SHOWTIME!

NATURE AND ADMINISTRATION OF

TESTS

TEST CHARACTERISTICS

• RELIABILITY, OBJECTIVITY, AND VALIDITY

• CONTENT-RELATED ATTRIBUTES

• STUDENT AND PARTICIPANT CONCERNS

• ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERNS

RELIABILITY, OBJECTIVITY, AND VALIDITY

• THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS FOR A TEST

• ACCEPTABLE LEVELS DETERMINED BY BOTH THE TESTING SITUATION ITSELF AND THE VALUES OTHERS HAVE PREVIOUSLY OBTAINED

• A MINIMAL COEFFICIENT IS .70

CONTENT-RELATED ATTRIBUTES

• IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES

• DISCRIMINATION

• RESEMBLANCE

• SPECIFICITY

• UNRELATED MEASURES

IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES

• NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE TIME SHOULD INVOLVE TESTING

• ONLY IMPORTANT SKILLS AND ABILITIES SHOULD BE MEASURED

DISCRIMINATION

• TEST SHOULD DISCRIMINATE AMONG DIFFERENCE ABILITY GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE TOTAL RANGE OF ABILITY

• SHOULD BE MANY DIFFERENT SCORES NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED

• TEST DIFFICULTY: HARD ENOUGH THAT NO ONE GETS A PERFECT SCORE AND EASY ENOUGH THAT NO ONE GETS A ZERO

RESEMBLANCE TO THE ACTIVITY

• IN ORDER TO INSURE RELEVANCY AND VALIDITY WHEN TAKING A TEST, INDIVIDUALS MUST BE REQUIRED TO USE GOOD FORM, FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ACTIVITY, AND PERFORM ACTS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ACTIVITY

SPECIFICITY

• THE TEST SHOULD BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE FOR WHATEVER IS BEING MEASURED

• CONFOUNDING VARIABLES OR FACTORS SHOULD BE MINIMIZED

EX.: PERFORMING STABILITY BALL PUSH-UPS AS MEASURE OF UPPER BODY MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE IS CONFOUNDED OR AFFECTED BY BALANCE

UNRELATED MEASURES

• OFTEN AN ATTRIBUTE (E.G., HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS) HAS SEVERAL COMPONENTS (E.G., CARDIORESPIRATORY ENDURANCE, STRENGTH, MUSCLE ENDURANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND BODY COMPOSITION)

• TESTS IN A BATTERY SHOULD BE UNRELATED TO EACH OTHER BUT HIGHLY RELATED TO THE ATTRIBUTE

• IF TWO TESTS IN THE BATTERY ARE HIGHLY RELATED TO EACH OTHER, THEY ARE MEASURING THE SAME ABILITY OR FACTOR

• KEEP THE TEST THAT IS MOST HIGHLY RELATED TO THE ATTRIBUTE BECAUSE IT HAS MORE VALIDITY AND DROP THE OTHER TEST

STUDENT PARTICIPATION CONCERNS• APPROPRIATENESS TO STUDENT AND

PARTICIPANTS- PERFORMANCE IS INFLUENCED BY

THE PERSON’S MATURITY, GENDER, AND EXPERIENCE- FITNESS TEST SCORE STANDARDS

SHOULD BE BASED ON AGE AND GENDER

- SKILL TEST STANDARDS SHOULD BE BASED ON AGE, GENDER, SKILL

LEVEL, STRENGTH, AND OTHER CAPACITIES- PERFORMANCE IS AFFECTED BY

DISABILITIES AND THEREFORE, TESTS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT DISABILITIES ARE USUALLY NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

STUDENT PARTICIPATION CONCERNS

• INDIVIDUAL SCORES- PERSON’S TEST SCORES

SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY ANOTHER PERSON’S PERFORMANCE

- BALL SHOULD COME FROM A MACHINE RATHER THAN A TENNIS SERVE BY A PERSON WHEN SKILL TESTING THE ABILITY TO RETURN A SERVE

