A Historical Perspective and Current Views on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing

The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing have evolved in the breadth and depth of coverage of issues in educational testing and measurement since their first publication in 1954. There were a number of substantive changes in the 1999 revision that addressed validity, fairness, accommodations, and compliance with the Standards. In addition, there was nearly a 50% increase in the number of standards contained in the last revision. The next revision of the Standards may be initiated in 2007 and there are remaining concerns about access and awareness by non-measurement professionals, compliance by test publishers and users, relevance in addressing mandates for accountability, and substantive areas of educational assessment. This review of major changes to the Standards and discussion of future topics is designed to inform the next revision.     

Use of Restricted Item Response Models for Examining Item Difficulty Ordering and Slope Uniformity

This article demonstrates the utility of restricted item response models for examining item difficulty ordering and slope uniformity for an item set that reflects varying cognitive processes. Twelve sets of paired algebra word problems were developed to systematically reflect various types of cognitive processes required for successful performance. This resulted in a total of 24 items. They reflected distance-rate–time (DRT), interest, and area problems. Hypotheses concerning difficulty ordering and slope uniformity for the items were tested by constraining item difficulty and discrimination parameters in hierarchical item response models. The first set of model comparisons tested the equality of the discrimination and difficulty parameters for each set of paired items. The second set of model comparisons examined slope uniformity within the complex DRT problems. The third set of model comparisons examined whether the familiarity of the story context affected item difficulty for two types of complex DRT problems. The last set of model comparisons tested the hypothesized difficulty ordering of the items.     

Designing effective interventions for children at‐risk for antisocial behavior: An integrated model of components necessary for making valid inferences

Children demonstrating antisocial behavior patterns are at‐risk for a host of negative outcomes including school failure, peer and teacher rejection, academic difficulties, and future delinquency. These children are undoubtedly in need of effective and appropriate interventions to address problem areas in both behavioral and academic domains. To ensure that academic and sociobehavioral interventions will be more successful, three main components: (a) social validity, (b) treatment integrity, and (c) generalization and maintenance must be addressed when designing the interventions. The purpose of this article is to (a) describe the pertinent characteristics (e.g., definition, application, and assessment issues) of each of these components as they relate to school‐based interventions, and (b) introduce an integrated model that illustrates the interrelatedness of these essential intervention components. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Sports fan experience: Electronic word-of-mouth in ephemeral social media

Fans consuming sporting events commonly use social media to spread electronic-word-of-mouth (eWOM) related to their experiences. Ephemeral social media, an emerging form of social media that auto-deletes content after a prescribed time, allows fans to have greater control over their messages than ever before. The purpose of this experimental study was to investigate factors leading fans to lengthen or shorten the lifespan of their social media content. A nationwide panel (N = 242) created social media content in a controlled setting in which the fan experience and audience size were manipulated. Results suggest fans having a positive experience or who were broadcasting to a large audience were likely to share their content for a longer period of time. In contrast, fans having other than positive experiences, sharing with a small audience, or displaying greater team identification wished to limit the availability of their content. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Redesign and initial validation of an instrument to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise: the Brunel Music Rating Inventory-2

In the present study, a measure to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise was redesigned, extending previous research efforts (Karageorghis et al., 1999). The original measure, the Brunel Music Rating Inventory (BMRI), had shown limitations in its factor structure and its applicability to non-experts in music selection. Redesign of the BMRI used in-depth interviews with eight participants (mean age 31.9 years, s = 8.9 years) to establish the initial item pool, which was examined using a series of confirmatory factor analyses. A single-factor model provided a good fit across three musical selections with different motivational qualities (comparative fit index, CFI: 0.95-0.98; standardized root mean residual, SRMR: 0.03-0.05). The single-factor model also demonstrated acceptable fit across two independent samples and both sexes using one piece of music (CFI: 0.86-1.00; SRMR: 0.04-0.07). The BMRI was designed for experts in selecting music for exercise (e.g. dance aerobic instructors), whereas the BMRI-2 can be used both by exercise instructors and participants. The psychometric properties of the BMRI-2 are stronger than those of the BMRI and it is easier to use. The BMRI-2 provides a valid and internally consistent tool by which music can be selected to accompany a bout of exercise or a training session. Furthermore, the BMRI-2 enables researchers to standardize music in experimental protocols involving exercise-related tasks.     

Federal funding of doctoral recipients: What can be learned from linked data

This technical note describes the results of a pilot approach to link administrative and survey data to better describe the richness and complexity of the research enterprise. In particular, we demonstrate how multiple funding channels can be studied by bringing together two disparate datasets: UMETRICS, which is based on university payroll and financial records, and the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), which is one of the most important US survey datasets about the doctoral workforce. We show how it is possible to link data on research funding and the doctorally qualified workforce to describe how many individuals are supported in different disciplines and by different agencies. We outline the potential for more work as the UMETRICS data expands to incorporate more linkages and more access is provided.     

Development and initial validation of an instrument to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport: the Brunel Music Rating Inventory.

Equivocal results of the psychophysical effects of music have been explained in part by the insensitivity of researchers to important personal and situational variables when selecting music. The aim of the present study was to operationalize a conceptual framework for the prediction of psychophysical responses to music into a music rating inventory to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport environments. An initial item pool was developed and administered to 334 aerobics instructors. Exploratory factor analysis produced a 13-item, four-factor structure (association, musicality, cultural impact and rhythm response), which accounted for 59.2% of the variance. This model demonstrated acceptable fit indices when tested using confirmatory factor analysis on 314 exercise-to-music participants, and was better than an alternative two-factor model. When cross-validated using multisample confirmatory factor analysis, the model also showed an acceptable fit overall, although some invariance in the rhythm response factor was evident that can be attributed to the exclusive use of synchronous music by aerobics instructors. The Brunel Music Rating Inventory appears to be a valid and reliable tool for both researchers and practitioners to assess the motivational qualities of music in exercise and sport environments.