Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009)
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Browsing Digitized Theses and Dissertations (1940 - 2009) by Subject "Ability testing"
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Item A study of the effects of coaching on correlational validities of tests utilizing verbal analogy items(1968) Herring, James WilburnThe study concerned itself with submitting some aptitude tests to coaching on test-taking techniques. Its purpose was to determine whether the tests would be affected by coaching that yielded extrinsic abilities, those which aid performance on the tests but not on criteria. A review of the literature on test theory suggested that this coaching process could reveal superficial or extrinsic correlational validities of aptitude tests. Tests were chosen which utilized verbal analogy items. They were the Differential Aptitude Test--Verbal Reasoning section and a test assembled by the writer, consisting of items sampled randomly from the California Analogies and Reasoning Test, the Terman-McNemar. Test of Mental Ability-Analogies Section, the Wesman Personnel Classification Test, and the 1954 American Council on Education Test for College Freshmen-Verbal Analogies section. The writer hypothesized that scores on these tests would change significantly from pretest to posttest for a coached group compared to no change in scores made by an uncoached group. Ninety-one students were given two forms of the above tests as pretest and posttest. Forty-four students were coached for approximately one hour. The coaching session consisted of two phases. In phase one, the subjects were presented a list of categories and sub-categories of relationships typically found in verbal analogy test items and a list of sample verbal analogies, each of which was matched with a sub-category, illustrating the particular relationship described by the sub-category. The list of categories was studied and the sample analogies were solved and studied according to the type of relationship each represented. Phase one was group activity, directed by the writer. In phase two, the subjects were presented a list of sixteen analogies (one for each subcategory discussed in phase one) and were requested to solve the analogies and to categorize the relationships exemplified by each analogy. The other group of forty-seven students (matched with the coached group on pretest scores) received no instruction between the pretest and posttest; however, in an attempt to hold practice effects constant, they did solve the same list of sixteen verbal analogies the coached group solved in their phase two. When pretest and posttest scores for the coached and uncoached groups were compared using covariance analysis, it was apparent that coaching had no significant effect on Differential Aptitude Test (DAT) or assembled test scores. Both groups scored higher on the posttest, presumably due to practice. The scores of twenty-two coached students who demonstrated considerable facility in performing the categorizing skills in phase two were compared against those of a group of twenty-two uncoached students, matched on pretest scores. Analysis of covariance was used again; this time the DAT posttest scores of the coached subgroup were significantly higher than EAT posttest scores of the uncoached group. This was not the case for the assembled posttest scores. Although the attempt was made to determine the relative degree of difficulty among sets of items typifying the various categories of relationships discussed in the coaching session, this was made Impossible by the inability to control for individual item difficulty across all tests used in the study. It was concluded that the strength of the correlation validity of the EAT is questionable, since scores were affected by coaching yielding extrinsic abilities. Future studies are needed to determine ways to protect the DAT against this type of coaching. Since the assembled tests showed no significant effects of coaching (primarily because the level of difficulty of the tests was too low), it remains for other studies to determine if aptitude tests other than the DAT are influenced by coaching on test-taking techniques.Item An English proficiency test for pre-school Spanish-speaking children(1971) Webster, Sallye Lou Long; Cox, John A.; Stovall, Franklin L.; Taulbee, George C., Sr.This study was conducted to build an instrument for measuring the English proficiency of pre-school children from Spanish-speaking homes and to evaluate this instrument. The need for this test was indicated from the fact that many Mexican-American children have been placed in special education classes on the basis of tests administered in English when English was not clearly understood or spoken by the child. The Children's English Proficiency Test (CEPT) was built from items teachers expect children to comprehend on entrance into first grade. A pilot test was designed and tested on Anglo, Negro, and Mexican-American pre-school children. Revisions of the items were then made for a final version of the test. An alternate form in Spanish was made by members of the Mexican-American community to parallel the English version as closely as possible. In its final form CEPT is an individually administered test requiring approximately seven (7) minutes for complete administration. It is scored on a 'rights' only basis. Sixty-seven (67) children (10 Anglo, 10 Negro, 10 Mexican-American with kindergarten experience, and 37 Mexican-American children without kindergarten experience) entering first grade in Houston in the fall of 1971, were tested with CEPT and with a Test of General Ability from the InterAmerican Test Series using the Spanish or English form according to the child's primary language. Children who were unable to respond to CEPT in English were given CEPT in Spanish to prevent a possible failure experience. All of the children were from lower socio-economic areas in the city. The Mexican-American sample was retested with CEPT within three (3) weeks of the original testing. Statistical analysis indicated that CEPT was internally consistent and reliable over time. CEPT also appeared to be construct valid as all of the hypotheses were confirmed: proficiency in English increased with age; Anglo and Negro children were significantly more proficient in English than Mexican-American children; general ability level accounted for only a small part of the variance on CEPT; and Mexican-American children who scored low on CEPT scored as high on the Spanish translation of CEPT as did Anglos and Negros on the English version. The major conclusion was that CEPT is a valid and reliable instrument for screening pre-school Spanish speaking children on English proficiency. Several recommendations for the use of CEPT in schools and in pre-school projects were made along with suggestions for further research with this instrument.Item English proficiency of beginning elementary Spanish-speaking students(1973) Fisher, Alan Thomas; Cox, John A.; Allen, Walter P.; Taulbee, George C., Sr.The purpose of this study