MEEZAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ZAROBI/KUNDA …meezan.edu.pk/sites/default/files/Assesment Techniques B.Ed 2nd... · Page #: Meezan College of Education Zarobi/Kunda (Swabi) 2 Chapter

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MEEZAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ZAROBI/KUNDA

(SWABI)

ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES

(B Ed 2nd Semester)

BY

Muhammad Shabir

M.S (Education)

Lecturer Meezan College of Education Zarobi (Swabi)

03149852203

E.Mial [email protected] Phone. 0938-480666/490044

www.meezan.edu.pk

MEEZAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ZAROB/KUNDA

(SWABI)

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Chapter 1

EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT AND

EVALUATON.

Question: Define educational measurement, assessment and evaluation.

Ans.: All these terms are used to find out the learning outcome of the students.

MEASURMENT: The term ‘ Educational Measurement’ refers to any device for the

general study and practice of testing, scaling and appraising the outcomes of

educational process. It includes administration and scoring or test scale construction

and validation.

Different educationists have explained the education measurement in different ways.

L.R.Gay says:

“Measurement is the process of quantifying the degree to which someone or

something possess a given trait, i.e. quality, Characteristic or feature.

Measurement permits more objective description concerning traits and facilitates

Comparison”.

And according to Norman E. Gronland:

Measurement is the systematic ascertaining of a characteristic property

or attribute through a numerical device. The device may be an inventory,

a checklist or test. Measurement is limited to quantitative descriptions

of behavior and does not include qualitative descriptions or judgment of

the desirability of the behavior being measured.

So we can say that measurement is the process of gathering data/ information and

expressing it in numerical terms. In educational setting measurement is concerned with

the statement of student performance usually represented in quantitative term. It takes

place in the form of descriptive data by using a measurement instrument in a given

learning situation. For example, a student obtained 68 marks out of hundred. Now

measurement does not tell us what is his grade, division or position in class.

Measurement provides raw data for interpretation.

Assessment: Assessment is broader term than measurement. It involves interpretation

and measurement of data for the purpose of grade, rank or some other form of

qualitative comments.

The assessing of marks may be in qualitative or in quantitative terms. Quantitatively

this may be 85%, eleventh percentile, second decile, 81/100 and qualitatively this may be

first division, first position in the class or A-One grade .

Usually measurement data are interpreted in assessment whether we have got the fixed

target or not. For example, a student got 75% marks, it will be interpreted as first

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division or A grade.

Evaluation: Assessment and evaluation are interrelated but not identical terms.

Whereas assessment refers to the process of interpreting evidence while evaluation

refers to the process of making value judgment. Different educationists have defined the

evaluation as under:

L R Gay says;

Evaluation is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data in

order to make decision.

Norman E Gronlund says;

Evaluation is the systematic process of collecting analyzing and interpreting

information to determined extent the pupils are achieving instructional

objectives.

Stifle Beam says;

The process of delineating, obtaining and providing useful information

for judging decision alternatives. School record and school report are

the forms of evaluation.

Evaluation in our educational system is concerned with two major approaches; product

evaluation and process evaluation.

Product Evaluation:

It is the evaluation of students performance in specific learning context. Such an

evaluation essentially seeks to determine how well the students have achieved the stated

objectives of the learning situation. School report is an example of product evaluation.

Process Evaluation:

It is making judgment about the process by which students acquired learning or

examining the learning experience before it has been conducted. For example process

evaluation may be conducted upon the nature of students, teaching method or school

curriculum etc.

Question: Discuss different types of evaluation.

Ans. Three forms of evaluation are generally used.

1. Formative Evaluation:

It is directed towards providing information on learning performance at one or more

points during the learning process. Different experts have defined the formative

evaluation as under:

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R.L.Ebel and D.A .Fresble say;

Formative evaluation is conducted to monitor the instructional process

to determine whether learning is taking place as planned.

Gilbert Sax states;

Formative evaluation takes place during instruction by letting the teacher

or evaluator know if students are meeting instructional objectives, if the

programme is on time and if there are ways that the programme might

be improved. Formative evaluation helps the current students to learn more effectively.

W.Wiersma and S.G.Jurs write; Formative evaluation occurs over a period of time and monitors student

progress.

Following are the implications of the above definitions for the classroom teacher.

a. Formative evaluation is done during an instructional programme.

b. The instructional programme should aim at the attainment of certain objectives

during the implementation of the programme

c. Formative evaluation is done to monitor learning and modifying the programme

if needed before its completion.

Characteristics of Formative Evaluation:

1. It relatively focuses on molecular analysis.

2. It is interested in the broader experiences of the programme users.

3. Its design is exploratory and flexible.

4. It tends to ignore the local effects of a particular programme.

5. It seeks to identify influential variables.

6. It requires analysis of instructional material for mapping the hierarchical

structure of the learning tasks and actual teaching of the course for a certain

period.

7.

2. Summative Evaluation:

Summative evaluation is primarily concerned with purposes, progress and outcomes of

the teaching – learning process. It attempts, as far as possible, to determine to what

extent the broad objectives of the programme have been achieved.

Different educationists have defined summative evaluation as under:

A.J.Nikto says;

Summative evaluation describes judgments about the merits of an already

completed programme, procedure or product.

Gilbert Sax states;

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Summative evaluation can provide evidence that the programme is

satisfactory and should be continued for next year, or students learning

and learning attitudes are so negative that a new programme is needed.

W.Wiersma and S.G.Jurs say;

Summative evaluation is done at the conclusion of instruction and measures

the extent to which students have attained the desired outcomes.

Chief Elements of Summative evolution:

a. There should be some instructional programme before summative evaluation.

b. The instructional programme should be for the attainment of some objectives.

c. Summative evaluation is done at the end or completion of a particular

instructional programme.

d. Summative evaluation should check whether there has been learning or not. If

the answer is yes, then what is the quantity and quality of the learning in relation

to pre-determined objectives.

e. Summative evaluation provides feedback to the classroom teacher for the success

or failure of the programme and of the students.

Chief Characteristics of the Summative evolution:

1. It tends to the use of well-defined evaluation designs.

2. It focuses on analysis.

3. It tends to stress local effects.

4. It is unobtrusive and non-reactive as far as possible.

5. It is concerned with broad range of issues.

6. Its instruments are reliable and valid.

3.Diagnostic evaluation: Diagnostic evaluation is directed towards two purposes, either

for placement of students properly at the outset of an instructional period or to discover

the underlying causes of deficiencies in students learning.

Question. What is the difference between formative and summative evaluation.

Ans. M.Serven explains the difference between these terms in his book Evaluation

Thesaurus(1980) as:

Formative evaluation is conducted during the development or improvement

of a programme or product. It is an evaluation conducted for in-house but it

may be done by an internal or external evaluator, too. Summative evaluation

on other hand is conducted after completion of a programme and for the benefit

of some external audience or decision maker. It may be done by an

internal or an external evaluator.

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Gloria, Hitchok and others(1986) state the difference between the summative and

formative evaluation in these words,

“It is fairly straight forward to produce an ideal type of either a summative or a

formative profile. It is far more difficult to combine the two into one unified

system. The underlying philosophies of the two appear difficult to reconcile.”

Following are the main differences between these two types of evaluation:

1. They differ in purpose, nature and timing.

2. Summative evaluation is the terminal assessment of performance at the

end of instruction but formative evaluation in the assessment made

during the instruction phase to inform the teacher about progress in

learning and what more is to be done.

3. The summative evaluation limits the use of profiles and record of

achievement but they are regularly used in formative evaluation.

4. The main consideration in summative evaluation is to determine to what

extent the examinee has mastered the knowledge and skills associated

with a course. On the other hand, the main consideration in formative

evaluation is to reveal the process by which the examinee achieved these

outcomes.

