ENTRANCE TEST/STATE AND NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SURVEY (NAS)/QUESTION BANK (unit 5)

                                                                                                                                                                                 

ENTRANCE TEST

An entrance examination is an examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels.

 In India, entrance examinations are chiefly confined to Medicine, Engineering and Management. These range from the BITS Pilani admission test and IIT- JEE, where only one in a hundreds can hope to get admission to state level entrances which are many and varied.

 The stiff competition has led to a situation where many students neglect their school studies and focus solely on entrance coaching which is time-consuming and expensive. This has led many states to scrap the entrances and base admissions on the school leaving marks which unfortunately are none too reliable.

Experts point out that in a country where many different boards are present common entrances are essential, but application skills rather than cramming should be stressed on. Frequent changes in the pattern of examination are essential since sticking to a 'standard text ‘or 'standard pattern' alone will favour the coaching industry and the role- learners.

STATE AND NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SURVEY (NAS)

National Achievement Survey (NAS) is a nationally representative large-scale survey of students' learning undertaken by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. NAS gives a system level reflection on effectiveness of school education. Findings help compare the performance across spectrum and across population in order to find the desirable direction for improvements.

India has made a significant investment in its education. The government‘s flagship programme Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is designed to ensure access, equity and quality in elementary education.

The nation now needs reliable information about students ‘achievement in order to judge the quality of education provided. The history of NAS Carried out as part of SSA, the NAS aims to collect reliable information about the achievement levels of students in government and government-aided elementary schools.

 In 2000, NCERT‘s NAS programme was incorporated into the SSA programme. The plan was to carry out three NAS cycles, each cycle covering three key grades:

 • Class III,

• Class V,

• Class VII/VIII.

All three Classes are tested in mathematics and language. In Class V, students are also tested in environmental studies (EVS), while Class VII/VIII completes tests in science and social science. The Baseline Achievement Survey (BAS) was carried out in 2001-2004, followed by the Midterm Achievement Survey (MAS) in 2005-2008.

The experience gained through these initial two cycles made the value of the NAS clear, and the surveys were made an ongoing feature of the national education system.

NAS findings would help diagnose learning gaps of students and determine interventions required in education policies, teaching practices and learning. Through its diagnostic report cards, NAS findings help in capacity building for teachers, officials involved in the delivery of education.

QUESTION BANK

Question Bank is a collection or reservoir of questions for timely use. But haphazard collection of question will not make a Question Bank.

 The questions in a Question Bank must be reliable and valid and should be suitable for testing different traits and the candidates.

 Therefore, each question in a Question Bank is scrutinized on the basis of its quality and relevance and is included in the bank only after assigning technical values to enable the users to use them according to their requirements.

The technical specifications help the user of the bank to understand the type of question, what it test, to which level it is applicable etc.

 These statistical specifications further help in standardizing the questions are processed through field trial to derive certain statistical specifications such as difficulty level, discriminative index etc., these statistical specifications further help in standardizing the question banks and increasing their utility.

Technical value includes code number, subject, topic, date of writing, type of question, objective tested, level of question, time required for answering, marks allotted, difficulty level, discriminative index etc.

A question bank once made is useful for future. Maintenance of a question bank is a continuous process, because with the passage of time many items/ questions become outdated and need to be removed and many news items/questions need to be added to the question bank.

One of the important criteria for a question bank to be of good value and utility is the number of questions it contains. The greater the number if questions, the more valuable it will be. If the question banks are not large, choice of questions will be severely curtailed for the examining bodies and more importantly the students who use the question bank may mug up all the questions and their answers before appearing for the examinations, this will defeat the whole purpose of examination. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that the bank have a large number of questions. 

halfyearly examination

 

Unit Test: unit 5

 

Unit Test:

Teaching and testing are the integral part of educational system. Testing is implicit in teaching some of the stages, which may be properly marked for testing procedures.

1.      During teaching.

2.      At the end of teaching a daily lesson.

3.      At the end of teaching a unit.

4.      At the end of the term.

5.      At the end of the year/curriculum.

   A test at the end of a teaching unit is known as the unit test.

Usually the test / Examinations are held based on the entire syllabus. A unit test is not a random assessment of questions. It is preplanned, systematic and scientific test.

A unit test is a test which is constructed, administered and assessed by a teacher after teaching a particular unit to the students.

Characteristics of Unit test:

1.      Unit test is an Evaluation tool for measurement of pupils and knowledge achievement and to improve by giving feed back.

2.      It is based on a single unit.

3.      It is administered at the completions of the unit.

4.      It is clear from the above evidence that a unit testing is an integral part of teaching process. Unit testing makes instruction a dynamic process through continuous evaluation and regular feed back.

