Barbara S Plake
Biographic Data
| ID | 2436713 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Barbara S Plake |
| GIVEN NAMES | Barbara S |
| FAMILY NAME | Plake |
| SIGNATURE | PLAKE B S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 71 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Using the Many-Faceted Rasch Model to Evaluate Standard Setting Judgments
The many-faceted Rasch (MFR) model has been used to evaluate the quality of ratings on constructed response assessments; however, it can also be used to evaluate the quality of judgments from panel-based standard setting procedures. The current study illustrates the use of the MFR model for examining the quality of ratings obtained from a standard setting process employing the Multiple Yes-No, modified Angoff standard setting procedure to set the…
Development and Application of Detection Indices for Measuring Guessing Behaviors and Test-Taking Effort in Computerized Adaptive Testing
This study examined the amount of time that different ability-level examinees spend on questions they answer correctly or incorrectly across different pretest item blocks presented on a fixed-length, time-restricted computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Results indicate that different ability-level examinees require different amounts of time to answer pretest items, that is, field-test items, embedded in different item locations. Also, guessing be…
Item Response Theory–Based Approaches for Computing Minimum Passing Scores From an Angoff-Based Standard-Setting Study
Even when the scoring of an examination is based on item response theory (IRT), standard-setting methods seldom use this information directly when determining the minimum passing score (MPS) for an examination from an Angoff-based standard-setting study. Often, when IRT scoring is used, the MPS value for a test is converted to an IRT-based theta ability estimate by using the test characteristic curve. The purpose of this study is to investigate s…
Item Selection Strategy for Reducing the Number of Items Rated in an Angoff Standard Setting Study
In an Angoff standard setting procedure, judges estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item in the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with the panelists between estimates. Especially for long tests, this estimation process can be time-consuming and fatiguing for the judges. This study extended an item selecti…
The Use of Subsets of Test Questions in an Angoff Standard-Setting Method
In an Angoff standard-setting procedure, judges estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item constituting the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with the judges between estimates. Especially for long tests, this estimation process can be time consuming and fatiguing for the participants. This study addressed t…
Evaluating the Technical Quality of Educational Tests Used for High-Stakes Decisions
Tests are used for making decisions about students, including decisions about promotion, in-grade retention, and high school graduation. This article provides criteria for evaluating the technical quality of tests used for high-stakes decisions in education. The intent is to provide educators with information for evaluating their testing program
A Historical Comparison of Validity Standards and Validity Practices
The present study examined the relationship between the validity theory of the past 50 years with actual validity practices. This process involved the comparison of validity requirements and theory as they appeared in the published test standards (by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education) to the practices of measurement professionals. Each of the…
The Role of Item Feedback in Self-Adapted Testing
Previous research has shown self-adapted testing to be a promising alternative to computerized adaptive testing. The present study looked at the importance of item feedback in self-adapted testing. Computerized adaptive tests and self-adapted tests were compared under both feedback and no-feedback conditions. The self-adapted tests yielded higher test performance and lower anxiety than the computerized adaptive tests regardless of feedback condit…
A New Standard-Setting Method for Performance Assessments
Traditional standard-setting methods are not well suited for applications with polytomously scored performance assessments. The present article presents a standard-setting method-the dominant profile judgment (DPJ) method-designed for use with profiles of polytomous scores on exercises in a performance-based assessment. The method is direct, in that it guides standard-setfing panelists in the articulation of their standard-setting policies. Furth…
Effects of Informed Item Selection on Test Performance and Anxiety for Examinees Administered a Self-Adapted Test
In self-adapted testing (SAT), examinees select difficulty levels of items administered. This study investigated three variations of prior information provided when taking a SAT: (a) No Information: Examinees selected item difficulty levels without prior information; (b) View: Examinees inspected a typical item from each difficulty level prior to the SAT; (c) Route: Examinees answered a typical item from each difficulty level and were informed pr…
