Field-Based Education

This expanded and updated Third Edition of Gopal K. Kanji′s best-selling resource on statistical tests covers all the most commonly used tests with information on how to calculate and interpret results with simple datasets. Each entry begins with a short summary statement about the test′s purpose and contains details of the test objective, the limitations (or assumptions) involved, a brief outline of the method, a worked example, and the numerical calculation.

An easy-to-understand overview of the key concepts of psychological testing Fully updated and revised, the second edition of Essentials of Psychological Testing surveys the basic principles of psychometrics, succinctly presents the information needed to understand and evaluate tests, and introduces readers to the major contemporary reference works in the field. Starting with a basic introduction to psychological tests, their historical development, and their uses, the book also covers the statistical procedures most frequently used in testing, the frames of reference for score interpretation, reliability, validity and test item considerations, as well as the latest guidelines for test selection, administration, scoring and reporting test results. Whether as an orientation for those new to the field, a refresher for those already acquainted with it, or as reference for seasoned clinicians, this book is an invaluable resource.

This is a reference book so it does not circulate out of the library. Please read the chapter summaries and request specific chapters using the Interlibrary Loan link: https://1748.account.worldcat.org/profile/

Offering a primer for practitioners and researchers, this volume strives to incorporate assessment of human strengths, resources, and fulfilments into their work. Contributors examine the scientific underpinnings and practical application of measures of hope, optimism, self-efficacy, problem-solving, locus of control, creativity, wisdom, courage, positive emotion, self-esteem, love, emotional intelligence, empathy, attachment, forgiveness, humor, gratitude, faith, morality, coping, well-being and quality of life. Vocational and multicultural applications of positive psychological assessment are also discussed, as is the measurement of contextual variables that may facilitate the development or enhancement of human strength. The variety of perspectives offered should be useful to readers who wish to incorporate balance into their assessments and research through the integration of theoretically grounded positive measures. Request this print book to be mailed to you using the Interlibrary Loan link: https://1748.account.worldcat.org/profile/

Contributors to the volume represent an international "who's who" of research scientists from the fields of psychology and measurement. It offers the insights of these leading authorities regarding cognition and personality. In particular, they address the roles of constructs and values in clarifying the theoretical and empirical work in these fields, as well as their relation to educational assessment. It is intended for professionals and students in psychology and assessment, and almost anyone doing research in cognition and personality.

Despite increases in their application and improvements in their structure, there is a paucity of reliable and valid scales compared to the complex range of problems that social workers and other health professionals confront daily. They need to be able to design rapid assessment instruments(RAIs) to fit their specific situations, and with this step-by-step guide by RAI experts, that prospect will be much less intimidating. For each stage of RAI development, from conceptualization through design, data collection, and analysis, the authors identify critical concerns, ground them in the growing conceptual and empirical psychometric literature, and offer practical advice. A presentation of the basics of construct conceptualization and the search for evidence of validity is complemented by introductions to concept mapping and cross-cultural translation, as well as an in-depth discussion of cutting-edge topics like bias and invariance in item responses. In addition, they critique and illustrate factor analysis in exploratory and confirmatory strategies, offering guidance for anticipating elements of a complete data collection instrument, determining sampling frame and size, and interpreting resulting coefficients. This pocket guide provides a comprehensive start-to-finish overview of the basics of scale development, giving practical guidance that practitioners at all levels will be able to put to use.

The Understanding Research series focuses on the process of writing up social research. The series is broken down into three categories: Understanding Statistics, Understanding Measurement, and Understanding Qualitative Research. The books provide researchers with guides to understanding, writing, and evaluating social research. Each volume demonstrates how research should be represented, including how to write up the methodology as well as the research findings. Each volume also reviews how to appropriately evaluate published research. Validity and Validation is an introduction to validity theory and to the methods used to obtain evidence for the validity of research and assessment results. The book pulls together the best thinking from educational and psychological research and assessment over the past 50 years. It briefly describes the validity theory's roots in the philosophy of science. It highlights the ways these philosophical perspectives influence concepts of internal and external validity in research methodology, as well as concepts of validity and reliability in educational and psychological tests and measurements. Each chapter provides multiple examples (e.g., research designs and examples of output) to help the readers see how validation work is done in practice, from the ways we design research studies to the ways we interpret research results. Of particular importance is the practical focus on validation of scores from tests and other measures. The book also addresses strategies for investigating the validity of inferences we make about examinees using scores from assessments, as well as how to investigate score uses, the value implications of score interpretations, and the social consequences of score use. With this foundation, the book presents strategies for minimizing threats for validity as well as quantitative and qualitative methods for gathering evidence for the validity of scores.

Validity is the hallmark of quality for educational and psychological measurement. But what does quality mean in this context? And to what, exactly, does the concept of validity apply? These apparently innocuous questions parachute the unwary inquirer into a minefield of tricky ideas. This book guides you through this minefield, investigating how the concept of validity has evolved from the nineteenth century to the present day. Communicating complicated concepts straightforwardly, the authors answer questions like: * What does 'validity' mean? * What does it mean to 'validate'? * How many different kinds of validity are there? * When does validation begin and end? * Is reliability a part of validity, or distinct from it? This book will be of interest to anyone with a professional or academic interest in evaluating the quality of educational or psychological assessments, measurements and diagnoses.

