Dimensions of national test performance: A two-level approach

Abstract

The research project presented in this article was set in the Swedish school context and carried out on a set of compulsory national tests for English, Swedish, and mathematics used at the end of compulsory school. The aims were: (a) to gain a deeper knowledge of the internal structure of the tests and (b) to separate individual performance from school performance. Individual test results from a representative sample of approximately 30% of the cohort (n ¼ 26,360) constituted the data. Factor analysis, of a basically confirmatory nature, was applied in the study. Modelling at the individual level resulted in a theoretically sound, 11-factor model demonstrating good fit. The corresponding analyses at the school level, using 2-level structural equation modelling techniques, generated a similar, although somewhat less complex, model. Approximately 12% of the total variation in performance on the tests proved to be associated with schools.

Dimensions of test performance in English as a foreign language in different European settings: a two-level confirmatory factor analytical approach

“…Stated differently, differences between schools tended to be smaller for linguistic tasks with a selected response format than for receptive tasks requiring constructed responses. This is in line with observations reported by Åberg-Bengtsson and Erickson (2006) and will be further discussed below.…”

“…Similar results have been found in analyses of test performance at student and school levels within the same country, also comprising different subjects/constructs (Åberg-Bengtsson & Erickson, 2006). Åberg-Bengtsson and Erickson (2006) investigated the Swedish national tests for English, Swedish, and mathematics administered at the end of compulsory education and identified a number of factors and dimensions.…”

“…Åberg-Bengtsson and Erickson (2006) investigated the Swedish national tests for English, Swedish, and mathematics administered at the end of compulsory education and identified a number of factors and dimensions. These were not only related to the three subject domains investigated but were also shown to bridge construct boundaries.…”

What lies behind graphicacy? Relating students' results on a test of graphically represented quantitative information to formal academic achievement

“…In our model, mathematics and science were related to one joint factor (MathSc 0 ) and the spatial/practical factor was replaced by a narrow aesthetic factor. Furthermore, mathematics has a rather substantial and statistically significant loading on the language factor, a phenomenon observed by Andersson (1998), and also Å berg- Bengtsson and Erickson (2004), who investigated performance on National Tests for grade 9. As shown in Figure 2, both the factorial structure and the pattern of factor loadings make sense with respect to each factor.…”

Effects of School Characteristics on Grades in Compulsory School

“…The National Agency of Education (2007a) has conducted several studies which have found that the national tests are valuable instruments in achieving equivalence in grades. Studies have also shown that the national tests are reasonably valid as instruments for measuring students' subject knowledge (Å berg-Bengtsson & Erickson, 2006;National Agency for Education, 2007a).…”