The present investigation compared two statistics attitude scales, the Statistics Attitude Survey (SAS) by Roberts and Bilderback (1980) and the Attitudes Toward Statistics (ATS) by Wise (1985). Wise had claimed that the SAS was partially invalid because many of the items appeared to be achievement oriented rather than attitudinal in nature. The SAS and ATS were combined in one scale and administered to 280 introductory statistics students at the beginning of the course. Course grades were obtained at the end of the course. Analyses showed high reliabilities for both SAS and ATS but a correlation of nearly .9 between the two scales. In addition, none of the correlations between the two scales with several criteria, including course grades, were significantly different. It was concluded that the ATS was essentially an alternate form of the previously developed SAS.
A continuing program of research related to the TOEFL test is carried out under the direction of the TOEFL Research Committee. Its six members include representatives of the Policy Council. the TOEFL Committee of Examiners, and distinguished English as a second language specialists from the academic community. Currently the Committee meets twice yearly to review and approve proposals for test-related research and to set guidelines for the entire scope of the TOEFL research program. Members of the Research Committee serve three-year terms at the invitation of the Policy Council; the chair of the committee serves on the Policy Council.Because the studies are specific to the test and the testing program, most of the actual research is conducted by ETS staff rather than by outside researchers. However, many projects require the cooperation of other institutions, particularly those with programs in the teaching of English as a foreign or second language. Representatives of such programs who are interested in participating in or conducting TOEFL-related research are invited to contact the TOEFL program office. Local research may sometimes require access to TOEFL data. In such cases, the program may provide the data following approval by the Research Committee. All TOEFL research projects must undergo appropriate ETS review to ascertain that the confidentiality of data will be protected. Current (1990-91) AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the use of two alternative item !esponse theory estimation models in the scaling and equating of TOEFL --a modified one-parameter model (MIPL) and a modified two-parameter model (M2PL) --and to compare item scaling and test equating results based on these two alternative models with results based on the threeparameter model (3PL) that is currently being used to scale and equate the TOEFL. The study employed a design in which a typical TOEFL equating was simulated using artificial data. The simulated equatings were compared in terms of correlations between estimated and generating parameters, model-data fit, and concordance of simulated score conversions with conversions based on the generating parameters.The results of the study dearly indicated that the 3PL model performed better than the MIPL and M2PL models on the basis of each of the evaluation criteria. There was also evidence that the M2PL model performed better than the MIPL model, particularly in terms of model-data fit and in the weighted root mean square difference statistics used to evaluate the simulated score conversions. The results of the study also indicated that discrepancies between score conversions based on the MIPL and M2PL model and those based on the 3PL model tended to occur at the lower and upper ends of the score scales. Finally, the results of the study for the 3PL model indicated that while correlations between item parameter estimates and generating parameters tended to be affected by sample size, neither the quality of model-data fit nor the quality of simulated equatings appeared to be ...
The Test of Written English (TWE), administered with certain designated TOEFL® examinations, consists of a single essay prompt to which examinees have 30 minutes to respond. It was introduced in 1986 to provide TOEFL score users with a direct measure of examinees' writing ability. Preliminary studies had indicated that the two different kinds of prompts: prose compare, contrast, and take a position, and describe or interpret a chart or graph, elicited comparable writing performance. However, questions were subsequently raised with respect to continued comparability of different TWE® prompts administered under operational conditions. The present study was designed to elicit essays for prompts that differed in both subject matter (Topic) and in the level of explicitness with which the essay task was presented (Topic Type). Eight different prompts were spiraled worldwide at the October 1989 TOEFL administration, with each prompt eliciting approximately 10,000 essays. The results of the analyses indicated that there were small differences among the prompts. The most notable differences were obtained among the scores for topics using the explicit comparison. Across all the prompts, the chart‐graph with the explicit comparison statement produced the highest mean scores. Because it was the first study of its kind to focus on the comparability of prompts in a major testing program, the authors had difficulty making definitive statements regarding the meaningfulness of the obtained differences. While many of the differences in means observed in this study were so small as to be of no practical significance, differences observed across prompts in the numbers of examinees at each score level were not. Such differences may warrant further consideration by the TOEFL program.
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