PSY 210: EDUCATIONAL TESTS AND EVALUATION

LECTURE TWO: EVALUATION AND MEASUREMENT

2.1 Introduction

This lecture will focus on the concept of evaluation, types of evaluation and roles of evaluation.

Further it will explore into the concept of measurement and the role of measurement in education

today.

2.2 Objectives

By the end of this lecture, the learner should be able to:

1. Define the terms evaluation and measurement.

2. Describe the types of evaluation

3. Explain the concept of measurements

4. State the role of evaluation and measurement in education today

5. Explain problems of measurements

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2.3 Evaluation

Evaluation is a process of assigning a qualitative value to a student attainment in a given area of

learning e.g. C. Evaluation as an integral part of an instructional process which involves three

steps:

i. Identifying and defining the intended outcomes.

ii. Constructing or selecting tests and other evaluation tools relevant to the specified outcomes

iii. Using the evaluation results to improve learning and teaching.

 evaluation is a continuous process.

 It is essential in all fields of teaching and learning activity where judgment need to be

made.

2.3.1 Types of Evaluation

1. Placement Evaluation

 This is a type of evaluations carried out in order to fix the students in the appropriate

group or class.

 In some schools for instance, students are assigned to classes according to their subject

combinations, such as science, Technical, arts, Commercial etc. before this is done an

examination will be carried out. This is in form of pre-test or aptitude test.

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 It can also be a type of evaluation made by the teacher to find out the entry behaviour of

his students before he starts teaching. This may help the teacher to adjust his lesson plan.

 Tests like readiness tests, ability tests, aptitude tests and achievement tests can be used.

2. Formative Evaluation

 This is a type of evaluation designed to help both the student and teacher to pinpoint

areas where the student has failed to learn so that this failure may be rectified.

 It provides a feedback to the teacher and the student and thus estimating teaching success

e.g. weekly tests, terminal examinations etc.

3. Diagnostic Evaluation

 This type of evaluation is carried out most of the time as a follow up evaluation to

formative evaluation.

 It is applied during instruction to find out the underlying cause of students persistent

learning difficulties.

 These diagnostic tests can be in the form of achievement tests, performance test, self-

rating, interviews observations, etc.

4. Summative Evaluation:

 This is the type of evaluation carried out at the end of the course of instruction to

determine the extent to which the objectives have been achieved.

 It is called a summarizing evaluation because it looks at the entire course of instruction

or programme and can pass judgment on both the teacher and students, the curriculum

and the entire system.

 It is used for certification. Think of the educational certificates you have acquired from

examination bodies such as KNEC, KASNEB, etc. These were awarded to you after you

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 had gone through some types of examination. This is an example of summative

evaluation.

5. Evaluation by Objectives

 This is the first and the most natural orientation of an educational evaluation: to evaluate

a project according to its objectives.

 The purpose of the objectives in a project is to guide the educational process and to give

an orientation to its evaluation.

 The objectives should be clear, relevant, be organized in a hierarchy of priorities, be

adapted to the needs and profile of participants. They should also be organized in a time

frame for their achievement.

 Evaluation by objectives is associated with “keeping track of those objectives” and re-

orienting the evaluated educational process if it is not going in the right direction.

Advantages of Evaluation by Objectives

i. There is a clear direction in the evaluation process: looking at the fulfillment of the

objectives

ii. The objectives of an educational activity are the common reference for the different elements

and actors. For this reason, evaluating by objectives facilitates the interaction between them

Disadvantages of Evaluation by Objectives

i. An evaluation that focuses exclusively on the set objectives cannot alone guarantee the

fulfilment of the desired learning objectives

ii. There is the risk of paying little attention to the process and other aspects of the activity

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iii. Sticking only to an evaluation of the objectives limits the creativity and originality of the

educational process and does not reflect the diversity or multidimensionality of relevant

information that can come out of an educational activity

2.4.1 Measurements

 This is a process of assignment of a quantitative value to a student’s attainment in a given

area of learning e.g. 70%.

 It is a systematic process of obtaining the quantified degree to which a trait or an attribute

is present in an individual or object.

 In other words it is a systematic assignment of numerical values or figures to a trait or an

attribute in a person or object. For instance what is the height of Otieno? What is the

weight of the meat? What is the length of the classroom?

 In education, the numerical value of scholastics ability, aptitude, achievement etc can be

measured and obtained using instruments such as paper and pencil test.

 It means that the values of the attribute are translated into numbers by measurement.

