After reading Chapter 7, you should have mastered each of the following objectives.
- Explain the differences between the following types of measures: cognitive and non-cognitive,
commercial and locally developed, and self report and observation.
- Identify four types of measures commonly used in educational research.
- Define the term test. Differentiate norm-referenced tests (NRTs) from criterion-referenced tests
(CRTs) in terms of the following characteristics:
- purpose,
- content tested,
- item difficulty, and
- interpretation of scores.
- Define the term standardized test and provide several examples of such tests.
- Define the term standard-based tests and identify the common characteristics of such tests.
- Define the term standardized achievement test and identify the common characteristics of such
tests. Differentiate a standardized achievment test from an informal achievement test in terms of
learning outcomes and content measured, quality of the test items, administration and scoring
issues, and the interpretation of the scores.
- Define the term standardized aptitude test and identify the common characteristics of such tests.
Differentiate an aptitude test from an achievement test.
- Define the term standard score and provide an example of the interpretation of a z-score and a
grade equivalent score.
- Define the term questionnaire and provide examples of several types of traits measured with
questionnaires.
- Identify four types of scales used to measure non-cognitive traits. Identify four problems with
measuring these traits.
- Define the term observation and identify three advantages associated with the use of
observations.
- Explain the differences between high and low inference observations as well as the differences
between data collected from structured and unstructured observations. Identify three observer
effects and the ways in which they can be controlled.
- Define the term interview and identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with this
method of collecting data.
- List the three types of questions used in interviews and the sources of concern related to
interviewer effects.
- Identify the sources useful to locating and evaluating educational measures.
- Identify the criteria for evaluating educational measures. Use this criteria to evaluate an
educational measure.
