bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testing Correlations between Similar Measures in Small Samples
Authors: Braden Jeffery P.
Published: March 2007

Research investigating the agreement between parallel forms or similar measures with special groups usually fails to test the appropriate hypothesis regarding the measures. Investigators usually test the hypothesis that the measures are uncorrelated, but they fail to judge whether the measures are so highly correlated that they may be thought of as identical. A method is proposed for quantitatively determining whether two measures are equivalent when small samples are employed.
Reliability and Validity of the GED Tests
Authors: Whitney Douglas R. , Malizio Andrew G. , Patience Wayne M.
Published: March 2007

The Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests) are used throughout the United States and in much of Canada as a basis for awarding high school level equivalency credentials to adults who did not graduate from high school. The paper summarizes much of the available information concerning the reliability and validity of the GED Tests. These data were gathered in a number of studies conducted between 1978 and 1984. Results are given for both internal consistency and parallel forms reliabilities as well as for many aspects of validity. The data suggest that the test results are sufficiently reliable for continued use and that the validity evidence generally supports the intended uses of the tests.
The Construct and Concurrent Validity of a Measure of Academic Self-Concept and One of Locus of Control for a Sample of University Students
Authors: Caracosta Rhea , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

For a sample 239 undergraduate university students (135 males and 104 females) a factor analysis of the intercorrelations of 20 4-item subtests of the 5 scales (4 subtests per scale) of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form H, an academic self-concept measure, and of 6 subtests from the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR), a locus of control measure, revealed 5 distinct factors that correspond to the 5 a priori dimensions afforded by the DOSC but only one factor for the IAR. With respect to 3 self-report measures of academic achievement, the Level of Aspiration scale of the DOSC yielded the only 2 validity coefficients in excess of .30. It was concluded that (a) the DOSC reflects 5 distinct factor dimensions consistent with a theory of academic self-concept proposed by Michael and Smith (1976) and (b) the IAR is a unidimensional measure quite independent of the DOSC.
The Adequacy of Retrospective Judgments to Establish Instructional Validity
Authors: Poggio John P. , Miller M. David , Glasnapp Douglas R.
Published: March 2007

Typically, instructional validity is assessed by asking expert judges whether the population of test takers have had the opportunity to learn the content of individual items. The wide variation in content of teacher certification tests makes it necessary for expert judges to assess the instructional validity of items that are learned prior to entry into a teacher education program or content covering different areas in education. Thus, the assessment required of expert judges can be best characterized as retrospective. In this paper, we examine the validity of these judgments in an evaluation of the NTE Core Battery. The instructional validity ratings are examined in relation to actual test performance, as well as the panelists' ratings of item difficulty and relevance.
Sex Bias in Job Evaluation: The Effect of Sex on Judgments of Factor and Level Weights
Authors: Cooper Elizabeth A. , Doverspike Dennis , Barrett Gerald V. , Alexander Ralph A.
Published: March 2007

Job evaluation instruments have recently been the subject of a number of critical reviews. In these reviews, job evaluation methods have been criticized for sex bias in the selection and weighting of factors. The present work investigated whether males and females differed in their ratings of importance on ten job evaluation factors and whether different weighting techniques would result in different wage structures. The results indicated that rater gender explained little of the variation in the ratings of the job evaluation factors.
Quantitative and Qualitative Intersections between the Eight State Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States
Authors: Boyle Gregory J.
Published: March 2007

Canonical-redundancy analyses were computed across the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Eight State Questionnaire (8SQ) on a sample of 289 college undergraduates in order to estimate the degree of measurement overlap of the two multidimensional mood-state instruments. Additionally, content similarities and differences across subscales were investigated via a stepwise forward multiple regression approach. Results indicated some measurement commonality across instruments, but also demonstrated that the POMS and 8SQ tap considerable discrete mood-state variance. These findings add to a gradually emerging picture of the interrelationships among emotional states.
Comparison of the Rare Response and Vertical Percent Methods for Scoring the Biographical Information Blank
Authors: Aamodt Michael G. , Pierce Walter L.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of two methods for scoring biographical information blanks. Data from five separate samples were weighted using the vertical percent method advocated by England (1971) and the rare response method suggested by Telenson, Alexander, and Barrett (1983). The results revealed that vertical percent scoring yielded significant validity coefficients for all five samples, while rare response scoring yielded significant validity coefficients for only two of the five samples. The results were discussed in terms of future applications for constructing valid biographical information blanks.
The Effects of Knowledge of Item Arrangement, Gender, and Statistical and Cognitive Item Difficulty on Test Performance
Authors: Lane David S. , Bull Kay S. , Kundert Deborah K. , Newman Dianna L.
Published: March 2007