Validation of a Measure of Learning and Performance Goal Orientations
This study investigated the psychometric properties of an instrument (i.e., the Goals Inventory) that measured learning and performance goal orientations. Test-retest reliability estimates for the learning and performance goal scales were r = .73 and r = .76, respectively. Internal consistency estimates were assessed using Cronbach's alpha. These values were .80 and .75, respectively. Convergent and divergent validity were evaluated by comparing …
Teachers' assessment background and attitudes toward testing
1993). Teachers’ assessment background and attitudes toward testing. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 32, Assessing Tomorrow's Teachers, pp. 113-117
Psychometric Properties of the American-International Relations Scale
A multidimensional instrument, the American-International Relations Scale, purports to measure the acculturation of international students, scholars, and academicians to the white-dominant society. Data from 606 respondents, making a return rate of 67%, were collected. Factor analysis of completed 34-item questionnaires (N - 481), using varimax rotation, yielded three interpretable factors, tentatively labeled (a) Perceived Prejudice, (b) Accultu…
Moderating Effects of Sociocultural Variables on Acculturation Attitudes of Hispanics and Asian Americans
Literature on acculturation is reviewed, and the effects of acculturation on the mental health of Hispanics and Asian Americans are discussed. In this study we attempted to understand acculturation processes at the group level (Hispanics versus Asian Americans) and at the individual level (within‐group heterogeneity). The Majority‐Minority Relations Survey measured acculturation attitudes of two American ethnic minority groups, Hispanics and Asia…
Providing Item Feedback in Computer-Based Tests
This study investigated the effects of providing item feedback on student achievement test performance and anxiety, and how these effects may be moderated by the amount of success and students experience on the initial items of the test. Introductory statistics students were randomly assigned to six forms of a computer-based algebra test that differed in terms of (a) the difficulty of the first five items, and (b) the type of item feedback provid…
Effects of Item Context on Intrajudge Consistency of Expert Judgments via the Nedelsky Standard Setting Method
Judgmental methods for estimating passing scores generally are accomplished by having testing specialists evaluate items in an intact test form. Alternatively, judges are asked to rate individual items from an item pool. Cutscores are determined by these ratings when the items are chosen from the pool to form the operational test. This approach to establishing cutscores assumes (a) stable definitions of minimal competency from the time of review …
Accuracy of Item Performance Predictions Based on the Nedelsky Standard Setting Method
The Nedelsky standard setting procedure utilizes an option elimination strategy to estimate the probability that a minimally competent candidate (MCC) will answer a multiple-choice item correctly. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of predicted item performance from the Nedelsky ratings. The results indicate that test taking behavior of MCCs does not match the underlying Nedelsky assumption that MCCs randomly guess among th…
Application of Readability Indices to Multiple-Choice Items on Certification/Licensure Examinations
One source of test invalidity in the area of licensure and certification testing is the reading level of the test. The purposes of this paper are to: (a) propose a model for evaluating the readability level of certification/licensure examinations; (b) evaluate selected readability indices in terms of their appropriateness for use in estimating the readability level of specific certification/licensure examinations; and (c) present an example of th…
Differential Item Performance in Mathematics Achievement Test Items
Past research on gender differences in performance on mathematics achievement test items has focused on characteristics of test items on which males and females perform differentially. In most instances, such studies have employed a post-hoc content analyses of test items identified via statistical analyses to function differentially for males and females. This study, in contrast, used an experimental design approach to investigate the effect of …
Access Decisions by Personnel Directors
Midwestern personnel and management association members rated bogus job applications which had identical background qualifications but varied by sex of applicant, sex-role related attributes of applicant, and degree of fit of applicant credentials to job demands. The applicants were rated on their qualifications and likelihood of being considered for the position, expected performance, and expected success in the job. A significant triple interac…
