A cross-cultural comparison of numeracy skills using a written and an interactive arithmetic test

This study applied two arithmetic tests, one written and one one computer-based interactive, to samples of primary school children from two populations, one suburban non-Aboriginal and one rural Aboriginal. The results from the written test were significantly (p?&;lt;?0.001) better for the non-Aboriginal children than for the Aboriginal children. This was not the case with the results from the computer-based interactive test. The study used Rasch-based methodology to reduce the results from the two tests to a common scale, to ascertain whether the Aboriginal children performed better (in relation to the non-Aboriginal children) in the computer-based than in the written test. The study found that this was the case, and concluded that the results from the computer-based test exhibited less cultural bias against the Aboriginal children than the written test.     

The concurrent validity of the peabody individual achievement test relative to the KeyMath diagnostic arithmetic test among adolescents

To investigate the concurrent validity of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test, both instruments were administered to 171 adolescents. Math scores on the Peabody Individual Achievement Test were correlated with all scores on the KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. Partial correlation coefficients were computed according to age, sex, race, IQ, and total group. The presence of relatively high and positive partial correlations between the scores supported the concurrent validity of the instruments.     

网络语言学习环境中的听说测试信度与效度分析

语言测试是教学环节中不可或缺的重要组成部分,科学的评价体系能够有力地推动语言人才的培养。本文就当前网络语言学习环境中的听说测试进行信度与效度分析,阐述了网络化听说测试的利弊,提出了这一测试改革的进一步思路。     

对普通话水平测试中朗读与说话信度与效度的思考

随着信息交流的多样化发展,全国范围内的普通话推广已经初具规模。普通话水平测试工作的作用尤为重要,对于PSC的工作要求也越来越高,测试中的信度和效度问题引起了社会的重视。测试中的朗读与话题说话分值比重较大,影响到被测试人的等级,本文分析了影响朗读与说话信度和效度的因素,并提出建议。     

影响普通话水平测试信度与效度因素的研究

普通话水平测试是一种口语考试,是测评人对应试人的作答情况进行主观测试的考试,所以在实际的在普通话水平测试工作中,多种人为的因素都会对测试的分数产生消极影响,进而影响了普通话水平测试的信度与效度。本文主要从试题难易度、测评员的因素和应试者的临场表现三个方面分析了对普通话水平测试的信度与效度形成的影响。     

The Needs-Based Assessment of Parental (Guardian) Support: a test of its validity and reliability

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to present a newly developed measure of guardian support, the Needs-Based Assessment of Parental (Guardian) Support (NAPS), an empirical evaluation of that measure, and its comparison with another measure of guardian support. The theoretical model that underlies this measure applies humanistic theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs to the understanding of guardian support. METHOD: The study employed a cross-sectional nonexperimental survey design using 183 nonoffending guardians who accompanied children presenting for a medical/forensic examination for sexual abuse. The NAPS and an existing measure of guardian support were administered during the hospital outpatient visit, and basic information concerning the child and abuse situations were gathered. RESULTS: The NAPS had robust psychometric properties and was culturally sensitive. Tests of specific hypotheses supported the construct validity of the measure and a conceptualization of guardian support as hierarchical, with four stages of support. CONCLUSIONS: The brevity and ease of administration of the NAPS for both the clinician and guardian suggest that it is a viable assessment tool. The strong support for the NAPS' underlying theoretical model suggests that the nonoffending guardians' available resources need to be considered when assessing guardian support.     

对提高PSC“命题说话”测试效度与信度的思考

文章分析了目前影响PSC"命题说话"测试效度与信度的因素、产生的原因,并提出了改进的建议。     

An examination of the predictive validity of the keymath diagnostic arithmetic test and the wide range achievement test in exceptional children

Thirty-seven Title I elementary school children were administered the Arithmetic subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test and the KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. One year later, the Metropolitan Achievement Test was administered. While correlations between the Wide Range and the Metropolitan did not reach significance (r =.17), the KeyMath demonstrated a substantial relationship (r -.63). Reasons for such differences in correlations are discussed. It is suggested that the reliability and predictive validity of the KeyMath be extended to different ages and populations.     

