Capella University Evaluation of Technical Quality Reliability and Validity

Capella University Evaluation of Technical Quality Reliability and Validity HW

PREPARATION

For this assessment, you will conduct a deeper analysis of the technical quality of the selected test against Element 5 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."

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Assume the role in the following scenario.

Scenario

The setting in which you work has just experienced severe budget cuts, and the director intends to reduce the number of available tests from three to one. However, you are not convinced that the selected test is reliable or valid. After you raised your concerns in a meeting, your supervisor asked you to evaluate the technical quality of the test being recommended by the director and prepare a document that analyzes its psychometric properties of reliability and validity. Coincidentally, your selected test is the same one that the director is recommending for the setting.

This assessment requires the completion of a template, which includes an executive summary that synthesizes the psychometric properties of the test and provides a final conclusion about its use at that setting.

Use the Assessment 2 Template: Evaluation of Technical Quality provided in the Required Resources to record your analysis of reliability and validity.

Use the test you selected for Assessment 1 to complete this assessment.

Executive Summary

Executive summaries are real-world deliverables used across disciplines, government, and corporations, designed to convey essential information at a glance. It states the problem or topic and summarizes the results, conclusions, or recommendations. There are many examples of executive summaries on the Internet adapted for many purposes and audiences.

 

Your executive summary should have three parts.

Part 1: Purpose

Use Section 1 on the template to complete this section.

Identify the test and briefly describe the publisher's stated purpose for its use.

Identify briefly a population or psychological condition that is within the standardization of the test.

Part 2: Technical Review

Use Sections 2 and 3 on the template to complete this part of the executive summary.

Analyze the technical review conducted for the selected test's reliability.

Analyze the technical review conducted for the selected test's validity.

For this, conduct a technical review of the psychometrics of the selected test from peer-reviewed journal articles.

Three of the articles must focus on reliability and three on validity.

Each article must be directly related to your chosen test and one aspect of its technical quality.

Part 3: Synthesis and Conclusion

Use Sections 4 and 5 to complete the following:

Evaluate the current state of the test's technical quality and its status as an appropriate quality tool in the field.

Support conclusions about a test's appropriateness for use in the field and with the population to be served with peer-reviewed research.

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, as suggested by the director in your setting.

Provide your references that you used for the technical review and summary to your director.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Written communication: Write clearly and logically, with correct use of spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and APA format and style.

References: A minimum of six peer-reviewed journal articles (textbooks, web pages, literature reviews, and the MMY book reviews do not count for these references). Three of the articles must focus on reliability and three must focus on validity.

APA format: Follow current APA format and style throughout the assessment. Be sure to use correct format and style for each respective type of reference, for example, website versus journal).

Length: 3–4 double-spaced pages, including the technical review. Do not count the title page or references.

Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

 

 

 

Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

The following resource provides brief coverage of the elements of the Code that are part of the assessments in this course. These are the elements directed toward test users, which begin on page 6 of the document. Element 5 is covered in this assessment.

Joint Committee on Testing Practices. (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education [PDF]. Available from https://www.apa.org/

Test/Instrument Purpose and Population (Elements 1 and 2)

You may review the following:

Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 1, "Introduction," pages xiv–lii.

This chapter provides information relevant to test populations.

Appendix A, "Test Publishers/Distributers," pages 1–4.

Appendix A provides websites for some publishers. Information from test developers may be found on these websites.

Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 1, "Introduction to Psychological Tests and Their Uses," pages 1–35.

This resource provides information relevant to test populations.

Appendix B, "Testing Organizations," page 327.

Appendix B provides websites for some publishers. Information from test developers may be found on these websites.

Test/Instrument Reliability (Element 5)

You may review the following:

 

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.

Chapter 5, "Reliability," pages 141–174.

This chapter includes information relevant to reliability.

Capella University Library Database: Mental Measurements Yearbook.

Reviews from this database provide information about the reliability of your chosen test/instrument. Use the Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook for more information about the MMY.

Nitko, A. J. (n.d.). Using a Mental Measurements Yearbook review to evaluate a test. Retrieved from http://buros.org/using-mental-measurements-yearboo...

