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This study was designed to investigate if the Batería Woodcock-Muñoz: Pruebas de Habilidad Cognitiva- Revisada is a valid cross-cultural tool to measure the cognitive ability students of three Spanish-speaking groups from two different Spanish-speaking countries. One group is represented by culturally diverse bilingual Spanish dominant students in Tucson, Arizona since there is an overrepresentation of bilingual students receiving special education services in all school districts in this area. The second group consists of monolingual Spanish-speakers from Costa Rica referred for special education. The third group constitutes monolingual Spanish speakers from Costa Rica performing at grade level.This research analyzed whether or not Memory for Sentences, a sub-test of Short Term Memory, Visual Integration and Picture Recognition sub-tests of Visual Processing in the Psycho-educational Batería Woodcock-Muñoz, is more difficult for the special education Spanish/bilingual population in Tucson than for the monolingual Spanish-speaking special education and grade level individuals in Costa Rica. Item p-value differences in each subtest were estimated and compared for all items for each subtest to detect if a major item difficulty order difference existed between Spanish-speaking groups that could be indicative of internal criteria of test bias. Results show that the item order of difficulty affects the tests' established cut off rules for both Costa Rican populations in the Memory for Sentences test, making it invalid for these populations; and that the Tucson sample group's performance is lower than that of both Costa Rican groups. In addition, both Visual Processing subtests are invalid for all groups compared since the item order of difficulty does not match the test item order, thus affecting the enforcement of the cut off rules and making these subtests invalid for these populations.Standardized assessments and intelligence trait are considered the results of mathematical and statistical expressions built on test developers' own cultural views and minds. They follow along the lines of the traditional reductionist assessment or scientific/medical models. As a result, it is concluded that bilingual populations will be at disadvantage because standardized assessment neither links assessment to familiar language, cultural relevant information, and experiences nor considers how the bilingual mind processes information.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the relationship between a kindergarten screening battery (KSB) and two criterion variables (academic achievement and educational placement) varied as a function of race. The subjects were 702 elementary school students, approximately 176 per grade, in kindergarten, first, third, and fourth grade. Approximately 45 students per grade were American Indian, with the remainder Caucasian.Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the KSB, race, and its interaction with each criterion variable. The predictor variables were the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R), the Kindergarten Language Screening Test (KLST), the Developmental Visual-Motor Integration Test (VMI), the Draw-A-Child (DAC), race, and the four race x KSB test vectors. Criterion variables were the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) total battery, and educational placement (special education vs. regular education status).The KSB predictor variables were entered into the multiple regression equations as a block. Race was then entered as a coded group vector, followed by the four race x KSB test interaction vectors. The increment in R2 due uniquely to the interaction was nonsignificant (slopes were homogeneous) in all analyses. Both the effects of race and the KSB were significant for all grades with achievement as the criterion (p < .01).Bias in predicting educational placement was tested using all subjects combined. Both the interaction and race effects were nonsignificant. The main effect of the KSB was significant (p < .01). An improvement over chance analysis showed that the KSB increased predictive accuracy of the at-risk determination over chance.The weighted composites which best predicted achievement consisted primarily of the language instrument, the PPVT-R, and race. The two psychomotor tests (the DAC and VMI) contributed useful information at the two earlier grades. The composite which best predicted educational placement was made up primarily of the expressive language measure, the KLST.Results of the study supported continued use of the KSB. However, race should be used as a variable when predicting achievement from the KSB, so as not to overpredict American Indian achievement or underpredict Caucasian achievement. Results also indicated the potential utility of early language enrichment for improving achievement of high risk children. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Akihito Kamata, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 7, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains x, 135 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which age-related bias exists when ACT Mathematics test scores are used as the sole predictor of future academic performance in entry-level college mathematics courses. A secondary purpose was to investigate the extent to which academic and attitudinal variables, in conjunction with ACT Math scores, a) lessen or eliminate the age-related bias, and b) enhance the prediction of course grades and posttest scores in freshman level mathematics courses. ACT Mathematics test scores were used to predict course grades and posttest scores of students enrolled in Developmental Math and General Math classes at Bluefield State College, WV, or one of its community college components. Course grades of Developmental Math students and posttest scores of General Math students were found to be under-predicted for nontraditional-age students and over-predicted for traditional-age students. No differences were found in predictions of posttest scores for Developmental Math students or in predictions of course grades for General Math students. When attitudinal and other academic variables were introduced to the regression equation, there was less evidence of prediction bias and a significant increase in the amount of variance explained in the criterion measures. / Ed. D.

