Results from two Monte Carlo studies in item response theory (comparisons of computer item analysis programs and Bayes estimation procedures) are analyzed with inferential methods to illustrate the procedures' strengths. It is recommended that researchers in item response theory use both descriptive and inferential methods to analyze Monte Carlo…

The psychometric characteristics of the Henderson Environmental Learning Process Scale (HELPS) were studied with 385 parents of school-aged children. Factor analysis provided a conceptually meaningful six-factor solution, but internal consistency reliabilities of scores on three factors were unacceptably low. With some modifications, the HELPS…

Evidence from 2,063 elementary and secondary school students who took the School Achievement Motivation Rating Scale developed through the participation of 30 teachers supports the internal consistency and stability of scores from the scale. Evidence of concurrent and construct validity is also provided. (SLD)

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the eight cross-informant scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Aschenbach, 1991) using data from 631 youth ages 8 to 18. Results support Aschenbach's eight- correlated-factor model and the construct validity of the measure's scores. (SLD)

The dimensionality of the Measure of Ingratiatory Behaviors in Organizational Settings (MIBOS) (K. Kumar and M. Beyerlein, 1991) was studied with data from 203 state government employees. Results do not confirm the factor solution proposed by the measure's creators. Suggestions are offered to improve the psychometric properties of the MIBOS scale.…

Reliability and construct and criterion-related validity of scores on the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale--Teacher Version were studied with 151 teachers of 1,766 elementary school students and 30 teachers of 131 students. Factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure. Results support the measure's internal consistency and convergent…

The psychometric properties of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) were studied with 255 girls and boys in grades 5 through 12. Internal consistency was found for the gender-specific subscales. Results provide preliminary evidence that the BES may be a psychometrically defensible assessment of body esteem among adolescents. (SLD)

Presents KANT, a FORTRAN 77 software program that tests assumptions of multivariate normality in a data set. Based on the test developed by M. V. Mardia (1985), the KANT program is useful for those engaged in structural equation modeling with latent variables. (SLD)

Describes a FORTRAN software program that calculates the probability of an observed difference between agreement measures obtained from two independent sets of raters. An example illustrates the use of the DIFFER program in evaluating undergraduate essays. (Author/SLD)

In exploratory common factor analysis, extension analysis refers to computing the relationship of the common factors to variables that were not included in the factor analysis. A new extension procedure is presented that gives correlations without using estimated factor scores. Advantages of the new method are illustrated. (SLD)

The reliability of scores from four forms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was estimated using a hybrid item response theory model. It was found that there was very little difference between overall reliability when the testlet items were assumed to be independent and when their dependence was modeled. (Author/SLD)

Predictive discriminant analysis and descriptive discriminant analysis are described, and the use of three popular statistical packages to obtain computational results for each type of discriminant analysis is reviewed. Results from two Biomedical Computer Program (BMDP), four Statistical Analysis System, and two Statistical Package for the Social…

Methods by which structural models correct for the effects of attenuation due to measurement error are reviewed, and implications of such disattenuation for interpreting the results of structural equation models are considered. Recommendations are made for improving the practice of disattenuation, and caution is urged in drawing inferences based…

Generalizabilty theory was used to examine the dependability of anchoring labels of Likert-type scales. In samples of 173 graduate students and 108 graduate students completing attitude measures, variance components associated with labeling were found to be minute, contributing little to observed score variance. Possible explanations are…

Presents a procedure for determining the optimal number of conditions to use in multifaceted measurement designs when resource constraints are imposed. The procedure is illustrated for the case in which the costs per condition vary within the same facet. (Author)