Establishing reliability and construct validity for an instrument to measure environmental connectedness

The purpose of this preliminary study is to establish a reliable and valid measure of environmental connectedness (EC) to allow for further exploration of the Swedish Outdoor Recreation in Change national survey data. The Nordic concept of friluftsliv (nature-based outdoor recreation) and the environmental psychology concept of EC are explored to provide a foundation for the research. Reliability and construct validity testing on items from the Outdoor Recreation in Change survey have been tested and have demonstrated both reliability and construct validity. A reliable and construct valid measure of EC will facilitate research into the possible relationships between EC, nature-based outdoor recreation, and environmental behavior. A better understanding of these relationships may serve to further understanding of the human relationship with nature.     

The Parent Threat Inventory: development, reliability, and validity

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to develop a retrospective inventory of parental threatening behavior to facilitate a better understanding of such behavior's role in the etiology of psychological distress. METHOD: Inventory items were developed based on theory and 135 students' responses to a question eliciting examples of threatening parental behavior. Following item development, two additional student samples (n = 200 and n = 603) completed batteries of self-report measures. Responses were used to eliminate unstable or redundant items from the inventory and to examine the inventory's psychometric properties. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the inventory revealed three factors, accounting for 66.2% of variance; this factor structure is compatible with theory, and consistent across maternal behavior scores, paternal behavior scores, and combined maternal and paternal scores. Cronbach's coefficient alphas indicated acceptable internal consistency; Pearson correlation coefficients indicated acceptable 4-week test-retest reliability. Moderate intercorrelations with two retrospective measures of childhood experiences suggested construct validity. Regression analyses demonstrated the ability of the inventory to predict both anxious and depressive symptomatology and lifetime symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder. Normative data on combined parent scores, maternal scores, and paternal scores are also presented. CONCLUSIONS: Initial psychometric testing of the Parent Threat Inventory (PTI) suggests it is a reliable and valid tool for investigating the developmental antecedents of adult psychological distress. Further research should focus on addressing two limitations: (1) lack of normative and psychometric data on men and women suffering from clinical disorders, and (2) lack of validation by parental reporting.     

The reliability and construct validity of ratings for the autism behavior checklist

The reliability and construct validity of ratings for the Autism Behavior Checklist were examined with a sample of 198 children diagnosed with autistic disorder and conditions often confused with autism. Alpha coefficients for the five scales of the ABC as well as the Total Score were reported and the factor structure of the ABC was examined through confirmatory factor analysis. The results of the reliability analyses indicated that the Total Score alpha coefficient of the ABC was adequate for screening purposes, but the reliabilities of the scales were not. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated some support for alternate four‐ and five‐factor models. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 129–142, 2006.     

The interactive effect of test anxiety and learning disabilities among adolescents

The purpose of the present research was to expand the knowledge about test anxiety (TA) and its interactive effect on personality characteristics among adolescents who suffer from learning disabilities (LDs). The 166 participants aged 14–18 years, were divided into the following four groups: (1) adolescents with TA and with LD; (2) adolescents with TA but without LD; (3) adolescents without TA but with LD; and (4) adolescents without TA and without LD. The participants answered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescent (MMPI-A) and Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). MANOVA of the MMPI-A scales indicated that TA groups had more symptomatic scores than the No-TA counterparts on the measures of the TAI and in 38 out of 69 measures of the MMPI-A.     