In two experiments the writers investigated the effects of statistical and cognitive difficulty ordering of test items, gender, and explicit labeling of item type on test performance of college students. Students were given tests with items written on various statistical and cognitive difficulty levels. In addition, some students received tests on which the items were explicitly labeled as to the cognitive difficulty (knowledge, comprehension, application) of the item. Analysis of the results indicated significant effects for gender and use of labels. Item ordering effects were not consistent across the two studies.
The Long-Term Predictive Validity of the Musical Aptitude Profile Relative to Criteria of Grades in Music Theory and Applied Music
Authors: Harrison Carole S.
Published: March 2007

In a longitudinal follow-up investigation spanning approximately five years with an initial sample of 135 freshman music majors, the Musical Aptitude Profile (MAP) (Gordon, 1965) revealed some statistically significant validity coefficients for Tonal Imagery subtest scores, Rhythm Imagery subtest scores, and the Composite Score of the MAP relative to course grades in music theory for the first three semesters of coursework and grades in the components of these music theory courses. Whereas the Tonal Imagery subtest was found to be the most valid predictor of success in the three components of each of the first two courses in music theory, it afforded no significant predictive validity for grades in any of the components of the third semester course. The Rhythm Imagery subtest of the MAP, however, continued to be modestly valid in predicting grades in the sight-singing and ear-training components of the third semester of music theory. No statistically significant validity coefficients were obtained for the MAP as a predictor of grades in the fourth and fifth semesters of music theory coursework or in applied music.
The Feasibility of Creating an Item Bank from a Teacher-Made Test, Using the Rasch Model
Authors: O'Brien Michael L. , Hampilos John Peter
Published: March 2007

This study focussed on the feasibility of creating an item bank for a teacher-made test. Procedures for investigating reliability and validity at the level of the individual item are illustrated. The results indicated that the prospect of creating useful item banks for teacher-made tests would be favorable, given consistent instructional techniques and careful attention to item construction. In addition, a procedure for establishing criterion-referenced grading is discussed.
Effects of Item Context on Intrajudge Consistency of Expert Judgments via the Nedelsky Standard Setting Method
Authors: Plake Barbara S. , Melican Gerald J.
Published: March 2007

Judgmental methods for estimating passing scores generally are accomplished by having testing specialists evaluate items in an intact test form. Alternatively, judges are asked to rate individual items from an item pool. Cutscores are determined by these ratings when the items are chosen from the pool to form the operational test. This approach to establishing cutscores assumes (a) stable definitions of minimal competency from the time of review to time of assembly into the operational form and (b) invariance of item rating judgments to test form contextual variables. This study was concerned with the impact of overall test length and difficulty on the expert judgments of item performance by using the Nedelsky method. Results suggest that the judges are fairly consistent in their ratings of items regardless of overall test length or difficulty.
Automated Psychological Testing: Method of Administration, Need for Approval, and Measures of Anxiety
Authors: Davis Caroline , Cowles Michael
Published: March 2007

The Eysenck Personality Inventory, Endler's Multidimensional Anxiety Scales, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were administered on two occasions separated by a period of two months to three groups of subjects. One group took the standard paper-and-pencil versions of the tests; the second group, the computerized versions; and the third group, a computerized version on one occasion and a paper-and-pencil version on the other. Test-retest reliability was greatest for computer administration. There was a strong tendency for individuals in the computer condition to give responses related to low trait anxiety and to high standing on "internality." These measures also were related to high scores on social desirability or "need for approval." The results suggest that `'faking good' leads to low scores on "anxiety" scales and that this effect is particularly strong when tests are administered by computer. The data raise some doubts about the assumed efficacy of computerized testing.
Retest Effects on Standardized Structure-of-Intellect Ability Measures for a Sample of Elementary School Children
Authors: LeGagnoux Gerald , Michael William B. , Hocevar Dennis , Maxwell Valarie
Published: March 2007

Within the context of a battery of 26 multifactor aptitude tests entitled the Structure of Intellect Learning Abilities Test and developed from the structure-of-intellect conceptual framework, the major purpose of this study was to examine for a sample of more than 2,000 elementary school children the nature and degree of relationship of retest effects from a first testing (pretest) to a second testing (posttest) two to four weeks later to (a) grade level (age), (b) gender, (c) general ability level, and (d) use of an identical or parallel form on the posttest in relation to the pretest. The gain scores in standard score form on the 26 SOI-LA subtests constituted the 26 dependent variables.

