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This paper describes the construction of a new examination for Federal Coal Mine Inspectors, using the Job Element (J-Scale) method. Headquarters administrators and field inspectors rated the importance of various job elements. The values given to 32 elements, a comparison of test and actual proficiency, ratings, and examples of the rating parameters of several elements are given. A summary of the workings of the J-Scale Formula is provided. See also TM 001 163, 165-166 for further information on the Job Element (J-Scale)method. (DLG)

The Pennsylvania Plan for Educational Quality Assessment is discussed as to its beginnings, its goals, its implementation, and its future. The plan aids schoolmen of the State in assessing the quality of education their schools are providing in relation to 10 goals, which propose to encourage the students to develop self-understanding, understanding of others, basic language and number skills, good citizenship, good health habits, their own creative potential, an appreciation of broad human achievement, a continuing interest in their own further learning, an ability to prepare themselves for productive vocations, and an ability in general to change within a changing world. In 1968, a pilot program (Phase I) was implemented to test a 10-goal measurement package to assure that each test was reliable and valid. The variable conditions were characteristics of students, of teachers, and of school and community. Phase II, carried out in 1969, used replies of students and teachers to questionnaires and data from school administrators and the Bureau of Statistics to develop standards for students' performance. Phase III, begun in 1970 and still underway, is the actual assessing of 111 school districts. A case study of one of the school districts is included with a chart of the percentile ranking of the schools on the 10 goals, as well as the actual score for each of the school's students. (For related documents, see TM 001 437-439.) (DB)

An investigation of the General Educational Development (GED) tests is presented. Objectives of the investigation include: (1) to assess the validity of the tests for admission of nonhigh-school graduates to higher education, (2) to describe the backgrounds and experiences of nontraditional students who enroll in college on the basis of their GED test scores, and (3) to identify the advantages created by the granting of the academic high school credit by means of the GED tests. A questionnaire on educational background, experiences with the GED current status at college, attitudes toward various issues, and future plans was mailed to each or 1,367 junior and senior college students. The average subject was a 28-year-old male veteran who learned about the program in the armed services. Results include: (1) The performance of nontraditional students was significantly higher than that of graduating high school seniors on all GED tests except English; (2) Students who enrolled in senior colleges earned slightly higher scores on all tests than those enrolled in junior colleges; and (3) The relatively low intercorrelations of the tests suggest that each test is measuring a unique skill. The results suggest that the GED tests are useful for the admission and guidance of college candidates who have not formally completed high school. Recommendations include: (1) Colleges should encourage nonhigh-school graduates to take the GED and to present satisfactory scores as evidence of ability to undertake college-level work, and (2) A greater amount of publicity on the GED should be aimed at those segments of the civilian population that are most likely to profit from taking the tests. (CK)

This report describes the development of the 1969-70 Michigan Educational Assessment measures used in assessing the levels and distribution of educational performance for Michigan's districts, schools, and pupils. The report has four sections. The first section contains a brief description of the 1969-70 assessment program, including a statement of purposes and a summary of procedures. The second section explains in detail the construction of both the achievement portion of the battery and the pupil questionnaire. Section three describes the development of the scaled scores arising from the statistical treatment of responses to the items in the various parts of the battery. Nine such scores were developed. Section four deals with the characteristics of the battery components. (Author/DB)

This annotated bibliography describes instruments pertaining to smoking attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and correlates. Information concerns test purpose, intended groups, test subdivisions, administration, scoring, interpretation, and standardization. (MS)

An investigation was conducted to determine whether the Parental Attitude and Behavior Inventory (PABI) Form III, a lengthy self-report instrument (577 items each for both parents) for assessing parents' attitudes and behavior toward their children and each other, could be shortened to a more feasible length. This terminal report summarizes the results of the statistical evaluation of the final scoring system for the PABI. The reliability and validity of the revised system has been demonstrated to be comparable to the original system. In addition, the cross-validity of the revised system is noted to be within acceptable limits of shrinkage. Acquiescence contributions are available for various subgroups, and, normative tables have been established. (AG)

