Adoption of new instructional standards in science demands high-quality information about classroom practice. Teacher portfolios can be used to assess instructional practice and support teacher self-reflection anchored in authentic evidence from classrooms. This study investigated a new type of electronic portfolio tool that allows efficient…

Differential test functioning, or DTF, occurs when one or more items in a test demonstrate differential item functioning (DIF) and the aggregate of these effects are witnessed at the test level. In many applications, DTF can be more important than DIF when the overall effects of DIF at the test level can be quantified. However, optimal statistical…

The authors empirically examined two operationalizations of the core self-evaluation construct: (a) the Judge, Erez, Bono, and Thoresen 12-item scale and (b) a composite measure of self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control, and neuroticism.The study found that the composite scale relates more strongly than the shorter scale to performance,…

The aim of this study was to develop a scale assessing high school students' self-efficacy beliefs in chemistry-related tasks and to assess psychometric properties of scores on this scale. A pilot study with a sample of 150 high school students provided initial evidence for two-factor structure of 16-item scale, named High School Chemistry…

The purpose of this validity study was to improve measurement of coaching efficacy, an important variable in models of coaching effectiveness. A revised version of the coaching efficacy scale (CES) was developed for head coaches of high school teams (CES II-HST). Data were collected from head coaches of 14 relevant high school sports (N = 799).…

The psychometric properties and multigroup measurement invariance of scores on the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale taken from Bandura's Children's Self-Efficacy Scale were assessed in a sample of 3,760 students from Grades 4 to 11. Latent means differences were also examined by gender and school level. Results reveal a…

General self-efficacy (GSE), individuals' belief in their ability to perform well in a variety of situations, has been the subject of increasing research attention. However, the psychometric properties (e.g., reliability, validity) associated with the scores on GSE measures have been criticized, which has hindered efforts to further establish the…

This study examined the validity of Geriatric Depression Scale--5 (GDS-5) scores among older sedentary adults based on its structural properties and relationship with external criteria. Participants from two samples (Ns = 185 and 93; M ages = 66 and 67 years) completed baseline assessments as part of randomized controlled exercise trials.…

A measure of Brickman, Rabinowitz, Karuza, Cohn, and Kidders structure of helping and coping orientations was developed, and its relation to a variety of counseling variables was investigated. A sample of 202 college students completed the Attribution of Problem Cause and Solution Scale (APCSS), an additional measure of attribution, and measures…

This article reports three studies in which a scale for assessing teachers' beliefs about professional-development initiatives was developed and its scores evaluated for reliability and validity. Results indicated that the Teachers' Attitudes About Professional Development (TAP) scale produced scores with high reliability, a stable one-factor…

Explored variability in reliability scores on a career scale, the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale (K. Taylor and N. Betz, 1983). Of the 49 studies examined, 41% reported score reliabilities. Of the five subscales, Problem Solving shows the lowest score reliability. Higher score reliability is associated with age, racial/ethnic…

Discussed information available in the context of Rasch measurement that may be useful in optimizing rating scales and demonstrated the process in studies involving 330 fourth and fifth graders and 668 fourth and fifth graders. Results provide evidence for the generalizability of the findings and the usefulness of the scale with samples from the…

Findings for high school students in Mexico (n=3,153 and n=400) administered a career decision making self-efficacy scale show that tailoring the scale with the best etic and emic items neither improved recovery of the factor-structure nor reduced the effects of the extreme-response style variable. (SLD)

Studied descriptive measurement reliability and validity of scores from the newly developed Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) for class and test with a sample of 302 Australian high school students. Results provide some evidence for the psychometric properties of the MSES in both contexts, but there is evidence of failure to counterbalance…

Three studies involving 79 teacher leaders, 4 school empowerment experts, and 387 secondary school teachers indicate that the 38-item School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) may tap 6 dimensions of empowerment within the school organization identified in the literature. The SPES effectively measures perceived empowerment in school settings.…