Administered the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) (N. Entwhistle and P. Ramsden, 1983) to 573 undergraduates to analyze a Norwegian version of this inventory. Structural equation modeling techniques reveal the usefulness of this instrument as a research took for the assessment of approaches to learning among Norwegian…

Evaluated the characteristics of computerized and paper-and-pencil versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) using scores for 224 college students. Results show that mode of administration has little effect on the psychometric properties of the SES although the computerized version took longer and was preferred by examinees. (SLD)

The goal of this study was the development of a procedure to predict the equating error associated with the long-term equating method of Tate (2003) for mixed-format tests. An expression for the determination of the error of an equating based on multiple links using the error for the component links was derived and illustrated with simulated data.…

The College Board's Advanced Placement European History examination has evolved over the course of its first half-century of existence in virtually all respects: the types and subject matter of questions asked (and not asked); the nature of the history those questions reflect; the number of questions both offered and to be answered, as well as how…

A set of design patterns for digital item types has been developed in response to challenges identified in various projects by teachers in higher education. The goal of the projects in question was to design and develop formative and summative tests, and to develop interactive learning material in the form of quizzes. The subject domains involved…

One purpose of a college education is to create active and engaged citizens and future leaders. If everyone wants students who have the potential to become such people, it is necessary to keep in mind the skills involved in good citizenship and positive leadership when evaluating applicants. Many of the leaders who have gotten the world into its…

Randomly equivalent forms (REF) of tests in listening and reading for nonnative speakers of English were created by stratified random assignment of items to forms, stratifying on item content and predicted difficulty. The study included 50 replications of the procedure for each test. Each replication generated 2 REFs. The equivalence of those 2…

In most large-scale assessments of student achievement, several broad content domains are tested. Because more items are needed to cover the content domains than can be presented in the limited testing time to each individual student, multiple test forms or booklets are utilized to distribute the items to the students. The construction of an…

The study examined the effects of item format, self-concept and anxiety on response changing behaviour. Four hundred undergraduate students who offered a counseling psychology course in a Nigerian university participated in the study. Students' answers in multiple--choice and true--false formats of an achievement test were observed for response…

This article describes the shortcomings of one of the major testing tools in the foreign languages field, the Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI), with regard to the elicitation of the function of description. In doing so, the article raises questions about the applicability of the SOPI as a surrogate for the Oral Proficiency Interview…

A series of 8 tests was administered to university students over 4 weeks for program assessment purposes. The stakes of these tests were low for students; they received course points based on test completion, not test performance. Tests were administered in a counterbalanced order across 2 administrations. Response time effort, a measure of the…

This article responds to points raised in the article "The paired format in the Cambridge Speaking Tests" by Julie Norton in the 59/4 issue of this Journal on the potential drawbacks of a paired format in oral testing, based on observations about the nature of the discourse produced in this context. This article argues that, although the author…

This digest offers tips on designing questionnaires and on avoiding common design errors. The following useful suggestions are offered: (1) keep the questionnaire brief and concise; (2) get feedback on the initial list of questions developed; (3) locate personal or confidential questions at the end of the questionnaire; (4) put categories in…

A study analyzed the validity of inferential, cause/effect, and main idea questions which were asked in five selected commercial informal reading inventories (IRIs). The inventories were "Analytical Reading Inventory (3rd Edition),""Basic Reading Inventory (4th Edition)"; "Burns and Roe Informal Reading Inventory (3rd…

This study utilized a test, re-test procedure to investigate what effects a change in the order, or sequence, of test items would have on student performance. College juniors (n=102) were given a 50-item multiple-choice and matching item test on the general subject of educational measurement. The items had no particular sequence, but had simply…