CHAPTER 11

TESTS,
REGISTRATION,
AND MECHANICAL
DEVICES
 TESTS AS SOURCES OF DATA

Definition:
A test may be defined as a specific type of measuring instrument
whose general characteristic is that, It forces responses from a pupil
and the responses are considered to be indicative of the pupil’s skill,
knowledge, attitudes, etc.
EXAMPLES:
• True or False
• Essay
• Attitude scale
• Short-answer tests
• Mid-terms
• Finals
• Personality inventory
CLASSIFICATION OF TESTS
FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES
 A. According to Standardization

1. STANDARD TEST
A standard/standardized test is one for which content has been
selected and checked empirically, for which uniform methods of
administration and scoring have been developed, and which may be
scored with high degree of objectivity.
 In addition, standard tests are usually prepared very carefully
by specialist and given to a large number of individuals for the
establishment of norms, and to be used for a long time with the
group with which is intended for.
EXAMPLES:
• Intelligence tests- is made for high school students
• Aptitude tests
• Personality tests
• Interest inventories

Standard tests are especially useful in psychological studies.

They are used to determine the personality characteristics of
people.
2. NON-STANDARD TESTS
As the name indicates, are not standardized. They are usually
prepared by teachers to measure the achievements of their
students in the subjects they are teaching for marking and
promotion purposes.
EXAMPLES:
• Essay examinations
• Objective tests
-true or false
-fill-in the blanks
-multiple choice
-matching
-labeling
 B. According to Function
1. PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST
This is a test that measures an individual’s ability or personality as
developed by general experience. (Good, p. 561) Psychological test
are standardized.
 Types of Psychological Test
a. Intelligence test. This is composite test made of parts that have
been found to correlate well with some practical measure of
intellectual ability, such as success in school. (Good, p. 561)
Usually this is called an I.Q.
test and it measures general mental ability.
 b. Aptitude test. This is a test designed to indicate a person’s
potential ability of performance of a certain type of activity.
Examples are musical aptitude test, prognostic test, scholastic
aptitude test, mechanical aptitude test and the like. ( Ibid, p. 557)
This test measures special talent or ability.

c. Personality test. This is a test designed to measure some aspect of

an individual’s personality. (Ibid., p.362)
 Types of Personality Test
1. Rating scale. A measure used in evaluating products, attitudes,
or other characteristics of instructors or learners. The usual form is
an evaluation chart carrying some suggestive points of checking.
(ibid., p. 440)

2. Personality Inventory. This is a measuring device for

determining an individual’s personal characteristic such as his
emotional adjustment or tendencies toward introversion or
extroversion; may be arranged for self rating or for rating by other
persons. (Ibid., p. 300) This test also measures dominance and
submissiveness.
3. Projective test. A method of measurement of an individuals
personality in which the stimulus is usually unstructured and produces
responses reflecting the person’s individuality. (Ibid ., p. 300) The
Rorschach Test consisting of ink-blots is an example.
d. Vocational and professional interest inventory. This is a test
used to determine the extent to which a person’s likes and
dislikes relate to a given vocation or profession. (ibid., p. 566)
This test reveals in what type of work a person is interested in,
whether business, teaching, medicine, mechanic, etc.
2. Educational Test.
This is an achievement test which aims to measures a persons
knowledge , skill, ability, understanding and other outcomes in
subjects taught in school. (Ibid., pp. 556-557) This test maybe
standardized or teacher-made.
Examples:
*achievement tests in mathematics, English, Science, etc.
ADVANTAGES OF STANDARD
TESTS
1. Standard tests are generally valid and reliable.

2. Standard tests are accompanied by manuals of instructions

concerning their administration and scoring and so there are no
problems on how they are administered and scored.

3. Standard tests are provided with norms with which the test results
are compared and given meaning. Hence, interpretation of test
results is easy.
4. Standard tests can be used again and again provided they are not
given to the same group twice or more. If they are given to the same
group repeatedly, their validity and reliability will be adversely
affected because of the effect of practice.

5. Standard tests provide a comprehensive coverage of the basic

knowledge, skills, abilities, and other traits that are generally
considered as essential.
LIMITATIONS OF STANDARD TESTS
1. Since standard tests are intended for general use, their contents
may not fully correspond to the expected outcomes of the
instructional objectives of a particular school, course, or subject.
This is especially true with standard achievement tests. Hence, very
careful selection has to be done if standard tests are to be used for
measurement.
2. Since standard tests are very objective they may not be able to
measure the ability to reason, explain, contrast, organize one’s
ideas, and the like.

