The purpose of this study was to investigate the Dallas Pre-School Screening Test (DPST) in terms of (1) test-retest reliability; (2) concurrent validity with the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT); and (3) group performance differences in age, sex, and conceptual background as measured by performance on the Tests of Basic Experiences (TOBE). / Subjects of the study included 51 kindergarten children attending the Florida State University Developmental Research School in Tallahassee, Florida in the school year 1979-1980. These subjects represent the school-age population of the state of Florida in terms of race, sex, socioeconomic status, and academic ability. / The DPST was individually administered. Following a 2-week interval, it was readministered along with the MRT. For the total DPST score, the test-retest reliability coefficient (r = .81) and the concurrent validity coefficient with the MRT (r = .62) were both statistically significant at the .05 level. / Some group performance differences were found, including a difference in performance by age: 5-year-olds scored significantly higher than 4-year-olds on the DPST. No performance differences related to sex were found. However, performance differences related to conceptual background were shown. Children were divided into three groups according to performance on the TOBE: above-average, average, and below-average. The above-average TOBE group scored significantly higher on the DPST than did the other two TOBE groups. No significant difference was found in the DPST scores between the average and below-average TOBE groups. / The results of the study indicated that the DPST demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity for the preschool population of Florida. However, although the reliability coefficient of .81 was found for the total DPST score, investigation of the subtest scores indicated that various subtests were below the acceptable level. The reasons for the low reliability of some subtest scores can be attributed to the lack of concise directions and scoring criteria. Recommendations for such revisions of the manual were suggested. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0930. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74134 |
Contributors | LAMBERT, DOROTHY MARY., The Florida State University |
Source Sets | Florida State University |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Text |
Format | 112 p. |
Rights | On campus use only. |
Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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