Deck 6: Selecting Measurement Instruments

Question 1

Hanna is conducting a problem-solving study that relates learners' motivation to number of challenging problems attempted. She defines motivation as self-efficacy. She uses a self-report instrument to measure self-efficacy. Hanna has operationalized which of the following variables?

A) Self-efficacy
B) Motivation
C) Problem-solving
D) Challenging problems

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is the best example of a standardized test?

A) A classroom-based teacher developed test
B) An attitude measure developed by a researcher
C) The national achievement test
D) The outcome measures of amount learned in an experimental study

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Mitch's study addresses the role of parental involvement in the classroom and the effects on student grades. In his work, final averages in the core subject areas are compared between children who are in classrooms with parent volunteers and those in classrooms with no parent volunteers. His dependent measure, final averages in core subjects, illustrates which type of assessment?

A) Cognitive
B) Aptitude
C) Attitude
D) Personality

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Selection methods of assessment include

A) essays.
B) authentic assessments.
C) short answer.
D) matching.

Question 5

Marty assesses teachers' attitudes toward inclusion based upon number of years of teacher experience. He groups his teachers as those that have 4 or less years of experience, 5-10 years of experience, 11-20 years of experience and more than 20 years. The variable of years of experience in Marty's study illustrates an example of ___________level data.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 6

Sam is a psychology researcher interested in personality differences between university faculty who do and do not include computer-assisted technology in their class lectures. He groups the faculty based upon use of computer-assisted technology, and he administers a 13-item Likert scale personality assessment. Which of the following would best classify this personality measure?

A) Nonprojective instrument
B) Projective instrument
C) Standardized instrument
D) Alternative assessment

Question 7

A respondent's score on a self-efficacy measure is considered

A) a variable.
B) a construct.
C) data.
D) knowledge.

Question 8

Given the following research question: "Are there differences in individual student achievement scores in advanced science classes between classes where students sit in the lecture style seating and those where students sit in cluster seating?" What type of variable does type of classroom represent?

A) Independent variable
B) Dependent variable
C) Extraneous variable
D) Affective variable

Question 9

Of the following, which is considered an affective measurement?

A) The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
B) Preschool Reading Ability Measure
C) A Field Dependence Test
D) A self-esteem measure

Question 10

Gender is considered a(n) ___________ level variable.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 11

Of the following, the best examples of performance assessments are

A) fill-in-the-blank.
B) lab demonstrations.
C) multiple choice.
D) true/false.

Question 12

A formal, systematic procedure for gathering information about cognitive and affective characteristics is a(n)

A) measurement.
B) observation.
C) test.
D) score.

Question 13

Assessments include all of the following EXCEPT

A) measurements.
B) tests.
C) observations.
D) interviews.

Question 14

Dan is a researcher interested in self-esteem. He develops an instrument that he administers to 500 middle school learners. He calculates a self-esteem score for each child in the study and then groups the students as low, medium, or high self-esteem. The instrument illustrates what type of assessment?

A) Affective
B) Cognitive
C) Projective
D) Aptitude

Question 15

Political party affiliation is considered __________ level data.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 16

Given the following research question: "Are there differences in individual student achievement scores in advanced science classes between classes where students sit in the lecture style seating and those where students sit in cluster seating?" What type of variable does achievement scores represent?

A) Independent variable
B) Dependent variable
C) Extraneous variable
D) Affective variable

Question 17

Of the following which is a supply method for collecting data?

A) Multiple choice
B) True/false
C) Fill-in-the-blank
D) Matching

Question 18

Standardized test scores are often given as percentile ranks. These data are considered ________________ level measurement.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 19

Jill correctly answered 15 items on a fifty-item, 150 point biology test correctly. The 15 items represent Jill's

A) percentile score.
B) raw score.
C) stanine score.
D) grade-equivalent score.

Question 20

Time is considered a(n) ________________level variable.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 21

Assessments to be administered to all children at varying levels in their schooling are used as __________ assessments

A) criterion-referenced
B) self-referenced
C) norm-referenced
D) individual-referenced

Question 22

Susan has her life skills class keep a bank account and 'pay bills' throughout the semester. Susan's assessment strategy illustrates

A) performance assessment.
B) supply methods of assessment.
C) selection methods of assessment.
D) problem-based assessment.

