No abstract

No abstract

We developed a rubric to assess several of our department's undergraduate student learning outcomes (SLOs). Target SLOs include applications of principles of research methodology, using appropriate statistics, adherence to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, and written communication skills. We randomly sampled 20 percent (N = 55) of the final written manuscripts from several sections of a research methods course and trained 2 graduate-level raters to use the rubric to score the students' papers. We found statistically significant interrater reliability and convergent validity coefficients. These findings are discussed to encourage the development and evaluation of such rubrics to be used across colleges and universities.In the last decade, undergraduate psychology programs have responded to the need for assessment as a legitimate force in higher education (see Dunn, Mehrotra, & Halonen, 2004). As such, there is an increasing interest in multimethod assessment of student learning outcomes and the development of reliable and valid rubrics to directly measure student learning (e.g., Stellmack, Konheim-Kalkstein, Manor, Massey, & Schmitz, 2009). However, it is quite challenging to develop rubrics that reliably assess student learning based on oral and visual presentations, group work and discussions, final projects, written reports, and other culminated student work.Halonen et al. (2003) created a rubric specifically designed for psychology departments to assess undergraduate students' scientific inquiry skills. Scientific inquiry is defined as forming hypotheses, designing experiments, interpreting outcomes, and communicating results. These four domains converge with McGovern and Hawks's (1986) conclusions on what defines psychology student learning objectives (SLOs)-specifically that scientific reasoning and proficiencies in research methods and communication are their principal components.The rubric that Halonen and colleagues (2003) designed is comprehensive and broad, incorporating elements of communication, collaboration, and selfassessment, as well as scientific inquiry skills. Each domain has five levels of proficiency, ranging from before training to professional graduate and beyond. They designed the rubric to measure a student's progress throughout his or her academic experience, from as early as high school up to college graduation.One limitation Halonen and colleagues (2003) acknowledged is the time and energy required to effectively use a comprehensive multidimensional rubric. Consequently, some educators might lose enthusiasm in this rubric's implementation. This limitation can be addressed by focusing on a simpler rubric and using it as one part of a multimethod model of assessment. Furthermore, Halonen and colleagues' rubric was not empirically tested for reliability and validity. The authors hoped that their article would encourage other researchers to investigate the potential of developing their own rubrics to quantify and assess psychology education achievement. It ...

Youth with learning disabilities (LD) are at an increased risk for anxiety disorders and valid measures of anxiety are necessary for assessing this population. We investigated the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March in Multidimensional anxiety scale for children. Multi-Health Systems, North Tonawanda, 1998) in 41 adolescents (ages 11– 17 years) with LD. Youth and parents completed the MASC and were administered the semi-structured Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule: Child and Parent Versions (ADIS: C/P; Silverman and Albano in The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV-Child and Parent Versions. Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, 1996). Results found that child and parent reports of Social Anxiety on the MASC closely corresponded with ADIS-generated social phobia diagnoses, and parent total scores discriminated well among youth with and without any anxiety disorder. A multi-method multi-trait matrix provided evidence of the construct validity of the MASC total score for both parent and child reports. Our findings provide empirical evidence that parent and child versions of the MASC are useful for assessing anxiety in youth with LD.

In an effort to provide clarity about the unique contributions of several professions within the context of multidisciplinary treatment, we reviewed the definitions, philosophical underpinnings, and national requirements pertaining to both scopes of practice (i.e., model licensing acts, legislation, and regulatory boards) and training (i.e., task lists, accreditation standards and course requirements, and exam blueprints) of 4 behavioral health professions. The professions we selected (behavior analysis, psychology, speechlanguage pathology, and occupational therapy) are likely to provide treatment alongside one another and often to the same clients. In a review of documents pertaining to scopes of practice and training for each profession, we found overlapping content. However, the similarities between professions diminished when we reviewed more specific guidelines such as learning objectives, educational requirements (i.e., coursework), supervised clinical experience (e.g., internships), and national examinations. This was especially true when considering each profession's underlying approach to treatment (i.e., philosophical underpinnings) and, hence, service activities. We discuss our findings in light of service overlap and make a call for greater collaboration between professions, as related to the separate content knowledge and expertise of professionals in each field and the impact on client outcomes.Keywords Scope of practice . Scope of training . Practice documents . Treatment . Multidisciplinary teams . Collaboration According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the current rate of prevalence for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children is estimated to be approximately 1 in 59 (CDC, n.d.). In a study conducted by Cawthorpe (2017), it was reported that the current literature on the prevalence of ASD reports rates of approximately 1%-4% in the general population (i.e., including children and adults), making it a ubiquitous health concern.Additionally, comorbidity has been documented as occurring among those with ASD for decades (Matson & Nebel-Schwalm,