The effects of using two methods (item mean and person mean) for replacing missing data in Likert scales were studied. The results showed that both methods were good representations of the original data when both the number of respondents with missing data and the number of items missing were 20% or less. As the numbers of missing items and of respondents with missing data increased for the person mean substitution method, a spurious increase in the inter-item correlations (and, therefore, reliability) for the sale was produced. The item mean substitution reduced the reliability estimates of the scale. These results suggest caution in the use of the person mean substitution method as the numbers of missing items and respondents increase.

Reviews research that is concerned with evaluating the psychometric qualities of data in the form of ratings (rating errors) and that has been plagued with conceptual and operational confusion and inconsistency. Following a brief historical survey, inconsistencies in definitions, quantifications, and methodologies are documented in a review of more than 20 relevant articles published in Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, and Personnel Psychology (1975–1977). Empirical implications of these inconsistencies are discussed, and a revised typology of rating criteria, combined with a multivariate analytic approach, is suggested. (65 ref)

Published by the Ohio Association of Two Year Colleges, this journal provides a medium for sharing concepts, methods, and findings relevant to the classroom and an open forum for the discussion and review of problems. This volume consists of the fall 1995 and spring 1996 issues and provid,,z the following articles:

ABSTRACT. Engagement-a persistent and positive affective-motivational state of fulfillment characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (W. B. Schaufeli, M. Salanova, V. González-Roma, & A. B. Bakker, 2002)-has become a popular subject among academic and industry researchers. Following suggestions in the recent literature calling for further examination of the underlying factors comprising the construct of engagement, the authors investigated the factor structure of W. B. Schaufeli et al.'s measure of engagement and academic engagement's relation to academic satisfaction. Previous researchers found a 3-factor structure of engagement that comprises vigor, dedication, and absorption. The authors administered to a sample of university students a questionnaire on their level of engagement in academic work and various other measures. The results did not confirm the 3-factor structure. The present authors found engagement and satisfaction to be highly related constructs.

Research on job burnout has traditionally focused on contextual antecedent conditions, although a theoretically appropriate conception implicates person-environment relationships. The authors tested several models featuring various combinations of personal and contextual influences on burnout and job satisfaction. Measures of core self-evaluations, organizational constraints, burnout, and job satisfaction were collected from 859 health care employees. Results from structural equations modeling analyses revealed an influence of core self-evaluations and perceived organizational constraints on job burnout and satisfaction, suggesting personal and contextual contributions. These results favor a broadening of current thinking about the impact of situational constraints on the expression of job burnout, as well as for the role of disposition for affective responding to effectively address occupational health problems.