6319 (v.8) Ed 623 - Instrument Design

Area:

Department of Education

Credits:

25.0

Contact Hours:

3.0

Lecture:

1 x 3 Hours Weekly

Syllabus:

Instruments for data gathering and measurement in research and evaluation. Sources of information about available instruments. Validity and reliability of data. The interpretation of data. Intelligence, aptitude, achievement and ability tests. Norm and criterion referenced tests. Survey research and questionnaire design. Checklists, rating scales and inventories. Attitude statements and the construction and validation of Lickert scales. Instruments for classroom observation. The assessment of learning envronments.

Unit Outcomes:

Instrument design - functions, uses and appropriateness of instruments or techniques for data-gathering and measurement in educational research. Principles of survey design - clarifying purposes of survey, defining variables and hypotheses, pre-planning of desired data analysis, choosing level of measurement, choice of question and response formats. Questionnaire and other self report methods - rationale and question form, threats to reliability and validity, item forms, question dimensions, sampling fordescriptive and analytical studies, protocol (form) design and preparation for coding, pilot work. Interviewing - rationale and question form, validity and reliability, interview schedules, face-to-face interviewing, telephone interviewing, focused and exploratory interviews, field coding and transcript coding, data analysis and interpretation. Attitude measurement - distinctions between attitudes, values, beliefs and opinions, construction and validation of Likert scales, semantic differentials, refining summated scales by factor and internal consistency analysis, coding. Achievement test instruments - knowledge tests and test of higher order cognitive skills, Blooms taxonomy and implication for testing, objective, short-answer and essay test instruments

Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information.

Unit References:

No prescribed references.

Unit Texts:

Oppenheim, A.N. (1992) 2001 Reprint. Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement, New York. Samson, J. Radloff, A. and de la Harpe, B., (1997), The Essay: Writing Essays and Reports in the Faculty of Education, Bentley, Curtin Universityof Technology. Whitney, D.L. (1990) Survey Research: The Questionnaire as a Data Source. Adapted by G. Giddings (1991) from D. Whitney's Lectures at the University of Iowa's Evaluation and Testing Service. Perth, Curtin University. Crowl, T.K. (1993), Fundamentals of Educational Research. Wisconsin, WCB Brown and Benchmark. Gall, M.D., Borg, W.R., and Gall, J.P. (1996), Educational Research: An Introduction (6th ed), New York, Longman. (Expensive but an excellent reference for future research).

Unit Assessment Breakdown:

Attitude scale/independent selection 20%. Continuous assessment (critiques, readings and participation) 20%. Interview schedule 20%. Questionnaire 20%. Supporting commentaries (drafts, rationale, documentation) 20%. This is by grade/mark assessment.

Year	Location	Period	Internal	Area External	Central External
2004	Bentley Campus	Semester 2	Y	Y