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The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot a naming test for Urdu-English bilinguals, a population that is growing quickly in the United States. Eighty-five target items were selected from the International Picture Naming Project Database and arranged in the order of least to most familiar. Familiarity ratings were used as estimates of item difficulty to develop the naming task because word frequency information was not available in the Urdu language. Thirty-one young adult bilinguals named black-and-white drawing of these targets in both Urdu and English. Self-rating of proficiency, examiner rating of proficiency and a standardized English receptive vocabulary test were used to cross-validate the naming test. The participants' current and cumulative language use were measured to investigate the relationships among language use, naming performance, and other measures of proficiency. The results indicate that performance on the naming test was correlated with convergent measures of language proficiency, including self-rating, examiner rating, and standardized test performance. Naming performance was related to cumulative reading experience in participants' first language. Familiarity ratings were related to naming performance in Urdu. These findings suggest that the naming task developed in the current study is a valid measure of language proficiency, and that familiarity ratings can be used as estimation of item difficulty in test development when word frequency data are unavailable. The naming test should be refined and further piloted with participants of various ages and those who are Urdu-dominant or balanced bilingual. / text

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The purpose of this study was to design and pilot an instrument, the WHIMM, that uses the Williams Hierarchical Integrated Model as a foundation for measuring needs met within and outside of substance use for individuals age 18 and older who report previously considering cutting down on alcohol or drug use. Instrument construction and validation were completed using a first pilot (n=200), a pilot one-re-contact (n=50), and a final administration (n=420). The scale development process allowed for initial validation of the WHIMM, including measurement of inter-item reliability, test-retest reliability, correlation between subscales, and construct validity. In addition, a scoring metric was developed to allow an individual’s WHIMM results to be interpreted based upon the national normative sample used for the present study. The overall WHIMM and each of the subscales for the Global and Substance Use forms yielded Cronbach’s alpha inter-item reliability coefficients equal to or greater than .90. Test-retest reliability for the WHIMM Global and Substance Use forms was generally adequate with the majority of subscales producing a minimum test-retest reliability coefficient of .70. The construct validity tests of the WHIMM demonstrated that the constructs measured by the WHIMM differ substantially from the constructs that are measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT; Babor, Higgins-Biddle, Saunders, & Monteiro, 2001) and Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST; Skinner, 1982). Exploratory factor analysis loosely supported the Williams Hierarchical Integrated Model’s discrete but interrelated elements. There were statistically-significant differences between scores on the WHIMM Global and WHIMM Substance Use forms. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also presented.

The effective operation of auditory verbal working memory processes is essential to both understanding and communicating in everyday life. These processes are particularly vulnerable to disruption in a wide range of clinical conditions that affect brain functioning. Problems with working memory are frequently the primary reason why people with brain dysfunction are referred for neuropsychological assessment; consequently, verbal memory has been ranked as the second most frequently assessed cognitive ability. However, current psychometric approaches, predominantly serial recall, paired-associate- and list-learning tasks have been designed mainly to detect the presence (and severity) or absence of memory impairment rather than identifying intact or impaired processes. Performance is usually measured by scores of free recall and recognition, with testing procedures that are often lengthy and time-consuming for both patients and clinicians. When assessing working memory, the span tasks have been viewed as “a complete assessment of the function of phonological short-term memory” (Vallar & Papagno, 2002). Digit span, in particular, has come to be regarded as the principal neuropsychological methodology for evaluating the capacity of auditory working memory (Andrewes, 2001), despite doubts about its lack of sensitivity (Lezak, Howieson, & Loring, 2004) and potential to overestimate capacity (Andrewes, 2001). Theoretical advances regarding the underlying component processes of encoding and retrieval have only slowly been incorporated into clinical practice but have not been applied in any systematic or coherent manner. Concepts of working memory have been extended to include semantic, phonological and temporal aspects. One potentially useful approach examined the role of phonological and semantic codes and cues and their susceptibility and immunity to interference effects (Tehan & Humphreys, 1995). Alternatively, another study investigated patients’ ability to accurately retrieve visual information by keeping track of the current episode, differentiating it from previous similar episodes that had the potential to reduce effective performance because of interference effects or poor discrimination (Parkin, Leng, & Hunkin, 1990). The aim of the research reported in this thesis was to develop a more compact cuedretrieval procedure to directly measure the phonological, semantic and temporal aspects of working memory and to examine its clinical usefulness by administering the task to brain injury rehabilitation patients. The conceptual section of the introductory chapter commences with a discussion on memory systems, particularly working memory, and is followed by an examination of some of the core processes involved in successful and unsuccessful remembering (forgetting). The applied section examines traditional and current approaches to memory assessment in clinical practice and their limitations in addressing the clinical needs of patients with memory impairments. Finally, an alternative approach that focuses on specific encoding and cueing processes rather than overall recall, is proposed. Empirical studies are reported in the following four chapters; Chapter 2 described the development and implementation of the initial studies with non-clinical participants, while Chapter 3 described the refinement of the procedure. Semantic and phonological coding and cueing effects were examined within a temporal context. The findings clearly demonstrated that semantic and phonological processes acted in quite distinct and consistent ways, irrespective of the degree of prior exposure to the word stimuli. Participants had more difficulty keeping track of the current episode when the codes and cues were phonological. Following refinements to the stimuli and procedure, replication of the previous results confirmed that cued-retrieval using semantic, phonological and temporal cues was a legitimate approach to memory assessment. Furthermore, differential effects were still found even after significantly shortening the procedure, thus adding support for its potential usefulness in clinical settings. The next two chapters examined the clinical application of this alternative approach in brain injury rehabilitation patients. The ability of non-clinical participants and brain injury rehabilitation patients to effectively use codes and cues to retrieve verbal information was compared. Quite distinct profiles indicated that the cued-retrieval procedure clearly differentiated clinical and non-clinical participants. Brain injury patients obviously performed more poorly on both semantic and phonological tasks but they also demonstrated a reduced ability to effectively use phonological codes and cues in retrieving information, as their performance declined across successive episodes due to increasing interference effects. Finally, the cued-retrieval procedure was administered to brain injury patients in the context of routine, post-injury, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment to examine the comparative value of this process approach in relation to other currently used clinical tests of verbal and working memory. The results clearly indicated that cued-retrieval was more sensitive in detecting memory impairments than most of the other tests in current use and, due to its brevity, was able to provide this information relatively quickly. The closing chapter summarized and integrated the empirical findings of these research studies and highlighted the implications for future clinical practice and further research. The preliminary evidence clearly indicated that this brief and sensitive method of examining the underlying processes of verbal working memory has clinical and theoretical potential.