Two factor analytic studies of the Internal-External Control Scale, a forced-choice questionnaire, were carried out. In the first study, separate analyses for samples of male and female college students each yielded the following two factors: (1) generalized personal control, reflecting a belief about ability versus luck as a determinant of success with respect to self and others, and (2) system modifiability, reflecting a belief about the responsiveness of the sociopolitical system to citizen influence. In the second study, also based on samples of male and female college students, three factors emerged. The system modifiability factor was replicated, while a belief in ability versus luck emerged as two factors: (1) personal control, a reference to self, and (2) control ideology, a reference to others. (Author)

Correlations between the Enrollee Test Battery (ETB) and performance on more conventional tests were examined to determine the ETB validity, in addition to a small-Scale study of predictive validity of both ETB and the conventional tests. Three types of paper and pencil measures were utilized: the ETB, conventional cognitive skills tests, and scales of criterion questionnaires. There were 23 tests in all. The study sample consisted of 74 (29 males and 45 females) predominantly black high school dropouts, between 14 and 17 years of age, who were enrolled in two Neighborhood Youth Corps Out-of-School projects. Answers to the criterion questionnaires were obtained from 44 of the enrollees six months after they had left the program. Predictive validity for the tests was examined by correlating each of the 23 tests scores with factor scores derived from the questionnaire criterion scales for each of the three criterion samples--Program Completion, Post Program (Employed), and Post Program (Not Employed). Levels of concurrent validity for the ETB was determined from intercorrelations between the 17 tests of that battery and the 6 conventional cognitive skill measures. That matrix was also factor analyzed. Results of the study show that measures of the ETB, which was designed specifically for use with disadvantaged adolescents, appear fairly coherent and logical in their patterns of relationships with each other and with conventional cognitive skills tests. (DB)

The design of a school anxiety questionnaire is described. The model predicts a maximal relationship between anxiety and performance when type of anxiety potential, type of stress, and type of behavior are in parallel. The test, developed with intermediate school children, is a five scale 105 item multiple choice questionnaire with responses on a 5-point Likert scale. It is administered to children in their classroom with the teacher absent. Instructions are read aloud at 5 second intervals by a tape recorder. The student marks his response on a mark sense sheet for data processing. Three hundred and twenty student responses were factor analyzed using a principal axis factor with a normalized verimax rotation. To examine factor structure stability over age, data for third and sixth grade subjects were factored separately and their rotated structures compared using Kaiser's coefficient of factor stability. In spite of their brevity the SAQ Anxiety scales reflect adequate levels of reliability and have predictive validities that are in theoretically meaningful directions, are of a magnitude not commonly reported, and are generally replicable, both across age groups and across studies. (DJ)

This study's aim was to assess the validity of naive subjects' implicit personality theories, the correspondence among the theories, and the influence of social desirability on them. High school girls classified the items from the MMPI Psychopathic Deviate scale into clusters representing different traits. These clusters agreed closely with the factors obtained in previous factor analyses of self-reports to these items and were highly similar for individual subjects. Desirability was substantially related to the clusters, but generally did not mediate their correspondence with the factors or each other. These results indicate that the lay theories possessed validity as well as communality and that desirability had a distinct but limited involvement with the theories. (Author)

This paper completes reporting of the development of scales for measuring morale among Air Force personnel. A previously developed questionnaire keyed for eight scales was given to an independent sample. When these scores were compared with criteria derived from interviews, ratings, and Air Force records, validities were uniformly low. Although none of the validities are high enough for useful prediction, the scales do measure expressed attitudes with considerable reliability. (Author)

The IPAT Children's Personality Questionnaire was administered to two samples of white, middle-class, suburban school children. Both samples were divided into well-adjusted and maladjusted subgroups on the basis of teacher ratings. The CPQ Neuroticism score and the teacher ratings of adjustment status yielded biserial correlations of .12 and .22, while the biserial correlations of teacher ratings and IQ scores were -.52 and -.50, with higher IQ scores being associated with healthier (but numerically lower) teacher ratings. The findings were discussed in terms of the practical implications for the screening of school children for emotional dysfunction and in terms of the implications for the validity of the CPQ Neuroticism index. (Author)

