Factor structure of the WJTCA.

Abstract

The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJPEB) is a frequently used measure in the assessment and identification of learning disabled students. Part I of this Battery, the Tests of Cognitive Ability, provide a measure of four separate cognitive factor clusters. These clusters, however, have received limited investigation and their validity for learning disabled students has not been established. This study analyzed the performance of learning disabled students on the Tests of Cognitive Ability. The factor clusters obtained were compared to those found for the norm group. Cognitive factors similar to those found by Woodcock and Johnson for the norm group were not found for the learning disabled sample in this study. The results of this study indicate that interpretation of separate cognitive factors on the Tests of Cognitive Ability in learning disabled students is misleading. Further investigation is needed to understand what the Tests of Cognitive Ability are measuring with respect to learning disabled students.