The purpose of this study was to develop a core HIV/AIDS knowledge assessment (CHAKA) for students enrolled in counseling-related degree programs. Although there are studies that examined counseling HIV/AIDS knowledge, the instruments that were used were limited in ways that may compromise the accuracy of the inferences that were made. This study was carried out in three phases. Phase 1 involved developing an initial pool of items; Phase 2 involved an expert review for content validation as well as a pilot-test; Phase 3 involved field testing the CHAKA. The field-test involved 343 undergraduate and graduate students at Southern Illinois University. Item response theory (IRT) was used to analyze the data. Before the data were analyzed, they were examined to see if the CHAKA was a unidimensional test. Results of the factor analysis performed was that the CHAKA may not be unidimensional; however the internal consistency was decent (α= .734). A two-parameter logistic (2PL) model was fit to the data. Results from the item parameter estimates displayed relatively low discrimination and difficulty parameters in addition to some problematic items (i.e., negative discrimination estimates, unusually large difficulty values). Additional analyses revealed that locally dependent items may have accounted for the possible multidimensionality, low discrimination indices, and inflated difficulty values. The low discrimination values likely affected the information values of the items and the test. All item information values were less than 1. Last, both uniform and non-uniform differential item functioning (DIF) was present between undergraduate and graduate students. IRT appears to be a promising approach to instrument development in counseling-related programs. Although the CHAKA properties were not ideal, further revisions and a larger sample size may contribute to the overall improvement of this instrument.