Sex Differences in Early Adolescents
On the Future of Testing
Assessment of Positive Sex-Role Characteristics
Investigation of bias related to either gender or gender-related attributes has been hampered by the lack of a scale which would address the gender-relatedness of characteristics and which also would indicate how positively or negatively the stereotypical characteristics are viewed. The new scale, Positive Sex-role Inventory, was developed to have three dimensions: masculine, feminine and neutral. All of the characteristics are positive in terms …
Can Relevant Grammatical Cues Result in Invalid Test Items
This series of studies examined the effect of adhering to the universally endorsed item-writing practice of making the correct answer of a multiple-choice item grammatically consistent with the stem. Formats were designed to investigate whether the practice of providing relevant grammatical cues in itself created a sensitivity for item performance. ACT Assessment experimental social studies items were constructed to investigate grammatical compli…
Effects of Item Arrangement, Sex of the Subject, and Test Anxiety on Cognitive and Self-Perception Scores in a Nonquantitative Content Area
Previous research using an examination with a quantitative emphasis revealed a significant sex effect and an item arrangement x sex interaction for a cognitive variable (number right) and an item arrangement effect for self-perception scores pertaining to difficulty, fairness, and anticipated performance on the test. Scores representing number of items right and self-perceptions were analyzed for nonquantitative examination that was assembled int…
Moderating Effects of Sociocultural Variables on Acculturation Attitudes of Hispanics and Asian Americans
Literature on acculturation is reviewed, and the effects of acculturation on the mental health of Hispanics and Asian Americans are discussed. In this study we attempted to understand acculturation processes at the group level (Hispanics versus Asian Americans) and at the individual level (within‐group heterogeneity). The Majority‐Minority Relations Survey measured acculturation attitudes of two American ethnic minority groups, Hispanics and Asia…
Teachers' assessment background and attitudes toward testing
1993). Teachers’ assessment background and attitudes toward testing. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 32, Assessing Tomorrow's Teachers, pp. 113-117
Access Decisions by Personnel Directors
Midwestern personnel and management association members rated bogus job applications which had identical background qualifications but varied by sex of applicant, sex-role related attributes of applicant, and degree of fit of applicant credentials to job demands. The applicants were rated on their qualifications and likelihood of being considered for the position, expected performance, and expected success in the job. A significant triple interac…
Sex Differences in Mathematics components of the Iowa tests of Basic Skills
The Mathematics Problem Solving (MPS) and Mathematics Concepts (MC) subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were investigated for content and psychometric item bias at grades 3, 6, and 8. A small proportion of items were identified in each subtest which significantly favored either males or females. No skill classification, item content or location trends could be found for the mathematics subtests at each grade level. Across the grade levels,…
A Comparison of a Statistical and Subjective Procedure to Ascertain Item Validity
In an attempt to make commercial tests valid for users of both sexes and all race groups, many test publishers employ review procedures to remove potentially invalid (or biased) items from their tests. Statistical procedures to identify biased test items are often sophisticated and costly to test developers. Alternative approaches have employers review test items and select those that appear biased. To verify this methodology, a statistical and a…
A Validity Investigation of the Achievement Anxiety Test
Since 1960 educational researchers have been using the Achievement Anxiety Test (AAT), which presumably measures independent aspects of achievement anxiety: facilitating and debilitating components. In several earlier investigations, developers have reported construct and predictive validity of the subscales from their use of anxiety measures and performance criteria. However, the hypothesized independence of the subscales and underlying factor s…
An Anova Methodology to Identify Biased Test Items That Takes Instructional Level Into Account
The methodology suggested in this paper employs a selection rule for identifying group members that generates groups that have a range of achievement within groups but equal distribution of raw scores between. An ANOVA procedure on arcsin transformed item difficulties, followed by an investigation of strength of association lend practical significance to significant items by groups interaction. A follow-up procedure that identifies items contribu…
Sex Differences in Mathematics components of the Iowa tests of Basic Skills
