AN EXAMINATION OF THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE EQUATING OF PARALLEL FORMS IS POPULATION-INDEPENDENT

Linear conversions were developed relating scores on two recent forms of the homogeneous GRE Quantitative Test (GRE-Q) and the specially constituted heterogeneous GRE Verbal-plus-Quantitative Test (GRE-V+Q), using randomly equivalent groups of about 13, 000 taking each form. Specially defined homogeneous subpopulations were then identified, and conversions between scores on the two forms were again calculated, this time based on l000-case samples drawn at random from the subpopulations. Finally, in order to develop empirical measures of equating error, I00 samples of 1, 000 cases each were drawn at random from the two total groups and used to calculate 100 conversions between scores on the two forms. The conversions based on the specially selected subpopulations were then compared with the total-group conversions and evaluated in terms of the empirical standard errors. The results showed that the conversions for the subpopulations agreed with the total-group conversion quite satisfactorily for the GRE-Q and almost as well for the GRE-V+Q. It was concluded that the data clearly support the assumption of population independence for homogeneous tests, but not quite so clearly for heterogeneous tests.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE COGNITIVE CORRELATES OF TEST-WISENESS 1,2

Gibb (1964) defined test-wiseness (TW) as the ability to respond advantageously to multiple-choice items containing extraneous clues and therefore to obtain credit without knowledge of the subject matter being tested. This study investigated TW in a sample of 6th grade pupils. A test instrument was developed utilizing fictitious material similar to the strategy employed by Slakter, Koehler & Hampton (1970). The study examines the cognitive correlates of TW through the interpretation of correlational matrices. The results lend support to the notion that TW is not a general trait, but rather is clue-specific.     

Attitudes Toward Homosexuality among Graduate Counseling Students

The authors surveyed graduate counseling students regarding their attitudes toward homosexuality: its etiology; the mental health of homosexuals; the role of the mental health professional in treating homosexual clients; and myths and fallacies surrounding homosexuality. The results indicate that counseling students feel ill-prepared to deal with homosexual clients, are unsure about the etiology of homosexuality, and that female students respond differently from male students regarding many aspects of homosexuality.     

The Meaning of Words: Teachers and Counselors

The semantic differential technique was used in this study for the purpose of discovering similarities and differences in the meaning of words between teachers in training and counselors in training. A number of differences were revealed which indicate that teachers in training and counselors in training are not in accord as to the connotations of certain concepts. These differences suggest that counselors and counselor educators must strive for a greater understanding of the counselor's role in the school setting on the part of other education professionals.     

Effects of Covert Modeling and Written Material on the Acquisition of a Counseling Strategy

This study investigated the efficacy of covert other modeling, covert self-modeling, and written material on the acquisition of a counseling strategy that involved developing goals. Thirty-six student counselors were assigned randomly to the following four treatment conditions: covert other model, covert self-model, written material, and delayed-treatment control. Written pretest, posttest, retention test measures, and role-play pre- and posttest measures were obtained. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that performance on the written measures for the three treatment groups increased significantly from pre- to post- testing and from pre- to retention testing. On the role-play measure, the performance of the three treatment groups also increased significantly from pre- to posttesting. The performance of the control group on pre- and posttesting for the written and role-play measures did not increase significantly.