Evaluation of Technical Quality

Evaluation of Technical Quality

Resources

• Evaluation of Technical Quality Scoring Guide.
• List of Tests by Type [PDF].
• PSY7610 Library Research Guide.
• Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook.
• Using a Mental Measurements Yearbook Review to Evaluate a Test.
• Optional Research Worksheet [DOCX].
• How to Cite Mental Measurements Yearbooks and Test Reviews.
• APA Style and Format.
• APA Writing Feedback Rubric [PDF].
• Learner Guide to APA Writing Feedback Rubric [PDF].

In Unit 2, you selected one standardized test that has relevancy to your academic and professional goals to be the focus of your course project. Your Unit 2 assignment focused on the first four elements of the Code for selecting a test. For this assignment, you will complete a deeper analysis of the technical quality of your selected test by focusing on the fifth element of the Code, which states that the test user will “evaluate evidence of the technical quality of the test provided by the test developer and any independent reviews.” To complete this assignment, you will draw upon the knowledge you gained in Units 3 and 4 about psychometrics in general and reliability and validity in particular.

For this assignment, you will use the test you selected for your project in Unit 2. Locate and summarize a minimum of seven articles related to the technical qualities of the selected test. You are encouraged to use the PSY7610 Library Research Guide, linked in the Resources, to assist your search.

For each article:

• List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of seven).
• Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.
• Discuss if the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.
• Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).
• Identify the overall results of the research, including any psychometric or statistical outcome.

Submit your analysis as a paper using the outline provided in the section “Organize Your Paper” below.

Guidelines for Selecting the Literature

Use the most current sources you can find. Do not use sources older than 8 years. (You may cite older sources if they are classics, if you want to show the chronology of something, or if you have another good reason. If you choose to use older sources, you will need to explain why.). Use current, peer-reviewed journal articles. Do not use sources without an author or a publication date. Do not use quotes; use only your own words. Please see the Plagiarism in Coursework document in the resources for concerns with high content matching in papers. Evaluate whether or not the results supports the use of your test as appropriate for your field and populations to be served.

Note: The articles you need to complete this assignment should be available inside the library collection. In future courses, you may use the library’s Interlibrary Loan service to obtain articles outside of the collection, but you should not have to use the service for PSY7610. In the event that you cannot find articles covering a newer test edition, please refer to the List of Tests by Type, linked in the Resources. Note which tests have been designated as acceptable for searching prior test editions.

Organize Your Paper

For your paper, use the following headings:

• Title page (required).
• Abstract (optional).
• Introduction.
  • Identify the standardized test you selected in Unit 2.
  • Describe briefly the publisher’s stated purpose for its use.
  • Identify briefly a population or psychological condition that is within the standardization of the test.
• Technical review article summaries. Each article is to be directly related to your chosen test and one aspect of its technical quality. Note: Use an annotated bibliography for evaluative information format (see the resources for additional information available at Capella about annotated bibliographies).
  • List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of seven).
  • Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.
  • Explain how the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.
  • Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).
  • Identify the overall results of the research including any psychometric or statistical outcome.
• Conclusion.
  • Synthesize the information from all the articles you reviewed about reliability.
  • Synthesize the information from all the articles you reviewed about validity.
  • Evaluate if your test continues to be deemed as appropriate for your planned use in the field and with the population to be served.
• References (required, use current APA format and style).

Submit your draft to Turnitin prior to uploading it to the assignment area.

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• References: A minimum of seven journal articles (textbooks, Web pages, literature reviews, and the MMY book reviews do not count for these references).
• Length of paper: Evaluation must be at least five pages in length for content (not including title page, abstract, or references).

Reference

Joint Committee on Testing Practices. (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/fair-testing.pdf

Note: Your instructor may also use the APA Writing Feedback Rubric to provide additional feedback on your academic writing. The writing feedback rubric does not affect your assignment grade, but its feedback may factor into the grading criteria, if professional communication and writing is a course competency. Evaluate your own work using this rubric. Refer to the Learner Guide for instructions on viewing instructor feedback.