A four-way univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) on unique effects (i.e., a simultaneous solution) was conducted. Results suggested the following conclusions. Younger children tended to show greater mean gain scores than older children. Gender appears to be unrelated to score changes upon retesting. Greater mean gain scores were evident for low ability children than for high ability children. Greater score gains may be expected on ability measures when the posttest is the same test form as the pretest than when the posttest is a parallel test form.
A Non-Parametric Variable Selection Algorithm for Allocatory Linear Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Seaman Samuel L. , Young Dean M.
Published: March 2007

A computationally efficient nonparametric algorithm is proposed for the selection of variables in allocatory discriminant analysis. The efficiency of the algorithm derives from an ability to reuse calculations for the inverse of a nonsingular matrix. A subset of the original variables is found for which the leave-one-out estimate of the conditional probability of misclassification is never significantly greater than the estimated conditional probability of misclassification for the full set of predicate variables.
Multinor: A Fortran Program that Assists in Evaluating Multivariate Normality
Authors: Thompson Bruce
Published: March 2007

Most significance tests require assumptions about how data are distributed. Multivariate procedures and covariance modelling procedures such as LISREL require that data be multivariate normal. Program MULTINOR provides a graphical test of whether data are multivariate normally distributed. Significance tests of multivariate normality are not available in commonly-used statistics packages, and graphical tests are tedious to implement with statistical packages and require access to statistics not readily available for some research problems.
Literal versus Metaphorical Interpretations of Scale Terms: A Serendipitous Natural Experiment
Authors: Sommer Robert
Published: March 2007

Due to a clerical error, a teaching evaluation form used in a psychology department during Fall, 1990, combined a grading format with opinion items. Course evaluations on the incongruous form were compared with evaluations of the same courses taught by the same instructors using a consistent opinion format. Results for individual instructors, courses, and items were similar on the two administrations, supporting the view that the terms used in teaching evaluation scales are interpreted metaphorically rather than literally.
Predicting Academic Success of Students in a Master of Business Administration Program
Authors: Graham Lawrence D.
Published: March 2007

The results of a study to correlate graduate school of business entrance criteria with success in a Master of Business Administration program (as measured by graduate GPA) are reported. Two groups of graduate students ( n = 50 for each group) were randomly selected from a pool of 203 recent graduates. One group had taken the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT); the second group, the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Ten predictor variables were used in bivariate and stepwise multiple regression analyses. The 10 variables were number of semesters in the program, undergraduate GPA, age, ethnic background, sex, marital status, GMAT score, MAT score, number of years since undergraduate degree completion, and the type of undergraduate degree earned (BS vs. BA). Results revealed a strong correlation between the GMAT score and graduate GPA, especially when combined with undergraduate GPA. The relationship between MAT score and graduate GPA was significant, but not as strong as that between GMAT and graduate GPA. There was a strong relationship between ethnic background and graduate GPA when using the MAT.
Answering Reading Comprehension Items without Passages on the Sat when Items are Quasi-Randomized
Authors: Katz Stuart , Blackburn A. Boyd , Lautenschlager Gary J.
Published: March 2007

Recent research has demonstrated that many SAT Reading Comprehension items can be answered without the passages accompanying them. One reason may be that examinees use information from other items ("cognates") belonging to the same passage. In this study such information was made virtually inaccessible by dispersing cognates among other reading comprehension items. Overall examinee performance was well above chance and unaffected by this procedure, although performance was enhanced or diminished in about one of four items. The results suggest that, without the passage, examinees correctly answer items by employing outside knowledge and testing skills that are largely independent of information provided by cognates.
Reliability and Validity of a Scale Measuring Attitudes toward Mainstreaming
Authors: Chow Peter , Winzer Margret M.
Published: March 2007

A 25-item Likert-type survey scale which was constructed to measure teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming was analyzed using item-response theory (IRT) and confirmatory factor analysis (LISREL). A three-factor model was shown to fit the data well. It is suggested that both factor scores and IRT scores can be used in discriminant analyses.
Reevaluating the Factor Structure of the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale
Authors: Wilczenski Felicia L.
Published: March 2007

The factor structure of the revised Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale was reevaluated. The scale was developed to measure attitudes toward the integration of students with disabilities into regular classrooms. Subjects were 229 undergraduate education majors. Factor analytic procedures yielded a different factor structure than that reported in previous validation studies. Implications of the findings for the use of the Attitudes Toward Mainstreaming Scale in studies of mainstreaming are discussed.
Validation of a New Leader-Member Exchange Scale (Lmx-6) Using Hierarchically-Nested Maximum Likelihood Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Authors: Schriesheim Chester A. , Scandura Terri A. , Eisenbach Regina J. , Neider Linda L.
Published: March 2007

