Evaluating the Construct Validity of Final Test of Grade Three of Junior High School in Iran

Mojtaba Eghlidi, Omid Tabatabaei

Abstract


Construct validity “is a fundamental requirement for the effective operation of any assessment system that everybody involved in interpreting assessment results shares at least a basic understanding of the construct or constructs involved†(Green, 2014, p. 81). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the construct validity of final test of grade three of junior high school used in Fars Province, Iran. To achieve this objective 35 EFL teachers teaching English at public schools participated. Also, 50 students’ final test sheets in 2016-2017 school year were selected. One instrument was a 17-items researcher-made checklist to evaluate the construct validity by the teachers. Data obtained from this instrument were analyzed using descriptive statistics i.e. Mean and Standard Deviation. The results revealed that participants evaluated 53% of the construct of the test as valid. It means that they evaluated the construct validity of the test as fair, but not strong. The second instrument was the students’ final test sheets. The scores were analyzed using item facility (If) and item discrimination (ID) to find the acceptable items. 36.66% of items were acceptable in the sample of the study. Another analysis refers to correlation coefficient among total score and test parts and, also, among test parts themselves. The correlation among test score and test parts was very strong (r>0.8), and it was strong among test parts (r>0.6). Because the test framework is recommended by Curriculum and Textbooks Development Office of Iranian Ministry of Education, the results of this study can be used to enhance construct validity of national-wide tests.


Keywords


construct validity, test, validation, assessment

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References


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