Which statement best distinguishes measurement from evaluation?

Measurement quantifies a quality; evaluation judges its worth against a standard

Evaluation is the instrument and measurement is the judgement

Measurement and evaluation are the same process

Measurement quantifies a quality; evaluation judges its worth against a standard

Measurement is always subjective and evaluation always objective

Assertion (A): A test can be highly reliable and still not valid. Reason (R): Reliability is the consistency of scores, while validity is whether the test measures what it claims to measure. Choose the correct option.

Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

Which of the following are correctly matched with their sport? Select all that apply.

Lockhart–McPherson Wall Volley Test — badminton

McDonald Soccer Test — football

Broer–Miller Drive Test — tennis

Lockhart–McPherson Wall Volley Test — badminton

McDonald Soccer Test — football

Schmithals–French Test — basketball

Broer–Miller Drive Test — tennis

Which statements about item analysis of a knowledge test are correct? Select all that apply.

An item answered correctly by more of the lower group than the upper group has negative discrimination

Items of moderate difficulty generally discriminate best

A difficulty index of 0.95 means that the item is very hard

An item answered correctly by more of the lower group than the upper group has negative discrimination

Items of moderate difficulty generally discriminate best

Items with zero discrimination should always be kept unchanged

Test, Measurement and Evaluation I: their Types and Importance in Physical Education and Sports, the Principles and Processes of Evaluation, the Criteria for Selecting a Test and the Administration of a Testing Programme, the Types of Test and the Construction of Standard Knowledge and Skill Tests, and the Sports Skill Tests for Badminton, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Tennis and Volleyball

Unit IX, test, measurement and evaluation, is the most catalogue-like unit of the syllabus and has no counterpart elsewhere on the platform. This first chapter covers the concepts themselves and the rules of good testing: what test, measurement and evaluation mean and how they differ; formative, summative, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced evaluation; validity, reliability, objectivity, norms and feasibility; how a testing programme is run; how knowledge and skill tests are constructed, with item difficulty, discrimination and the Spearman–Brown correction worked; and the named skill tests for the six games the syllabus lists.

1. Test, measurement and evaluation: meaning, types and importance

A test is an instrument, tool or technique used to obtain a response from which a quality can be judged: a 50 m sprint, a sit-and-reach box, a questionnaire. Measurement is the process of collecting information by a test and expressing it quantitatively, as a number: 7.2 seconds, 28 cm. Evaluation is the process of judging the value or worth of that information against a standard or objective: "7.2 seconds is above the norm for her age" or "the unit's objective has been met". So test is the tool, measurement the quantification and evaluation the judgement; evaluation may also use non-measured information, such as observation.

Evaluation may be placement (at the start, to group pupils or place them at the right level), diagnostic (to identify specific weaknesses and their causes), formative (during instruction, to give feedback and improve teaching and learning) or summative (at the end of a unit, term or course, to judge overall achievement and award grades). It may be norm-referenced, comparing a performance with that of a reference group (percentiles, T-scores, rank in class), or criterion-referenced, comparing it with a fixed standard (a health-related fitness standard such as a "healthy fitness zone", or "can swim 50 m"). Tests may be objective or subjective, standardised or teacher-made, and performance, written or oral. Measurement and evaluation matter in physical education for motivation, for classification and grouping, for diagnosis and remedial work, for grading and reporting, for selecting teams, for evaluating programmes and teaching, for predicting performance, for research and for guidance.

The principles of evaluation in physical education are that it should be based on the objectives of the programme; be continuous and comprehensive, covering the physical, motor, cognitive and affective domains; use a variety of valid and reliable techniques; be fair and free of bias; be used to improve learning and teaching rather than only to grade; involve pupils in self-evaluation; and be recorded and interpreted meaningfully. Its process is to identify the objectives, decide what evidence is needed, select or construct appropriate tests, administer them properly, score and analyse the results, interpret them against norms or criteria, and use and report the findings.

