancies related to examinee, examiner, examinee-examiner interactions, environment, and psychometric characteristics of the tests employed. Cites 10 major psychometric…

Developed a 24-item scale to measure Beliefs about the Consequences of Maternal Employment for Children, including beliefs about both benefits and costs. Demonstrated reliability and high convergent, divergent, and concurrent validity. Assessed sex-role traditionalism, women's employment status, work hours, age of child at which employment is…

Presents formulation of death acceptance involving components of confrontation and integration. Describes Klug Death Acceptance Scale to measure death acceptance and provides data on scale's reliability, validity, and suggested norms. (Author/NB)

Reviews the development of the Life Role Salience Scales (LRSS), which were designed to assess men's and women's personal expectations concerning occupational, marital, parental, and home care roles. Results indicate that the instrument has eight clearly defined scales demonstrating adequate convergent and discriminant validity and reliability.…

Adaptive Counseling and Therapy (ACT) is an integrative, metatheoretical model for selecting an appropriate therapeutic style based on the task-relevant development maturity of the client. The Counselor Behavior Analysis (CBA) Scale measures the central explanatory construct of ACT theory: counselor adaptability. Three studies designed to assess…

Involving 114 teachers enrolled in microcomputer staff development courses, this study was concerned with the reliability, the factorial validity, and the differential validity of the Computer Attitude Scale and its four subscales. (Author/LMO)

Ninety junior high school males and 71 undergraduates were given instruments to measure: "integrated" level, traditional locus of control and abstract reasoning. Results for the integrated scale indicate moderate to high internal consistency, insignificant correlations with locus of control, and significant and moderate correlations with abstract…

Sampled high school students (N=192) to determine whether the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and Self-Directed Search-Form Easy (SDS-E) are alternate forms for learning-disabled high school students. Found initial evidence that the SDS-E may be more appropriate than is the SDS for use with learning disabled high school students. (Author/ABB)

Reviews a writing abilities competency test based on samples of essay writing. A copy of the test is appended. (NKA)