The convergent and discriminant validity of a short (6-item) new leader-member exchange scale (LMX-6) was investigated using hierarchically-nested maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analyses. Using data from a sample of 221 MBA students, the validity of the new scale was confirmed by its high and significant loadings on a leader-member exchange factor and by the superiority of a model with a separate leader-member exchange factor over all other rival models. Directions for future research are briefly discussed.
Simple and Hierarchical Models for Stochastic Test Misgrading
Authors: Wang Jianjun
Published: March 2007

The test misgrading is treated in this paper as a stochastic process. Three characteristic values, the expected number of misgradings, the expected inter-occurrence time of misgradings, and the expected waiting time for the nth misgrading, are discussed based on a simple Poisson model and a hierarchical Beta-Poisson model. Regular tests for classroom teaching and the Test of Written English (TWE) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are illustrated as examples in the model construction.
Mglm: A Pascal Program for Multivariate Linear Modeling
Authors: Lutz J. Gary , Cundari Leigh A.
Published: March 2007

A PC-based program is described, the purpose of which is to perform estimation and hypothesis testing for multivariate linear models with options for post-hoc investigation, including discriminant analysis and the determination of the most significant parametric function. The program, which is equally useful as a teaching or a research tool, is based on the formulation of the multivariate general linear model. The user is given complete freedom of expression for models, hypotheses, parametric functions, and data transformations.
Exact Goodness-Of-Fit Probability Tests for Analyzing Categorical Data
Authors: Mielke Paul W. , Berry Kenneth J.
Published: March 2007

Algorithms and associated FORTRAN subroutines for exact good-ness-of-fit probability tests are presented. Classifications from two to six categories are considered. The use of recursion and an arbitrary initial value ensures computational efficiency.
Significance Testing of Correlation Using Scores, Ranks, and Modified Ranks
Authors: Zimmerman Donald W. , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: March 2007

A computer simulation study compared significance tests of correlation coefficients calculated from initial scores, from ranks assigned by the Spearman method, and from three kinds of modified ranks in which N sample values were replaced by N12, N/3, and N14 integers. Tests based on the initial scores are more powerful than those based on the various ranks for normal distributions, whereas the reverse is true for mixed-normal, exponential, and Cauchy distributions. Probabilities of Type I and Type II errors are unaffected by reduction in the number of ranks. Implications of these findings for the notion that rank correlation is a nonparametric correlation method are discussed.
A Microsofit Fortran 77 Program for Determining the Confidence Interval Around the Estimate of the Population Correlation Coefficient for the Vote-Counting Method
Authors: Wang Morgan C. , Silver N. Clayton
Published: March 2007

A FORTRAN 77 program is presented that determines the confidence interval around the estimate of the population correlation coefficient via normal and chi-square approximations for large sample sizes and an exact method via the binomial distribution for small sample sizes. This program is used in the vote-counting method of meta-analysis.
An Investigation of the Predictive Validity of Computer Anxiety and Computer Aptitude
Authors: Szajna Bernadette
Published: March 2007

The predictive validity of computer aptitude, as measured by four aptitude subtests on the Computer Aptitude, Literacy, and Interest Profile and two computer anxiety instruments (the Computer Anxiety Scale and the Computer Anxiety Factor), was investigated using non programming computer performance as the criterion variable. The effects of computer anxiety on performance were inconsistent, and the suggestion is made that computer anxiety may be related to computer experience. The effects of computer aptitude on performance also yielded inconsistent results. The relationship between computer anxiety and computer aptitude varied. The reliability of the instruments is also reported.
Predicting Graduate Student Success in an MBA Program: Regression Versus Classification
Authors: Wilson Rick L. , Hardgrave Bill C.
Published: March 2007

The decision to accept a student into a graduate program is a difficult one, based upon many factors that are used to predict the success of the applicant. Typically, regression analysis has been used to develop a prediction mechanism. Unfortunately, as is shown in this article, these regression models can be ineffective in predicting success or failure. This article evaluates the ability of different models, including the classification techniques of discriminant analysis, logistic regression, and neural networks, to predict the academic success of MBA students. The conclusions of this study are that (a) classification techniques may be an appropriate approach to the problem, (b) predicting success and failure of graduate students is difficult using only the typical data describing the subjects, and (c) nonparametric procedures, such as neural networks, perform at least as well as traditional methods and are worthy of further investigation.
Development of a Scale to Measure Attitudes toward Inclusive Education
Authors: Wilczenski Felicia L.
Published: March 2007