This study examined the underlying factor structure of the Nova Multilingual Neuropsychological Battery (NMNB) and evaluated the influence of demographic variables such as language fluency and acculturation on test performance. The NMNB is a comprehensive test designed to measure cognitive abilities in Spanish/English bilinguals. The instrument was developed taking into consideration cultural variables believed to influence neuropsychological test performance and it includes a Spanish and an English version. It is comprised of tasks measuring abilities such as short and long term memory, executive functioning, motor skills, visuo-spatial abilities, arithmetic, and vocabulary. The study included 155 participants (71 English monolinguals and 84 Spanish/English bilinguals). Forty-six participants from the bilingual group were tested in English and 37 were tested in Spanish. Participants were normal adults between 18 and 60 years of age who were primarily recruited from a university setting. They also completed a demographic questionnaire that included a measure of acculturation. An exploratory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the subtests from NMNB would load onto five factors including language, perceptual reasoning, memory, executive functioning and psychomotor abilities. Results from four different retention models did not match the hypothesized factor structure, yet they allowed the identification of specific cognitive domains within the factors. These cognitive domains include memory, learning, executive functioning, perceptual reasoning, reading ability, and psychomotor skills. Verbal memory and learning were factors consistently identified across the retention methods. The moderation effects of language fluency and level of acculturation on test performance were examined. It was hypothesized that language fluency, as defined by performance on the Categorical Fluency subtest, on tasks measuring language abilities. It was also hypothesized that level of acculturation would moderate the performance on measures of executive functioning and perceptual reasoning abilities. These hypotheses were based on the alleged pattern of advantages and disadvantages observed in bilingual individuals according to current research studies. Results from regression analyses showed no mediation effects of language fluency and level of acculturation on test performance. Data from this study did not show the purported pattern of disadvantages of bilingualism on language abilities neither demonstrated advantages in areas such as executive functioning and working memory. Overall, the findings did not support the hypotheses of the study However, the results allowed the analyses of the utility of the instrument in the assessment of specific cognitive abilities as well as the need for developing appropriate measures for this population. Furthermore, the findings put into perspective the importance of formal and objective assessment of language abilities and level of acculturation. This study represents a significant contribution to the empirical knowledge regarding neuropsychological assessment of individuals of Hispanic backgrounds. As such, it adds to the scarce literature on this topic. Further examination of the psychometric properties of the NMNB is warranted. Future research should include a larger sample including Spanish monolinguals, older adults as well as individuals with different levels of educational attainment.

Few constituencies exist where it is more important to produce information literate individuals than teacher candidates, yet rarely is it suggested that practitioners entering the field are adequately prepared to teach and model information literacy to their students. As a result, information literacy has been established as a key outcome by a number of teacher education accrediting bodies and professional associations. Corollary to this initiative is the effort to develop valid instruments that assess information literacy skills. Yet, at the time of this dissertation, no rigorously reviewed instruments were uncovered that measure the information literacy skills levels of teacher candidates. The study describes the development and validation of the Beile Test of Information Literacy for Education (B-TILED). Funded in part by the Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the study is part of a national initiative spear-headed by the Project for the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS). Test content is based on nationally recognized standards from the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association of College and Research Libraries. Procedures designed to enhance the scale's validity were woven throughout its development. 172 teacher education students at a large, metropolitan university completed a protocol consisting of 22 test items and 13 demographic and self-percept items. This instrument can be used to inform curricular and instructional decisions and to provide evidence of institutional effectiveness for program reviews.

Research and interest in trauma-informed pedagogy have grown substantially. Trauma-informed pedagogy includes knowledge of trauma symptoms, associated behaviors, and environmental and instructional trauma-informed strategies. Various scales measure attitudes and experiences with trauma-informed practices; however, the literature suggests a lack of validated tests measuring teachers' knowledge of trauma. Reliable and valid tests measuring knowledge are critical when determining the professional development needs of both pre-service and in-service teachers. This multi-phase study aimed to fulfill this need by creating the Teachers’ Knowledge of Trauma (TKOT) test. With the guidance of literature and qualitative data from eight early childhood professional peers, a 50-item test was created to measure teachers' knowledge of trauma. Draft 1 of the TKOT was evaluated by a team of 14 trauma experts providing both quantitative and qualitative analysis, which was used for further refinement, resulting in a 33-item test (Draft 2). Draft 2 included collecting quantitative and qualitative data from 20 pre-testing participants, resulting in a 34-item test (Draft 3). A total of 429 survey administration participants completed Draft 3 of the TKOT, providing quantitative data for reliability testing (Cronbach's α = .78) and item reduction analyses. The Rasch model analysis was used, resulting in a calculated variance of residual value of .46, supporting the one dimension, or one factor, model for the TKOT. The item reduction analyses conducted with the data from the 429 survey administration participants narrowed the TKOT to a final 25-item version (Draft 4). Draft 4 of the TKOT demonstrated a Cronbach's α of .77, rating the test as acceptable. Future research will include further item analysis, tests of dimensionality conducted with the recruitment of another sample with the hope of more diversity in race and gender among pre-service and in-service students, and continued reliability and validity testing. These next steps are predicted to result in a well-developed and validated final version of the TKOT that will serve as an open-source tool for schools and universities to identify gaps in trauma-informed learning.

The paper deals with a justifiability of the application of statistics in the process of test development. It also aims to show possibilities of its application on the final test version. The first part of the thesis brings up the fundamentals of test development theory. The second part aims to describe general impact of statistics application on the test qualities. It further focuses on item analysis as one of the tool to evaluate test items qualities. Among others it includes information about reliability and validity analysis so as about the test equating methods. The analytical part contains analysis conducted on the OSP test. The analytical part also deals with predicted test validity and with the quality level of data gained from pre-testing.