5. In summative evaluation, the assessment is done to test learning outcomes

against a set of objective criteria without revealing the details of the route

to the teacher, which the student followed in reaching that point.

Formative evaluation takes the form of a dialogue between the student

and teacher in which both determine the task.

Broad Differences in Formative and Summative Evaluation.

Characteristics Formative Evaluation Summative Evaluation

Purpose To monitor progress of

students by getting

feedback

To check final status of

students

Content focus Detailed Narrow scope General Broad scope

Methods Daily assignments

Observation

Test, Projects

Frequency Daily Weekly, quarterly etc

Question: What is the difference between measurement and evaluation?

Answer. Both the terms measurement and evaluation are used for the process of

assessing the performance of the students and collecting information about an

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educational objective. But there is difference between the two terms.

1. Measurement is the quantitative assessment whereas evaluation is the

quantitative as well as qualitative assessment of the performance of a student or

an educational programme.

2. Evaluation is a comprehensive and continuous process, which covers every

aspect of an individual’s achievement in the educational programme. While

measurement, on the other hand, implies only a precise quantitative assessment

of instructional outcomes.

3. Measurement describes situation in numerical form while evaluation judges its

worth and value.

4. Measurement is a quantitative determination of how much an individual’s

performance has been, while evaluation is a qualitative judgment of how good or

how satisfactory an individual’s performance has been.

5. Measurement is only a tool to be used in evaluation. It provides raw data for

evaluation in numerical form.

The difference between measurement and evaluation may be explained with the

following examples.

a. A teacher measures Arshad’s height to be 200 cm. He evaluates his height when

he says that he is long.

b. A teacher measures Aslam’s achievement in English to be 55%. He evaluates his

achievement when he says that his achievement in English is satisfactory.

c. A teacher measures the size of a classroom and finds that it is 4m+3m. He

evaluates the classroom dimensions when he reports that the classroom is too

small for 50 students.

d. Arshad and Ali study in the same class. In the first test they obtain 60 and 75

marks respectively in English. In the second test both of them obtain 80 marks.

Now in the second measurement (test score) achievement in English is the same,

yet the evaluation will be different. When the teacher states that the rates of

progress of Arshad is comparatively better than that of Ali.

Question: Discuss the scope and areas of evaluation in education.

Answer. The scope of evaluation is very wide. It focuses on each and every aspect of

life. In education evaluation in concerned with the following areas:

a. Curriculum Evaluation:

One important form of process evaluation is curriculum evaluation. It is the

procedure which seeks to make judgments about the operation and effectiveness

of a curriculum. The process of curriculum evaluation consists seven integrally

related sequential steps.

1.Evaluation presage:

Understanding of evaluation context.

2.Task specification:

Whom is it for? What is involved, related to objectives.

3. Evaluation design:

Device plan for conducting evaluation.

4. Data collection:

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Obtaining data both from existing sources and by using techniques devised in

design stage.

5. Data analysis:

Synthesis and interpretation of data as organized in design stage.

6. Conclusion:

It concludes all the process.

7. Presentation:

Presentation, recommendation, reports.

b. Programme Evaluation:

Programme evaluation is used for judging the effectiveness of a programme or a

special project. This evaluation is used for making decisions about a programme

installation and modification. It helps to obtain evidence to support or oppose a

programme. Outside educational programme evaluation is used as a means of

determining the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of any form of

programme. In education we can use programme evaluation for judging any type of

educational programme.

C. Personnel Evaluation:

Personnel evaluation is the assessment of performance of working personnel in

an organization. It is also called staff evaluation. According to Mcnell.J.D.

“Evaluation of the performance of working personnel can be an

effective instrument for helping people in growing and developing

their roles. It can be used as a mechanism of continuing education

and learning from one another. A good personnel evaluation helps

the employee to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses in order

to enable him to improve his performance in a given role”.

d. Institution Evaluation:

Institution evaluation is the evaluation of the total programme of a school, college,

university or other educational institution. The basic aim of institution evaluation is

to determine the degree to which instructional objectives are being met and to

identify areas of strength and weakness in the total programme. An institution

evaluation involves more tests of students than administration. Different

measurement tools are used to get information from teachers, students,

administrators, counsellors and other community members. Institution evaluation

judges the overall performance of an educational institution.

Question. Discuss the need and role of measurement and evaluation in education.

Answer. Evaluation provides relevant information that decision makers need about

input, output and placement of students in programme. Level of understanding can

be assessed through evaluation and future educational objectives set based on

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students needs.

To the modern educators, the ultimate goal of evaluation is to facilitate learning.

This could be done in a number of ways, in each way a separate type of decision is

required. The evaluation decision also determines which of tests is to be used for

evaluation. The purposes of evaluation are as follow:

1. Selection decision:

In our daily life we see that institution and organization need persons for their

work, they get responses from several people but they cannot take all of them.

They have to make selection out them through evaluation.

2. Placement decision:

Since school education should be provided to all in a welfare state, the school

must be made a provision for all, they cannot reject the candidates for admission

as the universities and colleges can do. How these candidates be placed in

different programmes of school, the decision is to be determined on the basis of

evaluation.

3. Classification decision:

Evaluation is also required to help in making decisions concerned with assigning

a person one of several different categories, job or programme

4. Diagnosis and remedial decision:

Evaluation is required to locate the students who need special remedial helps.

5. Feedback:

It is not sufficient to evaluate students through test and doing nothing after that.

A good teacher will use tests for the purpose of providing feed back to students.

6. Motivation and guidance of learning:

Evaluation is also used to motivate the students for more study. However we

should use motivation device only positively.

7. Programme evaluation:

If any educational programme is introduced, it is necessary to evaluate its worth

from time to time so that it should be promoted if found useful and effective, and

be stopped if found useless and ineffective. Programme evaluation is used for the

judging a programme.

8. Development:

The educational theories which we are conversant and which will be developed

in future are developed through researches. If there is no research, the

knowledge will not grow and the next generation will learn only those theories

which were developed in the past. Thus one of the main purpose of evaluation is

to develop educational theories.

Role of measurement and evaluation in education:

Tyler,1966: Airasian and Madaus,1972: Gronlund,1976: Thorndike and Hagen,1977:

rightly observe that the data secured through testing procedures may have uses as given

1. Measurement data may be employed in the placement of students on one or

another instructional programme.

2. Measurement data can be used in formative evaluation. Tests are administered

to the students to monitor their success and to provide them with relevant

feedback.

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3. Through diagnostic evaluation a teacher tries to understand the basis of a

student’s problem and then design instruction to address the need.

4. Measurement data may be used for summation purposes. Such testing is

employed to certify or grade students at the completion of a programme or unit

of instruction.

5. Measurement and evaluation are used for employer of educational institution

through selection decision.

6. Measurement and evaluation are used for judging the curriculum of an

educational institution.

7. Measurement and evaluation provide help in personal decision making. Through

measurement and evaluation a person can select a suitable college, subject, job

or other programme easily.

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Chapter 2

ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Question: Explain objectives in detail.

Answer.

Objectives:

Generally, an objective is defined as any desired end or learning goal. It is also called

short term goal. It, actually indicate the immediate and specific goal, which leads

ultimately to the attainment of the aim. Normally the term objective is used for

behavioral objective.

Behavioral objectives:

Behavioral objective is the specific statement of observable behavior that a learner

displays. An objective is actually the observable activity of the learner.

Types of objectives:

Objectives can be classified into two main types, general objectives and specific

objectives.

General objectives:

General objectives are those objectives which are concerned with the whole course of

activities. They are not for a specific field of knowledge. These objectives are long term.

These objectives are generally derived from National Educational Policy of the country.

Specific objectives:

Specific objectives are those objectives which are concerned with some specific field of

knowledge or activity. These are short term objectives. These objectives are usually

derived from the general objectives of the concerned subject.

