The Effect of Veteran Student Support Services on Veteran Students\u27 Academic Achievement

Since the introduction of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, veteran student support services have expanded in higher education in response to the growing veteran student population and to improve the academic achievement of veteran students. The problem addressed in this study was a lack of knowledge regarding the effect of veteran students\u27 participation in veteran student support services on veterans\u27 academic achievement at selected colleges in Maryland. Using a theoretical foundation of Pascarella and Terenzini\u27s within-college framework, the research question examined the effects of veteran students\u27 participation in veteran student support services on their academic achievement as measured by their grade point average. A quantitative causal-comparative design and a veteran student sample of N = 128 were used to determine if veteran student support services affect veteran students\u27 academic achievement. Archival data from 2 higher education institutions in the state of Maryland were collected for this study. Results of a one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in the academic achievement of veteran students who participated and who did not participate in veteran student support services. The findings from this study may lead to positive social change for veteran students in the state of Maryland and across the United States by providing an empirical basis for the need for improvements of veteran students support services in higher education

Enhancement of the United States extreme wind database and implications for extreme wind climatology

Despite the substantial progress made in recent years to improve the characterization of extreme wind climatology in the contiguous United States, uncertainties still remain in its formal quantification. The importance of an accurate assessment of extreme wind climate is paramount, however, due to the outsized weight that the “basic wind speed” value carries in computations of design wind loads specified in ASCE 7 standards. One of many avenues towards improving the accuracy of basic wind speed values is improving the recorded wind observations from which basic wind speeds are derived. The aim of this study is enhance this body of observations—called the extreme wind database—and to provide additional techniques of improving the understanding of extreme wind climatology in the United States. The existing extreme wind database, formed using the Integrated Surface Dataset (ISD) 3505, was improved most significantly by nearly doubling its spatial resolution by extending the length of time over which observations are reported by approximately 10 years. Two additional techniques were developed that aimed to address temporal and spatial resolution issues related to climatology characterization. One of these employed the use of high temporal resolution wind observations from the Dataset 6405 (DS 6405) and the other made use of high spatial resolution wind observations obtained from the Oklahoma Mesonet (OKM). The improvements and additional techniques were quantified using a standardized extreme value analysis procedure to produce a common metric for comparison: a primordial basic wind speed analog called “V50” that can be compared across datasets of highly disparate character. Full suites of V50 values were generated for a control group of wind observation databases (i.e. existing databases) as well as a set of databases containing the improvements and additional techniques employed. Using numerous graphical and geospatial analysis methods, the results of database improvements were compared to the control groups in the context of United States extreme wind climatology. It was found that, with regard to improvements of the existing extreme wind database, a doubling of the network spatial density and the extension of time histories led to a slight increase in basic wind speed estimates in most areas of the United States. Regional characteristics of basic wind speed contours were able to be more clearly identified as well. The technique for implementing high temporal resolution data from DS 6405 was found to unviable owing to the widespread existence of unrealistic wind records within the parent dataset that could not be adequately controlled. The spatial resolution improvement technique employing Oklahoma Mesonet observations, however, yielded more promising results. Using a comparison analysis of discrete, co-located wind events, it was found that the less spatially-dense network used to create the existing extreme wind database may not adequately capture small-scale extreme wind events as capably as the more spatially-dense Oklahoma Mesonet. This implies that the existing database, as well as the overarching methodology used to create it, may be systematically insufficient in regards to extreme wind observations. While it is assumed that this insufficiency has significant impacts on United States extreme wind climatology evaluations, further work is needed to quantify these impacts in a more generalized context

Moment of Truth

Thunderstorms are common here in Illinois, but collecting experimental data from them is no small task. Using this 10 meter tower, our team of wind engineers set out to collect real-time wind data at our field site in Rantoul, IL, hoping to capture extreme wind events (like thunderstorms) that pass through the area. For us, the goal is simple: measure the wind constantly and eventually something interesting will show up. Nearly eight months after setting up the tower, Mother Nature finally obliged. On May 9th, 2018, an onslaught of severe weather made its way across central Illinois and looked poised to strike our ever-patient tower. The sky turned a putrid shade of black, thunder shook the earth, and rain came pelting down in sheets. Yet our team sat transfixed, watching this long-awaited experiment unfold with nervous anticipation as the apocalyptic squall came roaring down the prairie. The moment of truth was upon us --could today finally be the day?Ope

The Attention to Detail Test: Measurement Precision and Validity Evidence for a Performance-Based Assessment of Attention to Detail

