The Construct Being Measured - Research Paper Example

 The Construct Being Measured The test will be primarily designed to measure skills and knowledge of the students that they have acquired throughout the course. A number of questions that require the use of interpretation skills, application of the psychology concepts, critical analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and debate will be used in the assessment of the knowledge attainment in the students of the psychology class. The tests will be particularly designed to evaluate their level of understanding regarding the key approaches and research methodologies that have been previously learned in the class (Anastasi and Urbina, 1997).

For example, they will be required to effectively demonstrate how they can apply the lessons learned in class into the society as well as in their personal development. Finally, the attainment tests will also test the ability of the students to communicate the knowledge they have acquired in a coherent and effective manner.Format and structure of the test The format and structure of the test will be designed in a manner that reflects the content of what has been learned throughout the course.

Generally greater emphasis will be given to assessing the level of understanding of the students and their ability to communicate or apply what they have learned. The test will be conducted through the use of a 2 hour written examination including both open-ended and multiple choice questions which will have a total of marks of 100%. The examination paper will be structured into sections A and B and each section will distinct aspects of learning. Section A Section A will primarily evaluate the theoretical understanding of the students and their debating ability.

The test will be rated 50 % and is expected to take a period of approximately one hour. A single structured question derived from one of the resource materials used in class will be given to the students. The candidates will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the theoretical issues as well as their skills of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.Section B Section B will also be 50% and will include methodology tests as well as the tests for applications and approaches. One structured question and an essay question will be used to assess the students' understanding of psychological methodologies as well as ethical considerations taught in class.

On the other hand, the essay question will require the students to reflect on the concepts, principles, and theories that they have learned throughout the course. Consequently, the assessment will be based on how they develop their arguments and coherently organize and present their materials.Scoring method Any materials or resources used by the students during the tests should not comprise the need to ensure fairness and assessment rigor to all the students. Generally, the scoring of the test will be based the ability of the students to effectively reflect on the knowledge, concepts, and principles that have been covered in the course as well as their consistency in demonstrating the clarity of their grasp of the subjects (Davidson and Lynch, 2002).

Based on these merits, the score will be graded as distinction, credit, and pass.ReferencesAnastasi, A., Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing (7th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishers.Davidson, F., Lynch. B. (2002). Testcraft: A teacher’s guide to writing and using language test specifications. New Haven: Yale University Press.