Donald J. Veldman

Item Factor Structure of the Adjective Check List

As one of the frequently used instruments for assessment of self-concept through self-description, the Adjective Check List (ACL) has recognized merit in comparison with other similar instruments. Existing scales, as developed by Gough and Heilbrun (1965), provide data regarding behavioral tendencies that may be useful for research as well as for diagnostic and counseling purposes (e.g., Heilbrun, 1960, 1961; MacKinnon, 1963; Parker, 1967). It is becoming clear in psychological research that a thorough investigation of dimensions of test behavior related to such variables as the self-concept is essential (Foa, 1961; Loehlin, 1961; Briar and Bieri, 1963; Scarr, 1966; Parker and Megargee, 1967). Interest has not been lacking, but empirical analysis of the item factor structure of most commonly used personality measurement instruments has not been accomplished because limitations of existing computation equipment have made the task prohibitive. Consequently, beyond a few studies such as Comrey’s item factor analyses of subscales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (e.g., Comrey, 1957, 1958), other work with instruments containing many items as focused mainly on analyses of the factor structure of subscale scores themselves (c.f., Scarr,

Within-class Relationships Between Student Achievement and Teacher Behaviors

Data collected on 25 ways in which teachers interacted with first-grade students while the students participated in reading groups within intact classrooms were analyzed with class mean analyses as well as two types of within-class analyses: one that considered small groups within classes as instructional units, and one that examined effects on individual students within the small groups. The pattern of effects differed depending upon the level of the analysis. Particularly striking was the large number of statistically significant relationships that occurred only at the student-within-reading-group level. Apparently, some teacher behaviors took on different meanings for students in the context of a small group, implying that students were very much aware of and affected by their learning environment. The results demonstrate that a combination of within-class and between-class analyses provides a better understanding of the relationship of teacher-student interactions to student achievement than either set of analyses alone.

Heterogeneity and Skewness in Analysis of Variance

Several power functions were computed to determine the influence of violations of assumptions on the analysis of variance. For each analysis two groups of 10 scores each were randomly selected from a normally distributed population of 10,000 cases. In all cases each of the several points on the power curves was determined by the percentage of rejected null hypotheses in 5,000 analyses with alpha set at .05. The CDC 1604 computer was used.

Adjective Rating Scales for Self Description.

Factor analysis of Goughs 300-item Adjective Check List identified 8 highest-loading items for 7 factors of self-perception. These were alphabetized and presented with 6-point scales to 713 females in teacher training. Factor analysis of the 66 self-rating items replicated the original structure, and simple scale sums showed satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest stability. Correlations with another self-description inventory evidenced concurrent validity of the instrument, which should be valuable for rapid, straight-forward, quantified self-description.

The Influence of Class Ability Level on Student Achievement and Classroom Behavior

Using a series of regression equations, classroom process and student achievement data from 136junior high school mathematics and English classes were analyzed to answer the following questions: 1. Are the classroom behaviors and achievement levels of students systematically different among classes of higher and lower ability? 2. Within classes, are the behaviors of higher and lower ability students systematically different? 3. Does student ability level interact with the ability level of the class to affect systematically students classroom behavior and achievement? Results of class level analyses suggest that better learning environments are associated with classes of higher mean ability, and that both higher ability students and lower ability students achieve better in higher ability classes. Interactions obtained between class and student ability levels suggest that differences in class environment associated with class ability level have more impact on achievement and behavior of lower ability students than on higher ability students. Lower ability students appear to be more reactive to or dependent on class norms than are higher ability students.

Multiple Discriminant Prediction of Delinquency and School Dropouts

PREDICTION studies of socially disvalued behaviors among male adolescents often neglect either crossvalidation procedures or the influence of incarceration upon the S’s test performance (Glueck and Glueck, 1950; Gough and Peterson, 1952; Sarbin and Jones, 1955). A further limitation of these studies is that they often deal only with extreme deviants (incarcerated repeated offenders). To be sure, these studies have provided valuable evidence concerning variables associated with deviancy. The present study departs from the typical ex post facto study in the following ways. (1) The predictor data were collected prior to the acting out of the criterion behavior.2 (2) A simultaneous double crossvalidation was carried out. (3) Two levels of deviancy were investigated. (4) The data from three criterion groups were subjected to a Multiple Discriminant Analysis, which provides more information than two independent regression analyses. The three-group criterion was &dquo;normals,&dquo; dropouts, and delinquents (see Method for definitions). Predictor variables were selected on the basis of a major theme evident in a host of studies, that delinquents are more impulsive than are nondelinquents (McCord and McCord, 1956; Gough and Peterson, 1952; Glueck and Glueck, 1950). Furthermore, Lichter (1962, pp. 41-47) has indicated that school drop-outs also express difficulty in controlling impulses. Sarbin and Jones (1955), operating from a theoretical orientation based upon the impulsivity construct, reported that incarcerated

Types of Student Classroom Behavior

Abstract Pairs of classroom observers rated 909 junior high school students on 24 scales. Ouster analysis was used to identify four syndromes of classroom behavior: good students, outgoing, rebellious, and withdrawn. These groups were compared with regard to sex and ethnic group composition, academic achievement, attitudes toward teachers, and 25 low-inference variables obtained from the classroom observations. The same four pupil types were identified in a sample of 416 second grade pupils who were rated with a similar 11-item instrument by different observers.

Simple structure and the number of factors problem.

If the varimax criterion values. for rotations of successively greater numbers of principal axes of the image covariance matrix G are listed, they may be examined for two features: the unimodality of the distribution reflects the clarity of latent structure; and the peak value indicates the number of common factors present. The procedure is applied to nine published example problems and compared to other rules of thumb for determining the rank of a factor matrix.

ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WISC AND WAIS SCORES IN DELINQUENT BOYS

This study investigates the patterns of I.Q. scores of 2498 delinquent boys of different ethnic groups on the WISC and WAIS. Variables examined include age, ethnic classification, verbal I.Q., performance I.Q., and full scale I.Q. scores. A three-factor analysis of variance was computed on the scores. Factors included ethnic group (Anglo, black, Chicano), test-age level (WISC, WAIS), and subscale (verbal, performance) . Results showed that the mean I.Q. scores of the various ethnic groups were spread over a 15-point range with Anglos highest and blacks lowest. WISC scores were lower than WAIS scores for all groups, although the difference was significantly exaggerated in the blacks. Performance subscales elicited higher mean scores than did verbal subscales and the P-V difference was twice as large on the WISC as on the WAIS. Blacks were found to perform at about the same low level on both performance and verbal subscales, while the Chicanos did poorly on verbal I.Q., but scored much higher (in the normal...

The Scaling of Sociometric Nominations.

A 29-item sociometric nominations instrument (Guess Who) was administered to 13,045 children in 603 elementary classes. An image analysis of the frequencies of nomination on the items yielded four factors: Disruptive, Bright, Dull, and Quiet-Well Behaved. Four scaling methods were compared with regard to class-size bias: raw frequencies, division by class N, binary truncation, and standardization within classes. Binary item-frequency truncation yielded scores which were demonstrated to have superior external validity using diagnostic groups, self-reports, and teacher ratings as criteria. Internal consistency reliabilities for the four factor scales ranged from .61 to .77, while split class reliabilities ranged from .56 to .74.