Tests and Testing in Education

Tests and testing are key to success in education for both teacher and learner. But what do they mean? A test is an instrument or tool that is used to assess or measure the learners’ progress and achievement in terms of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. Testing refers to a systematic procedure of measuring or assessing the learners’ progress and achievement. In other words, testing refers to the administration of a test.

TYPES OF TESTS

The tests are in various types. Some of the types include objectives tests, subjective tests, aptitude tests, achievement tests, diagnostic tests, etc.

Objective tests

1. Objective tests: These are tests whose answers can be scored more objectively. Objective tests can be divided into three main groups as Supply item tests, Selection-item tests and Rank-order item tests

(a) Supply item tests

The aim of this form of test is to determine the learners’ ability to recall or recognize the appropriate term, concept or phrase to complete a given statement. The learner is presented with incomplete statements and has to supply a term, word, name, date or phrase which either completes the statement or answers the question. Such test items are also call fill in items. Example: The ….. of Zambia is over 10 million people. In this example, the correct term would be population.

(b) Selection-item tests

The learner is required to select the most suitable response from several alternatives provided. The selection-item tests can be divided into the following sub-groups:

True/False item test: Example: Zambia has a sea-coast: True or False.

Matching item test: This required the learner to match the corresponding options or make a choice from corresponding options. Usually, this test has two columns of items which are to be associated directly. Consider the following example:

In the example above, the correct answer would be to match (a) with 3, (b) with 1 and (c) with 2 so that in the blank spaces there is B, C, A.

Multiple choice items test: The learner chooses the best answer out of several alternatives. A multiple choice item may be in the form of a question or an incomplete statement (known as a stem). Examples:

a. Which of the following cities is the capital city of Zambia?

(A) Lilongwe

(B) Mbabane

(C) Harare

(D) Lusaka

b. The first president of Zambia was………………………………..

(E) Kenneth Kaunda

(F) Harry Nkumbula

(G) Simon Kapwepwe

(H) Levy Mwanawasa

Pictorial-test items: These are pictures or drawings. They are very suitable for learners with difficulties in reading ability. They test such abilities as to recallinformation, to complete parts missing in a picture or drawing or to interpret the picture or drawing.

(c) Rank-order item tests: The learner is required to indicate the appropriate order of items presented, e.g., in chronological order, alphabetical order, ascending order or descending order. A learner may be asked to arrange the following dates in a chronological order or happening:

1. 2007

2. 1964

3. 1800

4. 1902

In the task above, the correct way to arrange these dates in chronological order (from the earliest to the latest) would be like this:

(C) 1800 (D) 1902 (B) 1964 (A) 2007

A learner may also be asked to arrange the names of countries in alphabetical order: Angola, Mozambique, Uganda, Somalia, Botswana. The answer will be:

Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Somalia, Uganda.

Advantages of Objective tests

c. They allow for the coverage of many topics

d. Answers can be scored quickly and more objectively since there is only one correct answer and the answer is not open to interpretation. This enables learners to respond quickly to questions.

e. They are easy to mark

f. Less able pupils have chance to pass

Disadvantages of Objective tests

g. Time consuming in setting

h. Costly in terms of paper and effort

i. They may lead to guessing (e.g. multiple choice questions and true/false items)

j. Not effective in testing the learners ability to organize their thoughts or to write coherently

k. They sometimes tend to test recall of specific facts rather than creativity

l. A lot of skill may be required when setting.

2. SUBJECTIVE TESTS (ESSAY TEST QUESTIONS)

These are also known as essay tests. Essay test questions are recommended when assessing higher-order mental processes such as application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. They should not be used to measure knowledge of facts or principles. There are two types of essays, long essays and short essays. Long essay tests involve long descriptive writing. They use terms like discuss, explain, comment, describe. Short essay tests require the learner to write as briefly as possible.

Merits of essay tests

Essay tests have some advantages over objective tests because they enable learners to:

m. Use their own words, style and organization in answering

n. Demonstrate the degree to which they can analyse a problem

o. Creatively select relevant information

p. Give evidence of substantial understanding of the content

q. Organize answers in a logical and comprehensive manner

r. Bring out a lot of information they know on the topic since there is no absolutely wrong or right answer.

s. Improve skills in writing and logical organization of the content

t. They are easy to set and leave less room for guessing.

