Digital Commons Network^™

Title Pages And Table Of Contents- Social And Technical Issues In Testing Implications For Test Construction And Usage, Stephen N. Elliott, James V. Mitchell Jr., Barbara S. Plake

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Contents

Preface

1. Filling the Gaps Between Test Outcomes and Usage: An Introduction Barbara S. Plake Purpose of the Volume Overview of the Chapters Conclusions References

PART I SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL INFLUENCES

2. Struggles and Possibilities: The Use of Tests in Decision Making Ellis Batten Page A Double Standard The Value of Testing Ideological and Scientific Issues Decision Making Test Scores and Deeper Values Production Functions and Causal Research Conclusions References

3. What Cognitive Psychology Can (and Cannot) Do for Test Development Robert J. Sternberg What is Cognitive Psychology? Cognitive Psychology and Test Construction Cognitive Psychology and Test Validation Cognitive …

Preface: Social And Technical Issues In Testing: Implications For Test Construction And Usage, Stephen N. Elliott, James V. Mitchell, Barbara S. Plake

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Tests are constructed and used to facilitate assessment and understanding of human beings in all their multifaceted complexity. Hence, testing by its very nature is both a scientific and a social endeavor.

The interplay between testing and society has resulted in both praise and criticism from concerned citizens, psychologists, educators, and numerous other professional and consumer groups. For over 40 years, Oscar K. Buros, as Director of The Institute of Mental Measurements and Editor of the Mental Measurements Yearbooks. contributed immensely to this interplay between testing practices and societal issues. On March 19, 1978, Oscar Buros died. Luella Buros …

1. Filling The Gaps Between Test Outcomes And Usage: An Introduction, Barbara S. Plake

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Why do we have tests? What useful purposes do they serve? How can test results be used to make decisions? How can a test be proved to provide accurate and usable information? Questions such as these have been posed recently by a concerned public who have become more aware of and concerned about testing, test quality, and appropriate test usage. Their questions are challenging, legitimate queries that can and should be addressed by members of the measurement community .

Some of the questions being asked by the public are value laden, providing topics for many thoughtful but heated debates. For …

7. Aptitude And Achievement Tests: The Curious Case Of The Indestructible Strawperson, Anne Anastasi

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

In a talk I gave at the 1979 ETS Invitational Conference, I remarked that, if I were suddenly endowed with the appropriate occult powers, I should choose to eliminate certain words from the psychometric vocabulary. Among them were the words aptitude and achievement (Anastasi, 1980). These terms have led to nearly as much confusion, misinterpretation, and misuse of tests as has the more notorious term intelligence. Having been asked once more to discuss the same general topic in 1982, it occurred to me that I might consider why the myths that surround these terms are so persistent-and persistent they …

8. Achievement Test Items: Current Issues, Robert L. Ebel

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

The writer of achievement test items is confronted with two major problems, as Lindquist pointed out nearly half a century ago (Lindquist, 1936, p. 17). The first of these is the problem of what to measure. The second is how to measure it. The solution proposed for the first problem is to focus primarily on testing for knowledge and only secondarily on testing for abilities. Cognitive abilities, it is reasonable to believe, depend entirely on knowledge. Although the term knowledge, as commonly used, includes both information and understanding, the most useful kind of knowledge, the kind that will occupy our …

9. Abilities And Knowledge In Educational Achievement Testing: The Assessment Of Dynamic Cognitive Structures, Samuel Messick

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

This chapter confronts the question of what role cognitive abilities play or ought to play in educational achievement testing, which raises the prior question of what educational achievement tests are or ought to be. I begin by considering the nature of educational achievement as a construct in an attempt to circumscribe what achievement tests ought to be rather than by examining extant achievement tests that may be variously off target. Similar consideration is accorded cognitive ability as a construct. This distinction between constructs and the imperfect, variously contaminated tests that are purported to measure them is a critical recurrent theme …

6. Testing And The Oscar Buros Lament: From Knowledge To Implementation To Use, James V. Mitchell Jr.

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

The field of measurement can be conceptualized as having three different but interrelated aspects. First of all, it is a science or a body of knowledge concerned with the development of theory and methodology and with the identification and confirmation of generalizations governing interrelationships among variables appropriate to its content. Measurement theory and its application to measurement problems are important contributors here. Second, it is an applied science or technology concerned with the development of products that represent a useful application of such a science or body of knowledge. For the field of measurement, test development and validation are important …

5. Social And Legal Influences On Test Development And Usage, Donald N. Bersoff

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

It was the Chinese over 3000 years ago, not the Americans in this century, who first used large-scale psychological testing (Dubois, 1966). But, as with many other technological developments, it was the United States that enthusiastically adopted the method (Haney, 1981). By now it is highly probable that every person in our country has been affected in some way by the administration of tests. Testing has become the means by which major decisions about people's lives are made in industry, education, hospitals, mental health clinics, and the civil service.

