Pigeons' choice in concurrent chains can adapt to rapidly changing contingencies. Grace, Bragason, and McLean (2003) found that relative initial-link response rate was sensitive to the immediacy ratio in the current session when one of the terminal-link fixed-interval schedules was changed daily according to a pseudorandom binary sequence (e.g.,…

Some of the pitfalls in the construction of multiple choice tests are discussed and examples of invalid questions given. (RM)

Based on the classic test-wiseness principles of J. Millman, C. H. Bishop, and R. Ebel, the STAR strategy streamlines the taking of timed tests. Before explaining the strategy to students, the instructor can convince students of the advantages of the strategy by administering a short test to determine students' test-wiseness. The STAR strategy…

In this practical, easy-to-use guide, suggestions are made for setting educational objectives and preparing a teacher-made test. Specific suggestions are made for selecting items for essay tests, multiple choice tests, completion tests, matching tests, and true-false tests. (BW)

The lack of oral testing in second language learning and the reasons for this lack are discussed. Examples of oral tests which have been developed are given. (RM)

Condensed from "The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary-School Principals, Volume 52 (December 1968), 32-42.

An alternate-choice test item is a simple declarative sentence, one portion of which is given with two different wordings. For example, "Foundations like Ford and Carnegie tend to be (1) eager (2) hesitant to support innovative solutions to educational problems." The examinee's task is to choose the alternative that makes the sentence…

Factors which affect the overall presentation of computer assisted instruction in the Voice Oriented Curriculum Author Language (VOCAL), and general guidelines for effective use of VOCAL in curriculum development are presented. Four major sections describe course design and review, spoken strings, display features, and six types of exercise…

RISK TAKING ON OBJECTIVE EXAMINATIONS (RTOOE) OCCURS WHENEVER AN EXAMINEE TAKES AN EXAMINATION WITH PENALTIES FOR INCORRECT RESPONSES, AND RESPONDS TO AN ITEM WITHOUT KNOWING THE CORRECT ANSWER WITH CERTAINTY. THIS PROJECT WAS CONCERNED WITH THREE ASPECTS OF RTOOE--(1) ITS MEASUREMENT, (2) ITS GENERALITY, AND (3) ITS EFFECT ON TEST SCORE. IN THE…

ON THE BASIS OF A REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS IN THE ERIC CLEARINGHOUSE FOR JUNIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION, THE AUTHOR CONCLUDED THAT THERE IS NEED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF CLASSROOM TESTS IN JUNIOR COLLEGES. SHE SUGGESTS THE NEED FOR INTERCHANGE OF IDEAS AND REPORTS OF PRACTICES, AND CITES AS EXAMPLES REPORTS IN THE CLEARINGHOUSE…

A BRIEF HISTORY IS GIVEN OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBJECTIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE TESTS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, FROM 1916 TO THE PRESENT. THERE IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE EARLY EFFORTS TO CONSTRUCT OBJECTIVE TESTS AND THE IMPERFECTIONS OF SOME OF THESE EXAMINATIONS. LATER TESTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN CURRENT USE, ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, WITH EMPHASIS…

THIS STUDY PROVIDES A PORTFOLIO OF SEVERAL THOUSAND FIELD-TESTED MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST ITEMS COORDINATED WITH THE CHAPTERS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES CURRICULUM STUDY (BSCS) YELLOW VERSION TEXTBOOK. THE ITEMS WERE DEVELOPED BY A TEAM OF HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHERS AND WERE EVALUATED UNDER CLASSROOM CONDITIONS WITH GRADE 10 STUDENTS. A…

Student evaluations of an instructor who uses objective tests exclusively are here compared to evaluations of the same instructor using classroom tests which combine objective and subjective test formats. Class size and hour and manner of instruction were held constant; students were chosen at random by the computer registration process. The…

Seventeen teachers and a university research team cooperated to compare the effects of team teaching and conventional instruction in biology on student achievement in six high schools in the Rochester, New York, area between 1964 and 1968. Student achievement was measured by the New York State Regents examination in biology, five locally developed…

Seventeen teachers and a university research team cooperated to compare the effects of team teaching and conventional instruction in biology on student achievement in six high schools in the Rochester, New York, area between 1964 and 1968. Student achievement was measured by the New York State Regents examination in biology, five locally developed…