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Elements of the objectives:

The famous educationists Scott, Michaelis and Groasman has recommended the following

six elements of an instructional objectives.

1. The person:

It should be noted what kind of students should attain the objectives. It should

also be mentioned whether all students or a specific percentage of students should

attain the objectives.

2. The object:

The second element is that the object to be handled or studied should be noted.

The reason for the objectives should also be mentioned.

3. Behaviour:

The behaviour to be observed should be noted, e.g. state, describe, arrange list

etc, for example ; after demonstrating microscope to the students for use we

expect from them to be able to do the following;

a. Identify the parts of the microscope.

b. List the steps to be followed in using the microscope.

c. Describe the precautions in adjusting the microscope.

4. Conditions:

The necessary materials or activities should be indicated clearly, e.g. ruler, pencil,

dictionary etc.

5. Performance Level:

The criteria of required performance should be noted in a written form. The

objectives must be clear and should be the student’s activity.

Criteria for writing behavioural objectives:

Before writing instructional objectives, the following criteria should be kept in mind.

1. The desired behaviour that we want the student to perform should be written in a

clear form. The statement of behaviour should not be confusing or ambiguous.

2. There should not be more than one objective in one statement.

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3. The objective should state the important conditions such as material, procedures

or activity under which they are to perform the desired behaviour.

4. The objective should not written in teacher’s activity. It should be written in

student’s activity.

5. Behaviour should not be written in learning process. It should be written in

learning product.

Question: Discuss the relationship between objectives and educational outcomes.

Answer. The objectives provide direction in a number of ways i. e. They suggest general

strategies and specific activities for their attainment. Different set of objectives will

generate different strategies. For example there were three English teachers; A.B.C.

Teacher A has no specific objectives. He is simply teaching English. Teacher B has a set of

objectives related to students being able to speak conversational English. Teacher C has a

set of objectives related to students being able to read and write English. Just think how

their classroom activities differ. Teacher A may just read an English text book loud every

day. Teacher B, on the other hand, may speak English, play records of conversation in

English and will have students conversing in English. Teacher C will have to devote a lot of

time for having students translate written passage from English into Urdu either orally or

in writing. So instructional objectives also give directions to educational outcomes. The

teacher and students know what is expected from them. In the example given above ;

Teacher A will not expect specific educational outcomes. Whereas teacher B and C expect

specific educational outcomes. The existence of objectives definitely determine the

educational outcomes.

Question: Discuss taxonomy of educational objectives.

Answer. Taxonomy means classification or categorization. We know that specific

objectives determine the specific educational outcomes. Intelligent teachers identify

specific instructional objectives to get required educational outcomes. In 1956 Benjamin

Bloom a group of associates mostly college examiners brought a taxonomy dealing with

educational objectives. A particular important contribution of the 1956 taxonomy was its

division of educational objectives into three domains. The cognitive, affective and

psychomotor domain. Educationists have used this division widely.

Domain:

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Domain means field or area. In education area of knowledge is called domain. There are

three types of domain.

1. Cognitive Domain:

Cognitive domain is that in which we focus on those behaviours of learners that

we believe reflect intellectual skills.

2. Affective Domain:

Affective domain is concerned with the behaviours of learners which reflect

attitude, value, and interests.

3. Psychomotor Domain:

Psychomotor domain is concerned with the physical and motor skills we hope

learner will require.

Question: What do you know about Bloom taxonomy of educational objectives?

Answer. Bloom and others have classified the cognitive domain in the following six steps.

1. Knowledge.

2. Comprehension

3. Application.

4. Analysis.

5. Synthesis.

6. Evaluation.

1. Knowledge:

Knowledge is the first category of Bloom taxonomy. It is defined as the recall of previous

learned material. Knowledge represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the

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cognitive domain. The knowledge objective emphasizes the physiological process of

remembering. For example the ability to define the term inflation from memory.

2. Comprehension:

Comprehension is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of material; interpretation,

paraphrasing and exampling. This may involve translating a material from one form to

another or explaining or summarizing. For example, explain ways in which inflation affects

economy.

3. Application:

Application means the ability to use learned material in new and current situation. This

may include the application of rules, principles, methods, concepts and laws etc. For

example, the ability to apply general principles of inflation to the current Pakistan

economy.

4. Analysis:

Analysis means the ability to break down material into component parts so that

organizational structure may be understood. For example, the ability to determine the

common element in three different plans for reducing inflation in Pakistan.

5. Synthesis:

Synthesis means the ability to combine together separate parts to form a new whole or

arranging them into a new pattern. For example the ability to develop an original plan for

reducing inflation in Pakistan.

6. Evaluation:

Evaluation means the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. For

example, the ability to give a critique of a proposed plan for reducing inflation.

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Question: What do you know about the table of specification?

Answer.

Table of specification:

To ensure the valid measure of the instructional objectives and course contents, we are

interested in testing. We should use representative sample of pupils ‘performance in each

of the areas to be measured. The instrument that is widely being used for this purpose is

the table of specification. Table of specification is chart which relates the instructional

objectives to the course content and specifies the relative emphasis to be given to each

type of learning outcomes, usually expressed in percentage.

Preparation o f table of specification includes;

1. Obtaining the list of instructional objectives ( identification and formulation

methods)

2. Out lining the course content.

3. Preparation the two way chart.

Preparation of the two way chart relates the instructional objectives to the course

content and thus specifies the nature of the test sample. This chart shows what

percentage of items is to be allotted to what course content according to specific

objectives.

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Table of specification for a Summative third Grad social Studies Test (in percentage).

objectives

Content Area Knows Common Terms

Knows Specific Facts

Understands Principles and Generalizations

Applies Principles and Generalizations

Interpret Chart and Graph

Total

Food 2 6 2 10

Clothing 2 6 2 10

Transportation 4 2 2 2 5 15

Communication

4 2 2 2 5 15

Shelter 5 5 10

City life 4 2 6 8 20

Farm life 4 2 6 8 20

Total 20 20 25 25 10 100

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Chapter 3

QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEST

Question: What is a test? Discuss qualities of a good test in detail.

Answer.

Test:

In education a test consists of a question, series of questions, exercises and other devices

for measuring the mental ability, capacity, skill, knowledge, achievement, progress,

aptitude, attitude, interest, social and emotional adjustment or personality etc of an

individual or group.

Test is an instrument of evaluation. We can say that “A test is a systematic procedure for

measuring a sample of students’ behaviour under specific condition”.

Qualities of a good test:

The qualities of a good test/measurement instrument are validity, reliability, objectivity,

differentiability, and practicality.

1.Validity:

The most important quality of a test is its validity. The word validity means effectiveness

or soundness. It refers to the accuracy with which a thing is measured. A test is said to be

valid if it measures what it claims to measure.

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According to W.Wiersma and S.G.Jurs;

“ Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it intended to measure.”

It is also possible that a test may be valid for some specific objectives but may not be valid

for other objectives. That is why validity is classified into several categories i.e.

1.Content Validity:

The content validity of test refers to the extent to which the test content represents a

specified inverse of content. For example if a teacher taught Physics and would like to give

a test at the end of the course. Now if his test included only items taken from the course

that he taught and has no item from outside the course, it is said that his test possesses

the content validity.

2.Concurrent Validity:

Concurrent validity is evaluated by showing how well test scores correspond to already

accept measures of performance or status made at the same time. We may give a social

studies class a test on knowledge of basic concepts in social studies and at the same time

obtain from its teacher a report on these abilities as far as pupils in the class are

concerned. If the relation between the test scores and the teacher’s report of abilities is

high, the test will have high concurrent validity.

3.Predictive Validity:

Predictive validity is evaluated by showing how well predictions made from the test are

confirmed by evidence gathered at some subsequent time. It is quite similar to concurrent

validity except that the evidence on the criterion measures used is collected later. For

example a tester wants to estimate how well a student may be able to do on college

courses on the basis of how well he has done on tests he took in secondary school.

