Testing and Measurement

Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius
Mary E. Stafford - Arizona State University, West

August 2005 | 200 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

This step-by-step approach allows students to master testing and measurement concepts through practical exercises and feedback. Using humor, cartoons and real-world examples, Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius and Mary E. Stafford guide the reader through the essential components of measurement, starting with measurement scales and ending with reliability and validity. The authors show that everyone can learn testing and measurement concepts, and they make the learning process fun and non-threatening. For those who want to challenge themselves beyond the self-instructional exercises included throughout each chapter, data sets are provided as an aid to further learning. The book is invaluable for all introductory courses in measurement and testing at undergraduate and lower-level graduate level in the social and behavioral sciences.

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ISBN: 9781412910026	Paperback	Suggested Retail Price: $95.00	Bookstore Price: $76.00
ISBN: 9781452209494	Electronic Version	Suggested Retail Price: $71.00	Bookstore Price: $56.80

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List of Figures

List of Tables

A Note to Students

Acknowledgments

1. What Is a Number? Is a Rose Always a Rose?

Numbers and Scales

Some Final Thoughts About Scales of Measurement

Numbers and Response Formats

Some Final Thoughts About Response Formats

Numbers and Test Scores--How Do They Relate?

Some Final Thoughts About Measurement Scales and Response Formats

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

2. Frequencies: One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four

Ungrouped Frequency Distributions

Grouped Frequency Distributions

Cumulative Frequency Distribution

Some Final Thoughts About Frequency Distributions

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

3. The Distribution of Test Scores--The Perfect Body?

Kurtosis

Skewness

Some Final Thoughts About Distribution of Test Scores

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

4. Central Tendencies and Dispersion--Coming Together or Growing Apart

Central Tendencies--The Inner Core of the Normal Curve

The Mode

The Median

Medians and Modes for Grouped Frequency Data

The Mean

Some Final Points About Central Tendency

Dispersion--Not All Bodies Are the Same

Range

Deviation Scores

Variance

Standard Deviation

Means and Standard Deviations in the Real World

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Your New Best Friend--SPSS

Words of Encouragement

5. Standardized Scores--Do You Measure Up?

Percentiles--What They Mean in Measurement

Percentile Ranks for Grouped Data

Some Final Thoughts About Percentile Ranks

Z Scores

Why Transform a Raw Score to a Z Score?

Other Standard Scores

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Your New Best Friend–SPSS

Words of Encouragement

6. Norms and Criterion Scores--Keeping Up With the Joneses or Not

Criterion-Referenced Tests--Do You Know as Much as You Should?

Norm-Referenced Tests--Dying to Fit In

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

7. Error Scores--The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth?

Test Theory

Test-Theory Assumptions

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

8. Building a Strong Test--One the Big Bad Wolf Can’t Blow Down

Item Difficulty

Some Final Thoughts About Item Difficulty

Item Discrimination

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

9. Reliability--The Same Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The Mathematical Foundation of Reliability

Types of Reliability Estimates

Standard Error of Measurement

Correlation Coefficients as Measures of Reliability

Some Final Thoughts About Reliability

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

10. Validity--What You See Is Not Always What You Get

Helping You Get What You See

Sources of Validity Evidence

The Marriage of Reliability and Validity--Wedded Bliss

Interpreting the Validity of Tests--Intended and Unintended Consequences

Some Final Thoughts About Validity

Key Terms

Models and Self-instructional Exercises

Words of Encouragement

11. The Perils and Pitfalls of Testing--Being Ethical

Your Own Competence

Rights of Those Being Tested

Potential Dangers

Ryan's Rights

Appendix

References

Index

About the Authors

It is a good textbook for beginning students.

Dr Paul Madak

Psychology, Univ of Northern British Columbia

June 18, 2012

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Key features

Highly effective pedagogical features that take the student logically through the three-step, social learning theory model: presentation of concepts and information; modeling; and practice with immediate and direct feedback.
Full coverage of the major concepts presented in most introductory testing and measurement courses: numbers and distribution, frequencies, t tests, standardized scores, norms, criterion scores, error scores, design, reliability, and validity.
A brief list of terms, pictorials, and descriptions highlighting the major concepts within each chapter.
Self-tests that allow the student to practice on his or her own, without needing instructor feedback on the spot (i.e., solutions worked through at a very detailed level).