By
Dr. Rosa Padilla de Casamayor
Chapter IV
Classroom
Test
2
Introduction
The classroom test, which is otherwise called teacher-made test is an instrument of
measurement and
evaluation. It is a major technique used for the assessment of students learning outcomes. We have to learnt how to construct them, the advantages and the disadvantages, how to make use of the advantages and how to
avoid the
disadvantages. The
Many teachers dislike preparing and grading exams, and most students dread taking them. Yet tests are powerful educational tools that serve at least four functions:
Introduction - Functions of the test
2. Well-designed tests serve to motivate and help students structure their academic efforts. Crooks (1988) report that students study in ways that reflect how they think they will be tested. If they expect an exam focused on facts, they will memorize details; if they expect a test that will require problem solving or integrating knowledge, they
will work toward
understanding and applying information.
1.Tests help you evaluate students and
assess whether they are learning what you are
expecting them to learn.
4. Tests can reinforce
learning by providing
students with indicators of what topics or skills they have
not yet
mastered and should
concentrate on 3. Tests can
4
General strategies to design the test
Spend adequate amounts of time developing your tests. As you prepare a test, think carefully about the learning outcomes you wish to measure, the type of items best suited to those outcomes, the range of difficulty of items, the length and time limits for the test, the format and layout of the exam, and your scoring procedures.
Match your tests to the content you are teaching. Ideally, the tests you give will measure students' achievement of your educational goals for the course. Test items should be based on the content and skills that are most important for your students to learn. To keep track of how well your tests reflect your objectives, you can construct a grid, listing your course objectives along the side of the page and content areas along the top. For each test item, check off the objective and content it covers. (Sources: Ericksen, 1969; Jacobs and Chase, 1992)
Use a variety of testing methods. Research shows that students vary in their preferences for different formats, so using a variety of methods will help students do their best (Jacobs and Chase, 1992).
A single test can have
several formats. Try to avoid introducing a new format on the final exam: if you have given all multiple-choice quizzes or midterms, don't ask students to write an all-essay final. (Sources: Jacobs and Chase, 1992)
Write questions that test skills other than recall
Research shows that most tests administered by faculty rely too heavily on students' recall of information (Milton, Pollio, and Eison, 1986). Bloom (1956) argues that it is important for tests to measure higher-learning as well. Fuhrmann and Grasha (1983, p. 170) have adapted Bloom's taxonomy for test development. Here is a condensation of their list:
knowledge (common terms, facts,
principles,
procedures). Ask these kinds of questions: Define, Describe, Identify, Label, List, Match, Name, Outline, Reproduce, Select, State. Example: List the steps involved in the hypothesis.
Comprehension
(understanding of facts and principles,
interpretation of material).
Ask these kinds of questions: Convert, Defend, Distinguish, Estimate, Explain,
Extend, Generalize, Give examples, Infer, Predict, Summarize
Example: Summarize the basic assumptions when using a parametric test
Application (solving problems, applying
concepts and principles to new situations. Ask these kinds of
questions :
Demonstrate, Modify, Operate, Prepare,
Produce, Relate, Show, Solve, Use. Example: Calculate and interpret the mean and standard deviation of the variable (Score in Statistics).
Analysis (recognition of unstated assumptions or logical fallacies, ability to distinguish between facts and inferences). Ask these kinds of questions: Diagram, Differentiate, Distinguish, Illustrate, Infer, Point out, Relate, Select, Separate, Subdivide. Example: "In the president's State of the Union Address, which statements are based on facts and which are based on assumptions?”
Write questions that test skills other than recall
Synthesis (integrate learning from different areas or solve problems by creative thinking).
Ask these kinds of questions: Categorize, Combine, Compile, Devise, Design, Explain, Generate, Organize, Plan, Rearrange, Reconstruct, Revise, Tell. Example: "How would you restructure the school day to reflect children's
developmental needs?”
Evaluation (judging and assessing).
