Specifying a Human Performance Technology Knowledgebase

The mission of human performance technologists, to assure high levels of human performance in organizations, is well established, and usually accomplished through design and implementation of two major products: performance systems and instructional systems. The speed of change in the environments in which HPT is practiced, however, requires frequent analysis of what knowledge and skills are required of HP technologists in pursuit of this goal. This article works backward from results and the products that obtained them, to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that form the critical human performance technology knowledgebase. The author uses an example from our “universal” neighborhood to illustrate seven basic categories of variables influencing organizational performance, and provides examples and non examples of five essential principles of psychology that can help guide HPT practitioners' efforts to design and implement effective systems.     

Using teacher judgment and IQ to estimate reading and mathematics achievement in a remedial-reading program

This study investigated the relative merits of using teacher judgment and the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test to estimate the math and reading achievement of students in a summer remedial-reading program. The subjects included children in grades kindergarten through six who were enrolled in the Auburn University Summer Clinic. Components analyses showed that the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test recovered substantially more variance from the distributions of the KeyMath-Revised and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised than did teacher judgments. Analysis of variance showed that significant differences between the means of the three tests resulted from the inclusion of students with learning disabilities. Implications of the results are discussed.     

The assessment of at-risk infants and toddlers with the Bayley Mental Scale and the Battelle Developmental Inventory: Beyond the data

The purpose of this study was to compare the usefulness of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID)-Mental Scales and the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) in assessing the abilities of infants and toddlers from teen-parent families. The 34 children lived with their mothers, who ranged in age from 15 to 21. The results of the study indicate that these two developmental instruments cannot be used interchangeably and that one needs to look beyond the psychometric data in order to understand the results of infant and toddler assessment. The correlation between the BSID-Mental Development Index (MDI) and BDI Total score was −.03.