• ENJOYABLE- INCREASES MOTIVATION TO DO WELL ON THE TEST, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE

TEST IS WELL UNDERSTOOD- MAKE TEST INTERESTING, CHALLENGING, AND COMFORTABLE TO TAKE

STUDENT PARTICIPATION CONCERNS

• SAFETY- EXAMINE ALL ASPECTS OF THE

TEST FOR SAFETY AND POSSIBLE RISKS OF INJURY

• CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY OF TESTING SHOULD BE PROTECTED- BE SENSITIVE TO THE ISSUE WHICH

MAY REQUIRE TESTING PEOPLE ONE AT A TIME RATHER THAN IN A

GROUP • MOTIVATION TO SCORE AT MAXIMUM

POTENTIALLY INCREASES THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE TESTS

ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERNS• MASS TESTABILITY

- REQUIRED FOR LARGER GROUPS- DECREASES TEST ADMINISTRATION

TIME- SPLITTING GROUP IN HALF AND

HAVING ONE HALF HELP TEST THE OTHER HALF AND VICE-VERSA

• MINIMAL PRACTICE- FAMILIARITY, EITHER FROM PREVIOUS

TESTING, FROM THE PROGRAM OR CLASS, OR FROM PRACTICE SESSIONS PRIOR TO THE TESTING DAY WILL DECREASE BOTH EXPLANATION AND PRACTICE TIME

ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERNS

• MINIMAL EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL

- TESTS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF EQUIPMENT AND/OR

ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL ARE OFTEN IMPRACTICAL

- INSUFFICIENT TRAINING OF ALL TEST ADMINISTRATORS

CONTRIBUTES TO LACK OF TEST SCORE OBJECTIVITY

• EASE OF PREPARATION

- SELECT TESTS THAT ARE EASY TO SET UP OVER ONES THAT TAKE MORE

TIME

ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERNS• ADEQUATE DIRECTIONS

- SHOULD SPECIFY HOW THE TEST IS SET UP, THE PREPARATION OF INDIVIDUALS TO BE TESTED,

AND ADMINISTRATION AND SCORING PROCEDURES

• NORMS

- RECENT AND APPROPRIATE NORMS THAT ARE PROVIDED WITH OR FOR A TEST CAN SAVE THE TIME NECESSARY TO DEVELOP LOCAL NORMS; OR, AT LEAST SERVE AS TEMPORARY STANDARDS UNTIL LOCAL NORMS CAN BE DEVELOPED

• USEFUL SCORES

- TEST SHOULD YIELD A USEFUL SCORE EXPRESSED IN A SINGLE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT THAT CAN BE

INSERTED INTO A FORMULA WITH LITTLE EFFORT

ADMINISTRATION

• PRETEST PROCEDURES

• GIVING THE TEST

• POSTTEST PROCEDURES

PRETEST PROCEDURES• KNOW THE TEST

- CAREFULLY READ THE DIRECTIONS OR TEST MANUAL SEVERAL TIMES, THINKING ABOUT THE TEST

AS YOU READ- AVOID OVERLOOKING SMALL DETAILS ABOUT

PROCEDURES AS IT WILL LEAD TO MISTAKES• DEVELOP TEST PROCEDURES

- SELECT THE MOST EFFICIENT METHOD OF TESTING:GROUP VS. INDIVIDUAL TESTING; ONE PERSON

TESTING, MULTIPLE TESTERS, OR TESTING INDIVIDUALS IN PAIRS- IDENTIFY EXACT SCORING REQUIREMENTS AND UNITS

OF MEASUREMENT (PREFERABLY A SINGLE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT)- ANTICIPATE MISTAKES AND PLAN WHAT YOU WILL DO

WHEN MISTAKES ARE MADE- CONSIDER ALL ASPECTS OF SAFETY- PRACTICE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TEST

PRETEST PROCEDURES• DEVELOP DIRECTIONS

- ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES- INSTRUCTIONS ON PERFORMANCE- SCORING PROCEDURE AND THE POLICY

ON INCORRECT PERFORMANCE- HINTS ON TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE

SCORES

• PREPARE THE STUDENTS OR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND PHYSIOLOGICALLY FOR TESTING- NOTIFY INDIVIDAULS ABOUT THE

TESTING IN ADVANCE, WHAT THE TEST IS, AND WHAT THE TEST INVOLVES

PRETEST PROCEDURES• PLAN THE WARM-UP AND TEST TRIALS

- WARM-UP IMPROVES RELIABILITY- SHOULD BE PLANNED AND SPECIFIC TO

THE SKILL BEING TESTED- SUPERVISED WARM-UP BY TESTER IS MOST EFFECTIVE- FIRST FEW TRAILS OF A MULTIPLE TRIAL TEST MAY SERVE AS A WARM-UP

