This study addressed the construction and application of an instrument to measure students' perceptions of their resident assistant's ability to complete specified job skills. Survey items were written from identified training objectives necessary for effective, intentional interactions with students. The instrument has been constructed following the principles of the Rasch Model for psychometric measurement. As such, the instrument operationally defines a continuum of items with varying degrees of students' acquiescence. The level of acquiescence refers to how easy or difficult it is for students to agree or strongly agree with the items. In addition, student focus group data (seven focus groups) characterizing various levels of the variable continuum were collected. Responses were received from 182 undergraduates. There is empirical evidence from the study that a continuum of student acquiescence does exist. There is also preliminary qualitative evidence that the placement of resident assistants along the variable continuum is accurate. The instrument from this study along with student focus group data will assist resident assistants in achieving a greater level of success in their jobs. Three appendixes contain survey items and supplemental data. (Contains 6 figures and 25 references.) (Author/SLD)