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Basic considerations in Test design :
I.
II.
VALIDITY :
1)
2)
3)
4)
Content validity
Criterion validity
Construct validity
Face validity
RELIABILITY :
1)
2)
3)
4)
The reliability coefficient
The Standard error of measurement and the true score
Scorer reliability
How to make Tests more reliable
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VALIDITY
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The concept of validity reveals a number of aspects :
A. CONTENT VALIDITY
B. CRITERION RELATED VALIDITY
C. CONSTRUCT VALIDITY
D. FACE VALIDITY
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A test is said to have content validity if its content constitutes a representative sample of the language skills, structures, etc with which it is meant to be concerned.
E.g., a Grammar test must be made up of items testing knowledge or control of grammar. But this in itself doesn’t ensure content validity. The test would have content validity only if it included a proper sample of the relevant structures. Just what are the relevant structures will depend upon the purpose of the test. ( A test for intermediate learners is not the same as a set of structures for advanced learners ).
In order to judge whether or not a test has content validity, we need a specification of the skills or structures, etc that it is meant to cover. Such a specification should be made at a very early stage in the test construction.
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What is the importance of content validity ?
1.
The greater a test’s content validity, the more likely it is to be an accurate measure of what it is supposed to measure.
2.
A test which doesn’t represent items in the specification is likely to have a harmful backwash effect. Areas which are not tested are likely to become areas ignored in teaching and learning. Too often the content of tests is determined by what is easy to test rather than what is important to test.
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B. CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY
To see how far results on the test agree with those provided by some independent and highly dependable assessment of the candidate’s ability. This independent assessment is thus criterion measure against which the test is validated.
There are two kinds of criterion-related validity :
1. Concurrent Validity: it is established when the test and the criterion are administered at the same time.
2. Predictive Validity: it concerns the degree to which a test can predict candidate’s future performance.
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A test, part of a test or a testing technique is said to have construct validity if it can be demonstrated that it measures just the ability which it is supposed to measure.
The word “construct” refers to any underlying ability (or trait) which is hypothesized in a theory of language ability.
For example, one might hypothesize that the ability to read involves a number of sub-abilities (such as: ability to guess the meaning of unknown words from the context). If we attempted to measure that ability in a particular test, then that part of the test would have construct validity only if we were able to demonstrate that we were indeed measuring just that ability.
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Construct validation is a research activity, the means by which theories are put to the test and are confirmed, modified, or abandoned. It is through construct validation that language testing can be put on a sounder, more scientific footing.
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A test is said to have face validity if it looks as if it measures what it is supposed to measure.
For example a test which pretended to measure pronunciation ability but which did not require the candidate to speak might be thought to lack face validity.
Face validity is hardly a scientific concept, yet it is very important. If a test doesn’t have face validity, it may not be acceptable to the students taking it, teachers, or education authorities; and if it is used, the students may not perform on it in a way that truly reflects their ability.
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