This study was conducted to scale the Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (ATIES) with Rasch analysis. The ATIES records positive and negative attitudes toward integrating children with various disabilities into regular classes. Rasch analysis resolved the nonlinear relationship between the finite range of recorded ATIES scores and the conceptually infinite range of attitudes. Results showed that the 16-item scale defined a unidimensional attitudinal variable and yielded interval measures of attitudes toward inclusive education.
Factor Structure of the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT) for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics
Authors: Kaufman Alan S. , Kaufman James C. , McLean James E.
Published: March 2007

Factor-analyzed data for three race/ethnic groups on the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT) for people ages 11 to 93 are reported. Factor structures for Whites (N= 1,535), African Americans (N = 226), and Hispanics (N = 140) yielded Fluid and Crystallized dimensions that were congruent across race/ethnic groups and provided construct validity evidence for each subsample. The "g" factors for the three samples yielded congruence coefficients above .99. The KAIT results were interpreted in the context of previous investigations, especially with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised.
Pairwise Comparisons among Proportions
Authors: Williams Richard H. , LeBlanc William G.
Published: March 2007

The SAS System was used to program an algorithm designed to construct pairwise multiple comparisons among proportions. The statistical method is attributable to Levy and is based on a procedure described by Spjøtvoll and Stoline, which is an extension of Tukey's T-method. This SAS program can accommodate applications involving unequal sample sizes for a set of k independent sample proportions.
Determining the Optimal Number of Alternatives to a Multiple-Choice Test Item: An Information Theoretic Perspective
Authors: Bruno James E. , Dirkzwager A.
Published: March 2007

This study examines the question of the optimal number of choices on a multiple-choice test from an information theory perspective. Results are compared to addressing this question using more traditional statistical approaches. Based on information theory, the study reveals that, in general, three choices to a multiple-choice test item seem optimal. This finding verifies what other researchers have found from statistical and observational (item analysis) approaches.
Preliminary Evidence of the Validity of the WISC-III for African American Students Undergoing Special Education Evaluation
Authors: Slate John R. , Jones Craig H.
Published: March 2007

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (WISC-III) with African American students undergoing special education evaluations. In Study 1, correlations between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R) and WISC-III scores were examined for 31 African American students undergoing 3-year reevaluations for special education. The correlations obtained were comparable to those reported in the WISC-III manual, but WISC-III scores were lower than scores on the WISC-R. In Study 2, the factor structure of the WISC-III was investigated for 58 African American students undergoing initial special education evaluations. Although unrotated factors supported the validity of the WISC-III, some problems arose following varimax rotation.
Individual Dirences in the Generation and Processing of Performance Feedback
Authors: Herold David M. , Parsons Charles K. , Rensvold Roger B.
Published: March 2007

This article describes the development of three domain-specific measures of individual differences in feedback propensities. In a series of studies, the authors identify the primary dimensions, psychometric characteristics, and construct validation evidence for internal ability, internal propensity, and external propensity for feedback. Confirmatory factor analysis supports the three dimensional representation. Correlations between the new scales and existing measures of personality are consistent with theoretical predictions. Theoretical and practical extensions of the current work are discussed.
Refinement of the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale
Authors: Hong Sung-Mook , Faedda Salvatora
Published: March 2007

Data from 3,085 respondents from metropolitan Sydney, Australia were used to refine the 14-item Hong Psychological Reactance Scale. Results consistently showed three problematic items, which led to a refined 11-item scale. A series of factor analyses yielded a distinctive four-factor structure that was perfectly congruent among the total sample and the four subsamples: males, females, university students, and nonuniversity students. Cronbach alpha, split-halfs, and theta coefficients were found to be very satisfactory for the refined scale. The convergent and discriminant validities for the 1 1-item scale were tested with various personality constructs.
An Objective Counterpart to the Visual Scree Test for Factor Analysis: The Standard Error Scree
Authors: Zoski Keith W. , Jurs Stephen
Published: March 2007

Many methods have been suggested for determining the number of factors in factor analysis solutions, most of them trying to match visual solutions. Presented here is a linear regression approach providing objectivity while producing the same results as the visual scree test. The standard error scree is based on the standard error of estimate for a set of points in the plot of eigenvalues. The number of factors to retain corresponds to the point where the standard error exceeds 1/m, where m is the numbers of variables in the analysis. Experience with the method to date indicates that the results are consistent with visual solutions.
The Effect of Population Distribution and Method of Theta Estimation on Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) Using the Rating Scale Model
Authors: Chen Ssu-Kuang , Hou Liling , Fitzpatrick Steven J. , Dodd Barbara G.
Published: March 2007