2. Criteria for selecting a test and the administration of a testing programme

The scientific criteria of a good test are validity, reliability and objectivity, supported by norms and administrative feasibility. Validity is the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure. Content (logical, face) validity is judged by whether the test samples the relevant content or skill; criterion-related validity by correlation with an accepted criterion, either at the same time (concurrent validity, such as a field test against laboratory VO2max) or in the future (predictive validity); and construct validity by whether the test behaves as the underlying theory predicts, for example by distinguishing skilled from unskilled players. Reliability is the consistency of scores: test–retest reliability correlates two administrations of the same test; parallel-forms reliability two equivalent forms; split-half reliability the two halves of one test, corrected to full length by the Spearman–Brown formula r = 2r½ ÷ (1 + r½), so that a half-test correlation of 0.6 gives 1.2 ÷ 1.6 = 0.75; and internal consistency by Kuder–Richardson formulas or Cronbach's alpha. Objectivity is agreement between different testers scoring the same performance, that is, inter-rater reliability.

A valid test must be reliable, but a reliable test need not be valid: a stopwatch may time a sit-and-reach consistently while measuring nothing about flexibility. Beyond the scientific criteria, a test should have norms suited to the group being tested (by age, sex and level); be economical in time, cost and equipment; be easy to administer and score; be suited to the age, sex and ability of the subjects and safe; have educational value and interest; and discriminate among performers. The administration of a testing programme runs in three stages. Before testing: select the tests, plan the order (non-fatiguing tests such as height, weight and flexibility first and exhausting tests such as distance runs last), arrange facilities, equipment and score sheets, train the assistants, prepare instructions, inform the subjects and screen them for health. During testing: give standard instructions and demonstrations, provide a warm-up, follow the procedures exactly, motivate all subjects equally, ensure safety and record scores carefully. After testing: check and collate scores, analyse and interpret them, report results to pupils and parents, and use them for teaching and planning.

⚠️ Reliable is not the same as valid

Reliability is consistency; validity is truthfulness. A test can give the same wrong answer every time. Validity requires reliability, so an unreliable test cannot be valid, but high reliability alone proves nothing about validity. Objectivity is a form of reliability between testers.

3. Construction of standard knowledge and skill tests

A knowledge test measures understanding of rules, techniques, strategy, history, health and the scientific basis of activity. Its construction begins with planning: stating the objectives and preparing a table of specifications (a blueprint) that allots items to content areas and to cognitive levels (knowledge, understanding, application). Items are then written: objective types (true–false, multiple choice, matching, completion) and essay types, following rules such as one clear idea per item, plausible distractors and no clues in the wording. The draft is reviewed by experts, tried out on a sample similar to the target group, and item-analysed. The difficulty index is the proportion answering correctly, p = (RU + RL) ÷ (NU + NL) when upper and lower groups (commonly the top and bottom 27 per cent) are used; the discrimination index is D = (RU − RL) ÷ N, where N is the size of each group. If 24 of 30 in the upper group and 12 of 30 in the lower group answer an item correctly, p = 36 ÷ 60 = 0.6 and D = (24 − 12) ÷ 30 = 0.4. Items of moderate difficulty (about 0.3 to 0.7) and good discrimination (about 0.3 or more) are kept; items with zero or negative discrimination are revised or discarded. Finally reliability and validity are established, and norms and a manual of instructions are prepared.

A skill test measures the ability to perform the fundamental skills of a sport. Its construction follows similar steps: analysing the sport to identify its essential skills (by expert opinion and the literature); selecting or devising test items that isolate each skill in a game-like but standardised form; writing precise directions for equipment, area, procedure, trials and scoring; a pilot study for feasibility; establishing reliability (usually test–retest) and validity (commonly by correlation with judges' ratings of playing ability, or by comparing players of different levels); combining items into a battery, often with weights from multiple regression; and preparing norms. Good skill tests are simple, safe, game-like, measure one skill at a time, discriminate between skill levels and produce objective scores.