2.4.2 Characteristics of Measurement

 Is the systematic assignment of numerals to objects or individuals as a means of

presenting their characteristics or behavior

 It uses methods of observation, rating scales and any other means to assign numerals

 Measurement can be relative or absolute

 Measurement involve the development of instruments to measure the

characteristics/behavior of individuals or objects

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  The purpose of measurement is to present information conveniently in numerical form or

qualitative form

 The rating scales used include nominal, interval, ordinal and ratio

2.5 The Purpose of Measurement and Evaluation.

1. Placement of student, which involves bringing students appropriately in the learning

sequence and classification or streaming of students according to ability or subjects.

2. Selecting the students for courses – general, professional, technical, commercial etc.

3. Certification: This helps to certify that a student has achieved a particular level of

performance.

4. Stimulating learning: this can be motivation of the student or teacher, providing

feedback, suggesting suitable practice etc.

5. Improving teaching: by helping to review the effectiveness of teaching arrangements.

6. For research purposes.

7. For guidance and counseling services.

8. For modification of the curriculum purposes.

9. For the purpose of selecting students for employment

10. For modification of teaching methods.

11. For the purposes of promotions to the student.

12. For reporting students’ progress to their parents.

13. For the awards of scholarship and merit awards.

14. For the admission of students into educational institutions.

15. For the maintenance of students.

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2.6 Problems of Measurement

1. Objects (learners) of measurements are not identical.

 Learners in a school system are not identical and each learner will behave differently

from the other learners even when they are subjected to the same treatment

2. Lack of universal calibration

 The tools of measurement in social sciences and education are not uniformly

calibrated.

 Each test is calibrated independently so that one unit of a measure (e.g. 1 mark)

obtained using one test is not necessarily the same as another mark obtained in another

test. In fact, one mark from item one in a test is not necessarily the same as one mark

from another item in the same test.

3. Use of Arbitrary Minimum (zero) and Maximum (100%)

 The instrument of measurement (test) uses an interval scale with an arbitrary zero and

arbitrary maximum.

 Even when a learner scores zero in a test, it does not mean that he/she knows nothing.

Similarly, when one scores 100% it does not mean that he/she knows everything that

has to be learned on the subject

4. Lack of direct procedures of measurement

 Measurement in education is indirect. The quantities and qualities being measured can

only be inferred from the learner’s test – taking behavior.

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5. Dynamics of growth

 The objects of measurement in education keep changing as a result of growth.

 In this process, the objects of measurement forget/learn with time.

 Even knowing that a learner is going to be tested causes anxiety/change so that the

score that results from the testing does not reflect the actual status of the learner

6. Ability to respond differently at different times

 The objects of measurement in education and social sciences are capable of responding

to the same stimulus differently at different times.

 When a learner has not done his/her homework and is asked by the head teacher and

class teacher, respectively to explain why he/she has not done the homework will most

likely respond differently in the two different situations

7. Relativity of attributes measured

 Measurement of the attributes in education and social sciences is relative.

 It is not possible to measure the attribute being measured in absolute terms.

 A test can only measure a sample of the attribute.

8. Large margin of error

 All measurements contain an element of error.

 The margin of error in education and social sciences is very large, relative to the error in

the physical sciences.

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  The instruments of measurement (tests) used in education, are therefore, imprecise and

best they can measure is an approximation of students’ achievement.

9. Non uni-dimensional tools

 The tools of measurement in education and social sciences are not uni-dimensional.

 They measure more than one trait even when they are meant to measure only one trait.

Quite often, the teacher will be measuring subject content but the leaner’s handwriting

and other extraneous factors will influence the score awarded for the content.

2.7 Summary

Evaluation is a process of assigning a qualitative value to a student attainment in a given area of

learning e.g. C. Measurement is a process of assignment of a quantitative value to a student’s

attainment in a given area of learning e.g. 70%. The types of evaluation include: placement

evaluation, formative evaluation, diagnostic evaluation, summative evaluation and evaluation by

objectives.

2.8 Learning Activities

1. Investigate and describe the types of placement evaluations offered in Kenyan

education systems.

2. How effective will learning be if formative evaluation is done away with in Secondary

Schools? Discuss.

3. Explain how diagnostic evaluation can be made effective in Secondary Schools?

4. Discuss whether it is possible for a School to specialize in measurement and not

evaluation or vice versa.

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2.9 Further Reading

Coon, D. (2005). Psychology: A journey. Belmont: Vicki Knight.

Good, T.L. & Brophy, J.E. (1990). Educational Psychology. (4th ed.). London. Longman
publishers.
Hisner, E.W. (1985). The art of educational evaluation: A personal view. The Falmer Press.

Thorndike, R.M. (2005). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education. (6th ed).

New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

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