Larry H. Ludlow

Development of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory

This article describes the construction of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI), and 5 studies that examined its psychometric properties. Factor analysis indicated 11 distinct factors: Winning, Emotional Control, Risk-Taking, Violence, Dominance, Playboy, Self-Reliance, Primacy of Work, Power Over Women, Disdain for Homosexuals, and Pursuit of Status. Results from Studies 2-5 indicated that the CMNI had strong internal consistency estimates and good differential validity comparing men with women and groups of men on health-related questions; all of the CMNI subscales were significantly and positively related to other masculinity-related measures, with several subscales being related significantly and positively to psychological distress, social dominance, aggression, and the desire to be more muscular, and significantly and negatively to attitudes toward psychological help seeking and social desirability; and CMNI scores had high test-retest estimates for a 2-3 week period.

Activity outcome measurement for postacute care.

BackgroundEfforts to evaluate the effectiveness of a broad range of postacute care services have been hindered by the lack of conceptually sound and comprehensive measures of outcomes. It is critical to determine a common underlying structure before employing current methods of item equating across outcome instruments for future item banking and computer-adaptive testing applications. ObjectiveTo investigate the factor structure, reliability, and scale properties of items underlying the Activity domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for use in postacute care outcome measurement. MethodsWe developed a 41-item Activity Measure for Postacute Care (AM-PAC) that assessed an individual’s execution of discrete daily tasks in his or her own environment across major content domains as defined by the ICF. We evaluated the reliability and discriminant validity of the prototype AM-PAC in 477 individuals in active rehabilitation programs across 4 rehabilitation settings using factor analyses, tests of item scaling, internal consistency reliability analyses, Rasch item response theory modeling, residual component analysis, and modified parallel analysis. ResultsResults from an initial exploratory factor analysis produced 3 distinct, interpretable factors that accounted for 72% of the variance:Applied Cognition (44%), Personal Care & Instrumental Activities (19%), and Physical & Movement Activities (9%); these 3 activity factors were verified by a confirmatory factor analysis. Scaling assumptions were met for each factor in the total sample and across diagnostic groups. Internal consistency reliability was high for the total sample (Cronbach &agr; = 0.92 to 0.94), and for specific diagnostic groups (Cronbach &agr; = 0.90 to 0.95). Rasch scaling, residual factor, differential item functioning, and modified parallel analyses supported the unidimensionality and goodness of fit of each unique activity domain. ConclusionsThis 3-factor model of the AM-PAC can form the conceptual basis for common-item equating and computer-adaptive applications, leading to a comprehensive system of outcome instruments for postacute care settings.

Refining the Conceptual Basis for Rehabilitation Outcome Measurement: Personal Care and Instrumental Activities Domain

BackgroundRehabilitation outcome measures routinely include content on performance of daily activities; however, the conceptual basis for item selection is rarely specified. These instruments differ significantly in format, number, and specificity of daily activity items and in the measurement dimensions and type of scale used to specify levels of performance. We propose that a requirement for upper limb and hand skills underlies many activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items in current instruments, and that items selected based on this definition can be placed along a single functional continuum. ObjectiveTo examine the dimensional structure and content coverage of a Personal Care and Instrumental Activities item set and to examine the comparability of items from existing instruments and a set of new items as measures of this domain. MethodsParticipants (N = 477) from 3 different disability groups and 4 settings representing the continuum of postacute rehabilitation care were administered the newly developed Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC), the SF-8, and an additional setting-specific measure: FIM (in-patient rehabilitation); MDS (skilled nursing facility); MDS-PAC (postacute settings); OASIS (home care); or PF-10 (outpatient clinic). Rasch (partial-credit model) analyses were conducted on a set of 62 items covering the Personal Care and Instrumental domain to examine item fit, item functioning, and category difficulty estimates and unidimensionality. ResultsAfter removing 6 misfitting items, the remaining 56 items fit acceptably along the hypothesized continuum. Analyses yielded different difficulty estimates for the maximum score (eg, “Independent performance”) for items with comparable content from different instruments. Items showed little differential item functioning across age, diagnosis, or severity groups, and 92% of the participants fit the model. ConclusionsADL and IADL items from existing rehabilitation outcomes instruments that depend on skilled upper limb and hand use can be located along a single continuum, along with the new personal care and instrumental items of the AM-PAC addressing gaps in content. Results support the validity of the proposed definition of the Personal Care and Instrumental Activities dimension of function as a guide for future development of rehabilitation outcome instruments, such as linked, setting-specific short forms and computerized adaptive testing approaches.

What Makes Teachers Tick? Sustaining Events in New Teachers' Lives.

To investigate what keeps teachers motivated on a day‐to‐day basis, we traced the importance of routinely encountered affective episodes. Significant research on emotions already highlights the relative importance of positive versus negative episodes, the importance of perceived origins of events and the need to differentiate between the frequency and affective intensity of episodes. Survey reports from 749 recently qualified primary teachers in Ireland strongly suggest the absence of positive experiences undermines commitment and efficacy rather than the occurrence of negative events. Furthermore, while remote structural factors may heavily influence teaching, it is the perception of events at micro‐level that impinge most strongly on motivation. Finally, the importance of particular experiences was, crucially, more related to their frequency than intensity. A major implication for teachers’ job satisfaction is the suggestion that while adverse episodes may be inevitably experienced, positive events (tha...