A simulation study was conducted to investigate the effect of population distribution on maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and expected a posteriori estimation (EAP) in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) based on Andrich's rating scale model. Comparisons were made among MLE and EAP with a normal prior distribution and EAP with a uniform prior distribution within two data sets: one generated using a normal trait distribution and the other using a negatively skewed trait distribution. Descriptive statistics, correlations, scattergrams, and accuracy indices were used to compare the different methods of trait estimation. EAP estimation with a normal prior or uniformprior yielded results similar to those obtained with MLE, even though the prior did not match the underlying trait distribution. An additional simulation study based on real data suggested that more work is needed to determine the optimal number of quadrature points for EAP in CAT based on the rating scale model. The choice between MLE and EAP for particular measurement situations is discussed.
Development of the Faculty Beliefs about Grades Inventory
Authors: Barnes Laura L. B.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study was to report on the development of a new instrument, the Faculty Beliefs About Grades Inventory (FBGI). The instrument contains three scales. The first scale measures college faculty members' attitudes toward norm- and criterion-referenced grading. The second and third scales measure attitudes toward the sorting and selection function of grades. Two hundred forty-three faculty members from two research universities in the Midwest completed the FBGI. Results showed scores for two scales that had satisfactory internal consistency reliabilities (.86 and .83); reliability for scores on the third scale was only .66. The scale measuring attitudes toward norm- and criterion-referenced grading correlated from .52 to .69, with self-reported use of norm- and criterion-referenced grading methods. Although a more favorable attitude toward norm-referenced grading was associated with a belief in the sorting and selection function of grades (r = .39 between the first two scales), results suggested these are two conceptually distinct constructs.
A Bootstrap Modification of the Alexander-Govern ANOVA Method, Plus Comments on Comparing Trimmed Means
Authors: Wilcox Rand R.
Published: March 2007

This article reports some results on how the Alexander-Govern heteroscedastic analysis of variance procedure performs under non-normality. It is illustrated that this method can provide poor control over the probability of a Type I error and that there are situations in which power decreases as the the differences among the means get large. Included are some results on how the Alexander-Govern procedure might be improved using a particular form of the bootstrap method advocated by Westfall and Young. For comparative purposes, some new results on comparing trimmed means are reported as well.
Assessing the Validity of Scores on the Charles F. Kei'Ering Scale for the Junior High School
Authors: Johnson William L. , Johnson Annabel M. , Gott Richard , Zimmerman Kurt
Published: March 2007

The factor structure of the Charles F. Kettering Climate Scale (CFK) was investigated with data from 351 junior high adolescents, Grades 7 through 9, in two school campuses in the southwestern United States. Students completed Part A, the General Climate Factors section of the CFK, in their classrooms. The primary and secondary factor structures are reported as are the Cronbach alpha reliability measures for scores on the second-order structures. The higher order solutions suggest generalizations across the primary structures.
Mean Centering in Moderated Multiple Regression: Much Ado about Nothing
Authors: Kromrey Jeffrey D. , Foster-Johnson Lynn
Published: March 2007

Centering variables prior to the analysis of moderated multiple regression equations has been advocated for reasons both statistical (reduction of multicollinearity) and substantive (improved interpretation of the resulting regression equations). This article provides a comparison of centered and raw score analyses in least squares regression. The two methods are demonstrated to be equivalent, yielding identical hypothesis tests associated with the moderation effect and regression equations that are functionally equivalent.
Power Calculation for Independent Samples Hotelling's T2 Using PROC IML In SAS
Authors: Algina James , Hombo Catherine M.
Published: March 2007

The SAS system has been used to program power calculations for independent samples T2. Three programs have been prepared to accommodate variations in the information that may be available to do the power analysis.
The Relative Difficulty of Selected Test-Wiseness Skills among College Students
Authors: Morse David T.
Published: March 2007

Although there is much research on test-wiseness, ease of exercising various test-taking skills has received scant attention. Participants in the present study were 243 undergraduate students who attempted the 70-item Gibb Experimental Test of Testwiseness, designed to measure seven test-wiseness skills. The results indicated the use of specific determiners as a cue to be significantly more challenging than eliminating irrelevant alternatives, selecting the alternative having the most information, or using grammar cues. It appears that not all test-wiseness skills are equally easy to employ. Researchers or trainers addressing test-wiseness should take into account these differences.
Meg: Megacluster Analytic Strategy for Multistage Hierarchical Grouping with Relocations and Replications
Authors: McDermoit Paul A.
Published: March 2007

