Other Self-Report Measures

Other self-report measures, such as inventories and questionnaires, help students to develop a sense of themselves as learners and future engineers. Asking students to reflect on their learning experiences helps them to see more clearly the connections among the concepts they have learned, as well as the applications of these concepts to new situations. When reflections are combined with portfolios that include samples of students work, they serve as useful tools for assessing individual student achievement and evaluating programs overall. 

Required entries are included Entries are dated and identified Observations are descriptive and detailed Interpretations are reasonable and based on evidence Shows an understanding of the engineering process Attention to format, grammar, and spelling 

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Frischholz, E. J., Braun, B. G., Sachs, R. G., Schwartz, D. R. (1991). Construct validity of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) I. The relationship between the DES and other self-report measures of DES. Dissociation Progress in the Dissociative Disorders, 4, 185-188. 

Another important issue concerning incident indices is their reporting types. One is an actrral reporting rate which will be calculated on the basis of the nttmber of incident reports submitted by staff tmder study. The other type is a self-reported rate of incidents, which will be elicited as staff responses to (a subjective measttre of) safety performance. Self-reported measures of incidents have often been said to have low reliability for the following reason healthcare providers are likely... 

In support of a role for androgens in sexual behavior is the finding that sexual interest or motivation is low in prepubertal boys and in men with various forms of hypogonadism (Burris, et al., 1992). Androgen treatments are typically associated with increased interest in sexual activities, as measured by self-report, as well as increases in nocturnal erections. However, increases in sexual behavior as a result of androgen treatments are less reliable, probably in part because men with a history of sexual inactivity may lack social skills or opportunities for sexual behavior. Social and historical variables, possibly also experienced as changes in other hormones, are critical determinants of masculine sexuality. 

Previous studies of male attractiveness have usually involved asking women to assess male attractiveness from photographs, and mating success has been measured using retrospective self-reporting. The Calahonda and whole-ejaculate studies allow the conclusions from these previous studies by other authors to be checked using much more direct measures. 

Donovan et al. (1996, 1997) completed an open study evaluating the use of valproic acid (Depakote) in adolescent outpatients with marijuana abuse or dependence and explosive mood disorder (mood symptoms were not classified using the DSM FV Diagnostic System). Eight subjects were prescribed 1000 mg of valproic acid (Depakote) for 5 weeks, in addition to regular therapy sessions, but did not receive any other psychotropic medications. All subjects showed a significant improvement in their marijuana use (p <0.007) and their affective symptoms (p < 0.001), although both outcomes were measured only by self-report. The most common adverse events were nausea and sedation. No subjects discontinued because of these side effects, nor were there any reported interactions between the valproic acid (Depakote) and substances of abuse. 

Furthermore, because many of the outcome measures used in these studies are based on self-report, they are also vulnerable to the frequently found discrepancy between self-assessment of sleepiness/alertness level and actual physiological level of sleepiness on the one hand (10,13) and recall bias on the other thus results... 

Selection of a health outcome for study depends in part upon the exposure of interest and methodological considerations such as the ability to define, measure, and validate adverse outcomes, especially if self-reported. Operational definitions for outcomes can be general or specific in nature (e.g., all birth defects versus spina bifida, respectively), and will affect the type of statistical analysis which can be performed and the interpretation of results. Statistical power may be limited if restrictive operational definitions are used for rare outcomes, or if other important covariates cannot be fully addressed. 

In a cross-sectional survey of Yemeni adults the self-reported frequency of khat use and psychological symptoms was assessed using face-to-face interviews with members from a random sample of urban and rural households (10). Of 800 adults surveyed, 82% of men and 43% of women had used khat at least once. There was no association between khat and negative adverse psychological symptoms, and khat users had less phobic anxiety (56%) than non-users (38%). The authors were surprised by these results and offered several explanations that the form of khat used in Yemen is less potent than in other locations that prior reports of khat-related psychosis occurred in users in unfamiliar environments that the sampling procedure may have under-represented heavier khat users and that their measurement tool was not sensitive enough to detect psychological symptoms. 

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