The Association of Social Work Boards' Licensure Examinations: A Review of Reliability and Validity Processes

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Association of Social Work Boards' Licensure Examinations: A Review of Reliability and Validity Processes
Language: English
Authors: Marson, Stephen M., DeAngelis, Donna, Mittal, Nisha
Source: Research on Social Work Practice. 2010 20(1):87-99.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Physical Description: PDF
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2010
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Content Validity, Test Validity, Psychometrics, Social Work, Licensing Examinations (Professions), Statistical Analysis, Test Reliability, Test Preparation, Task Analysis, Test Items, Scores, Costs, Test Construction
DOI: 10.1177/1049731509347858
ISSN: 1049-7315
Abstract: Objectives: The purpose of this article is to create transparency for the psychometric methods employed for the development of the Association of Social Work Boards' (ASWB) exams. Results: The article includes an assessment of the macro (political) and micro (statistical) environments of testing social work competence. The seven-step process used to ensure content validity is discussed. The types of reliability and validity methods employed to assess ASWB exams are discussed. Examples are offered to illustrate the statistical methods employed for selecting good items (questions, some of which are not in question form) and eliminating poor ones. A discussion of the finances of reliability and validity research is included. Conclusion: Readers will have a deeper understanding of how exams are constructed. The information housed within this article may facilitate preparing students for the exams. (Contains 8 figures.)
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 30
Entry Date: 2010
Accession Number: EJ867223
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Objectives: The purpose of this article is to create transparency for the psychometric methods employed for the development of the Association of Social Work Boards' (ASWB) exams. Results: The article includes an assessment of the macro (political) and micro (statistical) environments of testing social work competence. The seven-step process used to ensure content validity is discussed. The types of reliability and validity methods employed to assess ASWB exams are discussed. Examples are offered to illustrate the statistical methods employed for selecting good items (questions, some of which are not in question form) and eliminating poor ones. A discussion of the finances of reliability and validity research is included. Conclusion: Readers will have a deeper understanding of how exams are constructed. The information housed within this article may facilitate preparing students for the exams. (Contains 8 figures.)
ISSN:1049-7315
DOI:10.1177/1049731509347858