The Mathematics Problem Solving (MPS) and Mathematics Concepts (MC) subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were investigated for content and psychometric item bias at grades 3, 6, and 8. A small proportion of items were identified in each subtest which significantly favored either males or females. No skill classification, item content or location trends could be found for the mathematics subtests at each grade level. Across the grade levels,…
The Development and Validation of a Revised Version of the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale
A 24-item shortened version of the 98-item Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was developed to provide a more efficient index of statistics or mathematics course-related anxiety. The revised scale, which yielded a coefficient alpha reliability estimated at .98, was correlated .97 with a full scale MARS. It shows a pattern of relationships with state, trait, and test anxiety parallel to that of full scale MARS. Further, the relationship with …
The Relationship of Ethnic Group Membership to the Measurement and Meaning of Attitudes towards Reading
Scores reflecting the attitudes of fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade Mexican-American and Anglo students about reading were compared to assess the relevance and validity of the Estes Reading Attitude Scale for each group. The validity of application of results from the Estes Reading Attitude Scale when administered to students of differing ethnic backgrounds was examined by considering the factorial complexity of the instrument overall for Anglo and…
Training Students to Utilize Adjunct Reading Aids
The possibility of training students to identify key words in essays relevant to objectives was examined. Subjects (N = 60) were assigned to four conditions: control, rapid feedback for key word identification, rapid feedback plus points toward a course grade for key word identification, and a points only condition. The results were analyzed in terms of the number of key words correctly identified (correct underlining), number of nonkey words ide…
The Factorial Validity of the Bias in Attitude Survey Scale
The Bias in Attitudes Survey (BIAS) is a recently devised scale which assesses attitudes and beliefs about sex roles. This study was concerned with the factorial validity of the BIAS. The results suggested that the BIAS in relation to other sex-role scales is measuring more complete and complex attitudes toward sex roles. Two factors, which explained 68% of the variance, represented both the traditional view of male/female roles and a more libera…
Differential Performance of Males and Females on Easy to Hard Item Arrangements
Differential test performance by males and females was reported on a quantitative examination as a function of item arrangement (Plake, Ansorge, Parker, and Lowry, 1982). Males performed at a higher level than females on tests the items of which were arranged from easy to hard. Plake and Ansorge (1982) speculated that this male superiority may be a function of differential reinforcement in backgrounds of males and females. Using a Latin Square de…
Can Relevant Grammatical Cues Result in Invalid Test Items
This series of studies examined the effect of adhering to the universally endorsed item-writing practice of making the correct answer of a multiple-choice item grammatically consistent with the stem. Formats were designed to investigate whether the practice of providing relevant grammatical cues in itself created a sensitivity for item performance. ACT Assessment experimental social studies items were constructed to investigate grammatical compli…
Effects of Item Arrangement, Sex of the Subject, and Test Anxiety on Cognitive and Self-Perception Scores in a Nonquantitative Content Area
Previous research using an examination with a quantitative emphasis revealed a significant sex effect and an item arrangement x sex interaction for a cognitive variable (number right) and an item arrangement effect for self-perception scores pertaining to difficulty, fairness, and anticipated performance on the test. Scores representing number of items right and self-perceptions were analyzed for nonquantitative examination that was assembled int…
Employing Adjunct Aides to Facilitate Elaboration in Writing
Preview this article: Employing Adjunct Aides to Facilitate Elaboration in Writing, Page 1 of 1 /docserver/preview/fulltext/rte/18/2/researchintheteachingofenglish15679-1.gif
Assessment of Positive Sex-Role Characteristics
Investigation of bias related to either gender or gender-related attributes has been hampered by the lack of a scale which would address the gender-relatedness of characteristics and which also would indicate how positively or negatively the stereotypical characteristics are viewed. The new scale, Positive Sex-role Inventory, was developed to have three dimensions: masculine, feminine and neutral. All of the characteristics are positive in terms …
Access Decisions by Personnel Directors