This invitational conference was convened to report the principal findings of a six-year study of possible sources of bias in the prediction of job performance. The research was conducted jointly by Educational Testing Service and the U.S. Civil Service Commission, supported by the Ford Foundation. Data were gathered on test and job performance of ethnic subgroups in three occupations in the Federal Government. The design of the study permitted a detailed analysis of the differential validity of selected aptitude tests for several kinds of performance criteria. Speakers at the conference were asked to respond to a draft of the technical report, to be published in 1973. Following an introduction to the project and a presentation of the major findings, the papers are provided. The titles and authors of the papers are as follows: "Technical Critique" by Anne Anastasi, "Implications for Employers in Government" by Raymond Jacobson, "Implications for Employers in Industry" by Lewis E. Albright, "Implications for Blacks" by Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., "Implications for Spanish Americans" by Edward J. Casavantes, "Implications for Governmental Regulatory Agencies" by Robert M. Guion, and "Implications for Future Research" by S. Rains Wallace. (Author/DB)

This study examined relationships among conformity to biographical item writing rules, rated stability, and obtained response stability. First and second administration data were collected and a stability index was obtained on 88 items using a college freshmen sample (N=106). One group of judges then educed rules to discriminate between the more stable and the less stable items, and a second group judged the conformity of each item to the seven educed rules. Intercorrelations were computed among the rule conformity indices, Probable Response Stability scale ratings, and the obtained stability indices. Although three of the rules were significantly related to item stability, using them to compute multiple correlations did not enhance prediction of stability compared with application of the ratings alone. Practical implications for optimizing biographical item stability and improving a priori prediction of response stability in future research are discussed. (Author/AG)

This reported investigation is the Phase I effort of a task which undertakes to develop a new student critique form for Air Training Command (ATC). Specifically, it deals with the identification of valid and reliable psychometric measures of student attitudes toward Air Force technical training. Two critique form prototypes were developed using a Likert-type and Guttman-type configuration. These were administered in a counterbalanced order to samples of officers, NCO, and airmen enrolled in an ATC technical school. Multiple-factor analyses and multiple discriminant function analyses were performed for the scored responses of the subjects to these critique forms. Test-retest reliability and factorial and discriminative validities were established for each of the prototypes. On the basis of the statistical analyses of the two forms, the Likert configuration was recommended for further development. Eight Likert factors, or unidimensional scales, were defined: Instructor Competence, Training Management, Specialty Training, Training Impressions, Training Facilities, Repetitious Instruction, Intelligible Media, and Textbook Utility. Because of demonstrated differences between rater groups, it was also recommended that group-specific forms be developed. (Author)

A multifactor instrument, the Bentler Interview Developmental Scale (BIDS), was used to measure developmental changes in children from birth to age 7. The device consisted of 115 age related items to which the mother responded. Data was gathered through interviews of the mothers of sample children throughout the United States. Reliability of the instrument was .83 for girls and .81 for boys. The internal consistency coefficient, based upon 4754 interviews of girls and boys, was found to be .90 and .89 respectively. The BIDS instruction booklet, both girls' and boys' versions of the instrument, reliability tables, growth data, preliminary norms, and summaries of 12 validity studies are included in appended tables. (CK)

Section 3 of Phase II of the Pennsylvania Plan is concerned with the adequacy of the educational quality assessment instruments. An overall discussion of reliability--content, criterion related, and construct--is presented. Reliability coefficients for the assessment inventories are provided and empirical studies of validity are described. (PR)

The development of one instrument from a multi-method battery to assess exploration preferences, a questionnaire of individual preferences, is described. The objectives of the study in which it was employed and the concept of exploration are briefly outlined. Over 1000 questionnaire items relevant to high school students' social desirability were initially developed. Based on an item analysis, 153 items were selected to form the first version of the questionnaire. Extensive validity and reliability studies were conducted and three revisions were made on the basis of further item analyses. The questionnaire was administered to eighth, ninth, and eleventh graders to obtain standardization information. The present and final form consists of two 30-item parallel forms, matched for content and psychometric properties. The items cover a wide range of preferences from social participation to risk taking and change activities, and are grouped into four content categories labeled self, classes, adults, and jobs. Results of different studies confirm the validity and reliability of the instrument. They also indicate that the questionnaire has high discriminating power among individuals in the suburban schools, but less so in urban schools. (LR)

A test developed to assess alienation in sixth grade Spanish American students was administered to migrant students in Grades 4-8. Validity studies indicate that the test may have been too difficult for the grade levels and cultural characteristics of that group. Recommendations for further testing are included. (See TM 000 995 for a copy of the instrument.) (AG)

