EDUC 434 Test 2 Study Guide
Identify the characteristics, uses, and grading methods of performance-based assessment.
Characteristics: uses a direct measure of learning rather than an indicator one asks the student to actually do what one wants to measure Uses: make it easier to measure processes, complex thinking, social or affective skills, or physical skills Mimic real-world situations and address real skills they need in life More likely to compliment, rather than replace, conventional testing. Grading Methods: scoring system or rubric
Match types of performance scoring systems with their most suitable use.
Checklists: procedures Rating Scales: attitudes, products, and social skills Holistic Scoring: products and processes
List and describe three types of rubrics used in performance-based assessment
Checklists: they have only 2 variations in the behavior observed. Use a checklist when a behavior can be either marked "present" or "absent" Rating Scale: lets the observer mark the degree to which a task is accomplished Holistic Scoring: used to estimate the overall quality of a performance
What is the primary purpose of a mark?
It provides feedback about student achievement. It indicates students' strengths and weaknesses.
A marriage counselor measures anger toward one's spouse by the number of pins stuck into a doll. Most people only stabbed the doll with 2 to 5 pins, but two people stabbed the doll with 52 pins. How is this distribution skewed? a. positively skewed b. negatively skewed
a
A sports psychologist asks swimmers to record the number of minutes they spend swimming each day. Is the measure of swimming continuous or discrete? a. continuous b. discrete
a
Decades of research indicates that professionals in the helping professions make better decisions when they rely on a. statistics b. their intuition and clinical experience
a
If a sample represents a population well, it will a. respond in a way that is similar to how the entire population would respond. b. generate a large amount of sampling error
a
In histograms, the bars ______________. a. touch b. don't touch
a
Line graphs can be used whenever a _______________ is appropriate. a. histogram b. bar graph
a
On a chemistry exam, a few people received scores of 90% to 100%, but most received scores below 50%. How is this distribution skewed? a. positively skewed b. negatively skewed
a
Researchers are using inferential statistics if they are using their results to a. estimate a population parameter b. describe the data they actually collected
a
The IV (independent variable) in a study is the a. variable expected to change the outcome variable b. outcome variable
a
The marriage counselor wonders if men or women will display more anger and so he records the gender of each participant. What is the scale of measurement for gender? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval/ratio
a
The scale of measurement that categorizes objects into different kinds of things is __________ scale(s) of measurement. a. the nominal b. the ordinal c. both the interval and ratio
a
The scores on an exam are distributed such that most scores are low (between 30% and 50%), but a couple of people had very high scores (i.e., above 95%). How is this distribution skewed? a. positively skewed b. negatively skewed
a
The way a variable is measured a. determines the kinds of statistical procedures that can be used on that variable. b. has very little impact on how researchers conduct their statistical analyses
a
What type of graph is used for discrete data or qualitative data? a. Bar graph b. histogram
a
When do researchers typically use line graphs or histograms? a. when the data are continuous b. when the data are discrete c. when the data are interval/ratio d. when the data are ordinal e. when the data are nominal
a
To measure pain tolerance, a researcher asks participants to submerge their arm in a bucket of water that is 34oF and to keep it there as long as possible. The total time the participant kept his or her arm in the bucket of water was used as the measure of pain tolerance. What is the scale of measurement for this variable? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval/ratio Also, is the total time continuous or discrete?
c, continuous
A marriage counselor measures anger toward one's spouse by measuring the number of pins participants stick into a doll representing the participant's spouse. What is the scale of measurement for anger? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval/ratio Also, is the measure of anger continuous or discrete?
c, discrete
What is the preferred system to compare student performance?
comparison with established standards
How do you know that multiple-choice items are likely to be miskeyed when given quantitative item analysis data?
if more students in the upper half of the class select a distractor rather than the keyed response
How do you know that multiple-choice items are likely to be subject to guessing when given quantitative item analysis data?
look for random responses in the upper half of the class
How do you know that multiple-choice items are likely to be ambiguous when given quantitative item analysis data?
when two answers are equally (or close to equal) chosen; likely indicates two of the responses are similar and one may include a distractor
When is it inappropriate to give a test?
you don't test to punish students
Match five types of comparison for student performance with their definitions.
Comparison with Other Students: regardless of absolute level of achievement, a certain proportion of the class is assigned A, B, C, D, F Comparison with Established Standards: the mark is based on whether a student attains a defined standard of achievement. This is also called a criterion-referenced mark. Comparison with Aptitude: students are compared with themselves Comparison of Achievement with Effort: the mark is dependent on how hard a student works Comparison of Achievement with Improvement: the mark is based on a pre-test and post-test comparison
Identify appropriate formatting and layout for test items.
