Does it Matter How Data Are Collected? A Comparison of Testing Conditions and the Implications for Validity

Carol L. Barry and Sara J. Finney   |    Volume Four  |   

Abstract

The effects of gathering test scores under low-stakes conditions has been a prominent domain of research in the assessment and testing literature. One important area within this larger domain concerns the implications of a test being low-stakes on test evaluation and development. The current study examined one variable, the testing context, that could impact students’ responses during low-stakes testing, and subsequently the decisions made when using the data for test refinement. Specifically, the factor-structure of college self-efficacy scores was examined across three low-stakes testing contexts, and results indicated differential model-data fit across conditions (the very controlled context yielded the best model-data fit), implying that testing conditions should be seriously considered when gathering low-stakes data used for instrument development.

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