Student Perception of Counselor Role

A semantic differential and a Thurstone-type rating scale of satisfaction with counseling were used to measure changes in the perceptions held by students regarding their high school counselors over a period of 2 years. During this time, the large suburban high school that was the locale for the study changed from a system of deans who had both counseling and disciplinary duties to a system of counselors who did not discipline students. Factor analyses and non-parametric change tests were conducted. It was found that, especially during the first year, students perceived their counselors more negatively than they had perceived their deans. Some signs of movement toward more favorable views were noted by the end of the second year. Satisfaction with counseling, however, was favorably perceived by students throughout the two years. Students tended to perceive their counselors in evaluative terms. There was no relationship between perception of counselors and satisfaction with counseling. The evidence suggests that discipline may not be the crucial variable in either student perceptions of counselors or student satisfaction with counseling.     

Selection,Function, and Assessment of Residence Hall Counselors

Two studies are reported which are concerned with the program of counseling in the women's residence halls of the University of Illinois. The first study demonstrated the inadequacy of the MMPI as a selection instrument for graduate assistants (G.A.'s) serving as residence hall counselors. The second study demonstrated: that students, G.A.'s, head residents, deans, and professional psychologists differ significantly in their definition of the G.A.'s function; that they differ less in defining the attributes of an ideal G.A.; that head residents and students do not differ significantly in their rating of a real G.A.; that the less experienced and the less able students ask more of a G.A. and value her more highly; that the program is functioning well as judged by student endorsement; and that neither the Strong, the Edwards, nor the CPI discriminate between the better and poorer G.A.'s. The data also suggest caution in generalizing results from one institution to another.     

CPQ validity: The relationship between Children's Personality Questionnaire scores and teacher ratings

Scores on the Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ) were correlated with scores from rating scale items selected by a panel of raters measuring the same behavior as a CPQ scale. Data were obtained on a normal sample of school children in grades three to six and on two referred groups, underachievers and chilren with behavior or social problems. The teachers of the children were asked to complete two rating scales on each child. Correlations between rating scale scores and CPQ scores suggest that, in general, the CPQ does not measure the traits it purports to measure.     

Are ratings in the eye of the beholder? A non-technical primer on many facet Rasch measurement to evaluate rater effects on teacher behavior rating scales

Rater-mediated assessments, such as teacher behavior rating scales, measure student behavior indirectly through the lens of a rater. As a result, scores from rater-mediated assessments can be influenced by rater effects— individual differences in rater perspectives, attitudes, beliefs, and interpretation of rating scale items. Rater effects are a fundamental aspect of all rater-mediated assessments. However, traditional approaches to evaluate rater effects (i.e., classical test theory, generalizability theory, and multilevel modeling) merely estimate how much score variability is due to the rater. These approaches, while informative, do not offer a solution to the problem. In contrast, Many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM) approaches estimate and control for rater effects in rater-mediated assessments so that scores are adjusted to account for rater variability. Thus, MFRM offers unique insights into individual- and group-level rater effects that can be used to inform a solution. The resultant purpose of this paper is to introduce MFRM, discuss its advantages for evaluating rater effects in rater-mediated assessments, and demonstrate its use through an applied example.     

Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Sleep Disturbance

This article provides guidelines for counselors interested in developing their own assessment procedure to evaluate child and adolescent sleep disturbance. The guidelines include reviewing the developmental and medical history, screening for parental psychopathology, obtaining a child behavior rating scale and sleep diary, and conducting a semistructured clinical interview to identify the sleep history and specific concerns. Considerations for referring clients for additional evaluation such as an overnight sleep study are discussed.     

APPLICATION OF CONTENT VALIDITY METHODS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A JOB-RELATED PERFORMANCE RATING CRITERION

This study demonstrated the use of quantitative content validity procedures in the development of a job-related behavioral rating scale criterion for entry-level psychiatric aides. Work behavior items were developed by staff from 6 state psychiatric hospitals, placed in a content validity questionnaire using the Lawshe format, and given to a representative sample of 38 aides and supervisors. Seventy-eight of 83 items were found to be significantly job-relevant using the computation procedures of both Lawshe and Aiken. After the significant items were grouped into 4 categories with high interjudge agreement and placed in a rating scale format, ratings were obtained on 72 psychiatric aides from 4 hospitals. Items in the 4 categories were found to be internally consistent using coefficient alpha. Significant but low concurrent validities were established for 2 verbal ability selection tests using the rating criterion. The validities found were interpreted to be especially significant when the factors of low selection ratio, restriction in range, and limited rater training were considered.     