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4.Construct Validity:

It refers to the extent to which the test measures to construct that it claims to measure. A

construct validity is a trait or quality assumed to exist for explaining some aspects of

human behavior like intelligence, creativity, ability to apply principles etc. If a teacher

wants to measure the ability to reason and give reasoning test to his class. Since the

reasoning test claims to measure the ability to reason, we must construct the validity of

the test. In other words we will have to determine how will the ability to reason explain

pupil behavior as measured by the test.

Factors Influencing Validity:

Numerous factors tend to make test result invalid for their indented use. Some are rather

obvious and can be easily avoided.

Factor in the test itself:

The following can prevent the test items from functioning as intended and thereby lower

the validity of the interpretations from the test scores.

1. Unclear directions: Directions that do not clearly indicate to the pupils how to respond to the items, whether

it is permissible to guess and how to record the answers will tend to reduce validity.

2. Reading vocabulary and sentences structure too difficult: Vocabulary and sentences structure that is too complicated for the pupils reduce the

validity of test.

3. Inappropriate level of difficulty of the test items: In norm-referenced tests, items that are too easy or too difficult will not provide reliable

discriminations among pupils and will therefore lower validity.

4. Poor constructed test items: Test items that provide clues to the answer will reduce validity.

5. Ambiguity: Ambiguous statements in the test items reduce validity.

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6. Too short test: If a test is too short to provide a representative sample of the performance we are

interested in, its validity will suffer accordingly.

7. Improper arrangement of items: Items are typically arranged in order of difficulty with the easiest items first. The improper

arrangement of items reduce validity of a test.

8. Identifiable pattern of answer: Placing correct answers in some systematic pattern will enable pupils to guess the answer

more easily and this will lower validity.

Factors in test administration and scoring:

The administration and scoring of a test may also affect validity. In teacher made test

insufficient time, unfair aid, cheating and the unreliable scoring of essay type test reduce

validity. In case of published tests, failure to follow the standard direction and time limits,

giving unauthorized assistance and errors in scoring similarly contribute to lower validity.

Factors in pupils’ Responses:

Sometimes pupils’ responses also affect validity of test. Some pupils may be bothered by

emotional disturbances that interfere with their test performance. Other may be

frightened by the test situation and thereby are unable to respond normally and still

others may not be motivated to put forth best effort.

2.Reliability:

Reliability is an important characteristic of a measuring instrument. Reliability means

consistency of measurement. In the words of Ebel and Frisble,

“The ability of test to measure the same quantity when it is

administered to an individual on two different occasions

by two different testers is called reliability. The reliability

indicates the degree to which a measurement can be relied

upon to measure the same thing each time used.”

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Methods of Estimating Reliability:

In determining reliability it would be desirable to obtain two tests of measures under

identical conditions and then to compare the results. This procedure is impossible, of

course because the conditions under which evaluation data are obtained can never be

identical. Three methods of measuring reliability are used. 1. Test-Retest Method 2.

Equivalent or Parallel Form Method 3. Spilt-Half Mehod.

1. Test-Retest Method: To estimate the reliability by means of the test-retest method, the same test is

administered twice to the same group of pupils with a given time interval between the

administration.

2. Equivalent Form Method: To estimate the reliability by means of the equivalent form method two equivalent forms

of test must be constructed. The pupils take one form of the test and then as soon as

possible the other form.

3. Split-Half Method: In split-half method the test whose reliability we wish to measure is given in ordinary

manner, the papers are scored as usual and then two scores for each individual are

obtained by scoring alternate halves of the test separately. Such scoring can be done in

several ways. Most common method is odd and even number. Then try to judge internal

consistency of the two groups of papers.

Consistency:

To illustrate with a simple example, let us suppose we had given a group of seven

students a test in English and ranked them according to the scores. A day or two days later

we repeated the test on the same group of students and ranked them again. The results

might be as follows:

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Comparison of score made by seven students on the same test administered twice.

Pupil First Testing Second Testing

Score Rank Score Rank

A 52 4 55 4

B 60 2 65 2

C 45 5 48 5

D 68 1 69 1

E 57 3 60 3

F 29 7 40 6

G 31 6 35 7

The degree of consistency of measurement can be judged here by the extent to which the

pupils tend to hold the same relative position in their group. We can see that this

tendency is high in this case since all pupils except F and G hold the same rank in both

applications of the test and those two pupils shift slightly.

It should be pointed out that in this example all students show a gain in score between

the first and the second testing; but their relative standings or ranks change in only two

cases. If all individuals made the same score both times, or made lower scores the second

time, the test would still show a high degree of consistency provided that the ranks of the

individuals did not change. This is what we mean by consistency.

Factors Affecting Reliability:

The reliability coefficient may be affected by the following factors.

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1.Length of Test:

Longer tests tend to be more reliable than shorter ones. The length of a test improves its

reliability.

2.Range of Talent:

The range of talent, achievement or ability of the pupils on whom the reliability is based

has direct effect on the reliability coefficient. The greater variability in the group of pupils,

the higher the reliability coefficient.

3.Spread of scores:

Reliability coefficient are directly influenced by the spread of score in the group tested.

The larger spread of score improve reliability.

4.Testing Conditions:

The condition of administering and scoring the test may raise or lower the reliability of

given test.

5.Difficulty level of Test:

Tests that are too easy or too difficult to the member taking it will tend to produce score

of low reliability.

6.Unclear directions:

Directions that do not clearly indicate to the pupil how to respond to the items reduce

reliability.

7.Ambiguity:

The ambiguous statements in test items contribute to misinterpretation and confusion

which reduce reliability of test.

3.Objectivity:

Objectivity is an important characteristic of a good test/measuring instrument. Objectivity

means the scoring system of a test is free from personal judgment, likes or dislikes.

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Objective tests are more valid and more reliable than essay type tests because they have

more objectivity in scoring than essay type tests.

The following points can improve the objectivity of a test.

1. The administering person should strictly abide by a uniform and specified instruction. 2. While scoring the responses to the test items should be scored uniformly and accordingly to specific answers or specimen. 3. The behaviour and trait should be evaluated in the light of information available from previous research and also in the light of the views of other experts. 4. The responses of the test items should be scored with key provided with the test, so that subjective judgment of the examiner may not enter. 5. Now-a-days computerized scoring is recommended which is the highest objective kind of scoring objective type test.

4.Differentiability:

Differentiability is an important characteristic of a test. Differentiability is used for

individual differences of students. One individual is different from the other with respect

to some behaviours. These individual differences should be kept in mind during

administering or scoring a test. A good test shows us more and more individual difference

among the students. So differentiability is an important characteristic of test.

5.Usability or Practicability:

In selecting a test or other measuring instrument, practical consideration cannot be

neglected. A test will be practicable if it is easy to administer, easy to interpret and

economical in operation. A good test is that which have sufficiently simple instructions so

that it can be administrated even by a common person. Such test is easy in scoring and

economical. So practicability is an important characteristic of a test.

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Chapter 4

TYPES OF TEST

Question: Discuss achievement test in detail.

Answer. An achievement test has a great significance in all types of instructional progress

of the individual. A classroom teacher depends upon the achievement tests for measuring

the progress of his students in his subject area. Several educational and vocational

decisions about students are taken on their performance in the achievement tests.

Different educationists define achievement test in the following ways:

Thorndike and Hagen (1969) observe,

“The type of ability test that describes what a person has learned to

do is called achievement test.”

In the words of Wiersma,W. and Jurs, S. G. (1990),

“Achievement test is measurement of knowledge and skills in a

content area”.

Characteristics of a good achievement test:

Grondlund and Linn (1990) have identified the following characteristics of a good

achievement test:

A good achievement test is tried out and selected on the basis of its difficulty level and

discriminating power.

