Testing Practices and Attitudes Toward Tests and Testing: An International Survey

On behalf of the International Test Commission and the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations a world-wide survey on the opinions of professional psychologists on testing practices was carried out. The main objective of this study was to collect data for a better understanding of the state of psychological testing worldwide. These data could guide the actions and measures taken by ITC, EFPA, and other stakeholders. A questionnaire was administered to 20,467 professional psychologists from 29 countries. Five scales were constructed relating to: concern over incorrect test use, regulations on tests and testing, internet and computerized testing, appreciation of tests, and knowledge and training relating to test use. Equivalence across countries was evaluated using the alignment method, four scales demonstrated acceptable levels of invariance. Multilevel analysis was used to determine how scores were related to age, gender, and specialization, as well as how scores varied between countries. Although the results show a high appreciation of tests in general, the appreciation of internet and computerized testing is much lower. These scales show low variability over countries, whereas differences between countries on the other reported scales are much greater. This implies the need for some overarching improvements as well as country-specific actions.     

Access to handouts of presentation slides during lecture: Consequences for learning

Teachers often lecture with presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint; however, little research has examined the effects of this new technology on learning. One issue that arises is whether or not to give students copies of the lecture slides, and if so when. A survey documented that students prefer to receive lecture slides before class, whereas instructors were less pronounced in their preferences. Two experiments examined whether having handouts of the slides facilitated encoding of science lectures. Having access to handouts of the slides during lecture was associated with a number of benefits: less note‐taking (studies 1 and 2), less time needed to prepare for a final test (study 1), and better performance on the final test (study 2). Overall, receiving handouts before lecture helped efficient encoding of the lecture. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Might “unique” factors be “common”? On the possibility of indeterminate common–unique covariances

The present paper shows that the usual factor analytic structured data dispersion matrix Λ Ψ Λ′ + Δ can readily arise from a set of scores y = Λ η + ε, where the “common” (η) and “unique” (ε) factors have nonzero covariance: Γ = Covε,η) ≠ 0. Implications of this finding are discussed for the indeterminacy of factor scores, and for the issue of invariance of factor analytic covariance models. The size of the problem is explored with numerical examples. I would like to acknowledge the large amount of effort and stimulating input supplied on the previous drafts of this paper from the reviewers, Associate Editor, and Editors of Psychometrika. Particular thanks go to William Meredith for his assistance with the final draft. Requests for reprints should be sent to Dave Grayson, 14 Poplar Grove, Lawson, NSW 2783, Australia     

A limited role for the hippocampus in the modulation of novel-object preference by contextual cues

Recent evidence suggests that rats require an intact hippocampus in order to recognize familiar objects when they encounter them again in a different context. The two experiments reported here further examined how changes in context affect rats' performance on the novel-object preference (NOP) test of object-recognition memory, and how those effects interact with the effects of HPC damage. Rats with HPC lesions and control rats received NOP testing in either the same context in which they had previously encountered sample objects, or in a different but equally familiar context. In Experiment 1, the two contexts had very few overlapping cues within or outside the apparatus; thus, the differences between them were global. Consistent with previous results, control rats showed a novel-object preference in both the unchanged and (globally) changed contexts, whereas rats with HPC lesions displayed a preference only in the unchanged context. In Experiment 2, the context shift included only local features proximal to the test objects. The main results were the reverse of Experiment 1--rats with HPC lesions displayed a novel-object preference in both the unchanged and (locally) changed contexts, whereas control rats displayed a preference only in the unchanged context. The findings are consistent with the view that HPC damage does not cause a general inability to recognize objects, nor an inability to encode or store a representation of the context in which the objects are encountered. They suggest instead that HPC damage impairs the ability to remember specific locations of familiar objects within a particular context.     

Protean and boundaryless careers: A study on potential motivators

This paper conceptually links hypothesized scales of the Motivation Questionnaire (SHL (1992). Motivation questionnaire: Manual and users’ guide. Thames Ditton: SHL) to the underlying dimensions of the protean (values-driven and self-directedness) and boundaryless career (physical and psychological mobility) attitudes. Results of regression-analyses (N = 13,000) confirmed most of the hypotheses in terms of the influence of gender, age, education, and managerial experience on motivators linked to the underlying dimensions. A cluster analysis that was conducted to explore how many profiles can be observed when matching work motives to the protean and boundaryless careers, resulted in four motivational groups (Protean career architects, Trapped/lost, Hired/hired hand, and Curious/wanderer). The clusters are discussed in light of the current career literature and provide empirical support for the latest theorizing about the protean and boundaryless career models. Managerial implications and directions for future research are offered.     

Head-putter coordination patterns in expert and less skilled golfers

The authors examined the patterns of expert and less skilled golfers in putting on an indoor surface to 1 of 3 circular targets (1, 3, and 5 m away) in trials with a ball present (and putted) or not present (a practice stroke). As expected, the experts performed better than the less skilled golfers on a large number of outcome and kinematic measures. Displacement and velocity profiles of the head and putter revealed high positive correlations for the less skilled golfers, indicating a dominant allocentric coordination pattern, but high negative correlations for the expert golfers, indicating a dominant egocentric coordination pattern. The observed coordination patterns did not interact with the distance of the intended putt or the presence/absence of a ball. These findings offer preliminary evidence that, although contrary to traditional beliefs, fundamental differences exist in putting coordination modes between expert and less skilled golfers.     

Learning Through Shared Christian Praxis: Reflective Practice in the Classroom

The cultivation of reflective practice has become a commonly accepted goal of theological education. However, theological educators must face the challenge of teaching and assessing reflective practice. Hypothesizing that this concern is best addressed in community, the authors of this article devised a collaborative action‐research project using Thomas Groome's “shared Christian praxis” model. They describe the ways in which they have, over the course of the project, modified their pedagogy to improve their students' reflection on practice.     

A respectable job: Factors which influence young Asians' choice of career

To find out why some college or university courses are particularly attractive to ethnic-minority school-leavers, school pupils and first-year students of South Asian (n=158) and UK origin (n = 158) completed a questionnaire relating to occupational choice. The social position attainable from a 'respected' profession and the ability to work with others who share similar beliefs were found to be of greater importance to subjects from an Asian background than to those of UK origin, who placed greater emphasis on personal growth and autonomy. There was no evidence that the Asian young people were consciously choosing careers with the aim of avoiding discrimination.