Tests themselves, by and large, are facially neutral. They do not …

2. Struggles And Possibilities: The Use Of Tests In Decision Making, Ellis Batten Page

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

What a happy occasion it is to celebrate, as we do in this volume, the establishment of a national Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, located on the campus of the University of Nebraska, in Lincoln. What a culmination of many plans, hopes, and dreams! On such an occasion, we can take a quiet pride in our profession and in the life and accomplishments of one of our colleagues and friends, Oscar Krisen Buros, who with Luella Buros is leaving to us, and our posterity, an institution of integrity to foster the science and practice of testing.

How new all this …

4. The Status Of Test Validation Research, Lyle F. Schoenfeldt

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

More than any other area, validation research is where the "rubber meets the road" in test construction and test usage. The very term validation implies the assessment or measurement of individuals and the relationship of this assessment to some criterion of performance. The success of a test validation effort, or the lack thereof, has implications for the value of the assessment and for the utility of the procedures.

In today's environment, whether the validation is intended for employee selection, educational decisions, or personal counseling, there is an increasing probability that the outcomes of research will have legal implications. In the …

Performance Impairment After Failure: Its Mechanism And Gender Differences, Arden Miller

Faculty Research at Morehead State University

A manuscript submitted by Arden Miller for presentation at the meeting of the American Education Research Association in March of 1984 on performance impairment following experience with failure.

3. What Cognitive Psychology Can (And Can Not) Do For Test Development, Robert J. Sternberg

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Whenever research is launched under a new paradigm for studying an old set of mental phenomena, researchers joining the new armada of explorers hope, at best, to discover new uncharted mental territories and, at worst, to provide new mental maps of previously charted territories that amend errors of the old maps. This has been I believe, the experience of cognitive psychologists studying mental abilities. Although they may not have revolutionized our map of the mind (yet), neither have they left the old maps standing. What is critical is that at least the flaws and incompleteness’s of the new methods are …

Subject Index- Social And Technical Issues In Testing: Implications For Test Construction And Usage

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Subject Index pp. 178-180

A-Z (3 pages)

A

Achievement, 129, 130, 155
Achievement-saturated intelligence tests , 53-54
Alternative choice items, 148- 149 Examples, 150, 151
American Civil Liberties Union, 94
American College Testing Programs (ACT), 18
Applied performance testing , 147
Aptitude, 129, 130, 167
AQ (Achievement or accomplishment quotient) , 5, 130, 131

...

W, Z

Waisman Center, 14
Zenotype, 19

Complete Work- Social And Technical Issues In Testing: Implications For Test Construction And Usage, Stephen N. Elliott, James V. Mitchell, Barbara S. Plake

Social and Technical Issues in Testing: Implications for Test Construction and Usage

SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL ISSUES IN TESTING Implications for Test Construction and Usage- Complete Work

Copyright © 1984 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or an y other means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
365 Broadway
Hillsdale, New Jersey 07642

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:

Social and technical issues in testing.

(Buros-Nebraska symposium on measurement & testing)
Includes bibliographies and indexes.

School Organization Placement For The Ninth Grade Student, Karen D. Garrison

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to obtain information regarding the best placement of the ninth grade student in the school organizational pattern. Thirty-six superintendents, seventy-seven high school principals and sixty-four high school teachers, in the state of Washington, responded to a questionnaire-opinionnaire regarding the physical, intellectual, emotional and social maturity level of the ninth grade student. The results showed support for the ninth grade student to be in a four-year high school grade configuration.

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Required Homework Versus No-Homework On The Achievement Level Of Third Graders In Mathematics And Language, Dorothy L. Winton

Theses

Purposes of the Study: The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of two types of homework on the achievement level .of third graders in language and mathematics. Specifically, the study was designed to answer the question: Is there a significant difference in the achievement of students who have homework and those who do not have homework? Does the subject matter make a difference?

Procedures: In this study, twenty students from one classroom were randomly placed into two experimental groups of ten students each. Each experimental group was used as a control group for the other.

