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ERIC Number: EJ1026306
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1062-7197
EISSN: N/A
Comparing Graphical and Verbal Representations of Measurement Error in Test Score Reports
Zwick, Rebecca; Zapata-Rivera, Diego; Hegarty, Mary
Educational Assessment, v19 n2 p116-138 2014
Research has shown that many educators do not understand the terminology or displays used in test score reports and that measurement error is a particularly challenging concept. We investigated graphical and verbal methods of representing measurement error associated with individual student scores. We created four alternative score reports, each constituting an experimental condition, and randomly assigned them to research participants. We then compared comprehension and preferences across the four conditions. In our main study, we collected data from 148 teachers. For comparison, we studied 98 introductory psychology students. Although we did not detect statistically significant differences across conditions, we found that participants who reported greater comfort with statistics tended to have higher comprehension scores and tended to prefer more informative displays that included variable-width confidence bands for scores. Our data also yielded a wealth of information regarding existing misconceptions about measurement error and about score-reporting conventions.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A