The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire: reliability, validity, and national norms

OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility and performance of the 34-item Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) in eliciting the recent victimization experiences of a national sample of children ages 2-17. METHOD: The JVQ was administered in a national random digit dial telephone survey about the experiences of 2,030 children. The experiences of children 10-17 years old were assessed through youth self-report on the JVQ, and the experiences of children 2-9 assessed through JVQ caregiver proxy report. RESULTS: Large numbers of recent victimizations were disclosed using the JVQ (71% of the sample reporting at least one victimization in the last year, with an average of 2.63 victimizations per child). There were few indicators of respondent confusion and little resistance to even the most sensitive questions. In a test of construct validity, endorsements of JVQ items correlated well with measures of traumatic symptoms. The instrument showed adequate test-retest reliability in a 3 to 4 week re-administration. Large numbers of victimizations were reported across the spectrum of ages, and there were no major discontinuities between the self-reports and proxy reports, suggesting that caregivers provided generally adequate and comparable information to child self-reports about the experiences of children under the age of 10. CONCLUSION: The JVQ has potential for use in future epidemiological research as well as clinical evaluation concerning the victimization of children.     

The reliability and validity of the instructional climate inventory‐student form

The increased focus on school climate as a causative factor in dropping out of school has led to the development of a number of instruments intended to measure perceived school climate. This study examined the reliability and validity of the Instructional Climate Survey‐Form S (ICI‐S; Braskamp & Maehr, 1988), a 20‐item instrument that measures school climate as seen by students. The internal consistency and factor structure of the ICI‐S were examined, as well as the ability of the instrument to classify students from different educational settings. Three hundred and twenty‐eight students representing three programs rated programs they attended using the ICI‐S. Factor analysis indicated that ICI‐S was best explained by one factor. The reliability coefficients of the total score were within the acceptable range (above .80) for all three programs, and the total score correctly classified 57% of the students. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Introducing an observational measure of standards-based mathematics teaching practices: Evidence of validity and score reliability

The purpose of this study is to introduce a measure of standards-based mathematics teaching practices, the Mathematics Scan (M-Scan), and to examine its validity and score reliability. First, we define standards-based mathematics teaching practices based on eight dimensions that have emerged in recent conceptualizations by researchers and in the context of existing observational measures. Second, we present three sources of validity evidence: content review by experts, analysis of response processes of coders, and convergent and discriminant patterns with existing observational measures. Third, we provide evidence of inter-coder (or inter-rater) reliability through analyses of variance components and calculation of reliability coefficients, using the framework of generalizability theory. Results show the M-Scan holds promise as a useful tool in mathematics education research, measuring indicators of standards-based teaching practices unique to the subject of mathematics.     

例析完形填空的命题及其效度

多项选择式完形填空因其信度高、测试范围广被广泛应用于各种高风险考试中。设计完形填空题时,先选择合适的篇章段落,合理删词,最后设定干扰项。检验该题目的效度,是先让学生先进行预测,预测结果用测试软件进行数据分析,从而判断该试题的难易度、区分度以及干扰项的干扰性。数据显示,该卷子的难度和分辨率不够理想,有些干扰项干扰性太强,有个别却缺乏干扰性。     

Student engagement scale: development,reliability and validity

In this study, the purpose was to develop a student engagement scale for higher education. The participants were 805 students. In the process of developing the item pool regarding the scale, related literature was examined in detail and interviews were held. Six factors – valuing, sense of belonging, cognitive engagement, peer relationships (emotional engagement-I), relationships with faculty members (emotional engagement-II) and behavioural engagement within the scope of the components of campus engagement and class engagement – made up of 41 items were identified. The total variance explained was 59%. A higher student engagement score was regarded as an indicator that the student had a high level of engagement with the university, campus and class, while a lower score demonstrated that the student’s engagement with the campus and class was weak or that disengagement could occur.     

The validity and reliability of focus groups as a research method in adult education

The article examines the theory and practice of focus groups in adult education research. Three theoretical positions are described: radical hermeneutic, moderate interpretative and pragmatic realistic position trying to bridge the gap with positivist research. This last position has been chosen as the departure point for a further analysis of the focus group elements, which relate to validity and reliability. The research examines four European research projects in the field of adult education. The most important and surprising data are presented with reference to both socio-psychological and technical problems in the use of this method. The results highlight the importance and dynamics of all the elements discussed.