The validity of the otis-lennon mental ability test,elementary II level,for suspected mental retardates

Using Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test, Elementary II Level, and WISC verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQs of 40 white children, correlations of.71,.57 and.73, respectively, were computed. The results suggest that IQs on the Otis-Lennon are not directly comparable to the WISC IQs and should be interpreted with caution when used as a criterion for identifying mentally retarded white children attending public schools.     

Relationships among creativity,intelligence, and achievement measures in upward bound students

Ninety-four disadvantaged, Upward Bound students were administered a test battery of the Otis Quick-Scoring Mental Ability Test, Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, Guilford's tests of Expressional Fluency, Alternate Uses, and Consequences; and the Figural Form of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Significant sex differences favoring males were obtained for Otis I J(P < −025), PSAT-Verbal (p <.01), and PSAT-Quantitative (p <.001). Females excelled males on the figural elaboration score from the TTCT (p <.001). White disadvantaged students scored significantly higher than their Indian counterparts on Otis IQ (p <.05) and higher than their black counterparts on the PSAT-Quantitative (p <.01). White students also scored significantly higher than their Indian counterparts on Guilford-Consequences — Obvious (p <.05). A varimax rotation of the correlation matrix resulted in a two-factor solution defined by intelligence-achievement scores and figural creativity. Guilford creativity tests were more closely related to the intelligence-achievement factor, while the Torrance figural creativity test remained a distinct factor. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies of the creativity-intelligence distinction.     

Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test,Stanford Achievement Test,and Three Demographic Variables as Predictors of Achievement in Grades 2 and 4

Abstract

A series of multivariate statistical analyses was used to determine what relationships exist among three demographic variables, the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test (OLMAT), and the Stanford Achievement Test (SA T) at Grades 2 and 4. Data were obtained from the second grade classes in 1977-78 (V = 91) and 1979-80 (V = 103), and from the 1979-80 fourth grade class (/V = 91) in a rural middle income school district in southeastern New Hampshire. The best predictor of achievement at either Grade 2 or Grade 4 was the IQ variable alone. The correlations among the SAT subtests led to questions concerning that test’s construct validity and its use for differential diagnosis of educational problems of children. Among the Grade 2 variables, the best predictor of achievement at Grade 4 was the SAT; IQ was a negligible factor. Detailed study of the correlations between the OLMAT and SAT did not support the continued use of the group IQ test as part of the district’s comprehensive testing program; the costs expended cannot be justified by the value of the information obtained.     

Effects of traditional and discovery instructional approaches on learning outcomes for learners of different intellectual development: A study of chemistry students in Zambia

This study examined the differential effectiveness of traditional and discovery methods of instruction for the teaching of science concepts, understandings about science, and scientific attitudes, to learners at the concrete and formal level of cognitive development. The dependent variables were achievement, understanding science, and scientific attitude; assessed through the use of the ACS Achievement Test (high school chemistry, Form 1979), the Test on Understanding Science (Form W), and the Test on Scientific Attitude, respectively. Mode of instruction and cognitive development were the independent variables. Subjects were 120 Form IV (11th grade) males enrolled in chemistry classes in Lusaka, Zambia. Sixty of these were concrete reasoners (mean age = 18.23) randomly selected from one of the two schools. The remaining 60 subjects were formal reasoners (mean age 18.06) randomly selected from a second boys' school. Each of these two groups was randomly split into two subgroups with 30 subjects. Traditional and discovery approaches were randomly assigned to the two subgroups of concrete reasoners and to the two subgroups of formal reasoners. Prior to instruction, the subjects were pretested using the ACS Achievement Test, the Test on Understanding Science, and the Test on Scientific Attitude. Subjects received instruction covering eight chemistry topics during approximately 10 weeks. Posttests followed using the same standard tests. Two-way analysis of covariance, with pretest scores serving as covariates was used and 0.05 level of significant was accepted. Tukey WSD technique was used as a follow-up test where applicable. It was found that (1) for the formal reasoners, the discovery group earned significantly higher understanding science scores than the traditional group. For the concrete reasoners mode of instruction did not make a difference; (2) overall, formal reasoners earned significantly higher achievement scores than concrete reasoners; (3) in general, subjects taught by the discovery approach earned significantly higher scientific attitude scores than those taught by the traditional approach. The traditional group outperformed the discovery group in achievement scores. It was concluded that the traditional approach might be an efficient instructional mode for the teaching of scientific facts and principles to high school students, while the discovery approach seemed to be more suitable for teaching scientific attitudes and for promoting understanding about science and scientists among formal operational learners.     

