Week 6

Questions and Answers

What is the first step in test construction?

Identifying a need

What should a test be guided by?

Relevant theories

What is the purpose of a table of specifications in test construction?

To organize subtopics, their importance, and number of items needed

The initial pool of items should be smaller than the actual number of items needed.

False Signup and view all the answers

What types of reliability should be established in a test?

Test-retest, parallel, interrater, internal consistency Signup and view all the answers

The calculation of __________ involves the mean and standard deviation of groups.

norms Signup and view all the answers

Which item type involves the participant selecting a correct or best response?

Selected response items Signup and view all the answers

Match the following item types with their descriptions:

Multiple-choice = Has response options that can measure factual and subjective aspects True-false = Determines if a statement is true or false Completion = Requires completion of a sentence Vignettes = Involves responding to a brief scenario Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential con of true-false items?

Responses can be based on guesswork Signup and view all the answers

__________ is the measurement of the performance via direct assessment.

Direct measurement Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of conducting pilot testing?

To determine if any changes should be made to the test Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Overview of Test Construction

Identify a specific need for a new test, focusing on areas lacking existing measurement tools.
Theoretical frameworks guide test design, ensuring that components align with established measurement theories rather than personal beliefs.

Principles Underlying Test Construction

Practical choices in test creation involve decisions about format, scoring methods, time limits, and presentation style.
Develop a table of specifications that organizes subtopics, their importance, and the number of items per subtopic to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Expand the initial item pool to 4-5 times the number required, aiming for a diverse selection based on various sources and expert input.

Item Refinement Process

Initial items often need clarification and simplification, undergoing feedback from experts for improvement.
Conduct pilot testing to identify problematic items and assess overall test functionality.
Analyze item relevance through item analysis and sort content areas using content analysis.

Ensuring Reliability and Validity

Reliability denotes consistency, assessed via test-retest, parallel, interrater, and internal consistency methods.
Validity pertains to accuracy, examined through face, content, criterion, and construct validity.
It is crucial to determine which forms of reliability and validity apply to a specific test.

Standardization and Norming

Standardize administration and scoring to ensure comparability across different test administrations.
Norms are derived from the average and standard deviation of scores from representative groups, enabling individual performance comparisons.

Post-Release Refinement

Tests may need revisions based on new scientific findings, societal changes, or updated norms.
Employ factor analysis to assess alignment between theoretical constructs and practical measurement.

Item Construction Strategies

Items should be clear, focusing on one aspect without ambiguity or subjective time indicators.
Distinguish between constructed response items (e.g., essays) and selected response items (e.g., multiple choice).

Types of Test Items

Multiple-choice: Quick to administer but limits response scope.
True-false: Simple format but prone to guessing.
Analogy, odd-man-out, and sequence items challenge logical thinking and recognition of relationships.

Item Formats and Assessment

Matching, completion, and forced-choice items gauge fact retention and decision-making skills.
Vignettes present scenarios requiring judgment, while rearrangement tests assess knowledge of order.

Objective-Subjective Continuum

Objective tests feature easily scored options (e.g., multiple-choice), while subjective tests allow for unique responses but are harder to evaluate.

Item Sequencing and Test Approach

Sequence items from easy to difficult or cycle through subscales to maintain participant engagement.
Incorporate direct assessments to measure practical skills, ensuring accurate representation of abilities.

Philosophical Considerations

Question if items are valid through fiat, using expert judgment, or by employing criterion-keyed strategies that correlate scores with established measures.
Factor analysis seeks to confirm unidimensionality, though it may overlook complex variables in the measurement process.

Description

Explore the principles of constructing psychological tests in this quiz focused on test item writing and evaluation. Delve into the philosophical issues and the significance of identifying a need for new testing methods. Enhance your understanding of the theoretical foundations guiding test development.