1144C H A P T E R

Principles of Test Selection and AdministrationPrinciples of Test Selection and Administration

Everett Harman and Clay Pandorf

Chapter Outline

Reasons for testing

Testing terminology

Evaluation of test quality

Test selection

Test administration

Reasons for Testing

Assessment of athletic talent

Identification of physical abilities in need of improvement

Setting of realistic goals

Evaluation of progress

Testing Terminology

Test

Field test

Measurement

Evaluation

Pretest

Midtest

Formative evaluation

Posttest

Evaluation of Test Quality

Validity is the degree to which a test or test item measures what it is intended to measure; this is the most important characteristic of testing.

Reliability is a measure of the degree of consistency or repeatability of a test. A test must be reliable to be valid; highly variable results have little meaning.

Types of Validity

Construct validity—ability of a test to represent the underlying construct

Face validity—the appearance that the test measures what it is purported to measure

Content validity—the assessment that the testing covers all relevant subtopics

Criterion-referenced validity—the extent to which test scores are associated with some other measure of the same ability

Reliability

Factors that produce measurement error include the following:

Instrasubject variability—lack of consistent performance by the person tested

Interrater reliability—the degree to which different raters agree

Failure of the test itself to provide consistent results

Intrarater variability—the lack of consistent scores by a given tester

Test Selection Factors

Metabolic specificity

Sport specificity

Experience and training status

Age and sex

Environmental factors

Test Administration

Staff should ensure health and safety of athletes.

Testers should be carefully selected and trained.

Tests should be well organized and administered efficiently.

Athletes should be properly prepared and instructed.

Aerobic Endurance Testing in the Heat

Use an indoor facility, or test during the morning or early evening.

Ask athletes to drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise.

Watch for symptoms of heatstroke or heat exhaustion.

Discourage use of salt tablets.Keep the athlete’s bodily stores of magnesium and

potassium high.

Monitor athletes’ heart rates during and immediately following exercise.

Allow athletes to acclimatize to the heat by starting with shorter workouts.

Do not test on an unusually warm day.

Table 14.1 Temperature Limits at Various Ranges of Relative Humidity for Strenuous Exercise Testing

Relative humidity (%) Temperature limit (°F)

0 95

1-20 90

21-50 85

51-90 80

91-100 75

Tests requiring high-skill movements, such

as reaction and coordination tests, should be

administered before tests that are likely to

produce fatigue and confound the results of

subsequent tests.

Sequence of Tests

Nonfatiguing tests

Agility tests

Maximum power and strength tests

Sprint tests

Local muscular endurance tests

Fatiguing anaerobic capacity tests

Aerobic capacity tests

The clarity and simplicity of

instructions have a direct bearing

on the reliability and objectivity of

a test.