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Tests and Measures: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Handbooks

Basic Reference Sources

The following sources are useful for locating information on general concepts and definitions in the field of tests and mesurements and also may contain helpful insights on test development.

Comprehensive Handbook of Psychological Assessment
Main Library Reference BF 176 .C654 2004
"Each volume contains information on the history of the specific branch of testing, the range of tests, theoretical considerations, psychometric concerns, range of populations, cross-cultural factors ... legal/ethical considerations, computerization, and future development" (publisher's description).

  • Volume 1: Intellectual and Neuropsycholocical Assessment
  • Volume 2: Personality Assessment
  • Volume 3: Behavioral Assessment
  • Volume 4: Industrial and Organizational Assessment

Dictionary of Psychological Testing, Assessment and Treatment
Main Library Reference BF 176 .S78 1995
A specialized dictionary for common test names and acronyms, experimental methods and therapies, with many cross-references to related terms.

Educational Measurement, 4th ed.
Main Library General Collection LB 3051 .E266 2006
Published under the auspices of the National Council on Measurement in Education and American Council on Education. Provides in-depth treatments of critical measurement topics, such as validation, reliability, scaling and norming, and item response theory. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field.

Encyclopedia of Psychological Assessment
Main Library Reference BF 176 .E53 2003
Contains 234 entries arranged alphabetically and covering a variety of topics, from "Achievement Testing" to "Work Performance." A fairly extensive list of references is appended to each entry.

Encyclopedia of Social Measurement
Main Library Reference H 62 .E53 2005
Entries on a broad range of measurement topics, including measurement models and research design.

Handbook of Customer Satisfaction Measurement
Main Library General Collection HF 5415.335 .H55
Heavily oriented toward marketing, but it does contain information on how to design samples and questionnaires. Also has a few examples.

The Handbook of Psychological Testing
Main Library General Collection BF 176 .K575 2000
A comprehensive overview of psychometrics.

Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement
Main Library Reference H 62 .M44 2002
Main Library General Collection H 62 .M44 1991
Sometimes referred to as "Miller," after the author, Delbert Miller. A standard sourcebook covering basic, applied, and evaluation research. The chapter on "Selected Sociometric Scales and Indexes" includes many scales that have been tested for a high degree of reliability, validity, and utility.

International Handbook of Educational Evaluation
Main Library Reference LB 2822.75 .I563 2003
Has chapters on evaluation theory, methodology, evaluation utilization, the evaluation profession, student and personnel evaluation, school and system evaluation.

Psychological Testing: Theory and Applications
Main Library General Collection BF 176 .J35 1998
A textbook that contains information on major tests and test construction.

Responsible Test Use: Case Studies for Assessing Human Behavior
Main Library General Collection BF 176 .R475 2010 (2d ed.)
Online version (1st ed., 1993)
Consists of 85 training cases that illustrate a variety of problems related to test use.

Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
Main Library Reference LB 3051 .A693 1999
Curriculum Materials Center 371.260973 Ame
Supplies standards for test construction and use.

About Reference Sources

Reference sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks, provide summary and factual information. These sources generally contain well established knowledge and can provide a basic understanding on which to build. Use reference sources to:

> Find basic concepts of a topic;

> Get historical context and relationships to other topics;

> Identify and define special terms used to discuss the topic; or

> Find or verify data, facts, formulas, etc.