Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 26, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-89).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2006. / Not embargoed. Vita. Bibliography: 100-110.

The aim of this study was to survey evaluation and measurement techniques that are used in practice. I have chosen this topic because demands on individual work of nurses are increasing and evaluation techniques and rating scales may help nurses in their work.Through the quantitative survey using questionnaires, opinions of 354 nurses at the bedside, and 61 nurse managers from 22 hospitals in the Czech Republic were surveyed. We wanted to identify the most common scales used in our hospitals and to find the reason why those specific scales are used. What problems nurses find in evaluation by scales, or what benefits the scales bring about. The respondents were also asked questions relating to risk management and the use of scales in this field. If prevention is the primary objective by which nurses try to anticipate more serious complications, what benefits the system brings to patients. The results of the investigation could be a clue to the efficient use of scales in practice and suggestions for managerial decisions when choosing suitable, acceptable parameters that will meet patients´ as well as medical staff members´ requirements.

This study sought to determine whether phase 1 early childhood classrooms receiving classroom resources and technical assistance for early childhood teachers through the Allies for Quality Care project would have greater improvements in process quality than phase 2 classrooms receiving only technical assistance. Process quality refers to what children experience in the early childhood classroom that directly impacts their development and was assessed through the Environment Rating Scales (ERS). Classroom resources were provided to improve the quality of the environment that children experience. The technical assistance was one-on-one to help early childhood teachers understand developmentally appropriate practices. The study examined whether the following variables impacted quality: accessibility of materials; field technical assistant; total number of early childhood teachers, total at pre-assessment, total at post-assessment, and same teacher at pre- to post-assessment; classroom and teacher technical assistance hours; teacher turnover; early childhood teachers’ level of education, child development credentials, position, years of experience, and race; number of children present at post-assessment; and days between pre- and post-assessment. To determine if the variables were correlated with the ERS post-assessment scores bivariate correlations were generated. While level of education, child development credentials, years of experience, race, and total number of early childhood teachers at pre-assessment had strong correlations with the post-assessment scores, further analyses of accessibility of materials, or missed accessibility, was the only extraneous variable to remain strongly associated with the dependent variable in ITERS-R classrooms. A Factorial Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to study the differences between the phases of early childhood classrooms. When findings revealed differences between the groups, another ANCOVA was used to evaluate group differences for each scale (ITERS-R for infant and toddler classrooms and ECERS-R for preschool classrooms) separately. Both phase and scale impacted the ERS post-assessment scores for the overall sample. For differences between the phases for the individual scales, no significant differences were found. However, infant and toddler classrooms that missed accessibility of materials had significantly lower ERS post-assessment scores than classrooms that did not miss accessibility.

The early childhood administrator is tasked with overseeing all operations within the early childhood program. Operational functions include functions traditionally associated with education including the design and implementation of curriculum, creating and maintaining the learning environment, and ensuring the health and safety of children enrolled in the program. The administrator of the early childhood program is also tasked with other functions including human resource functions, budgeting, as well as income and cost management. Additionally, the administrator should be an advocate within public policy concerning early childhood education. Research has acknowledged the functions associated with the early childhood administrator role. In 1992, Paula Jorde-Bloom named the early childhood administrator as the “Gatekeeper of Quality”. Since then, research has supported that establishing and maintaining quality is yet another responsibility of the early childhood administrator. The current study examined the role of the administrator, particularly the preparation that the administrator receives, in an effort to determine the impact that the administrator has on the quality of the program. A sample (n = 224) was pulled from early childhood administrators in Mississippi. The preparation received by these administrators, including formal education and additional training, was measured and regression analysis with Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R) scores measuring quality of the early childhood program regressed with an aggregated early childhood administration preparation variable to determine if administration preparation could predict overall quality within the early childhood program. As the literature indicated that fiscal management practices also fall under the scope of responsibilities of the administrator, fiscal management preparation was isolated and regression analysis with ECERS-R scores was conducted to determine if fiscal management preparation could predict overall quality within the early childhood program as well. The study found that administration preparation was a significant predictor of quality. However, preparation specific to fiscal management knowledge was not found to be a predictor of overall quality. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are addressed.

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The use of rating scales in the evaluation of secondary teacher performance has been called into question and widely criticized. Of particular concern has been the use of student ratings of teacher performance. A review of instruments and practices used in the rating process reveals serious design flaws that account for the criticisms leveled against the use of rating scales. This study sought to address the limitations evident in previous rating efforts by utilizing a combination of design methodologies and measurement models including elements of Classical Test Theory (CTT), factor analysis, and Item Response Theory (IRT). The IRT model employed was the one-parameter logistic model also known as the Rasch model. Twelve scales were developed consisting of a total of ninety-two items. These scales were developed to facilitate student ratings of secondary level teachers of religion in the Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In addition to exploring rating scale design methodology and scale performance, this study also examined a potential threat to the validity of decisions based on ratings referred to as halo effect. Using a variety of approaches to operationally define and estimate halo error, the extent to which male and female students exhibit differing degrees of halo in their ratings of teachers was examined. The results of the study revealed that of the twelve teacher traits hypothesized in the design of the rating scales, only three met defensible criteria based on CTT and Rasch model standards: the Student-Teacher Rapport Scale (STRS), the Scripture Mastery Expectation Scale (SMES), and the Spiritual Learning Environment Scale (SLES). Secondary students were unable to meaningfully discriminate between all twelve traits. Traditional approaches to halo effect estimation suggest that males exhibited halo to a greater degree than females, whereas Rasch model approaches to halo effect estimation were less consistent. Considered together, however, the evidence suggests differential halo error by gender, with males exhibiting halo to a greater degree than females. The implications of these findings for teacher evaluation, instructional design, and future research efforts are also addressed.

The Children's Communication Checklist-Second Edition (CCC-2) is a behavior rating scale developed to address the difficulties of assessing social communication in children. It was designed to be completed by a parent rater. However, since it would be helpful to know the extent to which ratings are context-dependent, this study looked at the agreement between parent and teacher ratings on the CCC-2 as well as the percent agreement on the severity of disorder. Twelve parent-teacher pairs completed the CCC-2 for children who had a documented developmental language disorder with specific impairment in social communication. Cohen's kappas, Cohen's weighted kappas, and percent agreement of severity of disorder were calculated. Kappa results ranged from less than chance agreement to fair agreement. When differentiating between scores that represent disorder and no disorder, parent and teacher percent agreement for the CCC-2 10 subscales range from 42% to 75%. Further delineation between no disorder, disorder, or severe disorder yielded percent agreement ranging from 17% to 50%. Overall percent agreement on the general communication composite was 92%. Results indicate that while parents and teachers have poor to fair agreement on the exact nature of a child's social communication strengths and weaknesses, they largely agree when a social communication problem exists. Lack of agreement likely resulted from the parent and teacher seeing the child in different contexts which required a somewhat different set of social communication abilities, or a difference in rater perception of what is within the developmental norms. These findings suggest that the best indication of a child's social communication profile may lie in a holistic assessment of performance in all the important contexts in a child's life, including school and home.

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Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2010.