African American students' ratings of Caucasian and African American counselors varying in racial consciousness

African American college students (63 female, 30 male) rated vignettes of counselors varying in racial consciousness (high vs. low) and race (African American vs. Caucasian). Participants then completed a counselor rating scale and the Racial Identity Attitude Scale (Short Form; T. A. Parham & J. E. Helms, 1981). African American counselors were rated more favorably than White counselors, and high racially conscious counselors were rated more favorably than low racially conscious counselors. The African American counselor with high racial consciousness was rated the most favorably. Several significant correlations were found between participants' racial identity attitudes and their ratings of counselors. Implications for the training of both African American and White counselors are considered.     

Development and Validation of the Short Grit Scale (Grit–S)

Two experiments investigated the possibility that external statements in the Rotter I-E scale are more depressing in tone than internal statements, and thus depressed subjects may respond to external items due to item mood level rather than locus of control content. Results of Experiment 1 revealed that the external alternative was rated as more depressing than its internal counterpart for the majority Of the 23 I-E items (18 for females and 15 for males), while a small number of I-E items (3 for females and 6 for males) contained internal and external statements rated as balanced for depressing Content. For two I-E items the internal alternative was rated as more depressing. Results of Experiment 2 revealed that endorsement of external items was significantly related to self-reported depression for both total I-E score and for the item subset where external statements(as revealed in Experiment 1) were the more depressing of the item pair. External endorsement was not significantly related to depression for the I-E item subset where options are balanced for mood level, while endorsement of internal statements was related to depression only for the item subset where the internal option was rated as more depressing. These results were interpreted as supporting prior research which demonstrated mood response set using altered Rotter I-E scale items, Implications for use of the Rotter I-E scale in the study of depression were discussed.     

MFT trainee adjustment to program lifestyle stress: The TAPS scale

The 30-item Trainee Adjustment to Program Stress (TAPS) scale was developed to measure lifestyle stress of family therapy trainees. Initially, 70 items were generated from propositional statements based on four constructs. Following pilot testing, 329 out of 900 (37%) student members of the American Association for Mariage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) returned TAPS questionnaires. Internal consistency reliability analyses and principal components and factor analyses produced a final 30 item TAPS scale appropriate for use in family therapy training programs. Reliability and validity measures are reported.     

Unidimensionality and Developmental Trajectory of Aggressive Behavior in Clinically-Referred Boys: A Rasch Analysis

A majority of research investigating aggression and its development in children relies on rating scales such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). These scales typically are developed using a conventional factor analytic approach for the selection and retention of scale items, but may contain insufficient items to assess the unidimensionality and developmental trajectory of youths’ aggressive behavior. Rasch analysis was employed to determine the extent to which CBCL Aggressive and Delinquent clinical syndrome scale items reflect the unidimensionality and expected developmental trajectory of aggressive behavior based on parent endorsements of 455, 6 to 16 year old boys referred to community mental health centers. The two scales showed considerable promise as a unidimensional aggression scale and mimic the expected developmental pattern of aggressive behavior in extant literature. Future development of an aggressive CBCL dimensional subscale, however, must eliminate redundant and non-contributing items, and include severe aggressive behavior items exhibited by persistently aggressive youths.     

ATTRIBUTIONS TO FAILURE: THE EFFECTS OF EFFORT,ABILITY, AND LEARNING STRATEGY USE ON PERCEPTIONS OF FUTURE GOALS AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES

This study sought to examine college students' attributions to failure in biology. Through the use of scenarios, we were interested in determining how males and females viewed the attributions of ability, effort, and learning strategy use. A 3 (attribution: ability, effort, strategies) 2 2 (scenario gender) 2 2 (respondent gender) factorial design was used to analyze four future goal statements and four emotional response statements. Results indicated a significant effect for attribution for three of the four future goal items, with participants believing most strongly that future goals could be met if the scenario student used the appropriate strategies. There was also a significant effect for attribution for all four of the emotional response items, with participants having the strongest emotional reaction when the attribution was to effort. Respondent gender interacted with attribution only on one emotional response item. Collectively these results indicate differences in patterns of responses between future goal and emotional items. Moreover,these results are important for learning-to-learn courses designed to teach effective strategy use.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION SCALES FOR APPRAISING THE PERFORMANCE OF FOREMEN