• SECURE THE EQUIPMENT AND PREPARE THE TESTING FACILITY- ALL EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE ON HAND

AND THE FACILITY PREPARED BEFORE THE DAY OF THE TEST- THIS SAVES TIME AND AVOIDS LAST

MINUTE PROBLEMS

PRETEST PROCEDURES

• MAKE SCORING SHEETS- PREPARE GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL

SCORECARDS- INDIVIDUAL SCORECARDS ARE

BETTER WHEN A PERSON ROTATES AMONG

TESTING STATIONS OR WHEN INDIVIDUALS ARE TESTING EACH OTHER

• ESTIMATE THE TIME NEEDED- MINIMIZES CONFUSION AND

MAXIMIZES THE USE OF AVAILABLE TIME

GIVING THE TEST• PREPARATION

- WARM-UP OR PRACTICE - EXPLAIN THE TEST

INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES- DEMONSTRATE THE TEST- LET THE PERSON COMPLETE A PRACTICE TRIAL OF THE TEST

• MOTIVATION- GIVE ALL PARTICIPANTS THE SAME

DEGREE OF MOTIVATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

• SAFETY

- WATCH CLOSELY FOR ANY SAFETY PROBLEMS OR POTENTIAL

INJURIES

POSTTEST PROCEDURES

• ANALYZE THE TEST SCORES- BUILD A DATA BASE- ENTER DATA INTO COMPUTER- COMPLETE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS- INTEPRET STATISTICAL ANALYSIS- REPORT TEST RESULTS TO THE

PEOPLE TESTED IN A CONFIDENTIAL AND MOTIVATING MANNER

• RECORD KEEPING- KEEP SCORING SHEETS AND DATA

ANALYSIS DOCUMENTS IN A SECURE AND CONFIDENTIAL FILE CABINET

CHALLENGES IN MEASURING INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

• FINDING OR DEVELOPING A TEST OR BATTERY OF TESTS FOR EACH POSSIBLE COMBINATION OF DISABLING CONDITIONS

• FINDING NORM-REFERENCED AND/OR CRITERION-REFERENCED STANDARDS

• SHORTER ATTENTION SPAN AND PROBLEMS WITH COMPLICATED DIRECTIONS; BOTH OVER AND UNDER VERBALIZING CAN HINDER PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE RELIABILITY

• OFTEN DIFFICULT TO HAVE INDIVIDUALS TEST EACH OTHER IN PAIRS

• VAST HETEROGENEITY IN NEEDS AND PERFORMANCE LEVELS• WIDE DIFFERENCES IN ABILITY FROM INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT

DISABILITIES, MAKING THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY FOR COMMON TESTS QUESTIONABLE

• LACK OF EXPERIENCE WITH TEST PERFORMANCES THUS DECREASING THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF COMMON TESTS

• DIFFICULTY IN STAYING ON TASK AND GIVING MAXIMUM EXERTION BECAUSE THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY OR HOW TO GIVE IT, OR DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE TEST PROTOCOL

MEASURING INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT POPULATIONS

• ALL PEOPLE DO NOT RESPOND THE SAME WAY TO TESTING

• THE SAME TEST, TEST PROTOCOL, AND PERFORMANCE SCORE EXPECTATIONS CANNOT BE APPLIED TO ALL PEOPLE

• UNDERSTANDING THE CHARACTERISTCS OF THE PEOPLE IN THE POPULATION TESTED AND EXPERIENCE IN TESTING PEOPLE IN THE POPULATION IS VITAL TO OBTAINING TEST SCORES UPON WHICH YOU CAN BASE VALID INTERPRETATIONS

THAT ABOUT WINDS IT UP FOR LECTURE THIS WEEK FROM SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY WHERE

• THE WOMEN ARE STRONG• THE MEN ARE GOOD LOOKING• ALL THE STUDENTS ARE ABOVE

AVERAGE• THE PROFESSORS ARE LONG WINDED

COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS??

THANK YOU!!