Unique in its integration of theory and application, this comprehensive book explains survey design, implementation, data analysis, and continuing data management, including how to effectively incorporate the latest technology (e.g., SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics). Data management and analysis are demonstrated and explained through statistical software including SPSS, SAS, and STATA. In addition to helping students develop a complete understanding of survey research from start to finish, the authors also address the challenges and issues of specific disciplines.

"This book lays out the essential information about commonly used designs for the reader. The presentation of extremely complicated and technical information is excellent. The exercises are very valuable to use in the classroom as they will help to reinforce the learning of design principles." --Kathleen Sexton-Radek, Elmhurst College Which survey design should you select and use for your survey? For what purpose do you want to use your survey---to describe, compare, or predict attitudes, knowledge or behavior? In this book, the author provides lots of examples and explanations of the major features of high-quality survey systems. Guidelines are provided for experimental and observational designs of surveys, as well as for cross-sectional, cohort and case-control designs. In addition, the author provides checklists of risks to avoid for internal and external validity of a design. New to this edition is coverage of descriptive and experimental factorial designs.

Survey Research Methods presents the very latest methodological knowledge on surveys. Author Floyd Fowler provides students and researchers who want to collect, analyze, or read about survey data with a sound basis for evaluating how each aspect of a survey can affect its precision, accuracy, and credibility. The Fourth Edition has been updated in four primary ways: it much more prominently addresses the growth of the Internet for data collection and the subsequent rapid expansion of online survey usage; it addresses the precipitous drop in response rates for telephone surveys, particularly those based on random-digit dialing; it offers new and expanded coverage monitoring the continued improvement in techniques for presurvey evaluation of questions, and it addresses the growing role of individual cell phone in addition - and often instead of - household landlines. Two new chapters, "The Nature of Error in Surveys" and "Issues in Analyzing Survey Data," further emphasize the importance of minimizing nonsampling errors through superior question design, quality interviewing, and high response rates.

Designing and Doing Survey Research is an introduction to the processes and methods of planning and conducting survey research. This book provides step-by-step guidance on: designing your research; ethical issues; developing your survey questions; sampling; budgeting, scheduling and managing your time; administering your survey; and, preparing for data analysis. With a focus on the impact of new technologies, this book provides a cutting-edge look at how survey research is conducted today as well as the challenges survey researchers face. Packed full of international examples from various social science disciplines, the book is ideal for students and researchers new to survey research.

Written with the needs and goals of a novice researcher in mind, this fully updated Third Edition of Designing Surveys by Johnny Blair, Ronald F. Czaja, and Edward A. Blair provides an accurate account of how modern surveys are actually designed and conducted. Much more than a “how-to” guide, this up-to-date and accessible book presents the material in a social science context and teaches readers to think through decisions about sample design, questionnaire development, and data collection, rather than simply following prescriptive advice that may not be appropriate to particular practical situations. In addition to providing examples of alternative procedures, Designing Surveys shows how classic principles and recent research guide decision-making - from setting the basic features of the survey design to implementing instrument development, testing, and data collection. The new edition covers new developments in data collection technologies, provides a more comprehensive treatment of questionnaire development and pretesting, and includes completely new chapters on sample design and selection.

Lecturers, request your electronic inspection copy Vera Toepoel's practical, how-to guide to doing surveys online takes you through the entire process of using surveys, from systematically recruiting respondents, to designing the internet survey, to processing the survey data and writing it up. This book helps students and researchers in identifying possible strategies to make the best use of online surveys, providing pros and cons, and do's and don'ts for each strategy. It also explores the latest opportunities and developments that have arisen in the field of online surveys, including using social networks, and provides expert guidance and examples of best practice throughout. Suitable for those starting a research project or conducting a survey in a professional capacity, this book is the ideal go-to reference for anyone using internet surveys, be it a beginner or a more experienced survey researcher.

When should you use an in-person interview for a survey? How do you train the interviewers as well as the programmers for computer-assisted interviews (CAPI)? How do you deal with refusals to be interviewed? Aimed at answering these questions and more, this carefully written, friendly book will help you prepare and administer effective in-person survey interviews. Beginning with the administrative considerations involved in setting up in-person interviews, Oishi explains how to: write interview questions from a flowing interview script with appropriated placed transition statements through to the preparation of useful visual aids; design an eligibility screen; write pre-letters and scripts for a pre-call; develop job descriptions for interviewers as well as design interviewer training sessions; record and correct response errors in paper and CAPI interviews; and, clean the data. Completely revised, the book also includes coverage of: Cultural considerations for in-person interviews Translation of interviews into other languages Differences in quantitative and qualitative interview styles How to train CAPI interviews as well as the program instructions Expanded coverage of the role of the supervisor, including a sample of a full training manual Methods for creating an appropriate environment for in-person interviews, including how to dress and talk to people Updated coverage of informed consent, including a sample of a consent form