Behavioral observation scales (BOS) were developed for first line foremen. BOS are similar to behavioral expectation scales (BES) in that both are based on a job analysis procedure known as the critical incident technique. However, the BOS differ from BES in that, in developing BOS, (a) a group of individuals is observed and rated on a five-point scale as to the frequency with which they engage in the behavior described by each incident/statement, (b) a total score for each individual is determined by summing the observer's responses for each behavioral item, and (c) an item analysis (or factor analysis, depending upon the sample size) is conducted to select the most discriminating items. Those items with the highest correlations with the total score on a scale are retained to form one behavioral criterion or scale (BOS).     

Kinesthetic Cues in the Development of Time Concepts

The intent of this study was to document general behavioral correlates of cognitive impulsivity. Fourth-grade children were individually administered the Matching Familiar Figures (MFF) test, and the resulting measures (latency and errors) were correlated with a group administered scale of impulsivity, the Impulsivity Scale for Children (ISC) and eight teacher ratings evaluating the child on a series of different behaviors. No relationships existed between MFF measures and the ISC; and only one teacher rating correlated significantly with either MFF variable. This teacher rating (tendency to respond) was found to be the only discriminating teacher rating, and the high correlation between it and the MFF latency was explained because of the high task similarity between MFF requirements and the behaviors rated on “tendency to respond.” Cognitive impulsivity was not predicted by classroom behavior, implying that an individual's preferred conceptual tempo is not a part of a global impulsive behavior pattern but rather a relatively independent dimension of cognitive style. The questionable validity of the ISC was discussed for children of this age group, as was the significant correlation between Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) scores and the ISC scores.     

The Effects of a Self-Management Program in Reducing Off-Task Behavior

Two adolescents with learning disabilities were taught to use a self-management program to decrease off-task behavior in two general education classes and a study hall class. The self-management program included three components—a checklist, a behavior rating scale, and a self-monitoring form. A multiple baseline design was implemented across settings for each participant. The findings indicated that the self-management program was successful in all three settings in decreasing off-task behaviors. Additionally, the teacher ratings of student behavior were found to increase during self-monitoring, suggesting the overall behavior of the students improved during the self-management program. The results are discussed in terms of the novelty of using teacher ratings of student behavior to demonstrate a relationship between the implementation of the self-management program and teacher reports of changes in other classroom behaviors.     

An evaluation of the usefulness of the MMPI-2 F(p) scale

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) F(p) scale was developed by Arbisi and Ben-Porath (1995) by identification of 27 items endorsed by fewer than 20% of individuals in both normal and psychiatric samples. The F(p) scale was designed for applications in settings characterized by high base rates of serious psychopathology, such as psychiatric inpatient units, and is proposed as a useful scale in discriminating overreported protocols from those produced by patients with serious psychopathology. In this study we investigated the characteristics of this scale in a sample of 617 psychiatric inpatients who responded to the MMPI-2 under standard conditions, and 203 overreported protocols derived in research studies conducted with normal adult participants instructed to simulate various forms of serious psychopathology. Results of this study are consistent with prior reports of a relatively low frequency of item endorsement for F(p) scale items in psychiatric samples, and intercorrelations between the F(p) scale and the MMPI-2 basic clinical scales in clinical samples that are generally lower than those produced between either F or Fb and the basic clinical scales. However, this intercorrelational pattern between F(p) and the MMPI-2 basic scales was not as consistent for the overreported sample. Additionally, the F(p) scale appears to be effective in discriminating overreported from accurate MMPI-2 protocols, with some evidence that the optimal cutting scores for this and other MMPI-2 infrequency scales may differ as a function of gender. Finally, these findings do not show clear evidence of improved group prediction derived from the use of the F(p) scale in contrast to results obtainable through the use of the MMPI-2 F scale.