Educational Research: Instruments (

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Educational Research Instruments (caveat
emptor)
EDU 8603 Educational Research Richard M. Jacobs,
OSA, Ph.D.
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Instruments

• tools researchers use to collect data for
  research studies (alternatively called tests)

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The types of instruments
1. Cognitive Instruments
2. Affective Instruments
3. Projective Instruments
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1. Cognitive instruments...

• Measure an individuals attainment in academic
  areas typically used to diagnose strengths and
  weaknesses

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Types of cognitive instruments...

• achievement tests

provide information about how well the test
takers have learned what they have been taught in
school
achievement is determined by comparing it to the
norm, the performance of a national group of
similar students who have taken the same test
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• aptitude tests

measure the intellect and abilities not normally
taught and often are used to predict future
performance
typically provide an overall score, a verbal
score, and a quantitative score
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2. Affective instruments...

• Measure characteristics of individuals along a
  number of dimensions and to assess feelings,
  values, and attitudes toward self, others, and a
  variety of other activities, institutions, and
  situations

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Types of affective instruments...

• attitude scales

self-reports of an individuals beliefs,
perceptions, or feelings about self, others, and
a variety of activities, institutions, and
situations
frequently use Likert, semantic differential,
Thurstone , or Guttman scales
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• values tests

measure the relative strength of an individuals
valuing of theoretical, economic, aesthetic,
social, political, and religious values
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• personality inventories

an individuals self-report measuring how
behaviors characteristic of defined personality
traits describe that individual
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3. Projective instruments...

• Measure a respondents feelings or thoughts to an
  ambiguous stimulus

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Primary type of projective test...

• associational tests

participants react to a stimulus such as a
picture, inkblot or word onto which they project
a description
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Selecting an instrument...
1. determine precisely the type of instrument
needed
2. identify and locate appropriate instruments
3. compare and analyze instruments
4. select best instrument
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Instrument sources
Burros Mental Measurements Yearbook
Tests in Print
PRO-ED Publications Test Critiques Compendium
ETS Test Collection Database
ERIC/AE Test Review Locator
ERIC/Burros Test Publisher Directory
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Rules governing the selection instruments...
1. the highest validity
2. the highest reliability
3. the greatest ease of administration, scoring,
and interpretation
4. test takers lack of familiarity with
instrument
5. avoids potentially controversial matters
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Administering the instrument...
1. make arrangements in advance
2. ensure ideal testing environment
3. be prepared for all probable contingencies
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Two issues in using instruments...
1. Validity the degree to which the instrument
measures what it purports to measure
2. Reliability the degree to which the
instrument consistently measures what it purports
to measure
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Types of validity...
1. Content validity
2. Criterion-related validity
3. Construct validity
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1. Content validity the degree to which an
instrument measures an intended content area
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forms of content validity
sampling validity does the instrument reflect
the total content area?
item validity are the items included on the
instrument relevant to the measurement of the
intended content area?
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2. Criterion-related validity an individual
takes two forms of an instrument which are then
correlated to discriminate between those
individuals who possess a certain characteristic
from those who do not
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forms of criterion-related validity
concurrent validity the degree to which scores
on one test correlate to scores on another test
when both tests are administered in the same time
frame
predictive validity the degree to which a test
can predict how well individual will do in a
future situation
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3. Construct validity a series of studies
validate that the instrument really measures what
it purports to measure
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Types of reliability...
1. Stability
2. Equivalence
3. Internal consistency
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1. Stability (test-retest) the degree to which
two scores on the same instrument are consistent
over time
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2. Equivalence (equivalent forms) the degree
to which identical instruments (except for the
actual items included) yield identical scores
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3. Internal consistency (split-half reliability
with Spearman-Brown correction formula ,
Kuder-Richardson and Cronbacks Alpha
reliabilities, scorer/rater reliability) the
degree to which one instrument yields consistent
results
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Terms associated with instruments...
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Data
the pieces of information researchers collect
through instruments to examine a topic or
hypothesis
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Constructs
abstractions of behavioral factors that cannot
be observed directly and which researchers invent
to explain behavior
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Variable
a construct that can take on two or more values
or scores
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Raw scores
the number of items an individual scored on an
instrument
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Measurement scales
the representation of variables so that they can
be quantified
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Measurement scales...
Qualitative (categorical)
1. nominal variables
Quantitative (continuous)
2. ordinal variables
3. interval variables
4. ratio variables
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1. nominal (categorical) classifies persons or
objects into two or more categories
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2. ordinal (order) classifies persons or
objects and ranks them in terms of the degree to
which those persons or objects possess a
characteristic of interest
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3. interval ranks, orders, and classifies
persons or objects according to equal differences
with no true zero point
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4. ratio ranks, orders, classifies persons or
objects according to equal differences with a
true zero point
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Norm reference
provides an indication about how one individual
performed on an instrument compared to the other
students performing on the same instrument
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Criterion reference
involves a comparison against predetermined
levels of performance
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Self reference
involves measuring how an individuals
performance changes over time
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Operationalize
the process of defining behavioral processes
that can be observed
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Standard error of measurement
an estimate of how often a researcher can expect
errors of a given size on an instrument
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Mini-Quiz

