Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment

This study investigated the predictive effect of 11th grade Taiwanese students’ (N = 878) self-assessed critical thinking, group participation self-efficacy, and active learning on their genuine learning interest (GLI) in socio-scientific issues (SSI). Results showed that active learning had a direct effect on GLI, while critical thinking and group participation self-efficacy had indirect effects on GLI as mediated by active learning. Critical thinking showed a significant direct effect on active learning, and a significant indirect effect on active learning that was mediated by group participation self-efficacy.

Converging lines of evidence suggest that a feeling of being cared for and cared about is a key element of the feeling of mattering to other people. In the current article, we summarized theoretical observations and the findings of research investigations that indicate that the feeling of being cared about is central to the mattering construct. We then evaluated the role of feeling cared for in an extended six-item General Mattering Scale (GMS-6). A sample of 276 university students completed the GMS-6 and self-report measures of depression and loneliness. Psychometric tests established that a six-item version has one factor and enhanced internal consistency. Correlational analyses confirmed that mattering is associated negatively with depression and loneliness. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the additional focus on feeling cared about predicts unique variance in depression and loneliness beyond the considerable amount of variance predicted by the original GMS. The lack of feeling cared as measured by the GMS-6 was established as especially relevant to loneliness. Our discussion focuses on key directions for future research and for the need for a greater emphasis on caring as part of mattering from a construct validity perspective.

Academic burnout seriously affects the academic performance and mental health of college students. This study developed a multi-mediation model to investigate the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic burnout. A total of 1431 undergraduate students (51.85% female) were recruited to participate in this study. And we used SPSS PROCESS developed by Hayes to examine the mediating role of academic self-efficacy and academic burnout. The results indicated that academic self-efficacy can negatively predict academic burnout. Moreover, intrinsic motivation and learning engagement have a significant mediating effect between academic self-efficacy and academic burnout. Finally, we constructed a model comprising four variables and found that it explained 47.62% of the variance in academic burnout. These findings can be conducive to a suitable intervention path to reduce academic burnout of Chinese college students, so as to develop effective instructional strategies to improve their learning performance.

This study aimed to develop a parent rating scale (PRSG) for screening children for further identification process in terms of giftedness. The participants of the study were 255 parents of gifted and non-gifted students. The PRSG, consisting of 30 items, was created by consulting parents and reviewing instruments existent in the literature. As part of the validity testing, the content, construct, and criterion-related validities were examined. Expert opinion was sought for content validity. Construct validity was achieved as the findings of the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor model in the 27-item instrument. The parents rated their own children after the researchers showed them how to rate their children. One hundred and sixty parents had a gifted child. Finally, the scores given by the parents of gifted children and those of the non-gifted were compared, which yielded a statistically significant difference between the mean scores in favor of the scores given by the parents of the gifted. The Cronbach alpha value was found to be .95 for the whole instrument.

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) such as Word Identification Fluency promote student achievement, but because they are timed and administered frequently, they are prone to variation in student response styles. To study the impact of WIF response styles, we created and examined the validity of a novel response style measure and examined the degree to which it moderated the validity of WIF growth slopes as a predictor of student outcomes. Students who moved quickly through the WIF (speeders) exhibited greater growth compared to non-speeders with similar WIF slopes on a criterion measure, and WIF growth explained the most variance in growth on the criterion measure among speeders. Response style was rather consistent within students and across students within teachers, suggesting that teachers’ instructions and testing practices may influence how students approach the tests. Implications of the findings for effective CBM testing are discussed.

This paper follows an earlier report of young children’s object play activities investigated in a cross-sectional sample of 289 typically developing children. Thirty-minute videotaped observations were taken of children at 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, and 60 months of age in their homes. Forty-nine percent were boys. Children were identified as White (70%); mixed racial/cultural backgrounds (14%); Asian (7%); Black (6%); and Latinx (3%). This study reports patterns of cognitive development based on mastery scores derived from frequency and variety of activities in the 27 categories identified in the earlier study. Mastery scores afforded evaluation of the robustness of certain play categories, and the retention and reduction of others, yielding a final set of 14 to describe and assess developments in play. Discussion centers on the value of differentiated categories along with scores that yield a standard for an assessment of children’s play.

Embedded performance validity tests (PVTs), like Digit Span PVTs from Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), offer a valuable means of evaluating validity without extending administration time. This study investigated the utility of novel indices of performance inconsistency for WAIS-IV Digit Span (DS IRs) in the detection of invalid performance among 705 adults referred for ADHD evaluation. Results showed DS IR indices were inadequate in classifying overall validity status (areas under the curve = 0.52–0.59). Predictably, four established Digit Span PVTs effectively distinguished between valid and invalid performance score groups (areas under the curve = 0.74–0.78) with 32–49% sensitivity and 86–93% specificity at optimal cut-scores. Overall, individuals with noncredible performance scores did not differ significantly from those with valid scores regarding performance inconsistency on WAIS-IV Digit Span.

Acadience Reading Diagnostic: Comprehension, Fluency, and Oral Language Assessment (CFOL) is an individually administered diagnostic assessment published by Acadience Learning for students in kindergarten through sixth grades. The measure purportedly provides diagnostic information in story coherence/text structure, listening and reading comprehension, vocabulary and oral language, and fluency with expository and narrative texts. The skills assessed with the CFOL are designed to provide information about skills related to students’ comprehension difficulties so educators can better target comprehension interventions to support students’ specific learning needs.