We report on the dimensionality, measurement precision, and validity of the Attention to Detail Test (ADT) designed to be a performance-based assessment of people’s ability to pay attention to detail. Within the framework of item response theory, we found that a 3PL bifactor model produced the most accurate item parameter estimates. In a predictive validity study, we found that the ADT predicted supervisor ratings of subsequent overall job performance and performance on detail-oriented tasks. In a construct-related study, scores on the ADT correlated most strongly with the personality facet of perfectionism. The test also correlated with intelligence and self-reported ACT scores. The implications of modeling the ADT as unidimensional or multidimensional are discussed. Overall, our findings suggest that the ADT is a valid measure of attention to detail ability and a useful selection tool that organizations can use to select for detail-oriented jobs

Applying item-response theory to the development of a screening adaptation of the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2

PURPOSE: Item Response Theory (IRT) is a psychometric approach to measurement that uses latent trait abilities (e.g., speech sound production skills) to model performance on individual items that vary by difficulty and discrimination. An IRT analysis was applied to preschooler’s productions of the words on the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 (GFTA-2) to identify candidates for a screening measure of speech sound production skills. METHOD: The phoneme accuracies from 154 preschoolers, with speech skills on the GFTA-2 ranging from the 1st to above the 90th percentile, were analyzed with a two-parameter logistic model. RESULTS: A total of 108 of the 232 phonemes from stimuli in the sounds-in-words subtest fit the IRT model. These phonemes, and subgroups of the most difficult of these phonemes, correlated significantly with the children’s overall percentile scores on the GFTA-2. Regression equations calculated for the five and ten most difficult phonemes predicted overall percentile score at levels commensurate with other screening measures. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that speech production accuracy can be screened effectively with a small number of sounds. They motivate further research towards the development of a screening measure of children’s speech sound production skills whose stimuli consist of a limited number of difficult phonemes

A Psychometric Assessment of OCB: Clarifying the Distinction Between OCB and CWB and Developing a Revised OCB Measure

© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. This study was performed to (1) assess the appropriateness of using negatively worded items in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) scales, (2) psychometrically demonstrate the construct distinctness of OCB and counterproductive work behavior (CWB), and (3) report on a revised, short-form OCB scale. Leveraging classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT), we demonstrate that the negatively worded items from a popular OCB scale (Williams and Anderson 1991) do not measure OCB, but rather a unique construct (CWB). CTT analyses (factor analyses) indicate that the negatively worded items load onto a unique factor when the scale is analyzed on its own and load onto a CWB factor when the scale is analyzed with a CWB scale. Additionally, IRT analyses indicate that the negatively worded items exhibit lower discrimination parameters and higher levels of local independence than the positively worded items, and similar discrimination parameters and levels of local independence as the CWB items. In turn, IRT analyses were used to identify the best items from the OCB scale to create a revised, short-form scale. The short-form scale showed comparable or improved convergent and discriminant validity and internal consistency reliability, as well as similar patterns of psychometric information yielded from IRT analyses, compared to the original scale. In short, the revised measure better aligns with conceptual definitions of OCB, demonstrates acceptable psychometric characteristics, and, given its reduced length, is of more practical value to researchers wishing to assess this construct within different types of research designs (e.g., longitudinal, multi-source)

Assessment of the Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form Using Item Response Theory

The mate retention inventory (MRI) has been a valuable tool in the field of evolutionary psychology for the past 30 years. The goal of the current research is to subject the MRI to rigorous psychometric analysis using item response theory to answer three broad questions. Do the individual items of the MRI fit the scale well? Does the overall function of the MRI match what is predicted? Finally, do men and women respond similarly to the MRI? Using a graded response model, it was found that all but two of the items fit acceptable model patterns. Test information function analysis found that the scale acceptably captures individual differences for participants with a high degree of mate retention but the scale is lacking in capturing information from participants with a low degree of mate retention. Finally, discriminate item function analysis reveals that the MRI is better at assessing male than female participants, indicating that the scale may not be the best indicator of female behavior in a relationship. Overall, we conclude that the MRI is a good scale, especially for assessing male behavior, but it could be improved for assessing female behavior and individuals lower on overall mate retention behavior. It is suggested that this paper be used as a framework for how the newest psychometrics techniques can be applied in order to create more robust and valid measures in the field of evolutionary psychology

A Public-Domain Personality Item Bank For Use With The Raymark, Schmit, and Guion (1997) PPRF

Presented is the development of a repository of work-related personality items that may be used to assess job-related traits identified by the Personality-Related Position Requirements Form (PPRF: Raymark, Schmit, & Guion, 1997). Analyses of the item pool administered to a sample (n = 412) of trade apprentices showed evidence to support the12 work-related Big 5 sub-dimensions identified by the PPRF. A smaller validity study (n = 47) suggested that personality dimensions identified as job-related by the PPRF were related to important job-related outcomes