4. Sports skill tests

Sport	Well-known skill tests	What they measure
Badminton	French Short Serve Test and French Clear Test (Esther French, with M. Gladys Scott); Lockhart–McPherson Badminton Wall Volley Test (1949); Miller Wall Volley Test	Accuracy of the short serve and clear to target areas; rally ability against a wall
Basketball	Johnson Basketball Ability Test; Knox Basketball Test; the AAHPER and later AAHPERD basketball skills tests (speed spot shooting, passing, control dribble, defensive movement)	Shooting, passing, dribbling and defensive footwork
Football (soccer)	McDonald Soccer Test (wall volley); Johnson Soccer Test; Mor–Christian soccer skill test battery; AAHPER soccer skills test	Kicking and trapping against a wall, dribbling, passing and shooting
Hockey	Schmithals–French Field Hockey Test; Friedel Field Hockey Test	Dribbling, dodging, fielding, driving and push passes
Tennis	Dyer Backboard Test (1935); Broer–Miller Forehand–Backhand Drive Test; Hewitt Tennis Achievement Test	Rally ability against a backboard; accuracy of drives; service and drives to target areas
Volleyball	Brady Volleyball Test (wall volley, 1945); Russell–Lange Volleyball Test; AAHPER volleyball skills test (serving, passing, set-up, volleying)	Volleying against a wall; serving and passing accuracy

Most of these tests share a small number of designs. Wall-volley tests (Lockhart–McPherson in badminton, McDonald in football, Dyer in tennis, Brady in volleyball) count the number of legal hits against a wall in a set time, measuring general ability to control the ball or shuttle repeatedly. Target tests (the French serve and clear tests, the Broer–Miller drives, the serving items of volleyball batteries) score accuracy by where the object lands in a scored target area. Speed and obstacle tests (dribbling in basketball, football and hockey) time the performance of a skill around a set course. Batteries combine several items into one score of playing ability. When a test is used, its published directions, scoring and norms should be followed exactly, since a modified test loses the validity and reliability established for it.

Key takeaways

A test is the tool, measurement the quantification and evaluation the judgement against a standard; evaluation is placement, diagnostic, formative or summative, and norm- or criterion-referenced.
Validity (content, criterion-related, construct), reliability (test–retest, parallel forms, split-half, internal consistency) and objectivity are the scientific criteria; a valid test must be reliable but not the reverse.
The Spearman–Brown formula r = 2r½ ÷ (1 + r½) corrects a split-half coefficient; item difficulty p is the proportion correct and discrimination D = (RU − RL) ÷ N.
A testing programme is planned before, run to standard procedure during and analysed and reported after testing, with non-fatiguing tests first and exhausting tests last.
Skill tests include the French and Lockhart–McPherson (badminton), Johnson and AAHPERD (basketball), McDonald and Mor–Christian (football), Schmithals–French and Friedel (hockey), Dyer and Broer–Miller (tennis), and Brady and Russell–Lange (volleyball).

Practice questions (10)

Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.

