This book offers beginning researchers in psychology and education with limited statistics backgrounds a practical, hands-on guide to the preparation, assessment, and development of quantitative research instruments. With the explicit goal in mind of making the text accessible to readers with only a beginning level of statistical expertise, the authors include numerous examples and figures to illustrate necessary concepts and procedures, while minimizing jargon. The book includes an appendix with directions for the required statistical analyses for readers with access to SPSS. The organization of the book into two sections, theoretical and practical, with complementary chapters in each section, results in a practical and versatile resource to have in a variety of contexts. Because of its versatility, the book may be used either as a textbook for courses on test construction and instrument design or quantitative research methods in psychology and education, as a reference for researchers using and constructing quantitative instruments, or as background reading for professionals in related fields.

Joshua A. Fishman is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in Social Sciences at Yeshiva University, and visiting professor at Stanford University [Linguistics and Education], New York University [Multiculturalism] and CUNY-Graduate Center [Linguistics].Tomás Galguera is an associate professor in the Teachers for Tomorrow's Schools teacher education program at Mills College and a fellow at the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Chapter 1 PrefaceChapter 2 IntroductionPart 3 A. THEORETICAL TOPICSChapter 4 1A. WHAT ARE "TESTS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES?"Chapter 5 2A. THE END GOAL AS A FIRST CONSIDERATIONChapter 6 3A. INSTRUMENT RELIABILITYChapter 7 4A. INSTRUMENT VALIDITYChapter 8 5A. ITEM ANALYSESChapter 9 6A. SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALESPart 10 B. EMPIRICAL TOPICSChapter 11 1B. DESIGNING YOUR INSTRUMENT; COMPONENTIALITY AND ITEM-TYPEChapter 12 2B. PREPARATION AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF THE FIRST VERSIONChapter 13 3B. ANALYZING VERSION I: ITEM STATISTICS AND INSTRUMENT RELIABILITYChapter 14 4B. ANALYZING VERSION II: ITEM STATISTICS, INSTRUMENT RELIABILITY AND VALIDITYChapter 15 5B. SEMI-FORMAL MEASUREMENT: VARIETIES OF CONTENT ANALYSISChapter 16 6B. WHAT NEXT? BACK TO THE FUTUREChapter 17 Appendix A: Recommended ReadingsChapter 18 Appendix B: Instructions for Performing Necessary Statistical Procedures in SPSSChapter 19 Appendix C: Sample Data Set of Items and Scores for Self-Esteem Scale, Version 1Chapter 20 References