Steps for setting up a unit test:

      The steps for setting up a good and meaningful unit test are,

A) Planning (Design) of the test:

1.      Unit Analysis

2.      Content Analysis

3.      Weightage to content.

4.      Weightage to type of questions.

5.      Weightage to objectives.

6.      Weightage to difficulty level.

7.      Preparation of Blue print.

B) Editing the unit test:

1.      Construction of items

2.      Selection of items

3.      Grouping of test items.

4.      Instructions of Examinee.

5.      Sections in the question paper.

6.      Preparing a marking scheme and scoring key.

C)  Reviewing the Question Paper:

1.      Question-wise analysis.

2.      Critical evaluation of the test.

D)  Administering the Test:

E) Interpret the test results:

1.      Score the answer scripts.

2.      Item analysis (After the test)

F) Statistical Treatment:

1.      Based on measures of central tendency values.

2.      Based on quartile points.

3.      Based on frequency polygon & histogram.

 

OBSERVATION TECHNIQUE FOR ASESSMENT UNIT 3

 

OBSERVATION

In school, during the school hours, the students undergo various institutional

environments. During this time the students behave differently. 

Observation is useful in evaluating students‘ behavior in different situations. In English we use the phrases to see and to observe. To see means to study the external features of the body whereas to observe. To see means to study the external body feature along with the internal features. This process of observation is simple as far as it is concerned with the gathering of information about the behavior and personality of the students.

Observation helps the observer to observe the activities of students, class-behaviour, and hence ascertain the emotional development, mental development and maturity etc. 

During observation care should be taken that the person who is observed is unaware that he is being observed. 

Thus the observation should be out of the knowledge of person. Further care should be taken that the behavior which is to be observed should be pre-decided. 

At a time one person and one characteristic should be observed. Observation can be direct or indirect, controlled or

uncontrolled, known or unknown.

Types of Observation

Observations can be categorized as controlled observation and uncontrolled.

Controlled observation

·        The observation done in the laboratory is called controlled observation.

·        Controlled observation means the observation is done with the knowledge of the person means that the person who is being observed is aware that he or she is being observed by the observer.

·        Controlled observation thus means conscious observation. Uncontrolled observation means taking observation without the knowledge of person.

Uncontrolled Observation

Uncontrolled observation is thus conducted in a natural situation or  condition.

 

 

 

 

Steps of Observation

Following are the steps for observation:

Planning

Execution

Recording and interpretation

Planning

The characteristic, topic or the thing to be observed is decided in this stage. Whether it is group observation or personal observation, when and how many times the observation would be done, the tools useful for recording the observation etc. is also decided here. The specific type of training, if necessary for observer, is provided. These training are useful during interpretation.

Who will be doing observation or the observer is also pre decided.

Execution

The arrangement for observation is done. The necessary arrangement for the observation as such the natural or artificial arrangement is done. Then after that environment of that opportunity is given so that the person is motivated to behave in some manner and that behavior is observed. Moreover the type of observation, its time and place for observation is also decided.

Recording and Interpretation

If the tools or instruments are ready then observation turns a fast process. The

Observation or the recording is herby evaluated and interpreted.

ASSESSMENT OF AFFECTIVE LEARNING:UNIT 3

 

AFFECTIVE LEANING

Affective domain describes the way people react emotionally and their ability to feel other living things' pain or joy.

Affective objectives typically target the awareness and growth in attitudes, emotion and feelings.

Attitude

Meaning and Definition of Attitude

An attitude is a variable which directly observed, but it is inferred from overt behavior both verbal and non-verbal responses. In more objective term the concept of attitude may be said to connote response tendency with regard to certain categories of stimuli.

In actual practice the term attitude‘has been most frequently associated with emotionally toned responses. The deep rooted feelings are the attitudes which cannot be changed easily.

An attitude is defined as a tendency to react in certain way toward a designated class of stimuli or an object‖

Opinion and Attitude

Opinion is sometimes differentiated from attitude, but the proposed distinctions are neither consistent nor logically defensible. More often the two terms are used interchangeable but psychologically these two terms are altogether different.

(i) Attitude of an individual is generally very rigid it cannot be easily changed, but opinion can be revised or changed easily.

(ii) Attitude of an individual can be graded easily but opinion cannot be graded, the opinions are usually in the form of yes or no.

(iii) Attitude of individual is considered as human trait or important variable, is measured

by rating scales. Opinion is not considered as trait or variable, is areas concern.

Opinion air is the tool to call the opinion of the individuals polling.

(iv) How an individual feel or what he believes is his attitude, but difficult to measure and describe. We have to depend for his attitude, what the individual says as to his beliefs and feelings. Really the expression is the opinion. Total opinion forms an attitude.

(v) The term opinion is used more often is refer to judgments and knowledge, where as the term attitude‘is more connotative of belongs, feelings and preferences.

(vi) The opinions, are usually verifiable than attitudes

Measurement of Attitudes

Psychometrics scaling procedures are described all represent technique for placing a set of stimuli on a numerical scale, seeking in every instance too much to reach the highest level of measurement possible under the experimental improved conditions‘.

Guilford and others (1954)

Psychometric scaling technique called successive intervals‘. Each of the stimuli under consideration is placed into one of a limited number of intervals ordered along some continuum.

Values

a. Meaning and Definition of Values

The term value‘is more sociological concept. The values fall in the realm of ethics, economics, aesthetics and religion.

They exist as they are experienced in human minds and translated into human actions.