This resource tells you how to use the MMY.

Buros Center for Testing. (n.d.). How to cite Mental Measurements Yearbooks and test reviews [PDF]. Retrieved from http://buros.org/pdfs/How-to-Cite-Buros-publicatio...

Use this resource if needed to cite reviews from the MMY.

Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

This text may provide reliability information about some specific tests or instruments.

Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 4, "Essentials of Reliability," pages 127–164.

This chapter includes information relevant to reliability.

Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

The section "Concepts and Issues in Measurement" includes information relevant to reliability.

Capella media:

The following media pieces provide information on reliability and correlation:

Correlation: Measuring the Relationship Between Two Sets of Numbers.

Reliability.

Reliability Exercise.

Conybeare, D., Behar, E., Solomon, A., Newman, M. G., & Borkovec, T. D. (2012). The PTSD Checklist-Civilian version: Reliability, validity, and factor structure in a nonclinical sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(6), 699–713.

This article is an example of a study evaluating reliability of an instrument. Search Google Scholar or the Capella library for articles relevant to your chosen test/instrument.

Test/Instrument Validity (Element 5)

You may review the following:

 

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.

Chapter 6, "Validity," pages 175–199.

This chapter includes information relevant to validity.

Capella University Library Database: Mental Measurements Yearbook.

Reviews from this database provide information about the validity of your chosen test/instrument. Use the Database Guide: Mental Measurements Yearbook for more information about the MMY.

Nitko, A. J. (n.d.). Using a Mental Measurements Yearbook review to evaluate a test. Retrieved from http://buros.org/using-mental-measurements-yearboo...

This resource also provides information about how to use the MMY.

Buros Center for Testing. (n.d.). How to cite Mental Measurements Yearbooks and test reviews [PDF]. Retrieved from http://buros.org/pdfs/How-to-Cite-Buros-publicatio...

Use this resource if needed to cite reviews from the MMY.

Groth-Marnat, G., & Wright, A. J. (2016). Handbook of psychological assessment (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

This text may provide validity information about some specific tests or instruments.

Capella media.

The following media relate to validity:

Validity.

Validity Exercise.

Diener, E., Inglehart, R., & Tay, L. (2013). Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales [PDF]. Social Indicators Research, 112(3), 497–527.

This article is an example of a study reviewing the validity of an instrument. Search the Capella library or Google Scholar for articles relevant to your chosen test/instrument.

Ethics

You may review the following:

 

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.

Chapter 2, "Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical Considerations," pages 36–74.

This chapter includes information relevant to legal and ethical issues in testing or assessment.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

Use Sections 2 and 9 for information on ethical issues and assessment.

National Association of School Psychologists. (2010). Principles for professional ethics [PDF]. Available from http://www.nasponline.org/

Ethical issues in this resource may overlap with issues relating to test user responsibilities.

Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 7, "Essentials of ethical test use," pages 318–322.

This chapter includes information relevant to ethical assessment.

Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

The section "Ethical Issues in Testing" includes information that may be helpful.

Executive Summary

The following resource provides information about abstracts and how they relate to executive summaries:

 

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). The report abstract and executive summary. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writin...

Additional Resources for Further Exploration

You may use the following optional resources to further explore topics related to competencies.

These optional resources provide background information that can add to your knowledge of tests or instruments in the areas of statistics, terminology, technical information, and measurement scales. Also included are resources that may assist with additional research.

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.

Chapters not mentioned elsewhere, including Chapter 3, "Statistics Refresher," can help with terminology used to evaluate tests or instruments.

Urbina, S. (2014). Essentials of psychological testing. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

This text can provide information about statistics that can help with making decisions about tests or instruments.

Salkind, N. J. (2007). Encyclopedia of measurement and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

This text can provide technical information about testing that can help you make decisions about tests or instruments.

Capella media.

The following media offers information about measurement scales, which can provide a general understanding of some tests/instruments.

Measurement Scales Activity.

Databases A–Z: Psychology.

This library guide assists with additional research on psychology topics.

Resources by Topic [PDF].

This document provides guidance about additional resources related to each of the elements of the Code