Description
Week 5-Developing Test Items
Test specifications provide a descriptive outline of a test and can include information about the construct measured, the format and structure of a test, the number of items, and other information as needed. In this week’s Learning Resources, there is a Test Specifications Template that you should now complete for your proposed Final Project. This template will help guide you through determining the specifications for your test. There is also a completed template that you may look at as a reference.
Assignment:
In Week 3, you submitted your test specifications. Now, you should incorporate your Instructor’s feedback and create your test items. Remember to write your items so that they are clear and unambiguous. Avoid compound items (e.g., “I am happy most days and I usually like to smile”). Also make sure that the items are representative of the construct that you are measuring.
FEEDBACK
I was kind of expecting to see you use the form that accompanies the assignment instructions. I like the opening paragraph that builds a foundation for psychological testing.
It appears that you want to focus on the construct of “intelligence” which is good. The next part of the assignment was to suggest how you would define the construct. I didn’t see much there as you moved into information on the WAIS.
The next section was supposed to focus on areas that you would use to help you create items (interviews, or the literature) and then you were to present an item that you wrote that would be used to measure the construct.
I think you are off a little with the expectation of the assignment. This is an assignment designed to start you on the steps of creating your own scale.
Please see the test specification form and example provided to complete the assignment. Please insert the response in the form.
Test Specifications Example
Determine whether you want to measure a trait, ability, emotional state, disorder, interest, attitude or other
construct:
Ability, such as musical skill, writing skill, intelligence, or reading comprehension,
Personality Trait, such as extroversion, creativity, or deviousness,
Disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or psychotic thought disorder,
Emotion, such as happiness or anger,
Attitude, such as authoritarianism or prejudice,
Interest, such as career-related interests.
Other: ____________________________
Describe the specific construct you want to measure in a word or two: Entrepreneurial Spirit
Now describe the construct using several sentences. What behaviors are associated with the construct? Does
it include more than one quality or dimension?
Business sense—the ability to create and run a successful new business. The construct would be expected to
include a tolerance for calculated financial risk, creativity to come up with viable business ideas, and the ability
to create a business plan and to manage the people and resources needed to accomplish that plan. I expect
test scores to correlate with past and future business success.
Describe your process for initially generating items. Will you interview experts? Review textbooks or journal
articles? Look at diagnostic criteria in the DSM?
I will interview at least two successful entrepreneurs. I will also do a literature search to see what
characteristics are associated with business success.
Think about the format and phrasing of your items. For instance, some tests use first-person statements, such
as “I enjoy swimming,” while others use questions, such as “Do you enjoy swimming?” Other tests might use
single-word prompts, such as “Swimming,” and ask for the test-taker to rate this and other words on a scale of
1–5 in order to indicate the degree of interest or enjoyment. Some tests use pictures rather than words, and
some are administered to an informant other than the client, such as a parent or work supervisor.
Think about the response format for your items. Yes/No responses or a Likert scale are popular for personality
tests. If you use a Likert scale, consider how many response options there will be and whether your scale will
have a neutral midpoint. Multiple-choice is a format that is familiar in academic tests. (Some tests use openended responses, but this is difficult to score and too complex for this exercise.)
Now write one typical item for your test, demonstrating your item and response format:
I can clearly explain the steps needed to create a new business.
1. Strongly disagree
2. Disagree
3. Agree
4. Strongly agree
How many items will your initial test include? Keep in mind that you need to create about twice as many test
items initially, because you will discard about half of them during your item analysis. ___20______
© 2012 Laureate Education, Inc.
Page 1 of 1
Test Specifications Template
Determine whether you want to measure a trait, ability, emotional state, disorder, interest, attitude,
or other construct:
Ability, such as musical skill, writing skill, intelligence, or reading comprehension,
Personality Trait, such as extroversion, creativity, or deviousness,
Disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or psychotic thought disorder,
Emotion, such as happiness or anger,
Attitude, such as authoritarianism or prejudice,
Interest, such as career-related interests.
Other: ____________________________
Describe the specific construct you want to measure in a word or two: ____________________
Now describe the construct using several sentences. What behaviors are associated with the construct? Does
it include more than one quality or dimension?
Describe your process for initially generating items. Will you interview experts? Review textbooks or journal
articles? Look at diagnostic criteria in the DSM?
Think about the format and phrasing of your items. For instance, some tests use first-person statements, such
as “I enjoy swimming,” while others use questions, such as “Do you enjoy swimming?” Other tests might use
single-word prompts, such as “Swimming,” and ask for the test-taker to rate this and other words on a scale of
1–5 in order to indicate the degree of interest or enjoyment. Some tests use pictures rather than words, and
some are administered to an informant other than the client, such as a parent or work supervisor.