An analytic and computer strategy is introduced and demonstrated for multistage Euclidean grouping (MEG). The procedure sequentially produces first-stage clusters for independent data blocks; second-stage, higher order clusters based on a full similarity matrix for fist-stage clusters; and third-stage clusters that allow case migration to relocate prior misassignments and to optimize within-cluster homogeneity. The process is facilitated by special SAS computer codes and, in addition to conventional SAS cluster output, produces special fusion statistics, plots of all fusion statistics, and indices of homogeneity within clusters and within profile variables. The program also reports replication rates for final clusters.
A Historical Comparison of Validity Standards and Validity Practices
Authors: Jonson Jessica L. , Plake Barbara S.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the relationship between the validity theory of the past 50 years with actual validity practices. This process involved the comparison of validity requirements and theory as they appeared in the published test standards (by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education) to the practices of measurement professionals. Each of the four sets of test standards were operationally defined and then compared to information and opinions about validity evidence expressed in the Mental Measurements Yearbook test reviews. Results from this process indicate that the theoretical modifications to the concept of validity have been carried over into validity practice. However, it was also found that operational modifications to the concept of validity have been influenced by validity practice. Therefore, there appears to be a symbiotic relationship between theory and practice on the influence of validity.
A Note on Procrustean Rotation in Exploratory Factor Analysis: A Computer Intensive Approach to Goodness-of-Fit Evaluation
Authors: Raykov Tenko , Little Todd D.
Published: March 2007

A method for evaluating results of Procrustean rotation to a target factor pattern matrix in exploratory factor analysis is described. The approach is based on the bootstrap methodology. The method yields empirical approximations of the sampling distributions of (a) the differences between corresponding elements of the target and rotated factor pattern matrices and (b) the overall least-squares fit measure assessing similarity between the two matrices. The method is demonstrated on a simulated data set.
Environment and Crime in the Inner City
Authors: Kuo Frances E. , Sullivan William C.
Published: March 2007

Although vegetation has been positively linked to fear of crime and crime in a number of settings, recent findings in urban residential areas have hinted at a possible negative relationship: Residents living in “greener” surroundings report lower levels of fear, fewer incivilities, and less aggressive and violent behavior. This study used police crime reports to examine the relationship between vegetation and crime in an inner-city neighborhood. Crime rates for 98 apartment buildings with varying levels of nearby vegetation were compared. Results indicate that although residents were randomly assigned to different levels of nearby vegetation, the greener a building’s surroundings were, the fewer crimes reported. Furthermore, this pattern held for both property crimes and violent crimes. The relationship of vegetation to crime held after the number of apartments per building, building height, vacancy rate, and number of occupied units per building were accounted for.
Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of Interior, Designed Spaces
Authors: Hall Rob , Purcell A. Terrance , Thorne Ross , Metcalfe John
Published: March 2007

Multidimensional scaling configurations were obtained for the same set of 11 stimuli (commercial office foyers) using data from two different judgmental tasks completed by the same group of subjects. The degree of fit between the two configurations suggests that similarity judgments analysed by multidimensional scaling methods provide useful information about the way in which subjects perceive their environment.
Perceptions of Crowding
Authors: Schmidt Donald E. , Goldman Roy D. , Feimer Nickolaus R.
Published: March 2007

Interest in crowding has generated a large number of animal and correlational studies. Yet, this research has not addressed itself to the questions of broader importance, namely, what are the effects of dense environments on human behavior, perception, and general well being. The laboratory and field research on human crowding has been used to develop two primary explanations. Crowding has been described as a negative affective reaction to social or behavioral interference from others in a setting and has also been defined as overstimulation emanating from social sources. The present paper details the results of a large-scale field study that was conducted in the cities of River-side and San Bernardino, California, aimed at testing these two theoretical approaches in a field setting. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the perception of crowding at the residence, neighborhood, and city levels by phsychological and physical variables. We found that the behavioral or social interference approach was the best general explanation for the perception of crowding at all three levels of analysis. Psychological factors became increasingly important for the prediction of crowding as one moved from the immediate residence to the less immediate city level. Conversely, physical measures were important at the residential level, but progressively less important in the neighborhood and city. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.
McDonald's Litter Hunt
Authors: McNees M. Patrick , Schnelle John F. , Gendrich John , Thomas Murphy M. , Beagle Gwen
Published: March 2007