The value determines the direction of human actions. Thus values are the significant determinant for individual differences. The values are related to feelings and beliefs of an individual which are deep rooted.

The value is defined in terms of sentiments and emotions likes and dislikes etc.

Values seem to reside in the objects just as truly as do colour, smell temperature size and shape‖.

Characteristics of values

The following are the characteristics of value-

It is the satisfaction of human wants.

 It is the psychological needs of a person

It is a generalized and that guides individual behavior and it is an organized ends.

 It is an outcome of human choices among the competitive human interest.

 It is the psychic-energy invested in the personality of an individual.

It is the real determinant of human behavior and relationship between subject and object.

 It is socially approved desires and goals, and experiences of life which guides the actions and behavior are known as values

Test of Values

A test of values, in contrast to one of attitudes, claims to measure generalized and dominant interests. The study of values (Allport and others), is based upon six categories of values, as classified by Spranger (type of men). The items are intended to measure the relative prominence of the subject‘s interests, for the purpose of classifying his values. The six categories of values are-

1. Theoretical values

2. Economic values

3. Aesthetic values

4. Social values

5. Political values and

6. Religions values

According to this classification-

1. The dominant interest of the theoretical man is discovery of truth.

2. The economic is interested in what is useful for him.

3. The aesthetic values form and harmonize most.

4. The highest value the social type is love of people.

5. The political man is interested primarily in power, and

6. The religious man places the highest value on unity.

Definition of Interest

The following are some important definitions of the term interest.

An interest is a tendency to become absorbed in an experience and to continue it‖.

- Bingham, W.V.

ii. The following are the main characteristics of Interest

1. Interests are not necessarily related to ability or aptitude.

2. Interest can be hereditary as well as acquired from environment, through the interests are mainly acquired.

3. Interests are fairly stable, cannot be changed easily.

4. Interests of an individual resemble with his parents or family interests.

5. Interests are the aspects of personality of an individual.

6. Interests are related to aptitudes and achievements.

 

iii. Measurement of Interest

There are various methods and tools of measuring personality such as observation, interview, check list questionnaire and inventories.

The following are most popular interest inventories-

1. Strong Vocational Interest Blank by E.K. Strong

2. Kuder Preference Record, and

3. Occupational Interest Inventory

The brief description of these instruments has been provided in the following paragraphs:

a. Strong Vocational Interest Blank

This interest blank was designed by E.K. Strong in 1919. It consists of 420 items concern with various occupations, school subjects, amusements, activities of people etc.

 It has been applied to persons in various professions such as law, medicine, teaching and engineering etc.,

According to strong some interests are common to all these professions. It is not concerned with ability.

It is applicable for adults. It is available in four forms for men, women, students and those who have left school long back. About 40, 50 minutes are given for taking the test.

 The reliability is about 0.80 validations it quite difficult. E.K. Strong validated after 16 years who had taken test. The norms have been developed for the inventory.

Limitations

The accuracy of statements made by the subject cannot be tested. There is the problem of stability of interests as it is an acquired trait, the interests change at the different stages of development.

 It does not indicate the success in the occupation.

b. Kuder Preference Record

The Kuder Preference Record has been developed for high school and college students.

Each item of this inventory consists of three preferences such as- (a) Study Physics (b) Study of Musical Composition and (c) Study Public Speaking.

It consists of 198 items in all, each item has three preferences. Preference is measured in nine field’s mechanical, scientific, computational, artistic, literacy, persuasive social service and clerical etc. It has high reliability index 90.

 

Interest inventories are used in the classification or selection of individual for different occupations.

 

It means that individual difference with regard to interests is useful for vocational guidance as well as educational guidance and counseling purpose.

 

 It provides the basis for selection of individuals for different jobs. It has the administrative function. Information about the interests of students is much more useful for teachers in school.

.

c. Occupational Interest Inventory

Occupational Interest Inventory is designed to be used in a wide spectrum of career guidance activities.

It helps candidates choose an occupation, plan their career, and grow as professionals in the workplace.

The assessment, which is based on the RIASEC model, measures levels of interest in 12 domains and matches the candidate‘s profile with a list of 80 occupations across various sectors and fields.

 

In this way, it helps to pinpoint the most suitable profession for them.

 

The report provides a constructive analysis, helping the evaluator to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the candidate, understand their vocational interests, and match their profile with suitable career options.

 Recruitment

When combined with a personality questionnaire, Occupational Interest Inventory can be an integral part of your recruitment process. Through an assessment of interests and professional aspirations, recruiters can assign the positions and responsibilities that would be most stimulating and rewarding for employees.

Self-concept

One's self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self structure) is a collection of beliefs about oneself that includes elements such as academic performance, gender roles, sexuality and racial identity.

Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to "Who am I?” Self-concept is a cognitive or descriptive component of one's self (e.g.

"I am a fast runner"),

Self-concept is made up of one's self-schemas, and interacts with self-esteem, self knowledge and the social self to form the self as whole. It includes the past, present, and future selves, where future selves (or possible selves) represent individuals' ideas of what they might

become, what they would like to become, or what they are afraid of becoming. Possible selves may function as incentives for certain behavior.