Tests and Testing
Students have several resource options, both printed or electronic, when searching
for test reviews. This guide will introduce you first to the primary tools used
to locate test reviews, and then the secondary tools one can use when the traditional
resources do not include a review.
Generally a test will only be reviewed in
these sources if it has been commercially published. In some cases a test, though
commercially published, may not be reviewed. This can occur if the test is very
new or if the publishers have been unable to locate a reviewer.
You have the option of using either the printed or the electronic version
of the Mental Measurements Yearbook. Pro-Ed's Test Critiques is only available
in a print version.
Locating Test Reviews
The primary tools for locating reviews of tests are the Mental Measurements Yearbook
(available both in print and electronic versions), or Pro-Ed's Test Critiques. These
sources publish reviews authored by professionals in the field. If you know the
test title, consult the title index to locate the specific review.
Mental
Measurements Yearbook Online version -- Mental Measurements
Yearbook contains full text information about and reviews of all English language
standardized tests covering educational skills, personality, vocational aptitude,
psychology, and related areas. For each test, the database provides the
name of the test author, publication information, scoring information, and the
number of the Mental Measurements Yearbook in which the test was originally described.
Each record includes an overview of the test, a description of the test materials
and time needed, and one or more reviews of the test.
Mental Measurements Yearbook, printed version - Published
irregularly every few years Each edition is numbered consecutively, 16th appeared
in 2005. 16th MMY contains descriptive information for over 400 tests. Call
number in the Education Library Reference Collection: REF Z 5814.P8 B932
16th
How to Use the MMY & Tests in Print, from the Buros Institute
What if the traditional sources don't review my test?
Other Resources for test information and reviews: When the
traditional test review resources fail you must fall back on the psychology and
assessment literature as a whole. This means you should conduct a search for
information about the test in question in the PsycInfo
1887 database.
The database will provide complete citations, including titles, dates, and
page numbers, to articles in professional journals, books, dissertations, and
other documents. Most search results will also include an abstract (summary)
of the document.
Using keywords from the test title, construct a search strategy that may locate
articles or book chapters or other research about the test in question.
In order to locate articles about a particular test you must:
- Use words to retrieve materials about tests evaluation such as reliability or validity or review
- Use keywords from the test title you are seeking. For example if you are
looking for information about the PARENT SUCCESS INDICATOR use keywords like parent
success.
Sample search strategy for PsycInfo '87 search for the test title: PARENT
SUCCESS INDICATOR
reliability or validity or review and parent
success
PsycInfo
1887 - Covers world wide literature in psychology and related disciplines,
such as psychiatry, sociology, anthropology, education, linguistics, and pharmacology.
Journal articles, technical reports, and dissertations are included. Consult
the print copy of the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms for subject terms.
Coverage is from 1887 to the present. Updated monthly.
Other Databases Containing Test Information
ERIC Indexes
and abstracts over 780 education discipline journals and ERIC (Educational Resources
Information Center) documents on microfiche. Covers education and related fields
such as counseling, psychology, and the social sciences. The ERIC documents are
available on microfiche in the Education Library. Consult the print copy of the
Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors for subject terms. Covers from 1966 to the present.
Updated monthly. For additional information see the handouts listed below:
Aids when searching ERIC
Digital Dissertations This
Dissertation Abstracts database from ProQuest has entries for more than 1.6 million
dissertations and master's theses from over 1,000 universities. Coverage is from
1861 to the present. Abstracts are included from 1980 forward for doctoral dissertations
and from 1988 forward for masters theses. The full text of more than one million
of these titles is available in paper and microform formats and can be ordered
from this database. Online access to full text is available starting with titles
published in 1997. Over 100,000 are available now at this Web site.
Test Collections on Campus
University Counseling
and Testing Center Description: Test library available. Education Library
has copy of TEST LIBRARY catalog for loan at the Reference Desk in the Education
Library. Students may examine and borrow tests for one week.
NOTE: The Testing Center requires written permission from your professor in
order to borrow materials from the test library.
| Location: |
Faunce Student Services Building, first floor |
| Contact information: |
Telephone (269) 387-1872 |
| Open: |
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Tests on Microfiche in the Education Library (unpublished tests)
Description: A
collection of unpublished tests reproduced on microfiche. These tests have been
developed by organizations, educators and psychologists in the United States.
The collection covers a wide range of topics including instruments which measure
attitudes, skills, and behavior.
The index to ETS Microfiche Collection is available in the Education Library
or through the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment via the Internet. Location: Microfiche
cabinets in the Reference Collection, Contact information: Education Library,
3300 Sangren Hall, (269) 387-5223
More Resources
Print Resources
Mental Measurements Yearbook Ref Z 5814.P8 B932 (ERC) This yearbook
series, published by the Buros institute, provides descriptions and evaluations
of commercially available diagnostic and assessment instruments.
Test Critiques Ref BF 176,T418 (ERC) A test reviewing source providing, in
most instances, an introduction, practical applications and uses, technical aspects,
and the test critique.
Tests in Print I-VI Ref Z 5814.E9 T47 (ERC) A good place to begin your search
for information about a test. Tests in Print is designed as "an index to
tests, test reviews, and the literature on specific tests." Includes
test price information. This source does NOT contain test reviews
|
