A computer-assisted examination program, written in TUTOR for PLATO IV at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, is discussed. The system is automated from the scheduling and delivery of basic medical examinations to the analysis of student performance data. (RAO)

Order analysis, a technique to isolate unidimensional hierarchies representing multidimensional structure of binary data, is reviewed. Several theoretical flaws inherent in the probalistic version are presented. Suggestions of possible directions for future research are offered. (Author)

A new measure of similarity between persons applicable in Q-analysis is proposed. It allows assumptions of non-orthogonality between the items, across which the similarity is computed. The similarity measure may also be applied in an R-analysis. (Author/JKS)

The Test Analysis Program (TAP) is a comprehensive, flexible computer system designed to score and to analyze objective educational tests. The goals of the designers were to construct a program which would be user-oriented, flexible, and clear in structure and in output. (Author/JKS)

Items designed to measure the ability to derive the meanings of words from context were drawn from seven published reading tests. The items were administered to high school students without the context. Only one published test had vocabulary-in-context items that were consistently context-dependent. (Author)

Procedures for the Rasch model, sample free item calibration are reviewed and compared for accuracy. The theoretically ideal procedure is shown to have practical limitations. Two alternatives to the ideal are presented and discussed. A correction for bias in the most widely used alternative is presented. (Author/JKS)

A similarity-based smoothing approach to nondimensional item analysis was studied. Simulated and actual data are presented to show that when responses are determined by a latent ability variable, this similarity-based smoothing procedure can reveal the dimensionality of ability satisfactorily. (SLD)

Traditional Item Selection Rules (TISRs) were compared to Intervention Item Selection Rules (IISRs) on the same set of alcohol attitude items from archival data, producing scales with differing psychometric properties. A cross-validation study was run. Guidelines for selecting change-sensitive items, problems and advantages of IISRs are…

Presents the hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) as an explicit two-level formulation of a multilevel item response model. Shows that the HGLM is equivalent to the Rasch model, and that a characteristic of the HGLM is that person ability can be expressed as a latent regression model with person-characteristic variables. Shows that the…

Discusses the logic of the rule-space model (K. Tatsuoka, 1983) as it applies to test development and analysis. The rule-space model is a statistical method for classifying examinees' test item responses into a set of attribute-mastery patterns associated with different cognitive skills. Directs readers to a tutorial that may be downloaded. (SLD)

Three methods of detecting item drift were compared: the procedure in BILOG-MG for estimating linear trends in item difficulty, the CUSUM procedure that Veerkamp and Glas (2000) used to detect trends in difficulty or discrimination, and a modification of Kim, Cohen, and Park's (1995) x 2 test for multiple-group differential item functioning (DIF),…

The four reactions in the May 2005 issue of "The Counseling Psychologist" address several considerations regarding the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) in counseling psychology research, including its appropriateness for analyzing one's data and testing one versus multiple theoretical models. In addition, points that are not mentioned in…

Research about the effectiveness of different types of feedback in programmed instruction was investigated. Knowledge of results had the least data to support its efficacy. Knowledge of correct responding (KCR) has been shown to be effective in several studies. Elaboration feedback is more effective than KCR, but may require more time of the…

The evaluation of government-financed research has become increasingly important in the last few decades in terms of increasing the quality of, and payoff from, the research that is done, reducing the cost of doing it, and lending public credibility to the manner in which research is funded. But there are very large differences throughout the…

The construct of ability conceptions plays a critical role in children's motivation and achievement behaviors in education, including physical education. Valid and reliable measures of this construct are essential to advance our knowledge of children's ability conceptions and related cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. From a…