Research conducted at Cornell University over the past decade suggests seven different learning competency factors are more pertinent to ineffective learning at the secondary school and college levels than reading competency. The Cornell Learning and Study Skills Inventory (CLASSIC) was developed to assess these factors, to serve as a means for corrective action in the area, and also to enable individuals to make a self assessment of these factors determined to be critical to learning effectiveness. Each of the seven part scores on CLASSIC covers one of the factors: (1) Goal Orientation, (2) Activity Structure, (3) Scholarly Skills, (4) Lecture Mastery, (5) Textbook Mastery, (6) Examination Mastery, and (7) Self Mastery. A Reading Validity Index is a rather unique aspect of CLASSIC. Eleven pairs of items are designed in such a manner that one item in each of eleven pairs of items is a reversal or partial reversal of the other; so that if the subject marks one item in a certain manner, he must mark the second item in the pair in a reverse manner to have self-agreement. Where there is an absence of self-agreement, the Inventory scores are not considered to be valid. Forms for both secondary and college students are available from Psychologists and Educators Press, Jacksonville, Illinois. Reliability for both forms is in high 80s and low 90s for the 120 items on the inventory. (Author/PR)

The booklet is an annotated compilation of data gathering instrumentation for use in planning, implementing, and evaluating career education programs. It contains two sections: (1) eighteen instruments developed by Delaware's Occupational-Vocational Education Model project staff for specific use in the local school system and (2) six commercially available instruments. The major criterion for selecting tests, surveys, and questionnaires was how well they measured project objectives. Commercially available instruments were used whenever feasible. An example of each project-developed instrument is included. Addresses of publishers of commercially available instruments are given. Three basic criteria for selecting a data gathering instrument are suggested; they are measurement validity, appropriateness, and administrative usability. (MS)

To determine the long-run impact of the CERLI training program, the trainees' abilities to function as Specialists in Continuing Education (SCE) had to be measured and assessed. This assessment is a followup to "Assessment of the CERLI Training Program Specialist in Continuing Education" (EA 002 706). The document reports on attempts to measure, collect, and analyze data reflecting (1) the SCEs' impact on others' attitudes and communications, and (2) the SCEs' activities and evaluations of the long-range impact of their training. The report summarizes instances, activities, and methods that were intended to systematically gather information to aid in the evaluation of the long-range impact of the Charleston Training Program. Although successful data collection activities are occasionally reported, the followup evaluation phase was generally characterized as an unsuccessful endeavor. The failure to produce sufficient and valid data is attributed to "many complex and interacting variables," which are not speculated about in the document. (DE)

An experimental study examined the possibility that proximity error could bias results from semantic differential questionnaires. Proximity error occurs when, due to the ordering, or polarity, of the differential scales, one answer on the semantic differential results in another answer to a subsequent question being substantially changed from what it would otherwise be. A computer produced a set of semantic differential questionnaires which were controlled for various kinds of proximity error--effects due to order of concept presentation, of adjective presentation, and of order of adjectives within a particular scale. Three experiments were conducted varying questionnaires and types of proximity error. In each experiment all measures indicated no significant differences in response traceable to questionnaire format manipulations, showing that proximity error was not a problem in administering semantic differential questionnaires. (BB)

To determine their professional opinion system, a questionnaire was administered to 3,252 school system personnel in twelve Florida counties and to 303 University of Florida sophomores, seniors, and graduate students. The subjects were classified as adherents of the cooperative or competitive democracy doctrines of education, according to their scores on the measure. They also completed the Professional-Social Characteristics Questionnaire. Data analyses included a one-way analysis of variance, F-ratio of differences among groups, t-ratio difference between two means, and product-moment correlation of educators' opinion systems and the socioeconomic beliefs of key "influentials" in each county. Professionals agreed on the educational ends and means and were biased toward the competitive doctrine. When classified on the bases of the differentiating professional-social variables, they differed in educational doctrines; no differentiated group had a consistent doctrine. Compared with the student groups, the professionals were more biased toward the competitive doctrine than the only student group that showed such a bias, the sophomores. Generally, professionals in the more abstract or academic group were less biased, and the concrete or applied group were more biased toward competitive education. The opinionnaire's ability to discriminate reliably among groups supports its validity as a test. (PR)

