A comparative analysis of common mistakes in achievement tests prepared by school teachers and corporate trainers
Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2016, Vol 4, Issue 4
Abstract
Test development has been an important part of measurement and evaluation in any educational setting, whether its purpose is instruction or training. Both teachers and trainers are expected to have certain level of mastery in developing reliable and valid tests for assessing performance of learners adequately. However, it has often been reported that teachers and trainers are not competent enough to develop such tests. Most teachers have taken at least one university course on educational measurement and evaluation during their undergraduate education. Similarly, a considerable number of corporate trainers attend at least one in?service training seminar on measurement and evaluation as a part of their professional training program. However, teachers and trainers still make serious mistakes in preparing tests for assessing the level of learning and performance properly. This study compares their mistakes based on basic principles of test development. More specifically, the researcher wanted to assess whether the mistakes of teachers and trainers are similar or different. Toward this purpose, a total of 120 instructors (62 teachers and 58 trainers) were selected as participants of the study. A total of 6450 test items in various fields of learning were analysed to make comparisons. Results generally suggest that school teachers and corporate trainers make similar mistakes, although their level of knowledge and skills in measurement and evaluation are different due to prior learning. There is also no difference regarding the subject matter area and the level of education for which the tests were developed. Approximately 60% of items need revisions, half of which appear to have severe mistakes. The most common problems are related to easy test items, route learning, implausible distractors, use of negative questions, hidden cues, illogical order of alternatives, length of sentences for correct answers, disturbing sequence of items, single?mode (text?based) questions, and subjective items. These results, along with some others, have serious implications for programs on teacher education and training of trainers.
Authors and Affiliations
Ali Simsek| Department of Communication Design and Management, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey For correspondence: asimsek@anadolu.edu.tr
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP8119
- DOI -
- Views 356
- Downloads 32
Fallacious argumentation in student reasoning: Are there benefits?
This article reports on an analysis of episodes of invalid or controversial arguments that occurred while two different groups of students worked on similar fraction tasks and examine the role that these types of argumen...
A field study examining success factors of university-schoolcollaboration
With decreasing numbers of students pursuing a career in science (OECD, 2008), the call for educational reforms building a basis for an interest in science is great. Cooperation between schools and universities are an im...
What happens when a climber falls? Young climbers mathematise a climbing situation
Students in Norway and other countries experience vectors as a difficult topic. Four young skilled climbers, who all did well in mathematics at school, participated in the Vector Study (VS). They participated for free an...
Challenges faced by teachers implementing socio-scientific issues as core elements in their classroom practices
Teachers may face considerable challenges when implementing socio?scientific issues (SSI) in their classroom practices, such as incorporating student?centred teaching practices and exploring knowledge and values in the c...
Math is like a lion hunting a sleeping gazelle: preservice elementary teachers’ metaphors of mathematics
Preservice elementary teachers hold a variety of beliefs about mathematics and mathematics learning, which influence their teaching. Previous research has shown that preservice elementary teachers believe that mathematic...