3. Standard tests of the right kind for a purpose may be scarce

and hard to find.
TEST AS SOURCES OF RESEARCH
DATA
GENERALLY ONLY STANDARD TEST ARE USED TO
GATHER DATA BECAUSE OF THESE FACTOR.
• Validity
• Reliability
• Usability
NON-STANDARD TESTS USUALLY DO NOT HAVE SUCH
CHARACTERISTIC SO IT DOES NOT USED IN RESEARCH
EXCEPT WHEN:
A. Wants to find out the level of achievement of a certain group in a
certain subject.
Example :
1. A teacher wants to find out the level of achievement of his students
in geometry by giving a standard test and a teacher made test. Then
compare a result. If both test score CORRELATE HIGH the level of
achievement is alright, but if the other way around there is something
wrong maybe in the instuctional process.
• Standard test are useful in:
a. Reasearch in Psychology and Psychiatry
b. In individual case study
• Research concerning emotional malAadjustment standard test are
EXTENSIVELY and INTENSIVELY utilized
• Results from standard test ussually form part of the Cumulative
records of individual.
• Standard achievement tests in the different subjects are often used
in the school survey to determine the levels of ACHIEVEMENT of
the pupils/students.
REGISTRATION IN RESEARCH
REGISTRATION is a process of listing down items of the same kind
in some systematic manner for record purposes.
Registered matter may be classified as follows:
• Alphabetically
• Chronologically
• Qualitatively
• Quantitatively
EXAMPLE
Enrolment in a certain school:
1. Alphabetically
Students may be listed down
2. Chronologically
By years (as First, Second, Third, or Fourth
3. Qualitatively
By course (BEED, BSN, BSBE, etc.)
4. Quantitatively
Listing down first the course with the highest enrolment followed by the
course with the second highest enrolment and so on.
FOR PURPOSES OF RESEARCH, THE FOLLOWING ARE
VERY RICH SOURCES OF DATA OR INFORMATION:

a. The Bureau of Census and Statistics (PSA), for almost all kinds of
data about population, housing, industry, trade, etc.
b. The Land Transportation Commission (LTO), for all kinds of
vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycle, jeeps, etc.
c. The Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DepEd) and its
regional offices, and schools, colleges, and universities (public and
private) where all enrolments and graduates are recorded.
d. d. The Supreme Court and all over courts or justice where records of
judicial cases are kept.
e. All police agencies and offices where all criminals cases are
recorded.
f. The Bureau of Health, where all births, deaths and pathological
cases are registered.
g. The securities and Exchange Commission where all trade,
industrial, and commercial establishments and other organizations,
profit or non-profit, are registered.
h. All other departments, offices, and entities of the government, and
private organizations, entities, or offices where different kinds and
classes of data and information are registered.
 MECHANICAL DEVICES
Mechanical devices for research may be classified according to the area
of research where they are utilized. The areas of research where
mechanical devices for gathering data may be used are the following:

1. Social and educational research. The mechanical devices that

may be used to help gather data in observation and interview are the
camera, projector (film), tape recorder, video tape etc. The reader is
referred back to the sections of recording by means of mechanical
devices, what has been observed and what transpires in an interview.
2. Biological and medical research. The most common examples are the
microscope, X-ray machine, ultra sound machine, and other any
sophisticated gadgets.

3. Physical science research. There are machines that measure energy or

force, gas pressure, liquid pressure, electrical energy, etc.

4. Chemical science research. This is similar to medical research

particularly in drug research for the cure of ailments like cancer. Weighing
scales are examples.
5. Astronomy, space and atmosphere research. Examples are the
telescope in studying the stars and space and the barometer in studying
the atmosphere.

6. All others. There are countless gadgets and machines used to study
almost anything in the universe. The list cannot be exhaustive. The
advance of science and technology is such that not hundreds but
thousands of sophisticated mechanical tools and instruments have been
invented to gather data for research purposes. Presently we are feeling
and witnessing the tremendous impacts of research in medicine, in
industry in warfare, in space and in other human activities.
EVALUATION

1. Define test.
2. How do you classify tests according to standardization?
according to function?
3. In what area of research are standard tests most useful? Why?
4. Why is registration also an important source of data?
5. Where can you secure the data you need? Enumerate the offices.
Prepared and Reported by:

Ellaine V. Orbigo
Aimee O. Villasanta
Almira B. Masaganda
Rosarie Anne A. Cantillana
Arlene P. Abellera
Gretchen O. Decembrana
Generose J. Calucin
Irene A. Taba
Christian V. Jugueta
Gladys S. Peralta
Thank you!