A re-analysis of the Situational Attitudes Scale (SAS) was conducted to investigate its generality, validity and reliability and to suggest a more conservative method of analyzing the data. Three forms of the SAS were developed under the name Situational Attitude Inventory. Forms A and B corresponded to the originals; they tested attitudes toward whites and blacks, respectively, in varying social situations. Form C was developed to test the validity of the social situations for differentiation among alternative referents, which included welfare, age, ethnicity, and physical characteristics. The SAS was administered to a random sample of new freshman and transfer students at Michigan State University in September, 1970. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and multiple t-tests of individual items and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) of scales constructed by the method of reciprocal averages (RAVE). Factor analysis demonstrated independence of SAS situations. Multiple t-test data showed that white 1970 new students had more negative attitudes toward blacks than whites. Profile analysis revealed that students reacted to the scales differentially, depending on the form of the instrument completed; aspects of the social situations affected their responses as well as the particular descriptive characteristics assigned to the actor(s). There is a "saving" of at least 89 statistical tests using this method of analysis over the previous one, as well as having a more widely understood estimate of reliability. (KM)

Materials utilizing a simulated environment approach were developed, produced, pilot tested, and evaluated to determine their usefulness as media for training programs and for behavioral research in the process of administration of special education. Background and task materials took the form of both written and audiovisual media, featuring a communications in-basket, telephone calls, filmed observations, and role-played conferences. Instruments for evaluating the materials consisted of a test used before and after treatment to assess behavioral change, a category scoring system to assess performance during the training sessions, and a participant opinionnaire. Two experimental groups (10 in one and 21 in the other) and two control groups (10 each) were involved. The following results were noted: performance scoring was reliable (interrater correlation coefficients were .81 to .98); differences between pre- and post-treatment were significant for experimental groups (p<.05) and were not significant for the control group; a lack of correlation between test and performance variables cast doubt on the validity of the test scales; and the materials were perceived by participants as an extremely valuable vehicle for training. The materials developed are appended. (Author/SN)

This study describes the procedures used to evaluate the effect of 28 leadership development programs for young and middle-aged adults. The educational experiences were divided into 4 groups -- low, medium, high, and very high -- depending on the level of the learners' participation and the extent to which the learning was focused on their interests and experiences. These factors were rated on a subjective basis by the author. From a variety of approaches to predicting successful group leaders, a series of short questions that actually discriminated successful from unsuccessful group leaders were selected. Three attitude questionnaires were put together in a leadership inventory and studies of its reliability ranged from .70 to .90 (odd-even and test-retest). Studies of its validity in eight field situations ranged from .23 to .69 with an average of about .50. These are multiple correlations and were established using the Aitken method with rank order correlations and the Jenkins method with product-moment correlations. The findings revealed that high participation led to a more significant attitude change than low participation. (nl)

A FIRST-YEAR EVALUATION WAS MADE OF SEVEN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, SET UP TO PROVIDE REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION IN BASIC EDUCATION AND IN METHODS OF SEEKING AND APPLYING FOR EMPLOYMENT, OFFERED UNDER THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT. PARTICIPANTS RANGED WIDELY IN AGE, (21-76) WITH A GREAT NUMBER IN THE ADVANCED AGE GROUP. THEIR EDUCATIONAL LEVEL WAS TYPICALLY IN THE UPPER ELEMENTARY YEARS. BECAUSE OF IRREGULARITY IN ATTENDANCE, TESTING WAS ADMINISTERED TO ONLY 37 OF THE PARTICIPANTS. THE GATES READING TEST WAS USED FOR WORD RECOGNITION AND PARAGRAPH READING, THE CALIFORNIA ARITHMETIC TEST FOR REASONING AND FUNDAMENTALS, AND THE OAKLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRIMARY WORD LIST FOR SPELLING. MODEST BUT SIGNIFICANT GAINS WERE MADE IN READING. GAINS IN ARITHMETIC WERE ABOUT TWICE THAT IN READING AND REFLECTED MONTH-FOR-MONTH GAINS ON THE AVERAGE. A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT GAIN WAS NOTED IN SPELLING. TEN OF THE 37 PARTICIPANTS OBTAINED PERFECT SCORES ON THE SPELLING TEST, A FACT WHICH RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE SUITABILITY OF THIS TEST FOR SUCH POPULATIONS. STAFF NOTICED POSITIVE CHANGES IN STUDENT ATTITUDES AND SELF-PERCEPTIONS AND STUDENT REACTIONS WERE FAVORABLE. (THE APPENDIX INCLUDES EVALUATIONS OF THE CENTERS BY TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, AND PARTICIPANTS.) (SM)