It should have a description of measured behaviour.

It should contain a sufficient number of test items for each measured behaviour.

It should be divided into different knowledge and skills according to behaviours to be

measured.

Its instruction in regard to its administering and scoring are so clear that they become

standardized for different users.

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It is completed by norms, which are developed at various levels and on various age

groups.

It provides equivalent and comparable forms of the test.

It carries with a test manual for its administering and scoring.

Planning of an achievement test:

Gronlund and Linn (1990) discuss the following steps in classroom testing.

1. Determining the purposes of testing.

2. Developing the test specification.

3. Selecting appropriate types of items.

4. Preparing relevant test items.

5. Assembling the test.

6. Scoring the test.

7. Appraising the test.

8. Using the test result.

Question: Compare the Individual Tests and Group Tests.

Answer.

Individual Tests:

Individual tests are administered to one individual at one time. There is face-to-face

interaction between the individual and tester.

Group Tests:

Group tests are administered to a group of people. There is no face-to-face interaction in

group tests.

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Comparison of Individual Tests and Group Tests:

Individual Test Group Test

1. It is administered to an individual at one time.

1. It is administered to a group at the same time.

2. It is costly in terms of administration and time.

2. It is less costly in terms of administration and time.

3. A trained tester is required to administer it.

3. No trained person is required to administer it

4.There is face-to-face interaction between the individual and the tester.

4. There is no such face-to-face interaction between the individual and the tester.

5.Individual test is more reliable. Guidance can be provided to the individual on the basis of its results.

5. Group test may be influenced by several factors.

6. It is useful for small children. 6. It is suitable for children, older and adults.

7. The tester can motivate the individual by means of praise and encouragement as he can adopt to the needs of the individual child.

7. It is not to do so.

8.There is very little scope of cheating. 8. Cheating on a large scale is possible.

9.There is no competition in individual testing.

9. Speed and reading ability may influence the test score.

10. No special formalities are observed in individual testing.

10. Several formalities are observed in administration.

11. Instruction can be made clear before testing.

11. A few members of the group may not clearly understand the instructions.

Question: Explain standardized test. Also compare standardized test to classroom test.

Answer.

Standardized test:

A standardize test is a measurement device that is commercially prepared by educational

specialists for widespread use in a large number of schools. It is characterized by a fixed

set of questions designed to measure a clearly defined sample of behaviour. The test is

administered under uniform conditions using the same set of directions for timing

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constraints and scoring. This permits educators to give the identical test to students in

different locations and at different times.

Most commonly test designers establish performance norms for a standardized test based

upon representative groups of individuals (including various age and grade groups on a

state, regional or national level). This feature allows educators to interpret a pupil’s

performance in a norm-referenced manner. Accordingly it is possible to compare the level

of a student’s performance with that of other groups of students. Further, a student’s

level of performance on one set of questions (provided all the tests were standardized

using the same sample of students) can be classified in a number of ways. The most

popular classification is, (according to Mehrens and Lehmann, 1978):

1. Achievement tests (diagnostic, single subject matter and survey batteries)

2. Aptitude tests (general, multiple and special).

3. Personality, Attitude, Interest, Self-concept and adjustment inventories.

The first two categories usually seek to measure maximum performance and the third

typical performance.

Comparison between standardized test and classroom test:

Standardized achievement tests measure the common objectives of a wide variety of

schools; have standard procedures for administration and scoring; and provide norms for

interpreting the scores. A test manual and other accessory material are typically provided

to aid in the administration of the test and the interpretation and use of the results. The

test items are generally of high quality because specialists have prepared them, pretested,

and selected on the basis of their effectiveness and their relevance to a rigid set of

specification.

Despite their high technical quality, standardized achievement tests complement rather

than replace teacher’s informal classroom tests. They are especially useful for measuring

general educational development, detonating pupil progress from one year to the next,

grouping pupils, diagnosing learning difficulties and comparing achievement with learning

abilities. They are of less value for measuring learning outcomes unique to a particular

course. The day-to-day progress of pupils and knowledge of current developments is

rapidly changing fields. These purposes are more effectively served by informal classroom

tests.

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Question: Write short notes on the following:

1. Aptitude tests 2. Intelligence tests:

Answer.

1. Aptitude test:

Aptitude tests are those tests that we use to measure the potential ability of a student i.e.

what a student can learn to do. They measure the capacity of a student to learn a given

content. According to Hull, C.L:

” An aptitude test is a psychological test designed to predict an individual’s

potentialities for success or failure in a particular occupation, subject for

study etc. This shows that an aptitude test is a test designed to discover what

potentiality a given person has for learning some particular vocation or

acquiring some particular skill”.

Achievement tests and aptitude tests seem to be the same. But the distinction between

the two is that they are different in use. If a test is used to measure the present

attainment, it is called achievement test. And if a test is used to predict the future level of

performance, it is called an aptitude test.

2. Intelligence tests:

Intelligence tests are those tests that are used to measure the native capacity or the

overall mental ability of a student. There are many kinds of intelligence tests but the most

popular one is that which is computed by dividing the mental age of a student by his

physical age or chronological age. Then the result is multiplied by 100.

I.Q. = MA/CA X 1OO

Where

I.Q = Intelligence Quotient

M.A. = Mental Age

C.A. = Chronological Age or Physical Age.

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Uses of intelligence tests:

1. Selection of students to a school.

2. Classification of students.

3. Selection of students for different courses.

4. Detection of superior and inferior intelligence.

5. Selection of suitable occupation.

6. Awards or scholarships.

7. Diagnosis of backwardness.

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Chapter 5

ESSAY TYPE TEST

Question: Explain essay type test in detail.

Answer.

Essay type examination:

Essay type examinations have a long history that dates back to more than four thousand

years. Different educationists observe that essay type tests were in use earlier than 2300

B.C. Until the turn of the 21st century they were almost the only one form of written

examination.

Different experts observed the essay type examination as:

Robert. L. Ebel and David A. Frisble say,

“An essay type test presents one or more questions or other tasks

that require extended written responses from the person being

tested”.

Gilbert Sax states,

“Essay test is a test containing questions requiring the student to

respond in writing. Essay test emphasizes recall rather than

recognition of the correct alternative. Essay test may require

relatively brief responses or extended responses”.

William Wiersma and Stephen G. Jurs observe,

“Essay item is an item that requires the student to structure a rather

long written response up to several paragraphs”.

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Types of essay type test:

The essay type test can be divided in two broad types.

1. Extended response type 2. Restricted response type

Extended response type:

In extended response question, no restriction is placed on the student as to the points he

will discuss and the type of organization he will use. The extended response questions are

more useful in measuring complex behaviour which cannot be done by other types of

tools. An extended response type of essay question permits a student to demonstrate his

ability to

1. Recall factual knowledge;

2. Evaluate his factual knowledge.

3. Organize his ideas;

4. Present his ideas in a coherent and logical way.

Example of extended response question: “Write merits of objective type test.”

Restricted response type:

In restricted response, the student is restricted as to the form and scope of his answer

because he is specially told the context in which his answer is to be made. Restricted

response questions are more useful in measuring more specific learning outcomes.

Restricted response questions have more objectivity than extended response questions.

Example of restricted response question: “Write ten merits of objective type test.”

Merits of Essay Type Test:

1. Abilities like logical thinking, critical reasoning and systematic presentation, etc can be

best evaluated by essay type of test.

2. They provide an opportunity to the students to show their originality of thought as they

are permitted freedom of response.

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3. They help to develop good study habits such as preparing outlines and summaries,

organizing arguments for and against a topic.

4. They provide opportunities to students to develop abilities such as to organize ideas

effectively.

