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Barriers to doctoral dissertation completion were identified from a review of empirical studies of doctoral graduates and graduate students who had not completed a dissertation (ABD students) and reviews of components of doctoral persistence. The Dissertation Barriers Scale, comprising 45 items, was constructed and administered jointly with 2 validation measures, to samples of 142 graduates of a College of Education and 97 ABDs. Results suggest four subscales to explain item intercorrelations. They were labeled: (1) advisor/committee functioning, 11 items, alpha=0.82; (2) personal organization and skills, 9 items, alpha=0.81; (3) time management and external pressures, 12 items, alpha=0.81; and (4) research skills, 7 items, alpha=0.71. The remaining items formed unique factors and were deleted. Subscales significantly differentiated graduates and ABDs. Subscales also correlated significantly, though at low to moderate levels, with validation measures. Results suggest the Dissertation Barriers Scale to be useful in research of doctoral student persistence. (Contains 4 tables and 20 references.) (Author/SLD)

Person fit statistics are generated when item response theory is used to construct measures. While person fit statistics are well grounded in theory, their utility in aggregate reporting of survey data has not been demonstrated. This study evaluated effects on reliability and validity of including and excluding misfitting person response patterns, using the Rasch model. The following mail survey data sets were used: (1) responses of 3,839 adults to a survey on the effects of the women's movement; (2) responses of 271 people to a survey on self-health care attitudes; (3) responses of 555 teachers to a survey about test use; (4) responses of 410 teachers to a survey about attitudes toward research; and (5) responses of 213 college students and graduates to a survey about dissertations. Omission of misfitting persons served to increase reliability for all data sets, but had inconsistent effects on validity coefficients. All effects were small. (Contains 3 tables and 21 references.) (Author/SLD)

The effects of two cover letter manipulations and their interactions with demographic variables on response to the initial mailing of a survey were investigated. The two manipulations, type of appeal and type of respondent group identification, were intended to affect respondents' perceptions of their social responsibility and position. In all, 599 replies were received from male (28 percent) and female (72 percent) teachers. Seventy-three percent were Anglo, with the remainder largely Hispanic. The appeal manipulation was appeal to the respondent's professional expertise or appeal to affiliation with a sample of teachers. No simple effects of either cover letter was found, although an interactive effect was found. Effects of gender and ethnicity on response rate were significant, with higher response rates for females and Anglos. Three tables present study data. An appendix lists the appeals made. (SLD)

Results of an analysis of a newly developed spelling test and several related measures are reported. Information about the reliability of a newly developed spelling test; its distribution of scores; its relationship with the standard battery of aptitude tests of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation; and its relationships with sex, age, education, college major, and laterality were studied using a sample of clients of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation (clients seeking information about aptitudes for career and educational planning). A total of 1,080 adult examinees completed at least part of the spelling measures. Measurement precision appears excellent for the new measure. The strongest relationships for spelling ability were with English vocabulary, reading efficiency, number checking, age, and years of education. Sex differences were found, although there was little indication of relationships with examinee laterality or parental handedness. Correlation with English vocabulary was substantially greater than correlations with other standard battery measures. Although there may be distinct aptitudes or other dispositions that affect spelling ability, spelling itself appears to be a learned skill and not an inherent aptitude. Seventeen tables present study findings, and four figures illustrate score distributions and the age curve for ability. (Contains 88 references.) (SLD)

Item components that might contribute to the difficulty of items on the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) and the Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) were studied. Subjects providing responses to CPM items were 269 children aged 2 years 9 months to 11 years 8 months, most of whom were referred for testing as potentially gifted. A second sample containing 147 seventh-grade students, drawn from J. K. Gallini's study in 1983, was used to assess the utility of the equation developed using the first item sample. CPM item characteristics were defined and rated. Rasch item difficulties were used as the dependent variable with misfitting items omitted. All 15 item characteristics were entered in a regression equation using forced entry (multiple "R" of 0.90) and stepwise entry (multiple "R" of 0.88). When the same predictors were used with SPM items, the multiple "R" was 0.69. The poorest prediction occurred for items containing characteristics (such as line thickness) that were not captured by the coding system. The best prediction occurred for items in which the orientation of the figure or options was a crucial feature. Results are discussed with regard to psychological processes and use of item characteristics to create new test items. Two sample test items are included, and two tables and an appendix present data on item difficulties. (SLD)

Forty three-option multiple choice (MC) statements on a midterm examination were converted to 120 true-false (TF) statements, identical in content. Test forms (MC and TF) were randomly administered to 50 undergraduates, to investigate the validity and internal consistency reliability of the two forms. A Kuder-Richardson formula 20 reliability was computed for each form. Reliability of the MC form was then adjusted with the Spearman-Brown formula to equate testing time, since the MC form took three-fourths as much time to complete as the TF form. Adjusted reliability coefficients of the TF and MC forms were .80 and .73, respectively. To compare validity, a Pearson product moment correlation was computed between test score and grade point average; validity coefficients were .49 (TF) and .52 (MC). Results support the use of TF teacher made tests as alternatives to MC tests with no loss in reliability or validity. However, as previous studies have shown, these results are not obtained when MC items are revised and the range of the TF form is restricted. (CP)

Scales constructed using principal components and Rasch measurement methods are compared under conditions of unclear constructs and marginal sample sizes with three data sets of increasing complexity. Results of the two methods were identical when data were stable and the structure unidimensional. (SLD)