RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF IN-BASKET PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The in-basket test is a frequently used assessment tool for predicting job performance and, to a lesser extent, as a technique for research and development in various human resource applications. While the in-basket test has obvious attractive features for application in the business setting, there is a great degree of uniqueness in each application and relatively little research focusing on critical issues involved in construction or evaluation. In this paper, the literature focusing on the psychometric properties of in-basket measures of performance are reviewed and evaluated. The compiled evidence provides only modest support of the usefulness of the in-basket test as a measurement tool.     

A Multicultural Perspective in an Undergraduate Human Services Program

This article describes the undergraduate human services program at California State University, Fullerton, which is designed to integrate theory and practice as a foundation for training human service workers. The article focuses on a course in cultural diversity that is taught from a multicultural perspective. The course is designed to help students understand and value diversity based on the nature of the clients they will be working with in the future. Because a single course is not sufficient to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills needed for effective practice in a multicultural society, the article also describes the program's attempt to weave a multicultural perspective throughout the curriculum. We believe a multicultural curriculum improves both the academic achievement of our students and their success as future human service workers in the community because they will be able to adapt intervention strategies to meet the needs of a diverse client population. Este articulo describe el programa de estudios de Asistencia Social en California State University, Fullerton, el cual se ha diseñado para intregar la teoría y la practica como un base para entrenar a los Asistentes Sociales. El artículo se centra en un curso de diversidad cultural, enseñado desde una perspectiva multicultural. Se ha diseñado el curso para ayudar a los estudiantes a entender y evaluar la diversidad de clientes con quienes trabajarán. Porque sólo un curso no es suficiente para dar a los estudientes el conocimiento y capacidades necesarios para la práctica eficaz en una sociedad multicultural, el artículo tambien describe el intento del programa de incorporar al programa una perspectiva multicultural. Nosotros creemos que un programa multicultural mejora a la vez los resultados académicos de nuestros estudiantes y su éxito como futuros Asistentes Sociales en la comunidad, porque de esta manera podrán adaptar estrategias de intervención para una población variada de clientes.     

Measuring Manual Dexterity with the GATB: Wooden versus Plastic Pegboards

As part of a ten-year longitudinal study of vocational development being conducted in the Department of Vocational Education at The Pennsylvania State University, it was decided to administer the GATB to an entire ninth grade class of 1,050 boys and girls. Because both wooden and plastic pegboards were being used to assess GATB aptitude manual dexterity (M), it was decided to compare the scores obtained on the two different types of boards. Results of the study indicate that those students who were tested using the wooden boards performed significantly better than did students tested on the plastic boards. Converted score differences for aptitude M ranged from 3 to 26 points with an average difference of 11 points.