• True or false

a large standard error of measurement indicates
a high degree of reliability
false
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• True or false

a large standard error of measurement indicates
low reliability
true
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• True or false

most affective tests are projective
false
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• True or false

the primary source of test information for
educational researchers is the Burros Mental
Measurements Yearbook
true
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• True or false

research hypotheses are usually stated in terms
of variables
true
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• True or false

similar to a Thurstone scale, a Guttman scale
attempts to determine whether an attitude is
unidimensional
true
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• True or false

validity requires the collection of evidence to
support the desired interpretation
true
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• True or false

researchers should first consider developing an
instrument rather than utilizing a published
instrument
false
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• True or false

a researchers goal is to achieve perfect
predictive validity
false
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• True or false

predictive validity is extremely important for
instruments that are used to classify or select
individuals
true
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• True or false

a high validity coefficient is closer to 1.00
than 0.00
true
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• True or false

norm reference and criterion reference are
synonymous terms
false
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• True or false

criterion related refers to correlating one
instrument with a second instrument the second
instrument is the criterion against with the
validity of the second instrument is judged
false
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• True or false

a valid test is always reliable but a reliable
test is not always valid
true
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• True or false

it is difficult to state appropriate reliability
coefficients because reliability, like validity,
is dependent upon the group being tested, i.e.,
groups with different characteristics will
produce different reliabilities
true
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• True or false

content validity is not compromised if the
instrument covers topics not taught
false
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the tendency of an individual to respond
continually in a particular way
response set
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a study which consists of two quantitative
variables
correlational
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a study which consists of one categorical and
one quantitative variable
experimental or causal-comparative
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a study which consists of two or more
categorical variables
correlational or descriptive
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data collection methods which emphasize student
processes or products
performance
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data collection methods including
multiple-choice, true-false, and matching
selection
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data collection methods in which students fill
in the blank, provide a short answer, or write an
essay
supply
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an instrument administered, scored, and
interpreted in the same way no matter where or
when it is administered
standardized
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the term that includes the general process of
collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting
information, whether formal or informal
assessment
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a formal, systematic, usually paper-and-pencil
procedure for gathering information about
peoples cognitive and affective characteristics
test
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the degree to which individuals seek out or
participate in particular activities, objects,
and ideas
interests
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also called temperament, the characteristics
representing an individuals typical behaviors
and describes what individual do in their natural
life circumstances
personality
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things individuals feel favorable or unfavorable
about the tendency to accept or reject groups,
ideas, or objects
attitudes
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deeply held beliefs about ideas, persons, or
objects
values
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requires administering the predictor instruments
to a different sample from the same population
and developing a new equation
cross-validation
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• Which type of test

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
personality inventory
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• Which type of test

Stanford-Binet
achievement test
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• Which type of test

Strong Campbell
interest inventory
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• Which type of test

SRA Survey of Basic Skills
achievement test
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• Which type of test

Weschler Intelligence Scales
aptitude test
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• Which type of test

Gates-McGinitie Reading Test
achievement test
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• Which type of test

Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
aptitude test
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• Which type of test

Kuder Occupational
interest inventory
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• Which type of test

Rorschach Inkblot Test
projective
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• Which type of test

Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator
personality inventory
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• Which type of test

Iowa Test of Basic Skills
achievement test
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• Which type of test

Thematic Apperception Test
projective
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• Which type of validity

compares the content of the test to the domain
being measured
content
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• Which type of validity

Graduate Record Examination
predictive
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• Which type of validity

correlates scores from one instrument to scores
on a criterion measure, either at the same or
different time
criterion-related
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• Which type of validity

amasses convergent, divergent, and
content-related evidence to determine that the
presumed construct is what is being measured
construct
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• Which type of reliability

scores on one instrument are consistent over time
stability (test-retest)
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• Which type of reliability

the extent to which independent scorers or a
single scorer over time agree on the scoring of
an open-ended instrument
scorer/rater
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• Which type of reliability

scores correlate between similar version of an
instrument given at different times
equivalence and stability
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• Which type of reliability

scores correlate between two versions of a test
that are intended to be equivalent
equivalence (alternate forms)
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• Which type of reliability

the extent to which items included on an
instrument are similar to one another in content
internal consistency
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• Which type of response scale

an individual gives a quantitative rating to a
topic where each position on the continuum has an
associated score value
semantic differential
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• Which type of response scale

value points are assigned to a participants
responses to a series of statements
Likert
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• Which type of response scale

participants select from a list of statements
that represent differing points of view from
those which participations agree
Thurstone
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This module has focused on...
instruments
which describes the procedures researchers use
to select individuals to participate in a study
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The next module will focus on...
qualitative research
...the tools researchers use to gather data for a
study