Ask these kinds of questions:
Appraise, Compare, Conclude,
Contrast, Criticize, Describe,
Discriminate,
Explain, Justify, Interpret, Support. Example: "Why is Bach's music in B
Minor is
acknowledged as a classic?"
Classification of Tests
According to manner
of response:
Oral and Written
According to method
of preparation:
According to nature
of answer:
Subjective and Objective
Intelligence test, Personality test, Aptitude test, Prognostic test,
10
Writing subjective test questions
Essay type
Essay tests are tests consisting of questions (items) designed to obtain the learner’s freedom of response to the extent that they acquired the required behavior according to the objectives of the course.
Advantages
It measures complex learning outcomes that cannot be measured by other means. For instance, it has the ability to measure learner’s communication skills. That is, the learner’s ability to produce an answer, synthesize and organize ideas and present them readably in a logical and coherent form.
It also enables the measurement of organizational and divergent thinking skills by laying emphasis on the integration and application of thinking and problem solving skills, creativity and originality.
It is very applicable for measuring learning outcomes at the higher levels of educational objectives such as application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of levels of the cognitive domain.
Basic principles for constructing Essay Test
Essay type of test is considered to be subjective because you are able to express your own opinions freely and interpret information in anyway you like, provided it is logical, relevant, and crucial to the topic. In the same way, your teacher is able to evaluate the quality and quantity of your opinions and interpretations as well as your organization and logic of your presentation.
The following are the basic principles guiding the setting of essay question:
Instructions of what to do should be clear, unambiguous and precise.
Your essay questions should be in layers. The first layer tests the concept, fact, its definition and characteristics. The second layer tests the interpretation of and inferences from the concept, fact or topic, concept, structure, etc to real life situation. In the third layer, you may be required to construct, consolidate, design, or produce your own structure, concept, fact, scenario or issue.
12
Writing objective test questions
The following recommendations can help you avoid
common pitfalls.
1. Be careful not to provide clues to the right answer
2. Dependent items (when correct answer for one item is
necessary in order to answer another item) should be
avoided.
3. Irrelevant difficulty should not be promoted, either
intentionally or unintentionally, by using complex vocabulary
or by making the item more complicated than it needs to be.
4. Avoid negatives, specially double negatives.
5. Direct quotes should be avoided.
6. Trivia should not be measured.
Objective test questions
Objective items are more difficult to construct but easier to score; essay tests, on the other hand, are tough to score but relatively easy to construct.
Objective tests are those test items that are set in such a way that one and only one correct answer is available to a given item. In this case every scorer would arrive at the same score for each item for each examination even on repeated scoring occasions. This type of items sometimes calls on examinees to recall and write down or to supply a word or phrase as an answer (free – response type). It could also require the examinees to recognize and select from a given set of possible answers or options the one that is correct or most correct (fixed-response type).
a) Recall type – simple recall, completion type
b) Recognition type
– Alternate response
(true/false, yes/no, right/wrong,
agree/disagree);
Multiple choice
(stem-and-options variety,
setting-and-options variety, group-term variety, structured – response variety,
contained-option variety)
c) The Matching Test Items
d) Rearrangement type
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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
(Recognition type)
MCQs the traditional 'choose one from a list' of possible answers. The multiple choice item consists of two parts – a problem and a list of suggested solutions.
Multiple-choice items can be used to measure both simple knowledge and complex concepts. Since multiple-choice questions can be answered quickly, you can assess students' mastery of many topics on an hour exam. In addition, the items can be easily and reliably scored.
A multiple choice question consists of • a stem - the text of the question
• options - the choices provided after the stem • the key: the correct answer in the list of options
• distracters: the incorrect answers in the list of options
Example:
The process of quantifying the degree to which someone or something possesses a given trait is called:
( a ) Evaluation ( b ) Measurement ( c ) Assessment
( d ) Testing Distracters Key
Stem
Matching
Matching items require students to match a series of stems or premises
to a response or principle. They consist of a set of directions, a column
of statements and a column of responses.