While environmental degradation continues to be a topic of considerable interest and research, litter continues to plague American communities. A program that integrates existing community resources into a cost-efficient system that effectively controls community litter would appear to be a vitally important component of any comprehensive litter control technology. The present program was implemented through one of the most common businesses in American communities, McDonald's, and was designed for the most important population of citizens for the future enhancement of our environment, youth. Special adhesive stickers were randomly placed on existing litter throughout a community and youth were rewarded with special prizes by McDonald's for participating in the program and finding the "special" litter pieces. When the program was implemented, litter was reduced 32% across the city. Thus, through the utilization of existing community resources, a pervasive environmental and community concern was substantially impacted.
Prompting Behavior Change in the Community
Authors: Schnelle John F. , McNees M. Patrick , Thomas Murphy M. , Gendrich John G. , Beagle Gwen P.
Published: March 2007

Newspapers play a critical role in the dissemination of information to the public. Systematic attempts to evaluate the newspaper as a viable method of changing community behavior are sparse in the literature. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effects of daily newspaper prompting and graphical feedback on the amount of litter in yards along streets of a small city. Daily measures of ground litter were taken in three areas: two residential and commercial and the other near a city school. An initial article calling for an antilitter campaign and daily information concerning the amount of litter present was published in the local newspaper. When the prompting and feedback procedure was published, the amount of litter decreased from 21% to 48%. It seems that appropriate newspaper publicity can be used effectively to control litter. One-month follow-up measures indicated that the effect was temporary. Consistent newspaper feedback may be necessary to maintain behavior change.
Classroom Seating Location, Student Grades, and Attitudes
Authors: Stires Lloyd
Published: March 2007

A previous study by Becker et al. demonstrated that students who sit near the front and center of a classroom get better grades and like the instructor better than students who sit in the back or at the sides. To determine whether this was a true environmental effect or an artifact of self-selection, students in one class were permitted to choose their seats (choice condition), while students in another section of the same class were assigned seats alphabetically (no choice). Regardless of choice condition, students seated in the middle of the room got higher grades, liked the course better, and liked the instructors better than students seated at the sides. Location effects were obtained on several other dependent variables. In only one instance did location interact with choice. The results are interpreted as supporting the environmental hypothesis rather than the self-selection hypothesis.
Affective Quality Attributed to Environments
Authors: Russell James A. , Ward Lawrence M. , Pratt Geraldine
Published: March 2007

A set of 105 commonly used adjectives descriptive of the affective quality of molar physical environments was developed and factor analyzed (based on 323 subjects' ratings, each of a different environment). Two, independent, bipolar factors of affective quality-pleasing and arousing quality-were obtained and shown to correlate highly with subjects' affective reactions of pleasure and arousal to the environments. The pleasing and- arousing quality dimensions were hypothesized to summarize the emotive capacity attributed to environments and to adequately define the numerous affective descriptors commonly used: peaceful, festive, hectic, disgusting, boring, and the like. They were also offered as partial interpretations of the semantic differential factors of evaluation and activity, respectively.
Prompting Thermostat Setting Behavior
Authors: Luyben Paul D.
Published: March 2007

Variations in prompting procedures have been used widely to encourage energy conservation. Findings generally show that prompts produce relatively small changes. One question of interest is the potential for change when intensive prompts to conserve energy do exist. Two surveys were conducted to assess thermostat setting during the natural gas crisis of 1977, when President Carter appealed to citizens to turn their thermostats to 65 degrees: a door-to-door survey in which thermostat settings were actually observed immediately after President Carter's appeal, and a telephone survey to obtain reports of thermostat settings. The results showed that: (1) only 27% of households had their thermostats set to 65 degrees or lower after President Carter's appeal; (2) those who heard the appeal were not significantly different from those who did not, on a variety of measures; (3) reports of thermostat settings were significantly lower than observed settings; and (4) indirect evidence suggests that citizens made only limited readjustments in thermostat settings as a result of the gas crisis.
Impact of Impaired Visibility on Visitor Enjoyment of the Grand Canyon
Authors: Bell Paul A. , Malm William , Loomis Ross J. , McGlothin Gerald E.
Published: March 2007

An ordered logit probability model of the impact of visibility impairment on visitor enjoyment of the Grand Canyon was examined. Ninety male and female undergraduates rank ordered the six alternatives of a stimulus set. Each alternative consisted of one of three levels of visibility at each of three vistas, a driving time to the vistas, and a waiting time to get into an archaeological site. Results indicated that a wide range of driving times (0-2.5 hours) and waiting times (0-1 hour) yielded a significant coefficient for each of the five attributes in the alternatives. Examination of trade-off ratios indicated that subjects were willing to spend about an hour more in driving time or half an hour more in waiting time for a one-unit increase in visibility of the San Francisco Peaks. Differential vista sensitivities to changes in visibility were also demonstrated. Additional questions to be explored with the model are discussed.