This study aimed to improve test construction practices among instructors in the Civil Engineering department at Mattu University. It reviewed literature on best practices for test construction and developed an action plan. This included using blueprints to align test items with content, following principles for different item types, and providing instructors training and feedback. Pre- and post-strategy evaluations found that the instructors' abilities to construct effective tests improved after implementing the developed strategies. The study concluded that improving teachers' test-making skills through collaborative professional development can enhance learning outcomes for students.
1. .
IMPROVING THE STRUCTURE OF
CLASSROOM TEST CONSTRUCTION IN
MATTU UNIVERSITY: THE CASE OF
ENGINEERING COLLEGE
Candidates: Teferi Oli, Amsalu Olani, Feyisa
Eshetu, Ashenafi Mamo, and Wondu
Mebrate
3. 1.INTRODUCTION
• Background:- Construction of test items is not
easy & have rules/guidelines and types; such
as ‘essay type’, short –answer type, objective
type tests.
• There are ‘4’ stages of activity ; Planning,
constructing, administering, assessing and
interpreting
• Test construction is not only guided by a test
plan, but also governed by considerations of
available conditions of administration.
4. Statement of the Problem:
• A major motivation for undertaking an action
research on this topic was to improve the
knowledge and practice of concerning
advancements in test construction, to provide
information about the current practices, and
to disseminate information about recent
advances.
5. Research Questions;
• What is the view of teachers on the Structure
of classroom test construction?
• What are the practices of teachers that are
utilized or under-utilized the principles of
classroom test construction?
6. Objectives of the Study;
• The purpose of the study was to improve the
structure of classroom test construction
practices, skills, and beliefs of Civil Engineering
Department instructors of Mattu University.
Specific objective:
• To determine teachers’ view on the structure
of test construction in the study area.
• To examine the structure of assessment that
teachers employ to evaluate students
learning.
7. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
• Borich(2011) & Sarita (2001); emphasize the
importance of having a clear articulation of what
to assess using tests: that is, the knowledge, skill,
and/or behavior the stakeholders would like to
measure.
• Sarita(2001); test development is less challenging
when the construct is the objectives and the
specific subject matters are concrete and
discrete.
• Plessis(2003); test should be guided by and based
on test construction principles.
8. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives for Test Development
There are ‘5’ categories;
- Knowledge
- Application
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Evaluation
9. Some Principles of Test Constructions
• For True False; making item either definitely
true or definitely false, avoiding verbal clues
• For Matching types; Write directions that
explain completely the intended basis for
matching, keep the least of premises and
responses within a single matching exercise
relatively short.
• For Multiple choice types; if an incomplete
sentence is used be sure it imposes a direct
question, Avoid “clueing” and “linking” items
10. Cont.
• For Writing short answer/completion items;
Word each item so that the blank or answer
space is toward the end of the sentence,
Avoid copying statement verbatim from texts
or classroom materials, Omit important rather
than trivial words.
• For Essay type; Define behavior the examinee
is expected to exhibit or describe the process
to be exhibited before beginning to write the
essay question, Ask questions that are
relatively specific of focused
11. 3. Research Design and Methodology
• collaborative research design was employed
c/se it is important as it involves a group of
people researching a specified topic.
• This type of design offers the collaboration of
many people working jointly on one subject
and provides more benefits than individual
action research approach.
12. Subject of the study
• The research is conducted on how to improve
test construction skills and techniques of Civil
Engineering department Instructors in college of
engineering and technology of Mettu University.
• Sampling Design; totality of ‘30’ instructors based
on availability and convenience, reliability.
Tools for data; Interview, observation, document
analysis
Method of Analysis; qualitative review
13. Action Strategies Developed
1. The blue- print or Table of Specification; a
blue print is a table that matches that best items
to be written with the content areas and levels
of behavioral complexity taught.
2. Test preparation; Time and effort is needed of
the teacher as well as the lest developer. For
test takers too, time is very much need. When a
test developer constructs a test, the amount of
time and effort
need is dependent up on.
14. .
3. Some Principles of Test Constructions
4. Effective System of Item Construction;
Prepare new exams each time you teach a
course, make up test items throughout the term,
Ask student to submit test questions, Call items
from colleagues exams, Consider your tests
cumulative, Prepare clear instructions.
Evaluation strategies Developed; by
quantitative and qualitative assessment.
15. Action Implementation
• ‘3’ phases; -
• (i) Administration of Pre-Strategy performance
evaluation;- reviewing and analyzing the exam
papers by organizing it in sequential order
• (ii) Implementation of the Strategy;- adopting
model that improve competency
• (iii) Administration of the Post-Strategy
performance evaluation; evaluating
performance
16. Evaluation of Action Strategy
• Evaluation prior to and post the strategy
clearly revealed ‘improvement of test
construction’ ability in college of engineering.
• This is evidenced by the improvement on the
instructors test structure construction the
time between the pre-strategy test and the
post-strategy test.
17. Summary of the Findings
• The outcome of this study is beneficial to teachers in terms
of lesson preparation and to students in terms of skills
improvement. The developing of teachers’ test
construction competency development models through an
application of action research for enhancing teacher
empowerment according to the four principles of
empowerment (coaching,
mentoring, critical friends, and dialogue) will help in
developing teachers who participated in the competency
development process in terms of knowledge, higher order
thinking, skills in test construction, collaboration in sharing
and exchanging of experience among teachers, and most
importantly creating a sustainable competency through the
implementation of the empowerment enhancement
process developed.
