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The Inventory of Documented Accomplishments for Graduate Admissions: Results of a Field Trial Study of its Reliability, Short-Term Correlates, and Evaluation GREB

Author(s):
Baird, Leonard L.; Knapp, Joan E.
Publication Year:
1981
Report Number:
RR-81-18
Source:
ETS Research Report
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
116
Subject/Key Words:
Graduate Record Examinations Board, Admission Criteria, Biographical Inventories, Graduate Study, Noncognitive Assessment, Test Reliability

Abstract

This is the report of the third phase of a multi-phase project designed to develop an inventory of documented accomplishments for graduate student selection. The material developed in earlier stages was pilot-tested in phase three in 26 departments that represented the fields of English, biology, and psychology. The major purpose of this study was to investigate the instrument developed in stage two in terms of technical soundness, and the feasibility of its use in the admissions process. This study represents the transition of the use of documented accomplishments to predict graduate school achievement from a research phase to a more operational phase during which the instrument would be tested in actual admissions situations. The departments were asked to administer the instrument to their newly enrolled graduate students. Straightforward descriptive and correlational analyses of the responses to the inventory were conducted to describe characteristics of the students and the instruments and identify the most reliable clusters of items and indices of accomplishment. Students were followed up at the end of their first year to assess their graduate school accomplishments and their relationship to previous attainments. Students' reactions to the inventory were obtained by interview and by additional questions at the end of the inventory.

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