Investigates differential item functioning (DIF) across two different broad language groupings, Asian and European, in a speaking test in which the test takers' responses were rated polytomously. Data were collected from 1038 nonnative speakers of English from France, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand who took the SPEAK test in…

Reports on the potential problems in scoring responses to sequencing tests, the development of a computer program to overcome these difficulties, and an exploration of the value of scoring procedures. (Author/VWL)

Multiple choice questions are a common method of assessing student understanding. In this article, the authors discuss and evaluate a student-focused collaborative learning strategy for working with such questions that results in greater student learning and allows instructors to better understand student thinking and ultimately to write better…

While the constructs of protean and boundaryless careers have informed career theory for years, rigorous empirical examinations of these career models have lagged behind. This study seeks to redress this situation by constructing and developing four new scales to measure protean and boundaryless career attitudes. The scales related to protean…

Verleger, Jaskowski, Aydemir, van der Lubbe, and Groen (see record 2004-21166-002) and Lleras and Enns (see record 2004-21166-001) have argued that negative compatibility effects (NCEs) obtained with masked primes do not reflect self-inhibition processes in motor control. Instead, NCEs are assumed to reflect activation of the response opposite to…

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), an instrument that measures the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of counselors who work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Internal consistency of the SOCCS was 0.90, and 1-week test-retest reliability was 0.84. Criterion,…

In this study we investigated the effects of the average signed area (ASA) between the item characteristic curves of the reference and focal groups and three test purification procedures on the uniform differential item functioning (DIF) detection via the Mantel-Haenszel (M-H) method through Monte Carlo simulations. The results showed that ASA,…

Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses are a routine part of the development of large-scale assessments. Less common are studies to understand the potential sources of DIF. The goals of this study were (a) to identify gender DIF in a large-scale science assessment and (b) to look for trends in the DIF and non-DIF items due to content,…

The paper describes the adaptation of the Adolescent version of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ-A) for university students in Peru. 672 male and female university students enrolled in the first years at a private university in Peru completed the AEQ-A translated into Spanish. All 90 items were scored on 5-point rating scales. A principal…

Despite more than a decade of reform efforts, students continue to experience difficulty understanding and applying statistical concepts. The predominant focus of reform has been on content, pedagogy, technology and assessment, with little attention to instructor characteristics. However, there is strong theoretical and empirical evidence that…

In response to the developing critique of traditional sociological measures of social class, the Differential Status Identity Scale (DSIS) was developed. The DSIS is a measure designed to tap the psychological impact on the individual of belonging to a particular social status. Internal consistency reliability and construct, convergent, and…

The fit between individuals and their work environments has received decades of theoretical and empirical attention. This study investigated two antecedents to individuals' perceptions of fit: vocational interests and personality. More specifically, the authors hypothesized that vocational interests assessed in terms of the Career Occupational…

This article reports on an investigation of students' experiences of learning, using a framework that focuses on the concepts of alienation and engagement. Thirty-six third year chemical engineering students were interviewed about their learning experiences. Alienation is defined here as the absence of a relationship that students might desire or…

Stage theory represents a concise explanation for change in teacher professional development with gained experience in the classroom. This study examines the "self-task-impact" stage chronology proposed by concerns-based theory within the framework of longitudinal research on beginning teaching. The study investigated developmental change in a…

This article describes the development and validation of the Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI), a 26-item diagnostic test designed (1) to measure students' conceptual understanding of topics related to light and spectroscopy, and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional interventions in promoting meaningful learning gains…