This study presents an initial psychometric examination of the Homeroom Teacher–Student Relationship Scale (HTSRS), a student-report measure developed to assess adolescents’ perceptions of their relationship with the homeroom teacher. The scale was administered to 562 Spanish secondary school students ( M = 15.10; SD = 0.89), randomly divided into non-overlapping exploratory ( n = 282) and confirmatory ( n = 280) subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis supported two related dimensions—Relational Support and Relational Bond—which were subsequently evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis in the second subsample. Preliminary analyses indicated adequate internal consistency. These findings provide initial evidence regarding the HTSRS’s internal structure and suggest potential value for school-based relational assessment, while further validity and reliability evidence remains necessary.
Research on mattering has increased exponentially, yet research in non-Western cultural contexts remains limited, in part because of the lack of valid and reliable mattering scales. Measures are needed both for research purposes and for identifying individual students who may lack this key component of personal worth. This study sought to fill the gap by translating and validating major mattering scales into Japanese. The General Mattering Scale-6, Anti-Mattering Scale, and Fear of Not Mattering Inventory were translated into Japanese and administered to university students in Japan ( N = 481) along with measures of loneliness, depression, burnout, and positive and negative affect. The psychometric results showed that the translated scales were reliable and the model fit indices were acceptable. The scales showed the theoretically expected correlations with self-esteem, depression, loneliness, and burnout, providing evidence of construct validity with clear relevance to student mental health. These findings highlight the utility of these instruments for examining mattering constructs among Japanese students and point to the need for interventions and programs that promote mattering and reduce anti-mattering and the fear of not mattering.
Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and multistage testing (MST) can shorten assessment and improve targeting, but adaptivity does not itself make a test accessible. This critical integrative review examines how accessibility supports interact with construct representation, item eligibility, routing, stopping, burden, and score interpretation. Fifty-two sources from the original synthesis were reassessed, and a reproducible ERIC update plus targeted searches produced a 58-source revised set. Results are organized through an author-developed six-domain framework: construct access, accessible bank coverage, item and interface compatibility, accommodation-routing interaction, burden and timing, and interpretive validity. Across domains, benefits available to all examinees must be distinguished from disability-related access requirements and from mechanisms unique to CAT/MST. Adaptive delivery is defensible only when the intended construct permits adaptation and evidence supports routes under actual access conditions; otherwise, MST, hybrid, or fixed forms may be preferable.
Intellectual risk-taking (IRT)-engaging with epistemic uncertainty despite potential risk-is central to learning, yet few instruments assess it. This article reports two studies developing and validating the Intellectual Risk-Taking in Computer Science Survey (IRT-CS), grounded in a seven-strategy framework of instructional practices theorized to promote IRT. Using survey data from 244 computer science and psychology undergraduates at two U.S. universities, we addressed three research questions. First, does the IRT-CS demonstrate adequate factor structure, reliability, and measurement invariance across course subject, institution, and gender (Study 1)? The instrument showed acceptable model fit for its theorized seven-factor structure, good reliability across subscales, and full scalar invariance across gender, supporting valid cross-gender comparison. Second, does perceived classroom IRT culture predict students' self-reported IRT behaviors, independent of course challenge and other covariates (Study 2)? Both perceived classroom culture and perceived course challenge independently and positively predicted IRT behaviors, providing initial construct validity evidence for the instrument. Third, do IRT behaviors and the culture-behavior relationship differ by gender or by disciplinary context (Study 2)? Gender differences in IRT behaviors were small and non-significant, and the relationship between classroom culture and IRT behaviors did not differ by gender, while disciplinary differences between CS and psychology students were substantially attenuated once classroom culture and challenge were accounted for. The IRT-CS offers a psychometrically grounded tool for investigating how classroom environments support student engagement with uncertainty.
Extended time is the most frequently provided test accommodation to students with disabilities, but prior research suggests that many students who are provided it do not use it, and there is no consensus on how to determine which students should receive it. In the current study, we explored factors related to eligibility and use of extended time on the 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) mathematics test, with a focus on Grade 4 students with high-incidence disabilities. Computer-logged process data allowed for an objective measure of time usage. A series of analyses with logistic regression models was conducted using Grade 4 data and compared to parallel analyses completed with Grade 8 data. Which school a student attended accounted for substantial variance in eligibility for receiving extended time, suggesting considerable variation in how schools make decisions about the accommodation. The lower grade level (Grade 4), more text-to-speech use, and a higher test score were all associated with more use of extended time. Implications for future research and related considerations for practice are highlighted.