was to provide more extensive normative data, reliability data and data which would allow a judgement to be made about the minimum level of English proficiency required for predicting adequate performance in kindergarten and the first grade using the Children's English Proficiency Test (CEPT) (Webster, 1971). Two hundred and nineteen Mexican-American beginning elementary students were tested with CEPT. The sample included forty-two kindergarten students and one-hundred and seventy-seven first grade students from upper, middle, and lower socio-economic status. The age range of the students was sixty-five months to eighty-seven months. The testing was done by two experienced Mexican-American examiners in ten elementary schools in the Corpus Christi Independent School District during January, 1973. The procedures used to provide more extensive normative data included an attempt to create an age scale and to identify difference in English proficiency among different educational groups. When an attempt was made to form an age scale with CEPT scores the data failed to produce a scale that differentiated between age groups. Two possible factors which may have contributed to this failure were discussed. The data for three educational groups, kindergarten students (kg), first grade students without kindergarten experience (1-nk) and first grade students with kindergarten experience (1-kg) were analyzed. The 1-kg was found to score higher on CEPT than either kg or 1-nkg. The latter two educational groups did not differ in mean performance on CEPT. Original statistical analysis of test-retest data resulted in a very low correlation coefficient. Statistical analysis of test-retest data using a formula for correction of curtailed distributions yielded a high correlation. Three measures of achievement including the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT-A), Stanford Early School Achievement Test, Level I (SE-SAT) and the Science Research Associates Assessment Survey, Primary I, Form E (SRA-PI) were used in determining the usefulness of CEPT in predicting adequate performance in kindergarten and the first grade. A criterion score of stanine three or below was selected to represent inadequate achievement. CEPT scores of thirty-two and thirty-three were examined as possible cutting points on CEPT. The results indicated a CEPT score of thirty-two was a reasonably effective cutting point. Statistical analysis of the relationship between performance on CEPT and performance on the MRT-A, SE-SAT, and SRA-PI resulted in thirteen correlation coefficients, twelve of which were significant beyond the .05 level. The major conclusion was that CEPT is valid in relation to achievement for kindergarten and first-grade Mexican-American students. Several recommendations were made for the use of CEPT in schools and use in future research.Item Implications of raw score and regression based definitions of reading disability(1988) Espy, Kimberly Andrews; Fletcher, Jack M.; Francis, David J.; Johnson, Dale L.Consequences of the variations in the type of criteria used to define reading disability were examined in 1069 9-to-14 year old children. Two definitions were used to select impaired readers: 1) a raw score discrepancy between WRAT Reading scaled score and WISC Full Scale IQ and 2) a discrepancy of one standard error between actual WRAT Reading scaled score and that score predicted on the basis of WISC Full Scale IQ by regression procedures. Outcome neuropsychological measures included ten tests selected from the Halstead Reitan Battery for Children (Rourke, Bakker, Fisk & Strang, 1983). Using a raw score discrepancy definition lead to an artificial elevation in IQ in the disabled group and subsequent regression artifacts. Initial group differences were small in magnitude, but were subsequently enhanced by controlling for IQ. Regression based definition does not yield an IQ elevation in the disabled readers because groups are statistically equated with respect to IQ. Correspondingly, the enhancement in effect size due in response to controlling for IQ was smaller when applied to groups defined by regression based criteria. Comparisons of the joint effects of the two types of definition were made by identifying three groups of disabled children: those who were impaired under both raw score and regression based definitions (IBOTH) and those who met only one definition; either raw score (IRAW) or regression based (IREG) selection criteria. Results revealed that all three reading groups differed significantly in cognitive skill from each other. Conversely, when effects of IQ were removed, group differences remained only between the IBOTH and IRAW reading groups and these were largely verbal in nature.Item Predictive validity of a management aptitude test battery(1969) Herring, James Wilburn; Osburn, Hobart G.This study had two major objectives: (1) to determine predictive validity of the portion of the Standard Oil of New Jersey management aptitude test battery given to short service employees and (2) to measure the degree of consistency between the original Standard Oil keys and item data for the follow-up sample for the three empirically keyed tests. The sample members were 146 marketers employed by the same company in 1957-61 and tested in 1963-64; test scores were compared to rates of progression and estimates of future progression of this group within the organization. More specifically, two types of variables served as criteria in this study, A complex success index comparable to the one constructed in the original study, combining a graphic scale rating of overall performance, salary, and organization level with corrections for age and service was computed for the years 1966-68 individually and combined. Also, management's estimate of potential organization level of responsibility was available for the years 1966-68 separately and combined. Performance evaluations and estimates of potential were not influenced by test scores. Total test battery scores, with individual tests weighted according to the original standard Oil formula, generally showed correlations with the criteria in the upper .30's contrasted to the original concurrent validity of the middle .50's; test scores reweighted and combined to maximally predict each criterion in turn showed multiple correlations in the upper .40's. These correlations were consistent in magnitude for the three years for which criteria were developed. The success index proved to be a more useful criterion than the estimate of potential due primarily to greater year-to-year reliability, more consistent patterns of relationship with the individual tests, and finer differentiation among sample members. Scoring keys derived from follow-up sample item data for the three empirically keyed tests showed considerable consistency with the original keys; however, there were a few reversals in scoring for each test. The consistently keyed items as well as those showing reversals in scoring were theme analyzed for each test to determine the types of items demonstrating stability or instability as predictors through time.