Psychometrics

Dana Veneziani
Dr. Jay Dugan
Curriculum Evaluation
July 8, 2009

Psychometrics

What is psychometrics? Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of measurement instruments such as questionnaires and tests. (Wikipedia) Psychometric tests have been used since the early part of the 20th century and were originally developed for use in educational psychology.

A psychometric test must be:

Objective: The score must not affected by the testers’ beliefs or values

Standardized: It must be administered under controlled conditions

Reliable: It must minimize and quantify any intrinsic errors

Predictive: It must make an accurate prediction of performance

Non Discriminatory: It must not disadvantage any group on the basis of gender, culture, ethnicity, etc.

In this day and age, outside of education, you are most likely to encounter psychometric testing as part of the recruitment or selection process. Tests of this kind are created by occupational psychologists and their aim is to provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the most suitable job applicants or candidates for promotion. Psychometric tests aim to measure attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. They provide a potential employer with an insight into how well you work with other people, how well you handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job. (www.psychometric-success.com)

Learning and striving for personal improvement is a lifelong process that takes place in numerous settings, and has a variety of outcomes that can be both studied and enhanced. American Institutes for Research (AIR) provides research, evaluation, consulting, and technical assistance services that:

- Improves performance in classrooms, schools, communities, organizations, and the workplace

- Support the efforts of district and state administrators to improve schools

- Help education decision-makers identify effective programs and resources to enhance learning

- Assist organizations to increase the effectiveness of their workforce

AIR works at the national, state and local level. The psychometricians at AIR use psychometric procedures to provide their clients with information that can be counted on to inform policy and curriculum decisions. (www.air.org/ehd)

What do people think about psychometrics?

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: "Psychometric tests are hugely dubious, there is no scientific justification for them, and they are culturally biased. Why is the Training and Development Agency (TDA) wasting public money on expensive gimmicks when it should be providing proper support for trainee teachers going into hugely challenging jobs?" Someone responded to this by saying that they do not totally agree with the idea of psychometric test use in the area of education because the “…government seems particularly likely to be too quick about rolling it out, and it’s likely to focus exclusively on the individual teacher while ignoring everything else important to contributing to their success - the school, the other teachers, the local area, etc.” (www.thepsychologist.org)

Teacher training applicants in England are to face psychometric tests before being offered a place on a course, to ensure they are well suited to the job. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is developing tests for skills such as communication and empathy. The government asked for an assessment to be developed amid concern at a lack of "softer" skills among teachers. But the Association of Teachers and Lecturers criticized the idea as an "expensive gimmick". The Department for Children, Schools and Families requested a test which would "assess suitability to be a teacher", the TDA said. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8120550.stm)