Question 23

In a semantic differential scale a neutral response is recorded as a

A) 0.
B) 3.
C) 5.
D) 50.

Question 24

Tests of logical reasoning are generally found on

A) achievement tests.
B) aptitude tests.
C) affective tests.
D) attitude scales.

Question 25

On the test report Sheri received from the standardized achievement test, it included scores for reading, math, vocabulary, and listening. This indicates that the test represented a(n)

A) affective test.
B) multitrait test.
C) test battery.
D) subtest.

Question 26

Stephenie recently took an interest inventory to determine which career might be good for her. She answered 'strongly interested' to almost every question. The career counselor suggested a different strategy because her results were not informative. What is most likely the reason for Stephenie's answers?

A) Bias
B) Validity
C) Reliability
D) Response set

Question 27

The type of instrument that examines our values is classified as a(n)

A) diagnostic assessment.
B) projective assessment.
C) affective assessment.
D) cognitive assessment.

Question 28

The extent to which unintended outcomes arise from the testing activity is referred to as ___________ validity.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct
D) consequential

Question 29

Assessments administered to all children at varying levels in their schooling are designed to be

A) aptitude tests.
B) achievement tests.
C) attitude tests.
D) affective tests.

Question 30

The type of validity that focuses on the extent to which the test relates to future performance is referred to as _________ validity.

A) predictive
B) concurrent
C) content
D) construct

Question 31

Of the following which illustrates criterion-referenced scoring?

A) Jody got the highest score on the test.
B) Jody performed worse than she did on the midterm.
C) Jody received an 86 which was a B.
D) Jody received an 86 which was the average.

Question 32

The extent to which a test actually measures what it is designed to measure is referred to as ____________ validity.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct
D) consequential

Question 33

Generally projective tests, but not achievement tests, are administered

A) in groups.
B) across several testing sessions.
C) by the classroom teacher.
D) individually.

Question 34

Gavin recently administered a science test to his fourth grade class. He questions the validity of the test as a science test because although it looks as if it measures science content, it relies heavily on reading ability. Gavin's concern is with the _____________ validity of the test.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct.
D) consequential

Question 35

Of the following, which is an example of self-referenced approach?

A) Jon finished first in the race.
B) Jon performed worse than his teammates.
C) Jon ran the mile in less than 6 minutes.
D) Jon ran the mile faster than his last race.

Question 36

Some individual differences, such as cultural differences for example, may distort information obtained from an assessment. This is referred to as

A) response set.
B) bias.
C) interpretation error.
D) sampling error.

Question 37

Sal recently took an instrument that asked him to rate his opinions about the effectiveness of different instructional practices as 'Strongly Agree', 'Agree', 'Uncertain', 'Disagree', 'Strongly Disagree'. This instrument is using a

A) Semantic Differential Scale.
B) Guttman Scale.
C) Likert Scale.
D) Thurstone Scale.

Question 38

Which of the following illustrates norm-referenced scoring?

A) Sally got all the items correct on her exam.
B) Sally performed at the average of the class.
C) Sally's score on the exam was an 85.
D) Sally's score indicated improvement.

Question 39

The type of validity that addresses if the test appears to measure the variable of interest is referred to as ________________ validity.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct
D) consequential

Question 40

Jillian is struggling in mathematics. Her teacher wants to administer a test to assist in a decision about whether to provide remedial math classes for Jillian. Of the following, which is the test most likely the type of assessment to be administered for this purpose?

A) An attitude assessment
B) A cognitive test
C) An affective test
D) A self-referenced test

Question 41

Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability are both measures of

A) test-retest reliability.
B) alternate forms reliability.
C) internal consistency reliability.
D) external reliability.

Question 42

Given the following information about a test, compute the KR-21. The test has 50 items, the median is 36, the mode is 34, the mean is 35, and the standard deviation is 4.

A) .30
B) .35
C) .40
D) .45

Question 43

Gwen is conducting a study on mathematics skills. She is interested in a test that measures computation of basic algebra. She found one with a reported KR-20 of .34. What is one conclusion Gwen can make regarding the test as a measure of algebra skills?

A) The reliability is generally low
B) The content validity is generally valid
C) The predictive validity is moderately valid
D) The consequential validity is moderately valid

Question 44

In order to calculate the Standard Error of Measurement (SE_m), which of the following information regarding a test must you know?

