Definition and Characteristics of Achievement Test B.Ed Notes
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Definition and Characteristics of Achievement Test B.Ed Notes
Achievement tests refer to tests that are used by teachers to measure or test the achievements and success of the learners which are achieved in any particular field. Achievement tests are designed to measure acquired knowledge or skills. R. L. Ebel states,
“An achievement test is one designed to measure a student’s grasp of knowledge or his proficiency in certain skills.”
Achievement tests can be classified into the following:
Standardised Test
Any test which follows a certain standard against which learners are tested.
Teacher Made Test
The type of test that is self made by teachers according to their norms and standards.
The various characteristics of achievement tests are as follows:
1. It identifies and explains reasons for performing tests.
2. It evaluates the validity, reliability, and practicability of the tests.
3. It enables teachers to communicate clearly with learners and it enables a learner to communicate clearly with their peers.
4. It exposes the problematic areas of learners and enables teachers to overcome the same.
5. It enables the teacher to assess the performance of a learner in theory as well as in practical.
6. It motivates the learner to pick up and work on a new assignment.
7. It provides educational guidance through the assessment of the capabilities of the learners.
These are the various features that characterise achievement tests.
According to F.S. Freeman,
“A test of educational achievement is one assigned to measure knowledge, understanding or skills in a specified subject or a group of subjects.”
Garrison, Kingston, and McDonald (1955-1964: 331) opine the definition of achievement,
“as the progress pupils make toward the goals and objectives of the curriculum, they then assert further about the definition that achievement may be the one’s ability or the extent of his/her knowledge in a specific content area.”