Demerits of essay tests

u. They sometimes encourage learners to recall information rather than understand it.

v. They present a problem of content validity. An adequate sampling of the content and objectives of a topic by essay questions is very difficult. The essay questions take more time to answer than objective questions, thus limiting the number of questions that can be asked and also the topics that can be examined.

w. There is the problem of subjective scoring. Subjectivity makes essay test results lower in reliability than objective tests.

x. Extraneous factors can influence a teachers scoring or making of an essay, e.g., poor handwriting, grammatical, spelling errors, teachers mood, etc. The teachers first impression of the learner (known as hallo effect) affects the marking either positively or negatively.

y. They require a lot of time and concentration when marking. This tends to limit essay testing to very specific objectives where a teacher is handling large classes.

Achievement tests

Achievement tests measures a person’s current level of knowledge or competence in a particular subject ( such as mathematics or Psychology) Achievement tests are designed to measure how much a person has already learned in a particular area in a given time. It measures the extent to which a person has acquired certain information or mastered certain skills, usually as a result of specific instruction eg students are tested on what they have learned in a particular area such as in Psychology, Mathematics and Language.

Such tests not only enable an instructor to assess a student’s knowledge, but they also help students assess their progress for themselves. They are validated in terms of their content validity, or how well they measure students’ mastery of a set of knowledge.

Computers are often used to administer achievement tests. One method is called adaptive testing. In a standard test, everyone gets the same questions in the same order. With adaptive testing, however, the computer changes the question difficulty as it adapts the test to your performance. If you answer several problems correctly, the computer challenges you with harder problems.

If you miss a question, the computer follows it with an easier problem. This process enables the computer to identify your ability by finding the difficulty level where you answer most, but not all, of the problems correctly. Adaptive testing is more accurate than standard testing, especially when test takers are either very high or very low in ability.

Computers can also adapt tests to include more problems in areas where your answers are frequently wrong. This procedure is called adaptive instruction (Kasschau, 2000). By increasing the questions posed on topics you are missing, the computer reinforces more careful studying in areas least understood.

Uses of achievement tests

For placement – to determine whether students have the right knowledge to begin instruction
To determine the underlying causes of learning problems (diagnostic evaluation)
To determine how well students have attained the instructional objectives during the course of learning/training (summative evaluation) eg end of term/year examination.
They measure the effects of learning or training
To gauge the effectiveness of a learning procedure or a curriculum in a school. The student’s performance is then compared with that of other students in the same class/faculty to evaluate their educational progress

DIAGNOSTIC TEST

A test which is used to identify or detect weaknesses or strengths of the learner in specific areas of achievement in order to put corrective measures.

In order to measure the learners’ skill, ability or knowledge, test questions, exercises or practical activities can be administered.

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION TYPES OF TESTS

1. APTITUDE TESTS

An aptitude is a natural propensity or ability to learn a kind of skill required in a specific situation. Aptitude tests attempt to discover a person’s talents and to predict how well he or she will be able to learn a new skill. These tests are designed to measure what a person can learn to perform or whether they can perform the job after training

They are assessed primarily in terms of their predictive validity. Two such tests are the Differential Aptitude Test (DATE) and the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). The GATB is the most widely used of these tests. Consider the model of the aptitude test (General Aptitude Test Battery) below.

Actually, the GATB comprises nine different tests, ranging from vocabulary to manual dexterity. Test results are used to determine whether a person shows promise for each of a large number of occupations. In addition to the GATB, there are aptitude tests in music, language, art, mathematics, and other special fields.

The SAT and the American College Test (ACT) are general aptitude tests. These tests were designed to predict a student’s success in college. The best predictor of how a student will do in college is how he or she did in high school. However, grading standards differ among high schools. So, combined with high school grades, the SAT is a fairly good predictor of student success in college.

Uses of Aptitude test

ee. Aptitude tests attempts to predict the future ability on the basis of one’s present ability.

ff. They are commonly used in colleges/ universities for admission purposes. The test results help to measure a person’s readiness to learn certain things/skills or perform certain tasks

gg.For employee selection and placement e.g. placing employees in various jobs that fit their abilities

hh.Test results can be used to help choose a career

PLANNING A TEST

A test is one important tool of assessment. It plays an important role in evaluating students’ learning and also the teacher’s teaching. It provides relevant measures of learning outcomes and evidence concerning learners’ achievement

i. Factors considered when designing test

Test scores are always and in some degree subject to error caused by poor measuring instruments, lack of skill in using these tools or recording the results. To minimize errors, certain factors should be considered:

1. Consider learners’ abilities. A good number of tests are beyond learners’ comprehension.
2. Consider the work covered in the syllabus. Do not test students/pupils out of syllabus
3. Consider the language to use. It should not be too hard or too simple
4. Readability. A good test should be written clearly so as to be easily read by the test takers. Typed test is far much better than hand-written one.
5. Consider time limit for a test. Do not allocate more than enough or too little time for the test.
6. Consider appropriate sitting arrangement. There should be enough space created between candidates.
7. It is important to inform the candidates in good time when the test will be given and the place where it will be written from.
8. Check the room whether there is enough lighting and ventilation in the room where the test will be conducted.

