The influence of conditions of the measurement situation upon resultant ratings in personality assessment were examined. The results support the contention that the testing situation and the experimenter's instructions influence measurement. (JKS)

Cross-cultural validity studies for psychological instruments may result in overestimation of structure invariance due to some items being scored on more than one scale. This problem, called the common-item effect, is investigated with some data from the literature. (JKS)

The thesis is that a test taker's chances for success on a standardized test are related to the similarity between the test taker's linguistic competence and the linguistic presuppositions of the test. This article is adapted from a paper presented at the 1977 Georgetown University Roundtable of Linguistics. (Author)

Super's Work Values Inventory is utilized in making interindividual and intraindividual comparative interpretations of work values. Internal consistency reliability coefficients for 15 scales and reliabilities of differences between scores on scales were of such a weak magnitude that caution in making interindividual and intrindividual comparisons…

Notes that there is no pedagogical or psychological research or evaluation to date to justify the use of norm-referenced standardized tests as precision tools. At best, they are experimental instruments, yet they are used as if they are already proven to be valid. (Author/AM)

Notes that the same students who according to a reading test, were severly deficient in reading skills were mysteriously able to complete a complex research questionnaire, and showed academic success far beyond what the test predicted. (Author/AM)

The difficulties of assessing and grading fluency in Japanese for advanced students on oral examinations is discussed. Factors of accuracy of grammar and vocabulary, pronunciation, and ease of expression are discussed. (CHK)

Multiple-choice examination answer copying was indexed by a comparison of the numbers of items answered incorrectly, and in the same way, as adjacent and distant classmates. Significant copying occurred in an experiment where test performance contributed to course grade, but it did not occur when the test did not affect the grade. (Editor/LBH)

Scores of 1,200 subjects on the Test Anxiety Scale were factor analyzed. Both cognitive "worry" and "emotionality" items loaded strongly on the first factor, which appears to reflect worry about oneself and one's performance on tests and a wide variety of physical and emotional consequences of this intense worry. (Author)

Dyskinesia, abnormal involuntary movements associated with long-term neuroleptic drug use, was evaluated with 344 institutionalized profoundly mentally retarded adults using the Dyskinesia Identification System Condensed User Scale. Results indicated performance deficits on activation tasks associated with intelligence quotients, neuroleptic…

Standardized reading tests are likely to provide an inaccurate assessment of reading comprehension for deaf students due to the lack of test coaching and test taking skills; item irrelevancy; and the difficulty of test directions. Testing alternatives include parent and teacher observation of students and qualitative evaluations of reading skills…

Issues concerning equating test scores are discussed in an introduction, four papers, and two commentaries. Equating methods research, sampling errors, linear equating, population differences, sources of equating errors, and a circular equating paradigm are considered. (SLD)

Investigated reliability and dimensionality of Bales's Interpersonal Rating Forms (IRF) using volunteer subjects (N=266) enrolled in undergraduate communications course. Results documented shortcomings of IRF as a measuring instrument finding the subscales neither reliable nor dimensionally structured; only 2 of 18 items in each subscale are…

Presents the viewpoints of three educators who defend the national standards for teaching and assessing Oral Communication, one of which provides sample teaching techniques which increase students' expressive abilities while meeting the national standards. Offers a rejoinder by an opponent who views the national standards as self-defeating and…

The popular educational reform trend toward competency testing is appropriate to measure achievement in the basic skills areas, but competency testing in core curriculum areas may cause teachers to teach for the test, lead to minimal standards at the expense of excellence, and stifle the transfer of learning and creativity. (CB)