Understanding Instrument Development and Evaluation in Education

Posted on Aug 23, 2024 in Other subjects

Instrument Planning

Planning is crucial for organizing the design stages when developing an educational instrument.

Steps to Making an Instrument

  1. Determine the purpose
  2. Define a sample of the performances to be observed
  3. Specify the conditions of measurement
  4. Develop the specification table
  5. Formulate questions, situations, indicators, etc., ensuring alignment with the planned objectives

Difficulty and Complexity of an Instrument

Difficulty

Difficulty refers to the required level of specific content knowledge and the student’s ability to manage it. For instance:

  • A: Primarily require students to manage conceptual content for answering.
  • B: Correction primarily focuses on conceptual content.

Complexity

Complexity refers to the level of cognitive demand or skill required for the student to address the question effectively. For example:

  • A: Primarily require students to utilize thinking skills or specific skills to find the answer.
  • B: Correction primarily focuses on procedural content.

Test Procedures

Understanding Procedures

  • A method that enables the execution of a task using various instruments.
  • In instrument evaluation, it refers to the means of collecting information, which, after analysis, allows for informed judgments.

Types of Procedures

  • Observation
  • Report
  • Alternative or Authentic

Test Procedures – Tests

  • Test development
  • Testing
  • Structured fixed-response testing tasks

Specification Tables

Specification tables are instances of planning for a test instrument.

Understanding Specification Tables in the Context of Difficulty and Complexity

  • A table of specifications represents the instrument’s design, outlining the scope and emphasis on content and intended learning outcomes for a given school year.

What Does a Table of Specifications Indicate?

It clearly indicates the relationship and consistency between the expected learning outcomes and the proposed information gathering through the instrument.

Structure and Elements of a Test

  1. Identification: Student name, teacher, date, etc.
  2. General Instructions: Explain how students should work on the test, including information relevant to the entire test (e.g., using a pencil, general response format, marking instructions, use of instruments/texts/notes, correction methods, question types, and examples of how to respond).
  3. Specific Instructions: Provide specific guidelines for answering or developing a particular question or questions with the same format (e.g., selecting the correct answer, marking the answer sheet, developing the answer using studied steps, considering spelling and grammar).
  4. Questions
  5. Specific Instructions (if applicable)
  6. Questions (continued)

Understanding Questions

A question is a directed and intentional prompt designed to encourage students to generate a response.

Item Types

  • A) Development
  • B) Structured, fixed, or closed answer

Indicators for Analyzing Test Questions

  • Adequate scope for the course
  • Clear formulation
  • Accurate formulation
  • Appropriate skill level
  • Expected response pattern
  • Original and complete question stem
  • Appropriate stem length
  • Stem consistent with options
  • No word repetition in options
  • Options presented in a column
  • Proper use of options
  • Use of appropriate vocabulary and symbols
  • Question relevance
  • Sufficient number of questions

Assessment Methods and Tools

Procedure

The activity performed by the student that will be evaluated (e.g., test, essay, report).

Assessment Tools

Tools that provide concrete criteria and indicators for evaluating student performance (e.g., checklists, rating scales, assessment rubrics).

Evaluative Procedures

  • Written tests, objective tests, essay tests: Evaluate knowledge of the discipline, understanding of concepts, and application of content in concrete examples.
  • Oral tests, interviews, presentations, dissertations: Verify understanding of content, ability to explain complex ideas, examine student work, assess presentation skills, and defend a point of view.
  • Essays and Monographs: Assess writing ability, use of references, coherent argument development, knowledge transfer, and evaluation of ideas.
  • Spontaneous or structured observation: Gather information on affective-emotional aspects, oral expression, creative arts, and sports performance.