Pennsylvania's Preparing for a Changing World Instrument: A Validation Study

The validities of the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) Preparing for a Changing World Instruments at grades 5, 8, and 11 were investigated. The study was carried out in a suburban school district where many students had experienced a great deal of change in their lives. At each grade level approximately 60 students who had experienced a great deal of change and 60 students who had experienced little change participated. Each student responded to the EQA instrument appropriate to his/her grade level. At each grade level teachers were asked to choose students high and low in "emotional fortitude." In investigating the validities of the instruments, EQA scores of students rated high were compared with those of students rated low. The study provided some evidence for the validity of the EQA instrument at each grade level. Validity support was gathered for the total instrument, for the Ineffective Solutions subtest, and for the Effective Solutions subtest; however, no validity support was found for the Emotional Adjustment subtest. In general, stronger validity support was found for the instruments when responded to by students who had experienced a great deal of change than when responded to by students who had experienced little change. (Author/BJG)