Both groups …

A Follow-Up Study Of Graduate Students Admitted To The Central Washington University Special Education Administrator Program, Richard P. Lynch

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of those candidates who had been admitted into the Central Washington University Special Education Administrator Program in order to draw conclusions concerning identifying profiles; ascertain the extent to which the respondents perceived the required courses of instruction as relevant to subsequent educational functions; and finally to determine specific reason(s) for non completion of program leading to Washington State Program Administrator Certification.

Survey Attitude Towards Title Ix As Indicated By Selected Secondary Physical Education Teachers In The State Of Washington, Lisa Rae Hanson

All Graduate Projects

An assessment of the attitudes of selected secondary physical education instructors towards Title IX was studied. A survey was conducted of 60 participants in the State of Washington. Information of the prime areas of concern and what problems and advantages were involved with the implementation of Title IX was obtained. The results are discussed in relation to the generated data. Recommendations are presented for improvement of school programs and recommendations for further study was discussed. The recommendations were based on information obtained through current research and the survey results.

A Comparison Of Practices In Grading Reading Performance And Their Underlying Philosophies And Policies For Children Reading Below Grade Level In Selected Florida School Systems, Linda Powell Ginn

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project was to survey selected school systems in the State of Florida and to determine their philosophies, policies: and techniques for grading reading. The area of special concern was children reading below assigned grade level but up to potential. The focus of this paper was to identify reports to parents that dealt in a positive way with below grade level readers and allowed for effective as well as cognitive development. Positive aspects of current reports were pointed out and suggestions for improvement to better serve needs of children reading below grade level were made. Since most …

Acer 1983-1984 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Acquisition Of Physical Fitness Knowledge By Central Washington University Physical Education Activity Students, Diana Dawne Rector

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect participation in activity classes has on the acquisition of physical fitness knowledge. No significant difference was found between activity and non-activity students. The performance of Central Washington University students did not differ significantly from national percentile norms. Certain topics of physical fitness knowledge were difficult than others. found to be significantly more A renewed effort in the construction and use of standardized knowledge tests in physical education was recommended.

Selected Educational Indicators For Monitoring The Primary-School System, Jamaica, Edith G. Marshalleck

Dissertations

Problem. Since the 1960s there has been increasing interest in the development of social indicators, educational indicators being an important subset of these. Studies in the U.S. and Europe have sought to (1) establish a conceptual framework for educational indicators, and (2) identify indicators useful for economic planning and monitoring the state of education. The need for these indicators in developing countries has also been identified. The researcher sought by (1) a correlational/predictive study and (2) an exploratory opinionnaire to validate a list of indicators for monitoring primary education in Jamaica and guiding financial choices.

Method. Utilizing scores from …

A Comparison Of Learning Disabled And Normal Children On A Selective Attention Task While Using A Verbal Rehearsal Strategy, Stephen A. Mullenberg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study involved using an information processing approach for the purpose of understanding and remediating attention problems in the learning disabled students. Specifically, the intent . of the present study was to assess the process of selective attention as measured through Hagen's (1967) central-incidental paradigm.

The present study compared performance of learning disabled and normal students while using either a verbal rehearsal strategy (Dawson, Hallahan, Reeve, & Ball, 1980) or no rehearsal strategy on Hagen's (1967) task of selective attention.

Fifty Iowa public school students, 24 LD and 26 normals, from fifth through ninth grade, participated in the study. …

Koinonia, Cindy Macclure, Patsy Moore, Allen Pryor

Koinonia

Executive Committee Meeting

Highly Recommended For Your Growth

Love Believes All Things

Reflections of a Dorm Parent

Editorial Comments

Regional News

Acer Newsletter No. 49 November 1983, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Newsletter archive 1969-1999

No abstract provided.

The Needs And Resources Of College Women At Morehead State University, Karen S. Graves

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Adult and Continuing Education by Karen S. Graves in October of 1983.

Fact Book 1983, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Fact Book

This second issue of the University of Nebraska at Omaha Fact Book has been designed to present a variety of information and data about the University in a concise, easily-used format. I hope this provides a profile of UNO that will expand your understanding of our institution.

The Effects Of The Absence Of The Natural Father On Interpersonal Problem-Solving Of Preschool Children, Barbara Kennedy Stanley

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An Applied Project presented to the faculty of the School of Education at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist by Barbara Kennedy Stanley in September of 1983.

Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction: Some Reservations, Gary Clifford Korn

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Rationale For Computer-Aided Instruction, Robert Charles Clark

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.