Midwestern personnel and management association members rated bogus job applications which had identical background qualifications but varied by sex of applicant, sex-role related attributes of applicant, and degree of fit of applicant credentials to job demands. The applicants were rated on their qualifications and likelihood of being considered for the position, expected performance, and expected success in the job. A significant triple interac…
Sex Differences in Early Adolescents
On the Future of Testing
Application of Readability Indices to Multiple-Choice Items on Certification/Licensure Examinations
One source of test invalidity in the area of licensure and certification testing is the reading level of the test. The purposes of this paper are to: (a) propose a model for evaluating the readability level of certification/licensure examinations; (b) evaluate selected readability indices in terms of their appropriateness for use in estimating the readability level of specific certification/licensure examinations; and (c) present an example of th…
Differential Item Performance in Mathematics Achievement Test Items
Past research on gender differences in performance on mathematics achievement test items has focused on characteristics of test items on which males and females perform differentially. In most instances, such studies have employed a post-hoc content analyses of test items identified via statistical analyses to function differentially for males and females. This study, in contrast, used an experimental design approach to investigate the effect of …
Providing Item Feedback in Computer-Based Tests
This study investigated the effects of providing item feedback on student achievement test performance and anxiety, and how these effects may be moderated by the amount of success and students experience on the initial items of the test. Introductory statistics students were randomly assigned to six forms of a computer-based algebra test that differed in terms of (a) the difficulty of the first five items, and (b) the type of item feedback provid…
Effects of Item Context on Intrajudge Consistency of Expert Judgments via the Nedelsky Standard Setting Method
Judgmental methods for estimating passing scores generally are accomplished by having testing specialists evaluate items in an intact test form. Alternatively, judges are asked to rate individual items from an item pool. Cutscores are determined by these ratings when the items are chosen from the pool to form the operational test. This approach to establishing cutscores assumes (a) stable definitions of minimal competency from the time of review …
Accuracy of Item Performance Predictions Based on the Nedelsky Standard Setting Method
The Nedelsky standard setting procedure utilizes an option elimination strategy to estimate the probability that a minimally competent candidate (MCC) will answer a multiple-choice item correctly. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of predicted item performance from the Nedelsky ratings. The results indicate that test taking behavior of MCCs does not match the underlying Nedelsky assumption that MCCs randomly guess among th…
Psychometric Properties of the American-International Relations Scale
A multidimensional instrument, the American-International Relations Scale, purports to measure the acculturation of international students, scholars, and academicians to the white-dominant society. Data from 606 respondents, making a return rate of 67%, were collected. Factor analysis of completed 34-item questionnaires (N - 481), using varimax rotation, yielded three interpretable factors, tentatively labeled (a) Perceived Prejudice, (b) Accultu…
Moderating Effects of Sociocultural Variables on Acculturation Attitudes of Hispanics and Asian Americans
Literature on acculturation is reviewed, and the effects of acculturation on the mental health of Hispanics and Asian Americans are discussed. In this study we attempted to understand acculturation processes at the group level (Hispanics versus Asian Americans) and at the individual level (within‐group heterogeneity). The Majority‐Minority Relations Survey measured acculturation attitudes of two American ethnic minority groups, Hispanics and Asia…
Teachers' assessment background and attitudes toward testing
1993). Teachers’ assessment background and attitudes toward testing. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 32, Assessing Tomorrow's Teachers, pp. 113-117
Validation of a Measure of Learning and Performance Goal Orientations
This study investigated the psychometric properties of an instrument (i.e., the Goals Inventory) that measured learning and performance goal orientations. Test-retest reliability estimates for the learning and performance goal scales were r = .73 and r = .76, respectively. Internal consistency estimates were assessed using Cronbach's alpha. These values were .80 and .75, respectively. Convergent and divergent validity were evaluated by comparing …
Psychology (35 works) · Psychometrics (21 works) · Test (biology) (21 works) · Computer Science (18 works) · Mathematics (18 works) · Psychometric Methodologies and Testing (17 works) · Statistics (17 works) · Developmental psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works)