TWO QUESTIONNAIRES FOR MEASURING VOCATIONAL NEEDS WERE DEVELOPED. NEED WAS DEFINED AS "NEED FOR SPECIFIED REINFORCING CONDITIONS IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT." THE N-FACTORS QUESTIONNAIRE (NFQ) CONSISTED OF 48 TWO-RESPONSE CHOICE ITEMS, FOUR ITEMS FOR EACH OF 12 SCALES--ACHIEVEMENT, AUTHORITY, COWORKERS, CREATIVITY AND CHALLENGE, DEPENDENCE, INDEPENDENCE, MORAL VALUES, RECOGNITION, SECURITY, SELF EXPRESSION, SOCIAL SERVICE, AND SOCIAL STATUS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS COMPLETED BY 1,014 EMPLOYEES (521 DISABLED AND 493 NONDISABLED), AND DATA ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT ONLY FIVE SCALES HAD ADEQUATE RELIABILITIES. THE MINNESOTA IMPORTANCE QUESTIONNAIRE (MIQ) WAS DEVELOPED BY REVISING AND EXPANDING THE NFQ. NEW SCALES WERE ABILITY UTILIZATION, ACTIVITY, ADVANCEMENT, COMPANY POLICIES AND PRACTICES, COMPENSATION, RESPONSIBILITY, SUPERVISION--HUMAN RELATIONS, AND TECHNICAL, VARIETY, AND WORKING CONDITIONS. THE MIQ WAS COMPLETED BY 2,308 EMPLOYEES (DISABLED AND NONDISABLED) REPRESENTING BLUE COLLAR, NONSKILLED WHITE COLLAR, SKILLED WHITE COLLAR AND MANAGERIAL GROUPS, AND 503 COLLEGE STUDENTS. THE MIQ SCALES WERE SHOWN TO HAVE HIGH RELIABILITIES, AND APPEARED TO BE USEFUL IN VOCATIONAL DIAGNOSIS. DATA SUPPORTED THE ASSUMPTION THAT DISABILITY AFFECTS PERSONALITY. IT SUPPORTED THE "THEORY OF WORK ADJUSTMENT" WHICH STATED THAT THE NEED SET OF AN INDIVIDUAL UNDERGOES SOME CHANGES IN STRUCTURE WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES THE REINFORCERS IN WORK. (PA)

THIS IS A METHODOLOGICAL STUDY TO DETERMINE IF RELIABLE AND VALIDLY COMPARABLE DATA CAN BE OBTAINED FROM SCALES DESIGNED FOR USE WITH HEARING IMPAIRED, VISUALLY IMPAIRED, AND NON-IMPAIRED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE MAJOR INSTRUMENTS ASSESSED SELF CONCEPT OF ACADEMIC ABILITY. IT WAS CONCLUDED ON THE BASIS OF CROSS-VALIDATION AND OTHER ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES THAT RELIABLE AND VALIDLY COMPARABLE DATA CAN BE OBTAINED IN MASS TESTING WHEN CERTAIN METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES ARE FOLLOWED. A SUBPHASE OF THE STUDY INCLUDED A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF IMPAIRED RESIDENTIAL AND NON-IMPAIRED PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT (1) SELF CONCEPT OF ABILITY ACCOUNTS FOR MORE VARIATION IN GRADE POINT AVERAGE THAN IQ, (2) SELF CONCEPT IS AN INTERVENING VARIABLE BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT AND PERCPETIONS OF OTHERS, (3) TEACHERS' EVALUATIONS HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON SELF CONCEPT OF STUDENTS WHO ARE IMPAIRED AND IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS THAN ON NON-IMPAIRED STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, (4) PARENTS OF HEARING IMPAIRED RESIDENTIAL STUDENTS ARE PERCEIVED AS BEING LESS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW WELL THEY DO IN SCHOOL WHEN COMPARED TO PARENTS OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND NON-IMPAIRED STUDENTS, AND (5) THE HEARING IMPAIRED CAME FROM FAMILIES WITH LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS LEVELS. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GIVEN FOR DEVELOPING SCALES AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES FOR OBTAINING RELIABLE AND COMPARABLE SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL DATA THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRES AND FOR EXTENDING SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH INVOLVING HEARING IMPAIRED, VISUALLY IMPAIRED, AND NON-IMPAIRED POPULATIONS. APPENDIXES INCLUDE QUESTIONNAIRE SCHEDULES, SCHOOL RECORDS DATA, AND ADDITIONAL TABLES. FORTY REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. (AUTHOR)