The correlation between the two halves of a skill test is 0.6. Using the Spearman–Brown formula, r = 2r½ ÷ (1 + r½), what is the reliability of the full test? Type the number as a decimal.
Numerical answer — type the value.
Show answer
Answer: 0.75
r = (2 × 0.6) ÷ (1 + 0.6) = 1.2 ÷ 1.6 = 0.75. The full test is more reliable than either half because reliability rises with test length; reporting 0.6 forgets the correction.
In an item analysis with upper and lower groups of 30 pupils each, 24 in the upper group and 12 in the lower group answer an item correctly. What is the discrimination index, D = (RU − RL) ÷ N? Type the number as a decimal.
Numerical answer — type the value.
Show answer
Answer: 0.4
D = (24 − 12) ÷ 30 = 12 ÷ 30 = 0.4, a good discrimination. The item's difficulty index is (24 + 12) ÷ 60 = 0.6; dividing the difference by 60 instead of 30 gives 0.2, the usual slip.
Which statement best distinguishes measurement from evaluation?
1. Evaluation is the instrument and measurement is the judgement
2. Measurement and evaluation are the same process
3. Measurement quantifies a quality; evaluation judges its worth against a standard
4. Measurement is always subjective and evaluation always objective
Show answer
Answer: C — Measurement quantifies a quality; evaluation judges its worth against a standard
Measurement gives the number (7.2 seconds); evaluation interprets it (above the norm). The instrument is the test, and neither process is by definition subjective or objective.
A new field test of aerobic fitness is correlated with laboratory-measured VO2max in the same subjects on the same day. This establishes
1. predictive validity
2. test–retest reliability
3. concurrent validity
4. objectivity
Show answer
Answer: C — concurrent validity
Correlating a test with an accepted criterion measured at the same time is concurrent (criterion-related) validity. Predictive validity would use a future criterion, reliability repeats the same test, and objectivity compares testers.
In planning the order of tests in a fitness battery, which should normally be given last?
1. The sit-and-reach test
2. Height and weight
3. A maximal distance run
4. A reaction-time test
Show answer
Answer: C — A maximal distance run
Exhausting tests such as distance runs come last so that fatigue does not affect the others. Anthropometric measures, flexibility and reaction time are non-fatiguing and are given earlier.
Assertion (A): A test can be highly reliable and still not valid. Reason (R): Reliability is the consistency of scores, while validity is whether the test measures what it claims to measure. Choose the correct option.
1. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true, but R is false
4. A is false, but R is true
Show answer
Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Both are true and R explains A: consistency and truthfulness are different properties, so a test can give the same wrong measure every time. Validity requires reliability, but reliability alone does not guarantee validity.
The Brady test, which counts the number of legal volleys against a wall in one minute, is a skill test in
1. tennis
2. volleyball
3. hockey
4. basketball
Show answer
Answer: B — volleyball
The Brady Volleyball Test (1945) is a wall-volley test. Tennis has the Dyer backboard test, basketball the Johnson and AAHPERD tests and hockey the Schmithals–French and Friedel tests.
Which of the following are correctly matched with their sport? Select all that apply.
1. Lockhart–McPherson Wall Volley Test — badminton
2. McDonald Soccer Test — football
3. Schmithals–French Test — basketball
4. Broer–Miller Drive Test — tennis
Show answer
Answer: A — Lockhart–McPherson Wall Volley Test — badminton; B — McDonald Soccer Test — football; D — Broer–Miller Drive Test — tennis
Lockhart–McPherson is a badminton wall volley, McDonald a football wall volley and Broer–Miller a tennis drive test. The Schmithals–French test is for field hockey, not basketball.
A "healthy fitness zone" standard, which a pupil either reaches or does not regardless of how classmates perform, is an example of
1. norm-referenced evaluation
2. placement evaluation only
3. criterion-referenced evaluation
4. split-half reliability
Show answer
Answer: C — criterion-referenced evaluation
Comparing performance with a fixed standard is criterion-referenced evaluation. Norm-referenced evaluation compares the pupil with a reference group, as with percentiles or T-scores; split-half reliability is a property of tests, not a type of evaluation.
Which statements about item analysis of a knowledge test are correct? Select all that apply.
1. A difficulty index of 0.95 means that the item is very hard
2. An item answered correctly by more of the lower group than the upper group has negative discrimination
3. Items of moderate difficulty generally discriminate best
4. Items with zero discrimination should always be kept unchanged
Show answer
Answer: B — An item answered correctly by more of the lower group than the upper group has negative discrimination; C — Items of moderate difficulty generally discriminate best
Negative discrimination flags a faulty item, and moderate difficulty allows the most discrimination. A difficulty index of 0.95 means 95 per cent answered correctly, a very easy item, and items that do not discriminate are revised or discarded.