1. Table of test specifications

A table of specifications is a two-way chart that relates desired outcomes to course content. A test specification table is a test-plan or tool for designing a well balance test/examination. When setting test questions, you need to come up with a test plan or table of specifications. A tester should first of all identify the outcomes or skills to be measured by the test. Tester should therefore, take into account the Bloom’s Cognitive taxonomy of educational objectives when identifying these outcomes (This taxonomy is discussed in Unit 6, point 6.9.1 of this module).

The table has mainly two parts: one part contains the learning outcomes while the other part contains the subject topics.

In the boxes or cells in the table, the teacher puts the number of questions at each learning outcome per topic examined. This is obtained by making a tally in the corresponding cell or box as you write each test item or question.

The table of test specifications ensures that the teacher does not only stick to the testing of instructional outcomes based on the knowledge level but includes other outcomes as well. It also ensures that the teacher sets questions drawn from different topics.

Importance of specification table

• Allows the tester to widely spread the learning outcomes or skills to the test questions so that the learners are tested on various learning outcomes

• It ensures that the teacher does not only test students on knowledge level or just few and limited areas of the whole course

• Helps to ensure content validity in planning test questions is attained/achieved.

• Helps the teacher to easily determine whether the test items adequately measures the nature of the instruction as well as the weight or emphasis given on each learning outcomes and topic.

TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS

PURPOSE OF TESTS

1. Tests play a very important role in evaluating pupils learning and also the teachers teaching.

2. Tests provide relevant measures of learning outcomes and direct evidence concerning learners’ achievement.

10.1.5 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TEST

The most important step in most testing exercises is to select a test that is clearly focused on the ability to be tested. Another important step is to ensure that the test designed is a sound one that will yield information of real value.

Based on this quality, there are some characteristics that should be taken into account when setting a quality test. These characteristics or features that a test should have if it is to be real, trustworthy and informative. To ascertain that a given test is sound and has real value, the following are the features to consider:

(a) Reliability

An assessment is considered reliable when the same results occur regardless of when the assessment occurs or who does the scoring. There should be compelling evidence to show that results are consistent (test results consistency)

Importance of test reliability

· It helps Stakeholders to draw firm conclusions from the results as to which Ways of improve on test reliability

· It helps teachers to include test items that discriminate among candidates so that no one gets all the items correct or incorrect o Tester to use objective scoring procedures

· It helps tester to include a good number of test items (a longer test generally is better than a shorter one)

A good test should be highly reliable. This means that the test should give similar results even though different testers administer it. A reliable test should be able to give a consistent score from one occasion to another for the individual or group irrespective of the person who administers it.

(b) Validity

A valid assessment is one which measures what it is intended to measure. The validity in other words is the quality of a test to measure what it is meant to measure

A valid test must cover the whole syllabus. The marks or grades that are given on an examination can only have a meaning if the test/examination is valid.

Types of validity

a. content validity – measures the degree to which the content of a test samples broadly across the domain of interest

b. predictive validity – measures the degree to which the test can predict some future outcome, such as job performance or school success eg high student grade can predict future good performance

c. construct validity – measures how well the test applies to particular theoretical scheme or construct.

d. Criterion validity – measures the how well test scores correlate with an independent measure (criterion) of whatever the test is supposed to assess.

If the test achieves what the originators intended it to achieve, it is a valid test.

N.B: There is a connection between the validity and the reliability of a test.

Comparability

The test should be able to compare the achievement of one pupil to another.

The comparability of standards in test/examinations is very important. This would bring consistency in examination results and hence instil public interest confidence. To insure this, the following should be observed:

· Test specifications should be followed each time test items are being prepared.

· Copies of current syllabi should be used when preparing test items.

· Copies of past examination papers of the subject of test items being set should be used for reference.

· The format of the examination should remain the same.

· Moderators should be used to check the comparability of the test items to previous years.

STANDARDIZATION/NORMS

In addition to reliability and validity, good tests need norms. Norms are sets of scores obtained by representative groups of people for whom the test is intended.

This is where testing, scoring and interpretation procedures are the same across all administrations of the test. E.g. everyone who takes the test receives the same instructions, uses the same answer sheet, and has to complete the test within the same specified period of time. Norms are sets of scores or standards obtained by representative groups of people for whom the test is intended. These should be the same.

(e) Discrimination

A good test should be able to discriminate good performing pupils from the bad performing ones in terms of performance. i.e. it should give below average, average and above average performers.

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