Questionnaires are vulnerable to joking and suffer from lack of agreement regarding the unitary traits through which scales are validated. Eight basic requirements for construction of factor-true scales are established and it is shown that one or more of the requirements is missing for 80 percent of recently published questionnaires. (Author)

The experiment described in this bulletin is the result of a previous study of experimental examinations in mathematics (Bulletin No. 2). A basic multifacet test was constructed with 21 mathematical situations in arithmetic, algebra, and geometry and presented in three separate forms: Type 1 Traditional; 2 multi-choice (with four choices); and 3 True/False/Don't Know. Candidates were some 917 sixteen year old students from 27 secondary schools. The students were separated into 3 groups with each group given one type of test. Analysis of the results indicate that the traditional form was the hardest and the true/false/don't know the easiest. The reliability and validity of each form were found high but there was evidence that they were highest for Type 1 and lowest for Type 3. The item analysis indicated that a shorter test with fewer situations might serve adequately. Of major concern was the assessing of each form of the test which operated at a different level of difficulty. Evidence suggests that Type 1 might have measured aptitude rather than attainment; Type 2 measured attainment rather than aptitude; and Type 3 measured mathematical abilities unevenly over the range of candidates. The appendices describe the structure of the experiment and evidence in support of the conclusions. (LS)

An experimental examination was conducted using a multiple-choice test for the purpose of constructing an examination in mathematics. Some 1,125 secondary school students from various school districts were chosen as candidates. The test consisted of twenty mathematical situations requiring five true or false answers for each test item. No time limit was specified for the completion of the test. Markers were instructed to mark each correct answer +1, each incorrect answer -1, and 'no response' scored zero. This system of marking received considerable criticism, therefore, the test papers were marked both on the 'right minus wrong' basis and by taking into account only 'right' answers. Results show consistent sex difference in favor of boys in terms of scores on the test. The multifacet test used in this experiment was shown to have a good level of reliability and an acceptable level of validity. However, there appeared to be a distinct possibility that an average score could be obtained by guessing alone. To avoid this possibility, the alternative answer of 'don't know' was suggested for future testing. The four appendices present some observations from the mathematics panel of the Ministry of Education, the preliminary test, the final test used, and tables of statistics. (LS)

The Class Activities Questionnaire (CAQ) was used to compare a Canadian high school participating in a research project employing an information retrieval system with another not involved in the project. This paper evaluates the validity of the CAQ as a measurement instrument for this study. The CAQ was administered to 1831 students, 806 Science and 1025 English students, from the two high schools in Ottawa. A principal components factor analysis with a varimax rotation confirmed the earlier results of Steele, the developer of the instrument, that the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of instruction can be assessed and described using the CAQ. Although additional items are recommended to improve the measurement characteristics of the CAQ, results indicate that it is sufficiently reliable and valid for experimental use. Caution is advised against its use for routine classroom purposes. (Author/LR)

Intended as a manual for the Minnesota Satisfaction Scales, this monograph describes the development of the 28-item questionnaire designed to be completed by a worker's supervisor to assess the satisfactoriness of an employee. The scales were developed from supervisor ratings of 2,373 workers, and norms are provided for the occupational groups of Professional, Managerial and Technical, Clerical and Sales, Machine Trades and Bench Work, and Workers-in-General. The five scales show a median internal consistency reliability of .87, and a median test-retest reliability for several job groups over a 2-year interval was .50. Other technical data concerning the reliability and validity of the scales are provided. In addition to use a worker's supervisor, the scales can be used by a vocational rehabilitation agency or counselor in followup studies which evaluate the quality of counseling outcomes, or it can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of job placement or training programs. Authorization to use the scales may be obtained by writing to Vocational Psychology Research, 406 Elliott Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455. A related document is available as VT 006 939. (SB)