Kindergarten screening results as predictors of academic achievement,potential, and placement in second grade

The ability of a battery of kindergarten screening measures to predict educationally relevant criteria was investigated. Subtest scores on The Vane Test of Language and The Vane Kindergarten Test administered at the beginning of kindergarten were examined and compared to the Metropolitan Achievement Test scores in reading and math, The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test index, and placement into special education or high achievement programs at the end of second grade. A weighted combination of subtests accurately predicted 77% of the children classified as special education students. The same battery also predicted 73% of the children who were classified as high-achieving students.     

Reading Disabled Students’ Word Recognition Abilities: An Elementary and Secondary Perspective

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare three word recognition abilities of reading disabled students. One hundred and fifty (150) reading disabled pupils, 75 elementary and 75 high school, were randomly selected to participate in this study. Correlated t‐test procedures were used to process the data. The dependent variables were the students’ analytical, phonics, and context analysis word recognition abilities as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test, Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, and 12 cloze passages. Results indicated that elementary and secondary reading disabled pupils have significant differences in their ability to use the three different word recognition abilities investigated. Implications for minimum competency testing in reading were discussed.     

CONSTRUCT VALIDATION OF A MEASURE TO ASSESS SUSTAINABILITY OF SCHOOL‐WIDE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS

This study assessed aspects of construct validity of the School‐wide Universal Behavior Sustainability Index–School Teams (SUBSIST), a measure evaluating critical features of the school context related to sustainability of school‐wide interventions. Participants at 217 schools implementing School‐wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) were administered the measure. A two‐step cluster analysis was performed to classify schools based on responses to the 39 SUBSIST items. A two‐cluster solution was obtained, with schools in one cluster (n = 139) obtaining significantly higher scores on SUBSIST items than schools in the other cluster (n = 78). The most critical item that contributed to cluster formation was the use of data for decision making. Results also showed that higher sustainability scores were associated with increased frequency of school team meetings, presentation of data to school staff, access to an external coach/consultant, and greater number of years implementing SWPBS. These results are discussed with regard to implications for sustaining school‐wide interventions.     

The effects of instructional organization and locus of control orientation on meaningful learning in high school biology students

This study investigated the effects on meaningful learning achievement of concept-related instructional organization and locus of control orientation. Two five-week instructional treatments were developed, one which explicitly stressed concept relationships and one which did not. Five hundred and forty-one subjects at six Indiana high schools were involved in the study. Analyses of covariance of posttest and six-week retention test scores with treatment as the independent variable showed no significant treatment effect. Analyses of variance of test scores with locus of control orientation as the independent variable resulted in highly statistically significant differences. Subjects with an internal locus of control orientation achieved more than externally oriented subjects. A two-way analysis of covariance by treatment and locus of control orientation resulted in a statistically significant treatment/locus of control interaction effect for retention test scores. Externally oriented subjects who were exposed to the concept-related treatment generally retained more than those in the comparison group. Internally oriented subjects retained about the same amount of information regardless of treatment group. When the male and female subjects were analyzed separately, the interaction effect appeared greater for females than for males.     