Column II contains descriptions of Frames of References. For each statement find the appropriate correct answer. Record your answer in the appropriate space on the answer sheet about
Answer Column I Column II
1. Ability-referenced
a.
Provide information on how the performance of an individual compares with of a known group
2. Growth-referenced b.
Provide information on how the individual performed on some standard or objective
3. Norm-referenced c.
How are student performing relative to what they are capable of doing?
4.Criteriom-referenced
d.
How much have student changed or
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Matching Test
Items
Advantages
1. Require short period of
reading and response
time,
allowing
the
teacher to cover more
content.
2. Provide
objective
measurement
of
student achievement or
ability.
3. Provide highly reliable
test score.
4. Provide
scoring
efficiency
and
accuracy.
Disadvantages
1.Have difficulty measuring
learning objectives
requiring more than simple
recall of information.
2.Are difficult to construct
due to the problem of
True/False Questions
A true-false questions is a specialized form of the multiple-choice format in which there are only two possible alternatives. These questions can be used when the test-designer wishes to measure a student’s ability to identify whether statements of fact are accurate or not.
Example:
In the following definitions, what statements are true or false?
Functions of Tests in Education TRUE
FALS E
Determine the adequacy or otherwise of instructional objective
Motivate pupils to study
Only serves to measure the student’s behavior Determine how much the pupils have learned
18
Completion and Short-Answer Question
A completion item is an incomplete sentence with a blank at the end that the student is expected to fill, using words, symbols or numbers. A Short answer is a question that requires an answer as short as one word or as long as a sentence. Typical exercises include fill-in-the-blank or a question requiring at most a few sentences.
A primary advantages of this format is that the items are easy to construct. And the major disadvantage is that this type of item is useful only with knowledge-level and comprehension level material.
Example:
235 x 23 + (9x5) = ________.
Jupiter has ____________ moons
Better
Analogy
Analogy means similarity. In this type of questions, two objects related in some way are given and third object is also given with four or five alternatives. You have to find out which one of the alternatives bears the same relation with the third objects as first and second objects are related.
1.Purpose : The shoe is the cord as door is to ___ a. Transom b. threshold c. hinge d. key 2.Cause and effect : heat is to fire as water is to _
a. sky b. rain c. cloud d. H2O
3.Synonym relationship: dig is to excavate as kill is to a. try b. avenge c. convict d. slay
4. Antonym relationship: fly is to spider as mouse is to a. rat b. cat c. rodent d. animal
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Analogy
Contd.
1. Nest : Bird
a. Cave : bear b. flower : petal c. window : house d. dog : basket
2. Teacher : School
a. Businessman : Money b. Waitress : Restaurant
c. Dentist : Tooth d. Fish : Water
3. Pebble : Boulder
a. pond : ocean b. river : rapids
c. fish : elephant d. feather : bird
4. Fox : Chicken
a. rat : mouse b. cat : mouse
c. dog : cat d. rabbit : hen
5. Lawyer : Trial
a. plumber : pipe b. businessman : secretary
Analogy - Answer Key
Contd.
1. A
This is a Functional relationship. A Bird lives in a nest, the way a bear lives in a cave.
2. B
This is a functional relationship. A teacher works in a school in the same way a waitress works in a restaurant.
3. A
This is a Degree relationship. A boulder is a very large pebble – both are rocks, in the same way an ocean is a very large pond – both are very bodies of water.
4. B
This is a predator/prey relationship. Foxes eat chickens in the same way as cats eat mouse.
5. C
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Assignment
1. Which test item is least useful for educational diagnosis?
a. True-false item b. Short-answer item c. Multiple choice item
2. Which test item provides the highest score by guessing?
a. True-false item b. Short-answer item c. Multiple choice item
3. Which test item is difficult to score objectively?
a. True-false item b. Short-answer item c. Multiple choice item
4. Which test item measures the greatest variety of learning
outcomes?
a. True-false item b. Short-answer item c. Multiple choice item
5. Prepare a 4 – 5 item Matching type questions based on any
topic.
6. Prepare three
sentence completion questions
based on any