5. They can evaluate the performance of students in all the school subjects.

6. It is relatively easier to prepare an essay type test than objective type test.

7. It is relatively easier to administer an essay type test.

8. It takes less time in marking.

9. Students cannot guess the answer.

10. They can measure divergent thinking.

11. It is more economical than objective type test

12. They can measure complex learning outcomes.

13. They are more helpful in evaluating the quality of the teaching process.

14. Students focus on learning broad concepts and articulating relationships, comparing

and contrasting.

15. They provide less scope for unfair means.

Limitations of Essay Type Tests:

1. They generally stress the length of enumeration of memorized facts.

2. They have limited content validity because only a sample of questions can be asked in

an essay type test.

3. They difficult to score objectively because the examinees have wide freedom of

expression.

4. There is the lack of consistency in judgment even among the competent examiners.

5. They have ‘halo effect’ which implies that the examiners judgment in evaluating one

characteristic is influenced by another characteristic. A well behaved student on account

of his behaviour may get more marks.

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6. They have ‘question to question carry effect’. A student who gives the best answer in

the beginning of the answer book is likely to get more marks in the subsequent and vice

versa.

7. They have ‘examinee to examinee to carry effect’. Which means a particular student

may get marks not on the basis of what he has written but also on the basis of the

previous student.

8. The examiners may be influenced by the language, length of answer or quality of hand

writing of the examinee.

9. Some examiners are too liberal in marking and some too strict.

10. Sometimes the mood of examiners also influence marking

11. They are time consuming both for the examiner and examinee.

12. The speed of writing may influence the performance of the students. Students who are

slow in writing may not be able to provide answer to the entire question.

Suggestions for the Essay Type Tests:

Suggestion for the improvement of essay type tests are categorized under the following

two heads:

1. Suggestions for constructing a good essay type test.

2. Suggestions for scoring essay type tests.

Suggestions for constructing a good essay type test:

1. The paper setters should prepare ideal answer to all questions given in the essay type

test. It becomes all the more essential when different examiners are required to examine

the answer books. This step is needed to ensure two things.

a. The approximate time required to complete the paper.

b. To provide uniformity in marking by different examiners.

2. The expected length of the answer of each question should be indicated on the paper.

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3. While preparing question paper it should be kept in mind that the maximum subject

matter content is covered.

4. There should be no overall choice in the question paper. Choice should be given for

each question or it should be section-wise.

5. Question should be such, as they require the examinees to show a reasonable

command over the essential knowledge of the subject matter being evaluated.

6. Question should be so worded that all the examinees interpret them in the same way

as the examiner wants.

7. Question requiring opinion should not be asked.

8. The examiner should clearly indicate the weight of each question and parts of question.

9. The number of questions may be large and the expected answers should be within

reasonable limits.

10. Reasonable amount of time should be allowed to ensure that the essay type test does

not become a test of speed in writing.

11. The question should not be too general, vague and comprehensive.

12. Difficulty level and length of test should be according to the mental and physical age of

the examinees.

13. The questions may be arranged in order of difficulty, i.e., from the easier to the more

difficult.

14. Instruction on the paper should be clear.

15. As far as possible equal marks may be allotted to each question.

Suggestions for scoring essay type test:

1. The examiner should prepare an outline for the ideal answers.

2. Normally no weightage should be given to handwriting, spelling and better language in

papers other than language ones.

3. When weightage is given to any aspect in a language paper, it should be clearly

indicated in the paper.

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4. The identity of the examinees should be kept secret from the examiner so that ‘hallo

effect’ does not affect scoring.

5. The examiner should go through a sampling of the answer books of the examinees

before he actually starts marking the answer books so that he may have a general idea of

the quality of the answers.

6. It is sometimes suggested that a particular question of all the examinees should be

evaluated at one time then the second question of all the examinees and so on.

7. To avoid fatigue, only a reasonable number of answer books should be marked in one

sitting by an examiner.

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Chapter 6

OBJECTIVE TYPE TEST

Question: What is objective type test? Discuss the merits and demerits of objective type

test. Also give some suggestions for the improvement of objective type test.

Answer. The essay type examinations are under heavy firing. Students denounce it

because of its heavy strain; the parents criticize its injurious effect on the physical and

mental health of the children; the teacher complain because of its harmful effects on

school work; the practical psychologists speak ill of it because of its unreliability and

invalidity, and educational theorist attack it because it lacks definiteness in aim and

purpose.

To mitigate some of the evils of the essay type test, objective type tests seem to be very

useful. Modern educationists lay much stress on this type of tests to supplement the essay

type tests.

Objective type test:

Different educationists have defined the objective type test as under:

Gilbert Sax says,

Any test having clear and unambiguous scoring criteria. Because multiple-

choice and true false tests can usually be scored objectively, they are

sometimes referred to as objective tests.

Lou M. Carey states,

Objective test items require students to work or select a correct or best

answer. These items are called objective because they can be scored

more objectively than any other type of item used to measure students

performance…… selected response items include alternative response,

matching and multiple choice items.

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R. L. Ebel and D. A. Frisble say,

An objective test is one that can be provided with a simple predetermined

test of correct answer so that objective opinion or judgment in the scoring

procedure is eliminated.

Characteristics of objective type test:

The main characteristics of an objective type test are as follows.

a. They can be reliably scored because there is no inconsistency in scoring.

b. They allow for adequate content sampling because they require less time on the part of

the examinee than do other item formats.

c. They are generally written at the lowest level of cognitive taxonomy.

Forms of objective type tests:

The objective type tests are basically of two categories only.

In category 1, we can put:

a. Two choice items.

b. More than two choice items.

c. True and False test.

d. Completion type (if two choices are given against each blank).

In the second category we can put:

a. Matching type test.

b. Multiple choice item.

c. Completion type test (if there is more than one blanks in the passage and all the choices

are written at one place and the examinee is required to select any one for each blank).

Merits of objective type tests:

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1. Objective type tests are more valid and more reliable than essay type tests because

they have a large number of questions.

2. They are very easy in scoring.

3. They cover most parts of the course.

4. They have objectivity in scoring and there is no place for personal liking and disliking in

the scoring.

5. They can measure a variety of learning outcomes.

6. They can be scored very quickly.

7. They are interesting for students.

8. They have no inconsistency in scoring.

9. They can be scored by a key or a computer.

10. They are economical in time for the students.

11. These tests discourage rote memory of the students and encourage recognition.

12. They also discourage cramming.

13. They are very easy to be attempted by the students and causes less burden and

fatigue.

14. They can check discriminating ability of the examinees.

15. They do not permit the examinees to buff or dress up their answers.

16. They are less stressable than essay type tests for examinees.

Demerits of objective type test:

1. They are very difficult to construct.

2. They require a very high skill to construct.

3. They often allow guessing.

4. They are much costly.

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5. Test administration is difficult.

6. They do not develop the abilities like logical thinking and critical reasoning of the

students.

7. They cannot measure divergent thinking.

8. They do not provide an opportunity to the students to show their originality of thought.

9. They cannot develop the students’ power of expression.

10. They cannot measure complex learning outcomes.

11. Students do not learn how to organize material in a proper and particular sequence.

12. They fail to develop the various skills of a language.

13. They often develop bad study habits in students.

14. They cannot measure attitude or motor skills so well.

15. They are easy in cheating.

Suggestions for improvement of objective type tests:

1. In order to minimize the chances of guessing ‘negative marking’ should be introduce.

2. In order to discourage rote memory, statement should not be copied from the

textbook.

3. Items of various types should be constructed in single test.

4. Correct response should be given at random.

5. The statement should be positive because negative statement creates unnecessary

confusion.

6. Long and complex statement should not be used.

7. Only one idea should be measured in one statement.

8. The directions about regarding the answer should be clearly explained.

9. Specific determiners should be avoided

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10. Such vocabulary should be used in the test which is suitable to the examinees.

Question: Explain true and false test.

