Using "Teaching Items" on Ability Tests: A Nice Idea,but Does it Work?

Abstract

Attempts are being made to enhance the validity of aptitude and achievement tests by providing training experiences designed to elevate the scores of naive test takers. One such procedure incorporates "teaching items" that immediately precede parts of individually-administered tests. The potential benefits associated with teaching items are greatest for populations of preschool children who are naturally unaccustomed to testing situations. Preschool children between three and four years of age were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) administered standardized teaching items or to a control group (n = 30). Thereafter, all children were given the Vocabulary and Geometric Design subtests of the experimental edition of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R), followed by the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities-Short Form (MSCA-SF) as an external criterion measure. Research hypotheses anticipated relatively higher WPPSI-R ability scores and improved criterion validity for predicting MSCA-SF scores of children exposed to teaching items. However, equivocal support was found for both hypotheses, the most notable consequence being simultaneous decrements and increments in validity for the ability measures. Implications are discussed in the context of ability test theory and current practice.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anastasi, A. (1981). Coaching, test sophistication, and developed abilities. American Psychologist, 36, 1086-1092.

Bangert-Drowns, R. L. , Kulik, J. A. , and Kulik, C. (1983). Effects of coaching programs on achievement test performance. Review of Educational Research, 53, 571-585.

Callenbach, C. A. (1973). The effects of instruction and practice upon the standardized reading test scores of selected second grade students. Journal of Educational Measurement, 10, 25-30.

Coates, S. and Bromberg, P. M. (1973). Factorial structure of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence between the ages of 4 and 61/2. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 40, 365-370.

Crehan, K. D. , Gross, L. J. , Koehler, R. A. , and Slakter, M. J. (1978). Developmental aspects of test-wiseness. Educational Research Quarterly, 3, 40-44.

Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334.

Evans, F. R. and Pike, L. W. (1973). The effects of instruction for three mathematics item formats. Journal of Educational Measurement, 10, 257-272.

Fuyeo, V. (1977). Training test-taking skills: A critical analysis. Psychology in the Schools, 14, 180-184.

Gulliksen, H. (1950). Theory of mental tests. New York: Wiley.

10.

Kaufman, A. S. (1977). A McCarthy short form for rapid screening of preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade children. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2, 149-157.

11.

Kaufman, A. S. and Kaufman, N. L. (1983a). Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children: Administration and scoring manual. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

12.

Kaufman, A. S. and Kaufman, N. L. (1983b). Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children: Intrepretive manual. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

13.

Kreit, L. H. (1968). The effect of test-taking practice on pupil test performance. American Educational Research Journal, 5, 616-625.

14.

Kulik, J. A. , Kulik, C. C. , and Bangert, R. L. (1984). Effects of practice on aptitude and achievement test scores. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 435-477.

15.

McCarthy, D. (1972). Manualfor the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. New York: Psychological Corporation.

16.

Moore, J. C. , Schutz, R. E. , and Baker, R. L. (1966). The application of a self-instructional technique to develop test-taking strategy. American Educational Research Journal, 3, 13-17.

17.

Oakland, T. (1972). The effects of test-wiseness materials on standardized test performance of preschool disadvantaged children. Journal of School Psychology, 10, 355-360.

18.

Powers, D. E (1986). Relations of test item characteristics to test preparation/test practice effects: A quantitative summary. Psychological Bulletin, 100, 67-77.

19.

Psychological Corporation . (1985). Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of intelligence-Revised (Experimental ed.). Cleveland, OH: Author.

20.

Scruggs, T. E. , White, K. R. , and Bennion, K. (1986). Teaching test-taking skills to elementary-grade students: A meta-analysis. The elementary School Journal, 87, 69-82.

21.

Slack, W. V. , and Porter, D. (1980). The Scholastic Aptitude Test: A critical appraisal. Harvard Educational Review, 50, 154-175.

22.

Vernon, P. E. (1954). Practice and coaching effects in intelligence tests. Educational Forum, 18, 269-280.

23.

Wallbrown, F. H. , Blaha, J. , and Wherry, R. J. (1973). The heirarchical factor structure of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41, 356-362.

24.

Wechsler, D. (1967). Manual for the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. New York: Psychological Corporation.