A comparison of the peabody individual achievement test,the metropolitan achievement test,and the otis-lennon mental ability test

In order to clarify the concurrent validity of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) and the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), product-moment correlations were computed for all subscores and total scores for 26 normal-range public school third-grade girls and boys. The reading comprehension subtests correlated.81, spelling.88, and PIAT Mathematics with MAT Total Math.64. Correlations were computed for the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test and the PIAT General Information subtest as.77, and the Otis-Lennon and the PIAT Total Test scores as.79. Concurrent validity of the PIAT with both tests is tentatively considered adequate except in the area of mathematics, in which the PIAT, relative to the MAT, appears to be reflecting ability to handle math concepts (.68) more accurately than math computation (.41) or math problem solving (.56). Correlations with IQ partialed out suggest the PIAT Total Test, and PIAT and MAT reading and spelling measures, are relatively uninfluenced by IQ variations, whereas with IQ held constant, the weak positive correlations between the PIAT and MAT math subtests became essentially random relationships.     

Embedded Field Test Item Statistics: Can They Be Trusted for Estimating Student Proficiency?

Assessment items are commonly field tested prior to operational use to observe statistical item properties such as difficulty. Item parameter estimates from field testing may be used to assign scores via pre-equating or computer adaptive designs. This study examined differences between item difficulty estimates based on field test and operational data and the relationship of such differences to item position changes and student proficiency estimates. Item position effects were observed for 20 assessments, with items in later positions tending to be more difficult. Moreover, field test estimates of item difficulty were biased slightly upward, which may indicate examinee knowledge of which items were being field tested. Nevertheless, errors in field test item difficulty estimates had negligible impacts on student proficiency estimates for most assessments. Caution is still warranted when using field test statistics for scoring, and testing programs should conduct investigations to determine whether the effects on scoring are inconsequential.     

Quantitative and qualitative change in children's mental rotation performance

This study investigated quantitative and qualitative changes in mental rotation performance and solution strategies with a focus on sex differences. German children (N = 519) completed the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) in the 5th and 6th grades (interval: one year; age range at time 1: 10–11 years). Boys on average outperformed girls on both occasions (d_T1 = 0.45; d_T2 = 0.35). Strong quantitative change was reflected in increased test scores from time 1 to time 2. The increase was equivalent for girls (d = 1.04) and boys (d = 1.05). Qualitative change was investigated in a multigroup latent transition analysis (LTA) of the MRT items. LTA confirmed findings from prior studies showing that children used different solution strategies to solve the MRT problems. Girls tended to use less efficient strategies than did boys. Moreover, LTA revealed that participants showing inefficient solution strategies at time 1 tended to improve their performance less than students who already showed more elaborate strategies at time 1.     

Relative Effects of English Proficiency on General Admissions Tests Versus Subject Tests

The increasing linguistic diversity of the United States student population has brought to the forefront problems in the interpretation of test scores for non-native speakers of English in graduate admissions. The degree to which test scores reflect English proficiency was studied using data on N = 451 students whose native language was Spanish. They had taken the GRE, English proficiency tests, and the PAEG, a test in Spanish used for admission to graduate schools in Puerto Rico. Regression analyses revealed that the proportion of variance explained by the English proficiency terms (independent of developed skills measured in Spanish) was highest for the GRE verbal test (34%), lowest for the quantitative test (8%) and intermediate for the analytical test (16%), the Psychology (18%) and Biology (17%) Subject tests. These findings are discussed in light of efforts to increase access to higher education for Hispanic students.     

The role of cognitive style and its influence on proportional reasoning

It has been suggested that proportional reasoning tasks contain field effects. Field-dependent students are considered to be highly influenced by the structure of the perceptual field and lack an articulated conceptual framework. To test the hypothesis that there is a significant correlation between field independence and proportional reasoning tasks, a sample of science students were tested to determine performance in proportional reasoning and degree of field independence. It was found that even students who are normally capable of proportional reasoning can be misled by the presence of field effects. A significant correlation (r = 0.50; p = 0.001) was found between the test of field independence and the nine items of proportional reasoning. Educational implications are drawn.     