Think about the response format for your items. Yes/No responses or a Likert scale are popular for personality
tests. If you use a Likert scale, consider how many response options there will be and whether your scale will
have a neutral midpoint. Multiple-choice is a format that is familiar in academic tests. (Some tests use openended responses, but this is difficult to score and too complex for this exercise.)
Now write one typical item for your test, demonstrating your item and response format:
How many items will your initial test include? Keep in mind that you need to create about twice as many test
items initially, because you will discard about half of them during your item analysis. __________
© 2012 Laureate Education, Inc.
Page 1 of 1
Running Head: TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Test Specifications
1
2
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Test Specifications
In Psychology, the respective experts may undertake tests and assessments meant to
explain the ultimate behavior or capabilities of the targeted individuals. Psychological testing
refers to the use of various techniques and methodologies by an expert in the attempt to collect
information about a given issue of concern such as a pre-defined hypothesis with regards to the
overall conduct of a selected individual. There exist numerous components of psychological
testing. These components include norm-referenced tests, interviews and also observations. An
expert may focus on undertaking a given psychological assessment which conforms to the needs
of the underlying problem or knowledge domain. Some of the most common tests that one may
administer include intelligence. Intelligence tests play a huge role in gathering critical
information about the overall human capabilities concerning the level of interaction with the
surrounding and also the abilities to learn from the lessons learned in the process. Personality
assessment measures the overall characteristics of a human being. Others include attitude and
also aptitude assessments. In this case, the tests revolves around the assessment of the level of
intelligence of the selected adult subjects and then present the findings in the provided template
as shown below as presented by WAIS-IV Scale (Girard, Axelrod, Patel & Crawford, 2015). The
test, in this case, comprises various elements and the constructs under measurement. These
constructs include the verbal and nonverbal elements. The entire test allocates an average score
of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 from the IQ perspective.
3
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Item
SS Score
IQ score
Ranking (%)
Interpretation
Comments
Verbal
17
100
50
94-106
Medium
Reasoning
13
100
50
94-106
Medium
Memory
10
100
50
94-106
Medium to
understanding
high
Processing
15
100
50
92-108
Medium
55
100
50
96-104
Medium
information
Full test scale
The primary purpose of this test revolves around the desire to outline the various strengths as
well as weaknesses of the target population; since the assessment takes into account critical
scores such as the IQ and also the level of intelligent of the target subjects. In the end, the correct
interpretation of the collected information plays a huge role in making an informed decision on
the various weaknesses and strengths that one may contain (Wisdom, Mignogna & Collins,
2012).
4
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
References
Wisdom, N. M., Mignogna, J., & Collins, R. L. (2012). Variability in Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale-IV subtest performance across age. Archives of clinical
neuropsychology, 27(4), 389-397.
Girard, T. A., Axelrod, B. N., Patel, R., & Crawford, J. R. (2015). Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale-IV Dyads for Estimating Global Intelligence. Assessment, 22(4), 441-448.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
Determine whether you want to measure a trait, ability, emotional state, disorder, interest, attitude or other
construct:
Ability, such as musical skill, writing skill, intelligence, or reading comprehension,
Personality Trait, such as extroversion, creativity, or deviousness,
Disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or psychotic thought disorder,
Emotion, such as happiness or anger,
Attitude, such as authoritarianism or prejudice,
Interest, such as career-related interests.
Other: ____________________________
Describe the specific construct you want to measure in a word or two: Entrepreneurial Spirit
Now describe the construct using several sentences. What behaviors are associated with the construct? Does
it include more than one quality or dimension?
Business sense—the ability to create and run a successful new business. The construct would be expected to
include a tolerance for calculated financial risk, creativity to come up with viable business ideas, and the ability
to create a business plan and to manage the people and resources needed to accomplish that plan. I expect
test scores to correlate with past and future business success.
Describe your process for initially generating items. Will you interview experts? Review textbooks or journal
articles? Look at diagnostic criteria in the DSM?
I will interview at least two successful entrepreneurs. I will also do a literature search to see what
characteristics are associated with business success.
Think about the format and phrasing of your items. For instance, some tests use first-person statements, such
as “I enjoy swimming,” while others use questions, such as “Do you enjoy swimming?” Other tests might use
single-word prompts, such as “Swimming,” and ask for the test-taker to rate this and other words on a scale of
1–5 in order to indicate the degree of interest or enjoyment. Some tests use pictures rather than words, and
some are administered to an informant other than the client, such as a parent or work supervisor.
Think about the response format for your items. Yes/No responses or a Likert scale are popular for personality
tests. If you use a Likert scale, consider how many response options there will be and whether your scale will
have a neutral midpoint. Multiple-choice is a format that is familiar in academic tests. (Some tests use openended responses, but this is difficult to score and too complex for this exercise.)