M. S.

This paper explores socio-cultural factors which lead to group performance differences on IQ tests and learning tasks in an attempt to determine empirically if the Cultural-Distance Approach hypothesis is useful in accounting for these differences. The Cultural-Distance Approach, briefly stated, suggests that a sub-culture's distance from the major culture on which questions of a test are based and validated will determine that sub-culture's sub-score pattern. Results of the present study indicate that although Blacks and Whites perform similarly on-learning tasks, they perform differently on standardized IQ tests, possibly because of the loading of cultural influences on the latter measures. When cultural influences are controlled for, differences in IQ performance are minimized (i.e., statistically non-significant). The present investigation was a follow-up of the author's previous work in this area (Master‘s thesis; Grubb, 1983), and consisted of two studies. One was a reanalysis of the data obtained in the original study with the addition of college entrance exam scores (SAT) and college grade point averages on the 80 original students. The second study consisted of a replication of the original work with 40-Black and 40-White undergraduates at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. New variables, and their correlation to intelligence, were investigated and included; personality characteristics, racial/ethnic identification, and social adjustment to college. In addition to the previously stated relationships between intelligence, race, and cultural-distance, new information was obtained which indicates: (1) a positive correlation between a conservative, compliant personality and academic ascendancy; (2) a significant correspondence between college involvement (social adaptation or the reduction of cultural-distance) and grade-rated academic performance; and (3) a hypothesized process of supra-cultural (university) adaptation for both Black and White students which has a limiting effect on their sub-culturally based self-esteem. In all, and from all the various sources, this paper tends to support the Cultural-Distance Hypothesis and its influence on group IQ performance. / Ph. D.

It has been suggested that the use of standardized intelligence tests is biased against minorities. This study investigates the newly revised Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III in which Wechsler states that the new scale has eliminated biased items. Comparisons of the scores on the WISC-R and the WISC-III of a clinical population of sixteen African American and eighteen Caucasian males, ages ten to sixteen, revealed significant differences between the two groups on the WISC-III. The minority scores decreased predictably from the WISC-R to the WISC-III, but the Caucasian scores increased rather than decreasing. The findings of this study do not support the predictions and goals of revision as stated in the manual of the WISC-III.

Objective. The Cochrane risk of bias tool (CRoB) is one of the most widely used tools for assessing the risk of bias of clinical trials. However, it was criticized for its poor inter-rater reliability, lack of clear and detailed guidelines for its application, and no clear distinguishing between reporting quality from real quality in implementation. This study aims to develop a framework (or improved CRoB, iCRoB) so as to improve the inter-rater reliability of the CRoB in its first 4 domains: sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel, and blinding of outcome assessment, through providing: i) a structured pathway for assessing risk of bias assessment; and ii) a comprehensive dictionary of scenarios for each domain. / Methods. The study is consisted of 4 steps: / i) Step 1: Develop a