Don't use a test as a punishment. Group items by format Arrange items from easy to difficult Space items for easy reading Keep items and options on the same page Put illustrations above or to the side of the questions that refer to it Check for randomness of answers Number pages with "page ___ of ___" Make clear how students are to record answers (write directly on test or on a separate answer sheet) Make a space for name, date, class period Check the test directions Make the key before testing
Match types of symbols for marking systems with their definitions or characteristics.
Letter Grades: assign letters to represent achievement. Advantages: widely understood, compact, optimal number of levels in terms of what humans can discriminate Disadvantages: meaning of the letter can vary from class to class, letter grades fail to indicate a student's actual level of mastery, averaging of letter grades may cause the loss of information or lead to misinterpretation. Numerical Grades: the mark is a number Advantages: compact, easily averaged to obtain the "correct" final marks, widely understood Disadvantages: the discriminations are finer than a human can make, meaning can vary from class to class since standards vary Other Symbols (Pass/Fail): Advantages: compact Disadvantages: doesn't provide enough information, students tend to do the minimum amount of work to pass Checklists: often used with other systems Advantages: may give more information about what a student can do, provides non-academic information about the student (conduct, citizenship, organization, responsibility, effort, aptitude)
What is the single most important factor to be included in a mark?
Only academic achievement! This is the only way marks can be compared.
A polling organization asked a representative sample of 50-to-55-year-olds living in the US to determine how much they had saved for retirement. The average amount saved was $125,000. The pollsters use this info to make the argument that people in the US are not saving enough for retirement. This is an example of a a. descriptive statistic b. inferential statistic
b
A polling organization asked a representative sample of 50-to-55-year-olds living in the US to determine how much they had saved for retirement. The average amount saved was $125,000. Which of the following best describes this number? a. sample parameter b. sample statistic c. population statistic d. population parameter
b
A sports psychologist ranks swimmers according to their finishing place in a 100-m race (i.e., first, second, third, etc.) What scale of measurement was used for finishing place? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval/ratio
b
All hypothesis testing procedures were created so that researchers could a. study entire populations rather than samples. b. deal with sampling error.
b
All studies allow you to determine if the IV causes changes in the DV. a. True b. False
b
Bridget received a score of 90 on an exam that put her at the 45th percentile. How did she do on this test? a. Her score of 90 is excellent; she scored better than 55% of the people in the class b. She scored better than 45% of the people in the class
b
If a variable can be measured in fractions of units, it is a ____________ variable. a. discrete b. continuous
b
In bar graphs, the bars _______________. a. touch b. don't touch
b
Order of operations is only important when doing computations by hand, not when using your calculator. a. True b. False
b
Parameters are a. always exactly equal to sample statistics b. often estimated or inferred from sample statistics
b
Researchers are using descriptive statistics if they are using their results to a. estimate a population parameter b. describe the data they actually collected
b
The DV (dependent variable) in a study is the a. variable expected to change the outcome variable b. outcome variable
b
The scale of measurement that indicates that some objects have more of something than other objects but not how much more is ___________ scale(s) of measurement. a. the nominal b. the ordinal c. both the interval and ratio
b
The value obtained from a population is called a a. statistic b. parameter
b
What is sampling error? a. the difference between qualitative and quantitative data b. the difference between a sample statistic and a population parameter c. the difference between an inferential statistic and a descriptive statistic
b
What type of graph is used for continuous data? a. bar graph b. histogram
b
What type of graph should be used if the data are measured on a nominal scale? a. histogram b. bar graph
b
When a statistic and parameter differ, a. it is called an inferential statistic b. there is sampling error
b
When do researchers typically use bar graphs? a. when the data are continuous b. when the data are discrete c. when the data are interval/ratio d. when the data are ordinal
b
Why do many disciplines require students to take a statistics course? Taking a statistics course a. is a way to employ statistics instructors, which is good for the economy b. can help people make better decisions in their chosen professions
b
Effect sizes and confidence intervals help researchers a. interpret (i.e., give meaning to) the results of significance tests b. address the limitations of significance tests c. do both of the above
c
Researchers typically treat summed questionnaire/survey scores as which scale of measurement? a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval
c
Testing casual hypotheses requires knowing how to a. use statistics b. use research methods to design "fair" experiments c. both of the above
c
The scale of measurement that quantifies the thing being measured (i.e. indicates how much of it there is) is __________ scale(s) of measurement. a. the nominal b. the ordinal c. both the interval and ratio
c
What is an appropriate number of copies to be made, given the class size?
recommended to make an extra 10% of copies
