A measure was developed to assess kindergarten children's interest in reading, and information about their home and school environments was collected. High-reading-interest children were read to more frequently, watched less television, and had more books at home. School factors are also discussed. (Author/PP)

Basic reading, writing, and speaking skills of prospective teachers (N=106) were examined to determine if reliable/valid instruments existed to screen these skills, judge performance on the instruments, and determine if performance differed by subject area and sex. Indicated skills can be reliably/validly assessed with instruments currently…

Proposes a behavioral assessment model which specifies three types of assessment information: direct observations, rating scale data, and interview data. Discusses characteristics of these three types of assessment information, with recommendations for their use. Suggests two psychological models to guide school psychologists through the…

An instrument for the continuous assessment of high school physics students' laboratory performance was developed and evaluated. Physics teachers (N=25) observed students conducting experiments on film to judge student performance against a standard set of criteria. Results suggest increases in observational objectivity and precision as well as…

Developed and tested a causal model for degree of difficulty of the transition to parenthood using data collected from interviewing 54 White married couples whose first child was three to five months old. Found difficulty related to: parental responsibilities and restrictions, gratifications, and marital intimacy and stability. (Author/RC)

Implementation of research curriculum content on statistical methods of single-subject research brings up several issues: causal versus practice knowledge, generic versus specific practice, use of self versus use of skill, intuition versus rationality, soft versus hard data, and implicit versus explicit assumptions. Timing for introduction of…

Discusses the importance of the teacher in education and the need for teacher evaluation. Describes methods for teacher evaluation including various rating methods and the measurement of pupil achievement. Also suggests five instruments for assessing 20 selected teaching competencies. (RC)

Results showed no significant difference in the morale scores of older rural adults living with children (N=97) and those in other arrangements (N=243) when health was controlled. However, more than twice as much variance in morale scores could be explained for parents in child-shared housing as for other parents. (Author)

Describes the Student Developmental Task Inventory (SDTI-2) which assesses the level of student development in terms of autonomy, purpose, and intimate relationships. The development, reliability, and validity of the SDTI-2 are discussed; student uses are suggested. (RC)

Advanced special education students rated 23 of the domains of the Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS). Results indicated that the most important considerations for determining method of measurement for ABS were: time necessary to obtain behavioral sample and severity of behavior. Suggests the domains of ABS be rearranged and redefined. (RC)

Investigated the usefulness of Carey's Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire in the Chinese culture and used the questionnaire to assess the temperamental characteristics of Chinese babies. While the general pattern of results resembled data from Carey's American sample, differences were found, which could be interpreted in terms of response…

Thirty kindergarten children, 30 third graders, 30 sixth graders, and 30 college students were told two stories in which an actor behaved either generously or selfishly. Subjects then predicted and rated the actor's behavior in 10 life-like situations that provided opportunities for generous behavior as well as behaviors similar to generosity…

Investigates the myth of the inner-city elderly as isolated. Suggests: there are severe limitations to traditional measures of determining sociability; social network analysis can overcome many of the deficiencies of other methods; and a synthesis of the anthropological and sociological approaches to network analysis can optimize data collection.…

Reports effects of an outdoor field trip on learning within the context of a community-based Summery Ecology Program for children between 7 and 13 years of age. Results include the finding that novel environments are poor settings for imposed task learning when compared with familiar environments. (CS)

The theoretical perspective and naturalistic methods of ecological psychology developed by Roger Barker are described. Ecological assessment implies examining (1) naturally occurring behavior; (2) environment immediately surrounding behavior; and (3) the individual-environment link. The specimen record, chronolog, and behavior-setting survey are…