step-by-step structured pathway for assessing the risk of bias. / ii) Step 2: Identify and summarize possible scenarios that are used in literature to describe a domain in clinical trials by using a qualitative content analysis approach. A random sample of 100 Cochrane systematic reviews (SRs) was taken from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Each review was carefully scrutinized for this purpose. / iii) Step 3: Merge the scenarios identified from the sample with those already provided in the CRoB. The combined list of scenarios extends the current coverage of the CRoB and forms a more comprehensive dictionary of scenarios for use in the future. The bias assessment pathway and the new dictionary of scenarios in combination are the new components added or contribution to the CRoB to form the iCRoB. / v) Step 4: Conduct a randomized controlled study that allocated at random 8 raters equally into either using the CRoB or our new iCRoB. 150 clinical trials were randomly selected from the fore-mentioned 100 SRs for the inter-rater reliability comparison. Both inter-rater reliability among individual raters (measured with Fleiss’ κ) and that across rater pairs (measured with weighted Cohen’s κ) were computed. Data analyses were conducted by using STATA version 13.0. / Results. A structured pathway for systematically assessing bias was designed, which helps classify a study into one of 5 categories for each risk of bias domain based on the information provided in the report of a trial: Category A: a trial reports in details how a bias reduction method was conducted and it is also deemed by the assessor to be conducted adequately; Category B: a trial reports in details how a bias reduction method was conducted but it is deemed by the assessor to be conducted inadequately; Category C: a trial reports that a bias reduction method was conducted but no detailed description was given which can be used to judge whether it was done adequately; Category D: a trial reports that a bias reduction method was not conducted; Category E: a trial does not mention at all whether or not a bias reduction method was conducted. / A total of 34, 36, 26 and 20 scenarios were generated for sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of participants and personnel, and blinding of outcome assessment, respectively. We extended the current CRoB list of scenarios by a number of 20, 23, 26 and 20 respectively for the 4 bias reduction domains. / Our trial results showed that the iCRoB had a higher inter-rater reliability across rater pairs than the original CRoB for every bias reduction domain. The weighted κ was 0.71 and 0.81 for sequence generation respectively for CRoB and iCRoB; 0.53 and 0.61 for allocation concealment respectively for CRoB and iCRoB; 0.56 for blinding of participants and personnel in CRoB, 0.68 for blinding of participants and 0.70 for blinding of personnel ini CRoB; and 0.19 and 0.43 for blinding of outcome assessment respectively for CRoB and iCRoB. / Conclusion. We developed the iCRoB including a standard pathway and extended substantively the dictionary of scenarios for making the judgement on risk of bias in the reports of clinical trials. Our iCRoB showed a higher reliability than the current CRoB in all the domains examined. The iCRoB can be recommended for improving the assessment of bias in clinical trials. / 目的：考柯藍偏倚風險評估工具(CRoB)是最廣泛應用的用於評價臨床試驗偏倚風險的工具之一。然而，CRoB 有以下三個缺陷：評價者間信度低，缺乏明確和詳細的應用說明和沒有明確區分報告質量和方法學質量。本研究擬制定一個新的工具iCRoB 用以提高CRoB 前4 項指標的評價者間信度。這4項指標分別為隨機序列生成，分配隱藏，對研究對象和研究者實施盲法，和對結局評估者實施盲法。本研究通過以下2 點實現這一目的：i) 提供一個結構化路徑用以評估偏倚風險；ii) 為每個研究指標提供一個廣泛包含偏倚風險評估相關描述場景的字典。 / 方法：本研究包含以下4 個步驟： / 第1 步：制定一個用以評估偏倚風險的結構化路徑。 / 第2 步：從考柯藍系統綜述數據庫中隨機抽取100 篇系統綜述，應用定性內容分析法從中確定並總結出臨床試驗中與偏倚風險相關的可能的描述場景。 / 第3 步：將從100 個樣本中總結的描述場景與CRoB 中已有的場景合併，從而擴大CRoB 的描述場景的覆蓋範圍，得到一個更廣泛包含偏倚風險評估相關描述場景字典。