Concept of

Test Validity
SOWUNMI E. T.
Meaning and Nature of Test Validity
 Validity
deals with the degree to which a
measures what it claims to measure.
 Testvalidity is the degree to which the test
measures what it is supposed to measure.
 Reliabilityhas more to do with consistency of a
measure (repeatability) while validity has to do
with accuracy (how accurately it measure what it
is purported to measure from the start).
Validity is a matter of degree in
nature, which means that it
ranges from low through medium
to high.
The statistics for indicating the
degree of validity is known as
coefficient of validity which
ranges from zero to one.
Methods of Measuring of an
Instruments Validity
1. Content Validity: it involves the systematic
examination of the test content to determine whether
it covers a representative sample of the behaviour
domain it is purported to measure.
 Itcould be checked by subject specialist or panel
experts or
 Itcould also be done by preparing a table of
specification.
 The closer the test contents to the subject matter, the
higher the content validity.
2. Criterion-Related Validity:
 Itcorrelate or compare the test with other existing
standard measures (criteria).
 Criterion
related validity looks at the relationship
between a test score and an outcome.
 Example: intelligent quotient tests are often
validated against measures of academic performance
(the criterion)
 NOW, If the test data and criterion data are collected
at the same time, this is referred to as Concurrent
validity evidence. . If the new test is validated by a
comparison with a currently existing criterion, we
have concurrent validity.
 Criterion-Related Validity (contd.)
 If the test data are collected first in order to
predict criterion data collected at a later
point in time, then this is referred to as
Predictive validity evidence.
 Predictive validity measures the degree to
which a test accurately predicts or foretell a
criterion that will occur in the future.
 It refers to the power or usefulness of test
scores to predict future performance.
 3. Construct validity:
 It is referred to as the degree to which a test/instrument measures
the underlying theoretical construct it is supposed to measure.
 It is the extent to which a test captures a specific trait known as
construct.
 In order to demonstrate construct validity, evidence that the test
measures what it purports to measure as well as evidence that the
test does not measure irrelevant attributes are both required. These
are referred to as convergent and discriminant validity.
 i. convergent validity: if the two different tests end up ranking
students similarly i.e when two different tests measures related
skills.
 Ii. discriminant validity: providing evidence that two tests that do
not measure closely related skills or types of knowledge do not
correlate strongly.
Methods of establishing construct
validity:
 Correlations with other tests that has been proven valid
for the same trait or construct.
 Criterion group studies: when a test is administered to
groups of students’ judged to be good or poor in a
construct and it was proven so at the end of an
administered test.
 Analysis of the mental process required by the test
 Comparing pre-test and post-test scores of persons
exposed to some relevant treatment: it indicate how a
treatment or condition may or may not affect a particular
set of learners.
4. Face Validity:
 Itis simply an estimate as to whether a test appears
to measure what it claims to measure.
 Itcan be related to the question of whether a non-
professional testers such as parents think the test is
appropriate or not appropriate.
A direct measurement of face validity is obtained by
asking people to rate the validity of a test as it
appears to them.
 The question that the face validity provides its
answer is how much does a test look like an
appropriate measure of the skills or body of
knowledge concerned?
Principles for Test Validity
 Appropriate interpretation: tests are valid to the
degree that evidence which supports their
appropriateness and correctness can be identified.
 Appropriate uses: a test is valid to the degree by
which evidence that supports their correctness and
appropriateness use of the test result.
 Appropriatevalues: when the values implied by
them are appropriate.
 Appropriate consequences: when the
consequences of these interpretations and uses are
consistent with appropriate values.
Factors affecting Test Validity
 These factors has been categorized into four main headings

 (a) Factors in the test:

 Difficulty level of test items should be able to discriminate
effectively between the good and poor students
 Lack of clear instructions: test that lack in this tend to confuse
the testee.
 Poor quality of test items: test items may be inappropriate for the
cognitive level of the respondents thereby invalidating the results. Test items
should not be vague (it should be clear not having different meaning to different
testees)
 Test length: a test must not be too short nor too long
otherwise it shows that the test do not adequately represent
the content or has been over-stretched or over emphasis.
(a) Factors in the test (contd.)
 Difficultvocabulary: when a test items contain
difficult words, it is more or less measuring another
trait which is not the achievement in that subject.
 Identifiablepatterns of answers: when students
identify the pattern of answer in multiple choice
tests, they easily guess the answer to some items.
This tends to lower the validity of test result.
(b)Factors in test administration and
scoring: factors such as cheating, undue
assistance given to students, insufficient time and
unreliable scoring of essay answers will tend to
reduce the validity of test results.
 Factors affecting Test Validity (contd.)
(C) Factors affecting validity coefficients:
The larger the spread of scores, the higher the validity
coefficient. Therefore, factors such as speed of test
and item difficulty which reduces discrimination and
spread of scores may reduce the validity coefficient.
(d) Factors affecting students responses:
variables such as sex (gender), age, and personality
traits. Likewise, unhealthy physical and psychological
conditions of the testing hall, emotional disturbance of
the students may prevent students from achieving
maximally.
End
 of the
first topic.