Now write one typical item for your test, demonstrating your item and response format:
I can clearly explain the steps needed to create a new business.
1. Strongly disagree
2. Disagree
3. Agree
4. Strongly agree
How many items will your initial test include? Keep in mind that you need to create about twice as many test
items initially, because you will discard about half of them during your item analysis. ___20______
© 2012 Laureate Education, Inc.
Page 1 of 1
Test Specifications Template
Determine whether you want to measure a trait, ability, emotional state, disorder, interest, attitude,
or other construct:
Ability, such as musical skill, writing skill, intelligence, or reading comprehension,
Personality Trait, such as extroversion, creativity, or deviousness,
Disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or psychotic thought disorder,
Emotion, such as happiness or anger,
Attitude, such as authoritarianism or prejudice,
Interest, such as career-related interests.
Other: ____________________________
Describe the specific construct you want to measure in a word or two: ____________________
Now describe the construct using several sentences. What behaviors are associated with the construct? Does
it include more than one quality or dimension?
Describe your process for initially generating items. Will you interview experts? Review textbooks or journal
articles? Look at diagnostic criteria in the DSM?
Think about the format and phrasing of your items. For instance, some tests use first-person statements, such
as “I enjoy swimming,” while others use questions, such as “Do you enjoy swimming?” Other tests might use
single-word prompts, such as “Swimming,” and ask for the test-taker to rate this and other words on a scale of
1–5 in order to indicate the degree of interest or enjoyment. Some tests use pictures rather than words, and
some are administered to an informant other than the client, such as a parent or work supervisor.
Think about the response format for your items. Yes/No responses or a Likert scale are popular for personality
tests. If you use a Likert scale, consider how many response options there will be and whether your scale will
have a neutral midpoint. Multiple-choice is a format that is familiar in academic tests. (Some tests use openended responses, but this is difficult to score and too complex for this exercise.)
Now write one typical item for your test, demonstrating your item and response format:
How many items will your initial test include? Keep in mind that you need to create about twice as many test
items initially, because you will discard about half of them during your item analysis. __________
© 2012 Laureate Education, Inc.
Page 1 of 1
Running Head: TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Test Specifications
1
2
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Test Specifications
In Psychology, the respective experts may undertake tests and assessments meant to
explain the ultimate behavior or capabilities of the targeted individuals. Psychological testing
refers to the use of various techniques and methodologies by an expert in the attempt to collect
information about a given issue of concern such as a pre-defined hypothesis with regards to the
overall conduct of a selected individual. There exist numerous components of psychological
testing. These components include norm-referenced tests, interviews and also observations. An
expert may focus on undertaking a given psychological assessment which conforms to the needs
of the underlying problem or knowledge domain. Some of the most common tests that one may
administer include intelligence. Intelligence tests play a huge role in gathering critical
information about the overall human capabilities concerning the level of interaction with the
surrounding and also the abilities to learn from the lessons learned in the process. Personality
assessment measures the overall characteristics of a human being. Others include attitude and
also aptitude assessments. In this case, the tests revolves around the assessment of the level of
intelligence of the selected adult subjects and then present the findings in the provided template
as shown below as presented by WAIS-IV Scale (Girard, Axelrod, Patel & Crawford, 2015). The
test, in this case, comprises various elements and the constructs under measurement. These
constructs include the verbal and nonverbal elements. The entire test allocates an average score
of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 from the IQ perspective.
3
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
Item
SS Score
IQ score
Ranking (%)
Interpretation
Comments
Verbal
17
100
50
94-106
Medium
Reasoning
13
100
50
94-106
Medium
Memory
10
100
50
94-106
Medium to
understanding
high
Processing
15
100
50
92-108
Medium
55
100
50
96-104
Medium
information
Full test scale
The primary purpose of this test revolves around the desire to outline the various strengths as
well as weaknesses of the target population; since the assessment takes into account critical
scores such as the IQ and also the level of intelligent of the target subjects. In the end, the correct
interpretation of the collected information plays a huge role in making an informed decision on
the various weaknesses and strengths that one may contain (Wisdom, Mignogna & Collins,
2012).
4
TEST SPECIFICATIONS
References
Wisdom, N. M., Mignogna, J., & Collins, R. L. (2012). Variability in Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale-IV subtest performance across age. Archives of clinical
neuropsychology, 27(4), 389-397.
Girard, T. A., Axelrod, B. N., Patel, R., & Crawford, J. R. (2015). Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale-IV Dyads for Estimating Global Intelligence. Assessment, 22(4), 441-448.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
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