STABILITY OF SCALE QUALITY UNDER VARIOUS DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES: A MODE COMPARISON ON THE 'DE JONG-GIERVELD LONELINESS SCALE

Data collection procedures can influence respondents' self-disclosure,accuracy and motivation to complete the interview. In comparingresearch results across different studies, it is important touse robust measuring instruments. The ‘De Jong-GierveldLoneliness Scale’ was developed to measure lonelinessamong different populations and in studies with different designs.Data on this loneliness scale were re-analyzed to investigatethe robustness of the scale. The data were from six Dutch surveys.Different interview modes were used for data collection: threesurveys with self-administered paper questionnaires, two surveyswith face-to-face interviews, and one telephone survey. In orderto compare the properties of the loneliness scale, a relativelyhomogeneous category of respondents was selected: single womenbetween the ages of 25 and 65. An examination of the scale withregard to five aspects of robustness showed in very few casesthat it was affected. No evidence was found for the assumptionthat the use of a self-administered questionnaire would leadto high item non-response, any higher than using other datacollection procedures. It was also assumed that in self-administeredquestionnaires or telephone interviews, a better inter-itemhomogeneity and a better person scalability would be found instudies with face-to-face interviews. The results sustainedthis hypothesis. Further, it was believed that the absence ofan interviewer would result in greater self-disclosure and thereforein higher scale means. We found on evidence to support this.In general the results showed that the loneliness scale metthe psychometric requirements of items non-response, scale homogenityand person scalability. After testing the robustness of thescale, we conclude that it is questionable on two aspects: theinter-item homogeneity and the person scalability.     

A Note on the Bias of UCON Item Parameter Estimation in the Rasch Model

Divgi (1986) demonstrated that the bias of UCON item parameter estimates is not removed by the factor (n − 1)/n. Andrich (1989) argued in this journal that the demonstration was faulty. In this note a complete proof of Divgfs conclusion is presented.     

400 m跑竞赛成绩与100 m跑分段相应速度回归分析

收集、整理了世界28名优秀的400 m跑运动员的竞赛成绩及100 m分段速度等相关资料,并以其为研究对象和研究样本,运用数理统计学的相关、多元回归等方法进行了定量分析,初步探明了400 m竞赛成绩与各分段速度之间的相关关系,建立了400 m竞赛成绩与各段速度的回归方程,制定了400 m跑竞赛各分段相应速度表.     

Cultures of Undergraduate Teaching at Research Universities

Teaching-oriented faculty have received scant attention as a distinctive cultural force. Even among those who would speak on their behalf, undergraduate teachers have been treated as little more than a dependable workforce whose interests are best served by top-down proposals for enhanced recognition and reward. Findings from a five-campus study suggest a more complex reality. Of particular interest is an explicitly oppositional culture that questions both the Scholarship of Teaching model and the ethos of competitive achievement. These views echo the longstanding populist tradition within American higher education and represent a potential counterforce to the recent narrowing of faculty roles.     

Simultaneous observation techniques in astronomy

Modern optics and electronics have now reached the stage where various techniques can be adopted to carry out combined and simultaneous astronomical observations of the same objects in order to understand their nature. This requires not only an administrative but also a technical coordination, e.g. to allow the simultaneous acquisition of data from two different satellites or from satellites and telescopes at the earth's surface.     

Accuracy and Fluency in List and Context Reading of Skilled and RD Groups: Absolute and Relative Performance Levels

The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the performance levels and the magnitude of performance difference between students with reading disabilities (RD) and skilled readers when reading a typical classroom text; (2) the hypothesis that students with RD have specific difficulty using context in such a way that reading fluency is affected; and (3) whether RD subtypes may be differentiated according to performance on contextual and context‐free reading tasks. Two groups of fourth graders (85 skilled readers and 24 students with RD) completed a standardized test of reading comprehension, read aloud a folktale, and read aloud the folktale's words in a randomly sequenced list. Performance was scored as correct rate and percentage correct. Based on the number of words per idea unit in the passage, we also estimated the rate at which reader groups encountered and processed text ideas. Compared to the RD group, skilled readers read three times more correct words per minute in context, and showed higher accuracy and rates on all measures. Both context and isolated word‐reading rates were highly sensitive to impairment. We found no evidence for RD subtypes based on these measures. Results illustrate differences in reading levels between the two groups, the temporal advantage skilled readers have in linking text ideas, how word reading differs as a function of task format and performance dimension, and how limited word‐identification skills (not comprehension) produce contextual reading difficulties for students with RD.