Uses and Attitudes of Faculty Members in the College of Education at King Faisal University towards Test Item Formats

Abstract

The ever-increasing number of student enrollment in the college of education at King Faisal University has led many faculty members to abandon essay and open-ended type tests and resort to the quickly scorable multiple choice and short answer techniques. However, close observation of achievement tests, (particularly summative) given to students in different subjects has repeatedly revealed that this tendency towards using objective techniques has resulted in the development of tests that are deficient in their fulfillment of course objectives, coverage of course content and instructional materials, demonstration of acquired skills and /or learning, and application of sound test construction techniques. To decide on the exact nature and scope of this awareness/training formula, a good number oF final achievement tests in different subjects offered in the college is examined and analyzed and the opinions of a representative sample of faculty members are elicited. The aforementioned investigations are conducted in light of recent developments in educational measurement and performance assessment. This study hypothesizes that faculty members in the College of Education at King Faisal University (and probably other Saudi universities too) are in great need of: 1. Awareness of recent developments in the theory and practice of educational measurement and performance assessment. 2. Further training on sound practices of the design and implementation of effective tests.