Answer. True false test is a form of selection type test. In this test some statements are

given of which some are true and some are false. The student is to identify the true and

false statement. Different educationists have observed true and false test as follows:

N. E. Gronlund says,

The alternative response item consists of a declarative statement that the

pupil is asked to mark true or false, right or wrong, correct or incorrect,

yes or no, like or dislike or agree or disagree. In each case there are only

two possible answers. Because the true and false option is the most

common, this item type is most frequently referred to as the true and

false item.

A. J. Nitko defines,

A true false item consists of a statement or proposition which the

examinee must judge and mark as either true or false.

Thus it can be said that true and false items may or may not have true or false words with

them but their nature is such that there are two answers against each statement. One

answer is correct and other answer is wrong, whatever form is given to it. If one answer is

true and the other answer is false, it can be called true and false test.

Advantages of T/F Test:

1. Since items are very short so the teacher can examine students on more material in the

time than he can do with any other kind of item.

2. It takes less time to construct.

3. No high skill is required for the construction of T/F test.

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4. It has a high degree of objectivity in scoring.

5. It is much easy in scoring.

6. It covers most parts of the course.

7. It is economical in time for the students.

Limitations:

1. Generally they emphasize remote memorization because the examinees are not

required to apply principle to a new situation.

2. They believe in absolute truth or absolute false and do not admit the possibility of

intermediate position. Several facts are not entirely true or entirely false. They cannot be

measured through these items.

3. They allow a high degree of guessing because there are only two choices.

4. They are largely limited to learning outcomes in the knowledge area.

5. They are frequently ambiguous.

7. They expose students to error which is psychologically undesirable.

Suggestions:

1. Such true and false items should be constructed which measure important objectives.

2. Avoid specific determiner like ‘always’, ‘all’, and ‘never’ because such items are likely to

be false and thus can be guess by examinees.

3. It should be seen that approximately half the statements are true and half are false.

4. Each statement should be unequivocally true or false. It should not be partly true or

partly false.

5. The statement should be positive because negative statements create unnecessary

confusion in the mind of examinees.

6. Long and complex statement should not be used.

7. Only one idea should be measured in one statement.

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8. The length of the false and true statement should be equal.

9. The true and false statement should neither be grouped together nor any pattern in

their placement be followed.

10. Statement should not be taken directly from the textbook and other instructional

material.

Question: Discuss matching type test in detail.

Answer.

In this type of test an exercise is given which consists of two columns. Each item in the

first column is to be paired on some basis with an item in the second column. The items in

the first column are called premises and in the second column are called responses.

Gilbert defines matching type test:

“A test format that requires the student to match a series of responses

with corresponding terms in stimulus list”.

W. Wiersma and S. G. Jurs define matching type test:

“An item consisting of a two columns format; premises and responses

that requires the student to take a correspondence between the two”.

Advantages of matching type tests:

1. They are simple to construct.

2. They are easy in scoring.

3. They have objectivity in scoring.

4. They reduce the effect of guessing.

5. Several important learning outcomes can be measured in one test.

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6. They provide a space saving.

7. They can evaluate examinee’s understanding and concept.

Limitations:

1. They are restricted to factual information which encourages remote memorization.

2. They generally provide clues.

3. It is difficult to find homogenous material which may be significant for the objectives

and learning outcomes.

4. If the numbers of items are same in both the columns, the matching type is converted

into multiple choice at the late stage and in the end it is converted into true and false

category.

5. They result into wastage of time of the examinees because for each premise several

responses are to be checked.

Suggestions for construction:

1. In each matching exercise only homogenous items should be selected.

2. No clue is provided to facilitate matching response and premise.

3. Instruction should be very clear and definite about matching.

4. The premise should be written in left hand column and responses in right hand column.

5. The numbers and letters should be written in systematic order.

6. All the items should be printed on the same page.

7. There should not be more than 10 items in a matching exercise to save the wastage of

time.

8. Instruction should be complete in all aspects.

9. Longer phrases should be written in the premise list and shorter phrases in the

responses list.

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10. Incomplete sentences should not be used for premises.

Question: Explain completion type test in detail.

Answer. Completion type test is a form of supply type test. In completion type test

students are given a sentence in which one or two words are left with blank spaces. The

examinee is to fill in those blank spaces with suitable word/words. The blank space is

sometimes given at the end and sometimes in the middle of the statement. Blank space in

the beginning of the statement is not recommended.

Advantages of completion type test:

1. These tests are very easy in scoring.

2. They can cover the greater part of the course.

3. They save the students’ time.

4. There is objectivity in their scoring.

5. There is chance of guessing.

6. These tests can be constructed easily.

7. There is less chance of cheating.

8. They are easy to construct.

Limitations:

1. If not prepared with great skill, they cannot develop understanding to a great extent.

2. They cause great confusion if two or more than two spaces are left blank.

3. Question having comprehensive knowledge cannot be set in these tests.

4. Student get confused if blank spaces are given in the beginning.

5. They cannot measure divergent thinking.

6. They cannot measure attitude or motor skills.

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Suggestion for improvement:

1. The blank spaces should be left at the end or in the middle of the statement. They

should not be left in the beginning.

2. The word to be put in the blank space should be simple and easy to understand.

3. Only one blank space should be left in one statement.

4. Blank space should be left only for that word or phrase which is the most important in

the whole statement.

5. Statement should not be copied from textbook or other instructional material.

6. The statement should be positive.

7. Complex statement should not be used.

8. Directions should be complete in all respect.

Question: Explain multiple choice type tests in detail.

Answer.

Multiple-Choice Type Test:

In multiple-choice tests a question is given with three or more answers. The examinee is

to tick only one of them which he considers to be a correct one. Different educationists

have defined multiple-choice tests as under:

Gilbert Sax defines:

“Multiple-choice items consist of two parts; a stem and a number of

options or alternatives. The stem is question or statement that is

answered or completed by one of the alternatives. All incorrect

or less appropriate alternatives are called distracters or false and

the student’s task is to select the correct or best alternative from

all the options”.

R. L. Ebel and D. A. Frisble observe;

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“A multiple choice item has two parts; the stem consisting of a direct

question or an incomplete statement and two or more options,

consisting of answer to the question or completion of the statement”.

These definitions show that a multiple choice test consists of the following characteristics:

a. One or more introductory sentences which are called stem.

b. A list of three or more choices from which the examinee is required to choose the

correct one. The suggested choices are called alternatives, responses or options.

c. All the choices should be plausible answer for those who do not possess sufficient

knowledge of the matter being evaluated.

Forms of MCQs:

The multiple choice items can be written in different forms. Some of them are as follows:

1. The correct answer form

2. The best answer form

3. The multiple response form

4. The incomplete statement form

5. The negative form

6. The substitution form

7. The combined response form

Let’s describe them briefly

1. The correct answer form:

Three or more choices are there but only one of them is correct.

2. The best answer form:

One or more choices may be correct but one of them is the best answer. The examinee is

required to select the best one.

3. The multiple response form:

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The correct answer may consist of more than one choices and the examinee is asked to

identify all those, which are correct.

4. The incomplete statement form:

The stem is incomplete and can be completed by the correct choice. The examinee is

asked to select the correct one.

5. The negative form:

The stem has negative approach. In the responses all but one may be correct response

provided the stem is written in positive form. It is used by the test constructors when

positive plausible choices are not available.

6. The substitution form:

In these tests the word outlined in the stem is substituted by the correct response.

Responses are given and the examinee is asked to select the one, which can successfully

substitute the underlined word.

7. The combined response form:

In these tests the choices are different phrases or sentences of a paragraph. The examinee

is required to select the correct order those phrases or sentences.

Advantages:

1. They can measure from the remote knowledge level to the most complex level

knowledge, understanding and judgment.

2. A substantial amount of course can be tested because the examinees do not require

much time for writing the answer.

