Mark C. Bowler

The influence of test-based accountability policies on teacher stress and instructional practices: a moderated mediation model

Abstract The present study examined the use of student test performance for merit pay and teacher evaluation as predictive of both educator stress and counterproductive teaching practices, and the moderating role of perceived test value. Structural equation modelling of data from a sample of 7281 educators in a South-eastern state in the United States supported the hypothesis that educators who perceived the test as an invalid measure of teaching effectiveness were more likely to report high levels of test stress and to use counterproductive teaching practices, including fear appeals, in an attempt to motivate students for test-taking. This study provides initial evidence for the hypothesised relationships of test-based accountability policy with teacher mental health and instructional practices. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

An Examination of G-Theory Methods for Modeling Multitrait-Multimethod Data: Clarifying Links to Construct Validity and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

For nearly three decades, the predominant approach to modeling the latent structure of multitrait–multimethod (MTMM) data in organizational research has involved confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Despite the frequency with which CFA is used to model MTMM data, commonly used CFA models may produce ambiguous or even erroneous results. This article examines the potential of generalizability theory (G-theory) methods for modeling MTMM data and makes such methods more accessible to organizational researchers. Although G-theory methods have existed for more than half a century, the research literature has yet to provide a clear description and integration of latent models implied by univariate and multivariate G-theory with MTMM data, notions of construct validity, and CFA. To help fill this void, the authors first provide a jargon-free overview of the univariate and multivariate G-theory models and analytically demonstrate linkages between their parameters (variance and covariance components), elements of the MTMM matrices, indices of convergent and discriminant validity, and CFA. The authors conclude with a discussion and empirical illustration of a G-theory-based modeling process that helps clarify the use of G-theory methods for modeling MTMM data.

Initial Development and Factor Structure of the Educator Test Stress Inventory

With the proliferation of test-based accountability policies, educators and students alike are under pressure to improve test performance. However, little is known regarding the stress experienced by educators in response to these policies. The purpose of this article is to describe the initial development and validation of a new measure of stress associated with high-stakes testing. Psychometric properties were examined within a sample of 8,084 educators in a southeastern state in the United States. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Educator Test Stress Inventory supported a bifactor model of teacher test stress, with one general factor of Total Teacher Stress and two narrow factors of Sources of Stress and Manifestations of Stress. This study is an important first step in establishing a reliable and valid measure of teacher stress and better understanding the impact of high-stakes testing and educational accountability policies. Implications for the assessment and intervention of teacher stress are discussed.

The Impact of Interpersonal Aggression on Performance Attributions

This study examined the causal attributions made by aggressive and nonaggressive individuals—as classified by a conditional reasoning measure of aggression—in response to incidents of subordinate success and failure. Following the presentation of traditional patterns of performance information (i.e., consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency), participants (N = 407) made attributions regarding the cause of the subordinate’s behavior and indicated their preferred behavioral intentions. Overall, when evaluating incidents of subordinate success, the causal attributions of aggressive individuals were similar to those of nonaggressive individuals. However, when evaluating incidents of subordinate failure, the causal attributions of aggressive individuals deviated from those of nonaggressive individuals for three information patterns. Moreover, following a person attribution, aggressive individuals were more likely to endorse punitive responses to incidents of subordinate failure. Implications, potential limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

The cognitive underpinnings of addiction.

A new conditional reasoning measure was developed to evaluate the role of implicit biases in perpetuating addictive behavior. Data (N = 669) were collected in 2005 from two samples in a suburban area: individuals with a known history of chemical dependency and individuals from the general population. Results indicated a strong correlation between overall test scores and group membership (rpb = .48), which increased when the groups’ demographic characteristics were equalized (rpb = .65). Overall, findings suggest that addiction-prone individuals rely on a distinct set of cognitive biases that rationalize self-destructive behavior. The studys limitations are noted and implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Evaluating the fakability of a conditional reasoning test of addiction proneness.

The quest to assess personality objectively is riddled with challenges. However, conditional reasoning (CR) methodology takes an innovative approach to personality measurement by indirectly evaluating the cognitive biases associated with specific dispositional traits. In addition to demonstrating strong criterion-related validities, the CR format has been shown to be more resistant to response distortion than traditional self-report measures so long as indirect measurement is maintained. The present study evaluated the necessity of maintaining the indirect nature of a CR-based measure of addiction proneness. Results indicated that disclosing the purpose of assessment yielded significant mean shifts on a CR-based measure of addiction proneness compared to those of an uninformed group. Specifically, when the construct of interest was made explicit, participants could identify the keyed response options when instructed to do so. These findings further underscore the necessity of maintaining indirect measurement when administering CR measures.

Using Consensus Building Procedures With Expert Raters to Establish Comparison Scores of Behavior for Direct Behavior Rating

To date, rater accuracy when using Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) has been evaluated by comparing DBR-derived data to scores yielded through systematic direct observation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an alternative method for establishing comparison scores using expert-completed DBR alongside best practices in consensus building exercises, to evaluate the accuracy of ratings. Standard procedures for obtaining expert data were established and implemented across two sites. Agreement indices and comparison scores were derived. Findings indicate that the expert consensus building sessions resulted in high agreement between expert raters, lending support for this alternative method for identifying comparison scores for behavioral data.

Latino Farmworkers and Under-Detection of Depression: A Review of the Literature:

The history of Latino farmworkers in the United States is long and complex. Economic forces and often-contradictory immigration policies have given rise to patterns of undocumented immigration from Mexico and Central America by individuals and families looking for work. This review uses a Critical Multiculturalism lens to explore the incidence of depression in Latino farmworkers; the link between depression symptoms and the experience of migration, acculturation, poverty, and agricultural work; and the role of culture, structural issues, primary care providers’ inadequate training in mental health issues, and work conditions in the under-detection of depression in this population. Recommendations for clinicians and researchers are offered to improve detection of depression in Latino farmworkers.