Learning to Teach for Social Justice: Measuring Change in the Beliefs of Teacher Candidates

This article speaks to two current trends in teacher education—the press to assess teacher education in terms of measurable outcomes, on one hand, and the growing emphasis on social justice as a theme of teacher education, on the other. The article begins with a discussion of the concept of teacher education for social justice. Then, using Rasch Item Response Theory techniques and analyses, the article shows that certain aspects of the complex construct, “learning to teach for social justice,” can be measured reliably and validly across multiple groups of teacher candidates and graduates using a “Learning to Teach for Social Justice-Beliefs” (LTSJ-B) scale. This scale is part of a suite of teacher preparation surveys, which are in turn, part of a larger portfolio of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies designed to explore the effects of teacher education and the process of learning to teach. The analyses presented here show that the LTSJ-B scale can detect changes in beliefs related to teaching for social justice over time and across cohorts of teacher candidates. Specifically, we show that the scores of cohorts of exiting teacher candidates far exceeded the scores of entering candidates. We also show that after one year of teaching, graduates of the program maintained these higher scores. The analyses in this article contribute to the argument that although “learning to teach for social justice” is a complex matter that requires complex measures, it can indeed be constructed as a legitimate outcome of teacher education and thus expand the larger agenda to make teacher education accountable for the quality of teachers it prepares.

Accuracy and Precision of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer-Adaptive Tests (PEDI-CAT)

Aim  The aims of the study were to: (1) build new item banks for a revised version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) with four content domains: daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive, and responsibility; and (2) use post‐hoc simulations based on the combined normative and disability calibration samples to assess the accuracy and precision of the PEDI computer‐adaptive tests (PEDI‐CAT) compared with the administration of all items.

Lessons from use of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory: where do we go from here?

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to review the innovations, applications, and effect of the original Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) published in 1992 and to describe planned revisions. Summary of Key Points: During the past decade, the PEDI has helped to shift thinking from a developmental to a functional focus. Using the PEDI, researchers and clinicians worldwide have highlighted variations in functional skill acquisition in clinical populations, the importance of recognizing cultural differences, and the value of documenting functional progress in relation to interventions. Conclusions: The PEDI has had a rich tradition in helping to document functional development. New methods are proposed for the next generation of the PEDI by using item banks and computer adaptive testing. Recommendations for Clinical Practice: The computer adaptive testing feature and the revised and expanded content of the new PEDI will enable therapists to more efficiently assess childrens functioning to a broader age group of children.

Computer adaptive test performance in children with and without disabilities: prospective field study of the PEDI-CAT.

Purpose: To examine the discriminant validity, test–retest reliability, administration time and acceptability of the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT). Methods: A sample of 102 parents of children 3 through 20 years of age with (n = 50) and without (n = 52) disabilities was recruited for this prospective field study. A sub-sample (n = 25) also completed the PEDI-CAT a second time within one month. Parents completed 15 items in each of the four PEDI-CAT domains (daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive, responsibility) using a laptop computer. Following completion, parents answered a four-question user evaluation survey. Results: PEDI-CAT scores based on parent responses differentiated between groups of children with and without disabilities in all four domains. Test–retest reliability estimates were high (ICC = 0.96–0.99) for all four domains. The mean time to complete 60 items for the full sample (n = 102) was 12.66 minutes (SD = 4.47). Parents reported favorable reactions to the PEDI-CAT. Conclusions: The PEDI-CAT offers a valid and reliable assessment acceptable to parents. Implications for rehabilitation The pediatric evaluation of disability inventory computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT) is a new measure for infants, children and youth from birth through 20 years of age in the functional areas of daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive and responsibility. PEDI-CAT scores based on parent responses differentiated functional skills between groups of children with and without disabilities in all four domains. The PEDI-CAT has high test–retest reliability and could be completed in about 12 minutes. Parent respondents indicated they provided meaningful information about their child with the PEDI-CAT.

A Taxonomy of Skills in Reading and Interpreting Fiction

The skills in the interpretation of fiction proposed in this paper are defined by seven item types, which can be discriminated from each other and organized taxonomically through logical analysis. This research examines the hierarchical and taxonomic characteristics of item types within four question sets. The question sets, based on four different texts, were administered to between 77 and 127 students each. Responses were scored by independent raters using a partial credit scoring design. These data were analyzed with the Rasch Rating Scale model. The results confirm experimentally the hierarchical and taxonomic nature of the item types.

Factor Structure of the School Function Assessment

The School Function Assessment (SFA) was developed to provide information on students’ abilities to meet functional demands of the elementary school program. This judgment-based, criterion-referenced assessment supports a comprehensive, detailed examination of the extent to which students with a variety of disabilities are performing important school-related functional tasks and activities such as moving around the school, using classroom materials, interacting with peers, and caring for personal needs. The factor structure underlying the SFA Activity Performance scales was investigated using data from two heterogeneous national samples of students with disabilities (n = 266 and n = 341). Analysis with the principal axis technique and oblique rotation identified two factors, a Cognitive/Behavioral Function dimension and a Physical Function dimension. These factors were moderately correlated, which is congruent with definitions of the function construct that emphasize the integration of physical, cognitive, and social abilities in the performance of daily activities in the natural environment.