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The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a technology-based intervention (LanguageLinks: Syntax Assessment and Intervention®; Laureate Learning Systems, Inc., 2013) to improve reading comprehension for d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) elementary students. The intervention was a self-paced, interactive program designed to scaffold learning of morphosyntax structures. Participants included 37 DHH students with moderate to profound hearing levels, 7-12 years of age, in Grades 2-6. Assessment data were collected pre- and post- an 8-week intervention using a randomized control trial methodology. Findings indicate the intervention did not appear to be effective in improving performance, and 17 out of 36 morphosyntax structures were found "difficult" to comprehend for participants in the treatment group. These difficult structures included aspects of pronominalization, the verbal system, and number in nouns. Results are compared to previous research, with recommendations for future areas of research related to increasing knowledge of morphosyntax for learners who are DHH.

In the current study, we present the development of the Global Self-Esteem (GSE) measure. The six-item GSE fulfills a need for a short unidimensional measure of global self-esteem conceptualized as "overall positive view of self." The construct is traditionally measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE); however, several important shortcomings of the scale have been highlighted in the recent research. To improve the operationalization of global self-esteem, the shortcomings of the RSE and of the other measures intended to measure the construct are addressed in the construction of the GSE. Initial psychometric characteristics of the GSE, obtained in a pilot study, are reported. The results of exploratory factor analysis indicated unidimensionality of the measure--a single factor accounted for 78% of the variance in the GSE items, and the magnitude of factor loadings ranged from 0.81 to 0.91. Internal consistency reliability was high (ordinal a = 0.95), and expected relations between the GSE scores and other self-esteem measures were found. The utility of the measure and goals for future research are discussed in the context of limitations of the current study.

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Hope-Action Inventory (HAI) scores with a problematic substance use population (N = 783). The hierarchical seven-factor structure of the HAI fit the data well. Further, the HAI scores had satisfactory internal consistency reliability and good convergent evidence for validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultimately, measures in research, testing, assessment and evaluation are used, or have implications, for ranking, intervention, feedback, decision-making or policy purposes. Explicit recognition of this fact brings the often-ignored and sometimes maligned concept of consequences to the fore. Given that measures have personal and social consequences and impact, it becomes important to evaluate the intended consequences and unintended side effects of measurement when validating the inferences and uses made from tests. The mere act of measuring or testing engenders consequences. For example, the naming of a test or subtests reflects our values and may influence how we think about or make use of a construct. The purpose of this note is to provide some remarks on the collection of papers in this special issue and draw attention to consequences and side effects of testing, a topic the authors believe is not highlighted enough in this collection of papers.

The aim of the current study was to gather validation evidence for the "Comprehension of Written Grammar" (CWG; Easterbrooks, 2010) receptive test of 26 grammatical structures of English print for use with children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). Reliability and validity data were collected for 98 participants (49 DHH and 49 hearing) in Grades 2-6. The objectives were to: (a) examine 4-week test-retest reliability data; and (b) provide evidence of known-groups validity by examining expected differences between the groups on the CWG vocabulary pretest and main test, as well as selected structures. Results indicated excellent test-retest reliability estimates for CWG test scores. DHH participants performed statistically significantly lower on the CWG vocabulary pretest and main test than the hearing participants. Significantly lower performance by DHH participants on most expected grammatical structures (e.g., basic sentence patterns, auxiliary "be" singular/plural forms, tense, comparatives, and complementation) also provided known groups evidence. Overall, the findings of this study showed strong evidence of the reliability of scores and known group-based validity of inferences made from the CWG.

Content validation is a crucial, but often neglected, component of good test development. In the present study, content validity evidence was collected to determine the degree to which elements (e.g., grammatical structures, items, picture responses, administration, and scoring instructions) of the Comprehension of Written Grammar (CWG) test are representative of the construct of interest and appropriate for deaf and/or hard of hearing (DHH) students. Using 10 subject matter experts (SMEs) and the Content Validity Index, the quantitative findings showed general support for the content validity of elements of the CWG in assessing the written grammar comprehension of DHH students. Suggested revisions to the test, based on the feedback provided by the SMEs, are discussed.