3. They have objectivity in scoring.

4. They can check discrimination ability of the examinees.

5. They are economical in time for the students.

7. They discourage cramming.

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8. They are easy in scoring.

9. They can provide diagnostic information.

10. They do not permit the examinees to bluff or dress up the answers.

Limitations:

1. They cannot measure attitude or motor skills.

2. They provide a chance of guessing the answer.

3. It is difficult to find four or more choices for each item.

4. They cannot measure the ability to organize and present ideas.

5. They require more time to construct.

6. They are difficult in construction.

7. They require a very high skill to construct.

8. Test administration is difficult.


10. They are much costly.

Suggestions for construction of multiple choice tests:

1. The stem should introduce what is expected of the examinee.

2. Specific determiners should be avoided.

3. The vocabulary of test should be suitable for students.

4. The stem and choices should be positive as far as possible.

5. All choices should be plausible.

6. Test choice should have a defensibly correct best choice.

7. Opinions should not be evaluated through multiple choice items.

8. There should not be any over lapping in the choices.

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9. There should be no verbal association between the stem and the correct answer.

10. All the choices should be of equal strength.

11. Each item should pose only one problem.

12. The correct choices should not be at the same place in all or more items.

13. All the common words as far as possible should be taken out of choices and included

in the stem.

14. The choice” all the above” should be avoided because all choices cannot be equally

correct.

15. Responses should be written in the order of alphabet, number or chronology.

Question: Write the comparison of the essay type test and objective type test.

Answer. The following table shows the comparison between the essay type test and

objective type test:

Essay type test Objective type test

1. Number of questions is very small. Has a large number of questions.

2. Answers of questions are very long. Answers of questions are very short.

3. Questions are usually broad, general and indefinite.

Questions are specific, narrow and definite.

4. Factors like bias, temperament, whims, etc of the examiner influence marking.

Scoring is objective.

5. Answer may be partially wrong and right. There is no provision for partial credit.

6. Questions need a long time to answer. Questions can be answered in short time.

7. The entire course cannot be covered. The entire course can be covered.

8. Put premium on expression. Put premium on thinking.

9. It takes a short time to frame questions. It takes long time to frame questions.

10. Students find it easier to prepare. Students have to devote a longer time to prepare.

11. Very suitable for testing composition skills and knowledge of subject.

Not suitable for testing composition skills and knowledge of subject.

12. Less scope for guessing. More scope for guessing.

13. Take a long time in examining scripts. Take less time in examining scripts.

14. Printing cost is small. Printing is costly.

15. Encourage cramming. Discourage cramming.

16. Easy in administration. Difficult in administration.

17. Less scope for cheating. Enough scope for cheating.

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Chapter 7

SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION IN PAKISTAN

Question: What is examination? Write the purposes of examination in education.

Answer. Literally the word examination is used in the meaning of scrutiny, inspection,

inquiry, investigation and measurement. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines

the term ‘examination’ as “the testing of knowledge and ability of an individual by means

of questions, practical exercises”. However, in its specific meanings the term

‘examination’ is used for test and measurement.

Types of examination:

In Pakistan; two types of examinations are commonly used for the assessment of

students’ knowledge.

1. Internal examination:

This type of examination is arranged by the concerned teacher himself. This examination

indicates to the teacher that how much the student has attained from the course taught

to him in the period preceding the examination.

2. External examination:

This type of examination is not arranged by the concerned teacher. The concerned teacher

is not the paper setter for his students. The paper is set by the external examiner. In this

examination, the external examiner wants to know as to what extent the students have

gained from what has been taught to him during the academic session. This examination

is actually held to test the ability of students among a large number of candidates.

The importance of examination in education:

Examination plays pivotal role in the process of education. Examination serves the

following purposes.

1. To assess the knowledge and ability of students:

The foremost purpose of examination is to assess the knowledge and ability of the

students and to test the progress made during the course that has been completed.

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2. To test the work of teachers:

Examinations not only test the ability of students but also the work of teachers. Teachers

can improve their teaching method through examination.

3. To judge the performance of institution:

Examinations not only test the performance of students and teachers but they also judge

the overall performance of an educational institution.

4. Proper selection of the candidates:

One important purpose of the examination is to select the best among the candidates for

different public services or other programmes.

5. To admit students to higher classes of studies:

One of the purposes of examinations is to determine whether a student is fit for higher

studies or not.

6. Diagnosis and remedial decisions:

Examination helps to locate the students who need special remedial help. For example

what instructional strategies the teacher should use to help a particular student or group

of students so that opportunities are maximized to achieve the objectives.

7. Feedback:

It is not sufficient to evaluate students through examination and doing nothing after that.

A good teacher will use examinations for the purpose of providing feedback.

8. Motivation:

Examination can be used to motivate the students for more and more study.

9. To provide proper guidance to students:

Examinations are also important because they are helpful in providing proper guidance to

students.

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10. To provide certificates, diplomas and degrees:

One important purpose of examination is to issue different types of certificates, diplomas

and degree to successful students.

Question: What are the demerits and shortcomings of our Secondary School Certificate

examinations?

Answer. Examinations play pivotal role in education. But the examination system in

Pakistan is not satisfactory. Our Secondary School Certificate examinations have a large

number of limitations. They judge the memory skill of students and do not assess the

affective and psychomotor domains. The marking system has no objectivity. Only

information is tested and the characteristics of whole personality are ignored. They

revolve around the marks and instead of getting knowledge; students are more interested

in unfair means for obtaining more marks. Parents and examination staffs are involved in

malpractices. The following are some limitations in our present system of Secondary

School Certificate examinations.

1. The success of a student in SSC Examination may be due to his general retentive ability

and his good memory.

2. They have a very bad effect on school work. In Pakistan, they tend to become ends in

themselves instead of serving as means to assess achievement of objects. Teachers and

students come to believe that the chief purpose of study is to pass the examination rather

than to gain knowledge.

3. They limit the scope of a good teacher. The teacher tends teach only those parts of

course which are considered to be useful from the examination point of view.

4. They create bad study habits in students. Students do not want to study those parts of

the course that are not needed to pass the examination.

5. They require only reproducing the facts and not the application.

6. Teachers normally adopt methods designed to help the pupils cram the subject matter,

which they can easily vomit out at the examination.

7. They judge only the knowledge of students. They do not assess the attitude, aptitude

and intelligence of students.

8. Normally the questions are essay type, therefore the scoring have on objectivity.

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9. They have a low degree of reliability.

10. A very high percentage of choice is given to the candidates. Therefore, the overall

assessment of the students is impossible.

11. The tension of examination also has a bad effect on the physical and mental health of

the students.

12. Because of their unreliability, their validity is also doubtful.

13. The examination staff is not properly trained.

14. Most of the examination halls are not suitable for assessing the students.


Question: What are the measures to reform the present system of Secondary School

Certificate examination in Pakistan?

Answer. Our Secondary School Certificate examinations need improvement and reforms.

In order to reduce its shortcomings and bring it to the required standard, the following

points should be brought in practice:

1. The first thing is that examinations should be arranged and administered in the light of

the modern researches in the field of education; keeping in view the needs, requirement

and values of our society.

2. In order to achieve the above mentioned aim, the government will have to arrange for

the proper examiners who are well expert in the field of education and well aware of

modern researches in this field.

3. These examiners should be given proper training in setting of papers.

4. Internal plus external type of examination should be introduced in our schools.

5. Examination should be objective type as much as possible.

6. Entrance examinations should be introduced in our educational institutions.

7. The paper should contain a large number of short questions.

8. No choice should be given in the question paper.

9. Proper training should be given to paper checkers.

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10. There is a need of National Testing Training to provide expertise to all examining

bodies, institutes and departments.

11. Monthly and weekly tests should be introduced by assigning them some weightage.

These assignments must be useful for the appropriate evaluation of the students.

Documents

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