Testing Practices and Attitudes Toward Tests and Testing: An International Survey (original) (raw)

International Journal of Testing Testing Practices and Attitudes Toward Tests and Testing: An International Survey

On behalf of the International Test Commission and the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations a world-wide survey on the opinions of professional psychologists on testing practices was carried out. The main objective of this study was to collect data for a better understanding of the state of psychological testing worldwide. These data could guide the actions and measures taken by ITC, EFPA, and other stakeholders. A questionnaire was administered to 20,467 professional psychologists from 29 countries. Five scales were constructed relating to: concern over incorrect test use, regulations on tests and testing, internet and computerized testing, appreciation of tests, and knowledge and training relating to test use. Equivalence across countries was evaluated using the alignment method, four scales demonstrated acceptable levels of invariance. Multilevel analysis was used to determine how scores were related to age, gender, and specialization, as well as how scores varied between countries. Although the results show a high appreciation of tests in general, the appreciation of internet and computerized testing is much lower. These scales show low variability over countries, whereas differences between countries on the other reported scales are much greater. This implies the need for some overarching improvements as well as country-specific actions.

Psychological test usage: Implications in professional psychology

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2000

Do psychological assessments require more time than third parties and managed care are willing to reimburse? A survey of clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists was conducted to evaluate the current uses of psychological assessment instruments. Respondents reported their use of tests for 8 different areas of assessment, the average time spent in performing various assessment services and other assessment practices. Results suggested that a majority of neuropsychologists devote a substantial portion

Psychological Assessment and The Use of Tests: Needs for Ethical Consideration in Testing and Evaluation

2020

This paper is an attempt to examine the needs for ethical consideration in testing and evaluation, It argues that all in all, there are basically three areas of ethical consideration which pervade the literature; (i) Fairness of test-based decisions; (ii) The utility of tests for evaluating education and (iii) the implications of using test scores as labels for categorizing individuals. The paper also examines in some detail some other critical ethical issues like freedom from coercion, informed consent; limited deception; adequate debriefing; confidentiality and protection of privacy, It ends up by advocating monitoring of the use of these tools for testing and evaluation in order to avoid their abuse and misuse.

Assessing the Quality of Tests in Spain : Revision of the Spanish Test Review Model

2016

192 t is a well-known fact that tests are a basic tool for the professional practice of psychology and they can be useful regardless of the area of professional expertise: social, educational, clinical, sports, legal, organizational, etc. In Spain, we find data that confirms that psychologists use the tests as a basic tool in their daily lives, when we use the survey designed by the EFPA (European Federation of Psychological Associations) to obtain the views of psychologists on the use of tests. When Spanish collegiate psychologists were asked about the frequency with which they used tests in their professional work, the means obtained in the different areas (clinical, organizational, educational psychology and others), were close to 4 on a 5 point scale (Muñiz & Fernández-Hermida, 2010). Even higher scores were obtained in the items in which it is recognized that the tests are an excellent source of information when combined with other data, and which, when properly used, are a gre...

Psychological Testing on the Internet: New Problems, Old Issues

American Psychologist, 2004

The Internet has significantly changed the way people conduct business, communicate, and live. In this article, the authors' focus is on how the Internet influences the practice of psychology as it relates to testing and assessment. The report includes 5 broad sections: background and context, new problems yet old issues, issues for special populations, ethical and professional issues, and recommendations for the future. Special attention is paid to implications for people with disabling conditions and culturally and linguistically diverse persons. The authors conclude that ethical responsibilities of psychologists and current psychometric standards, particularly those regarding test reliability and validity, apply even though the way in which the tests are developed and used may be quite different.

Developing standards for computerized psychological testing

Computers in Human Behavior, 1985

The growth of computerized psychological testing (CP7) require.~ that we analyze its ethical and legal ramifications. The response of the legal community and the profession of psychology is reviewed. There are potential problems with the administration of tests by computer, especially the interpretation of computer-administered tests with norms and validity data .from paper-and-pencil administrations, and the impact of computerization on certain test-taker groups and item !Tpes. Criteria for assessing the adequacy of clasr{~'calion systems used go a.~s~i~n peop# to interpretive statements, and the vahdity of computer-generated reports, are analyzed. CPT users should review r@orts and developers should disclose the rationale underlying interpretations. Not only the scientific merit, Dug also the fairness and efficiency of CPT will determine whether its potential isjully realized.

Responsible Use of Psychological Tests: Ethical and Professional Practice Concerns

Oxford Handbooks Online, 2013

Psychologists bring to the task of assessing children and adolescents their knowledge of psychometrics and their skills in psychological testing. Ethical standards and professional practice guidelines admonish psychologists to select psychological assessment techniques that are reliable and valid as well as suitable for use with the population being assessed. In this chapter, we argue that when selecting psychological tests to be administered in an evaluation, psychologists must employ, not set aside, their knowledge of psychometrics: unreliable projective techniques should be eliminated from consideration.

Assessing the quality of tests: revision of the EFPA review model

Psicothema, 2013

Diverse national and international organizations have been developing projects for many years to improve testing practices. The main goal of this paper is to present the revised model of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) for the evaluation of the quality of tests. This model aims to provide test users with rigorous information about the theoretical, practical and psychometric characteristics of tests, in order to enhance their use. For the revision of the test review model, an EFPA task force was established, consisting of six European experts from different countries, who worked on the update of the previous European model, adapting it to the recent developments in the field of psychological and educational measurement. The updated EFPA model provides for the comprehensive evaluation of tests. The first part describes test characteristics exhaustively, and in the second part, a quantitative and narrative evaluation of the most relevant psychometric c...