偏倚風險評估的結構化路徑和包含場景描述的字典共同形成了本研究中新制定的iCRoB，用以評估臨床試驗的偏倚風險。 / 第4 步：在一個隨機對照研究中，8 名評價者被隨機平均分配至CRoB 組或者iCRoB 組。在上述100個系統綜述所納入的臨床試驗中隨機抽取150 個臨床試驗用以比較CRoB 和iCRoB 的評價者間信度。評價者間信度的比較包括個體評價者間信度（用Fleiss’κ 測量）和配對評價者間信度(用加權Cohen’s κ 測量)的比較。數據採用Stata 13.0 進行統計分析。 / 結果：本研究成功的制定了一個用於系統評價偏倚風險的結構化路徑，在該結構化路徑中，每個偏倚風險相關的指標在一個臨床研究中將分為以下5 類： / A 類：臨床試驗詳細描述了預防偏倚的措施的實施，根據描述可以判定該措施的實施能預防偏倚的產生; B 類：臨床試驗詳細描述了預防偏倚的措施的實施，根據描述可以判定該措施的實施不能預防偏倚的產生; C 類：臨床試驗報告採取了預防偏倚的措施，但未描述這一過程如何實施，從而無法判斷其實施是否正確; D 類：臨床試驗報告沒有採取任何預防偏倚的措施; E 類：臨床試驗沒有報告是否採取了預防偏倚的措施。 / 本研究分別為隨機序列生成，分配隱藏，對研究對象和研究者實施盲法，和對結局評估者實施盲法收集了34，36，26 和20 個描述場景。與CRoB 提供的描述場景比較，iCRoB 分別為隨機序列生成，分配隱藏，對研究對象和研究者實施盲法，和對結局評估者實施盲法增加了20，23，26 和20 個新的描述場景。 / 隨機對照試驗結果顯示，iCRoB 中每個研究指標的配對評價者間信度均高於CRoB，其中，隨機序列生成加權κ 為0.71（CRoB）和0.81（iCRoB），分配隱藏加權κ 為0.53（CRoB）和0.61（iCRoB），對研究對象和研究者實施盲法加權κ 為0.56（CRoB），對研究對象實施盲法加權κ 為0.68（iCRoB），對研究者實施盲法加權κ 為0.70（iCRoB），對結局評估者實施盲法加權κ 為0.19（CRoB）和0.43（iCRoB）。 / 結論：本研究通過制定一個由偏倚風險評估的結構化路徑和包含場景描述的字典組成的iCRoB，用以改善CRoB 中對臨床試驗中隨機序列生成，分配隱藏，對研究對象和研究者實施盲法，和對結局評估者實施盲法偏倚風險評估過程。相比於CRoB，iCRoB 在每個研究指標中均顯示出更好的配對評價者間信度。這些結果證明評價者間信度可以通過提供結構化偏倚風險評估路徑和更全面的描述場景字典而提高。 / Wu, Xinyin. / Thesis Ph.D. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-105). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 09, September, 2016). / Wu, Xinyin. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.y066 / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.

Gender differences on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were analyzed by racial and socioeconomic groupings. Differences in SAT-Math scores, in SAT-Verbal scores, and in the difference between SAT-Math and SAT-Verbal scores were studied using four racial groupings (African American, Asian American, Caucasian American, and Hispanic American) and two socioeconomic groupings (average-to-high income and average-low income) of students. All differences were tested at the .05 level. Socioeconomic status was determined by using federal guidelines for free and reduced school lunches.The population of the study consisted of 7625 students (3962 females and 3663 males) from two school districts. School District A provided the SAT-M and SAT-V scores of 767 African American, 111 Asian American, 5202 Caucasian American, and 101 Hispanic American students. School District B provided the SAT-M and SAT-V scores of 139 African American,'179 Asian American, and 1126 Caucasian American students.Males, as a group, were found to be significantly higher than females in SAT-M scores and in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans were found to score significantly higher than both African Americans and Hispanic Americans in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Asian Americans were found to score significantly higher than all other racial groups in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores. Hispanic Americans were found to score significantly lower than Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans and significantly higher than African Americans in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. African Americans were found to. score significantly lower than all other racial groups in SAT-M and SAT-V scores. A significant two-way interaction was found for gender and race in SAT-M scores, in SAT-V scores, and in the difference between SAT-M and. SAT-V scores. Gender differences in SAT scores varied significantly between each racial grouping.Average-to-high socioeconomic groups were found to have significantly higher scores than average-to-low socioeconomic groups in both SAT-M and SAT-V scores. These differences occurred regardless of gender and race. Significant linear differences were also found to occur in the difference between SAT-M and SAT-V scores over a seven year period. / Department of Educational Leadership