Component structure,reliability, and stability of Lawrence’s Self‐Esteem Questionnaire (LAWSEQ)

Lawrence’s Self‐Esteem Questionnaire (LAWSEQ) was administered to 120 Year 1 pupils in six schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A principal components analysis indicated that the scale items were unidimensional and that the reliability of the scores, as estimated by Cronbach’s alpha, was satisfactory (α = .73). There were no differences between boys and girls on either total scores or the individual items comprising the LAWSEQ. A follow‐up study, involving 71 of the children in Year 3, confirmed these findings but the stability of the scores between the two occasions (as indicated by Pearson’s r) was extremely low.     

A study of the perceptual orientation of community college students and their attitudes toward science as they relate to science achievement

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptual orientation and attitudes toward science of freshman community college students and the relationship of these characteristics toward science achievement. It was found that perceptual orientation (field independence-dependence) was related to attitudes toward science. In addition, it was found that students who were field independent and possessed a positive attitude toward science scored significantly higher on the science achievement test than students who were field dependent and possessed a negative attitude toward science.     

Factor analysis of the Woodcock-Johnson with conduct disordered adolescents

A factor analysis of the 12 subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability was performed, using 286 conduct disordered male adolescents as subjects. A principal factor analysis procedure was utilized. Factors to be retained were confirmed using the scree test. The factor analysis procedure yielded three factors. These were interpreted as being a primary verbal ability factor, a secondary reasoning factor, and a secondary numerical processing factor. The perceptual speed and memory groupings identified by Woodcock were not duplicated. Implications of these results suggest the cautious use of the Cognitive Factor cluster scores for diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses for the behavior disordered population.     

The New Salford Sentence Reading Test (2012) and the Diagnostic Reading Analysis (2008) assess ‘inference’ – but what forms of inference do they test?

Several inference types serving distinct purposes are established in the literature on reading comprehension. Despite this highlighting that inference is a non‐unitary construct, reading tests tend to treat it as a single ability. Consequently, different tests can assess different inferential abilities. Professionals, knowing what is implicitly assessed in an assessment tool, can make informed decisions on test selection and take a critical approach to interpreting test outcomes. This article examines the inferential abilities assessed by the New Salford Sentence Reading Test and the Diagnostic Reading Analysis. Both are aimed at practitioners working with children of primary and secondary school age. Each takes inference to be a unitary construct. Qualitative analysis of the inferential questions in the tests revealed that they assess different forms of inference. The New Salford Sentence Reading Test predominantly assesses inferences requiring background knowledge. In contrast, the Diagnostic Reading Analysis requires inferences relying on textual evidence to a greater extent. The article concludes that it is reasonable to assert that the Diagnostic Reading Analysis is preferable to the New Salford Sentence Reading Test on the basis of test fairness and the consistency in sampling inferences types.     

ADAPTATION OF AN INTELLIGENCE TEST FROM ENGLISH TO FRENCH1

This study aimed to discover the usefulness of adapting the Otis Quick-Scoring Mental Ability Tests for the French culture. Beta Test (Forms EM and FM) were translated into French and administered to 635 students of grades four to eight. To correct invalid items or distractors, a revision followed the statistical analysis. Revised tests were then administered to 1,686 students of grades five to nine. From this and related studies, it is concluded that an intelligence test developed for a particular culture may be invalid when simply translated for another.     

An operational test of a three-factor theory of classroom social perception

To test the cross-cultural generalizability of measures of student perception of the social enviornment of learning and an operationalization of the social environment of learning and an operationalization of a three-factor theory of the social-psychological properties of small groups (Moos-Bales), the mean end-of-course achievement scores of 166 groups of studious and nonstudies members of 83 general science classes randomly sampled in the State of Rajasthan, India, were regressed on group perception of affect, task orientation, and competitveness (derived from scales of the Learning Enviornment Inventory, LEI, translated into Hindi) and control variables–school and teacher characteristics, and student IQ sex, and socioeconomic status. Nine variables selected for unique contribution to accountable variance in achievement included the four perceptual factors, produced a multiple correlation R of .86, and a cross-validated R of .83 in an independent sample of 67 social studies casses.