A) The number of items and reliability coefficient
B) The number of items and standard deviation
C) The standard deviation and reliability coefficients
D) The average score and the standard deviation

Question 45

A recent study reported about a new instrument that measures students' motivation for challenging academic tasks. In the study the instrument had been given to a number of children at the beginning of their academic year. After reading the study, Susan wondered if students' responses would be different at the end of the academic year. She decides to conduct a study that administers the instrument several times over the course of an academic year and measures the correlation across administrations. Susan has addressed a concern with which of the following types of reliability?

A) Internal consistency
B) Split-Half
C) Stability
D) Equivalence

Question 46

According to your text the most important type of validity is _____________validity.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct
D) consequential

Question 47

The Buros Center for Testing's Mental Measurements Yearbook provides

A) a directory of all test publishers.
B) reviews of various forms of tests.
C) copies of tests to use for research and practice.
D) formulas to use to compute reliability coefficients.

Question 48

The local school district administers two different writing assessments. One requires learners to identify errors in examples and answer them objectively. The second requires the learners to write an essay. Of the following which is likely true regarding these assessments?

A) The objective test is more reliable than the essay.
B) The objective test is less reliable than the essay.
C) The objective test is less valid than the essay.
D) The objective test is more consequentially valid than the essay.

Question 49

The required information needed in order to compute KR-21 includes

A) number of items on the test, mean score, and median score.
B) number of items on the test, mean score, and standard deviation.
C) mean score, standard deviation, median score.
D) mean score, reliability coefficient, and standard deviation.

Question 50

Lori has found two measures of attitudes about technology that she thinks might work for her dissertation. She would like to examine reviews of the two instruments. From the following choices which should Lori consult for actual reviews?

A) PRO-ED
B) Tests in Print
C) Mental Measurements Yearbooks
D) ETS test collection

Question 51

Jonah has developed a new scale to measure tolerance of software engineers during technology renovations. He selects a sample of software engineers and administers the draft instrument to them and calculated a KR 20 of .45. Given the KR 20 value, which can you conclude about this instrument?

A) It demonstrates high reliability
B) It demonstrates sound reliability
C) It demonstrates average reliability
D) It demonstrates inadequate reliability

Question 52

Given a 50 item multiple-choice test with a mean of 30, standard deviation of 4, and a reliability coefficient of .84, calculate the Standard Error of Measurement.

A) 2.60
B) 1.80
C) -2.40
D) 1.60

Question 53

When considering a particular test, the most important consideration is

A) ease of administration.
B) cost of the administration.
C) reliability.
D) validity.

Question 54

The relationship between reliability and SE_m is that

A) if reliability increases SE_m increases.
B) if reliability increases SE_m decreases.
C) if reliability is positive SE_m is positive.
D) if reliability is positive SE_m is negative.

Question 55

The district is considering changing the achievement tests that they administer. A new alternative test is much shorter and if valid to measure student achievement could save substantial instructional time. This year the school will administer both tests and assess the ____________ validity.

A) content
B) concurrent
C) predictive
D) sampling

Question 56

The University uses an algebra test to screen students into statistics courses. Students' responses are scored as correct or incorrect and are summed for a total score. The test is long and seems to cover the content thoroughly. Carlos divides the test in two and assesses the reliability of the entire test and the reliability of the two halves. Carlos is assessing the ________________ of the test.

A) content validity
B) internal consistency reliability.
C) test-retest reliability
D) criterion-related validity

Question 57

Mike will have to administer two different versions of his History test. With which of the following reliability constructs should Mike be most concerned?

A) Internal consistency
B) Split-Half
C) Test-retest
D) Alternate forms

Question 58

The degree to which an instrument consistently measures the construct of interest is referred to as

A) predictive validity.
B) criterion-related validity.
C) content validity.
D) reliability.

Question 59

Robert scored an 87 on a recent mathematics placement test. John scored an 86. The standard error of measurement of the test is 4. What can we conclude about the two students' actual measures?

A) Robert's true score is higher than John's
B) John's true score is higher than Robert's
C) Robert's true score may be higher than John's
D) The two student's true scores are equal

Question 60

Michael left the Physics final and complained. The content on the cumulative final only covered about one quarter of the Physics concepts for the course. Michael is questioning the _____________ validity of the test.

A) content
B) criterion-related
C) construct
D) consequential