Developing equivalent forms of proofreading tests

Author

Sue C. Camp

Date of Award

6-1987

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Curriculum and Instruction

Major Professor

John R. Ray

Committee Members

Russell L. French, Bill Radcliff, Theodore W. Hippie

Abstract

The problem of this study was that business and office personnel lack proofreading skill. The purpose was to develop two objective proofreading tests for use in business education and office administration classes to enable instructors to determine if their students need proofreading instruction or if proofreading skill had been developed.

From a review of the literature and published proofreading programs, a list of 150 component skills contributing to proofreading skill was developed. A panel of eight business educators were asked to rate each skill as essential, desirable, or not essential to proofreading skill. Two forms of the proofreading test were constructed from the component skills that received a rating of essential from at least five panel members. After the tests were piloted and revised, each form had 100 similar items.

The reliability coefficient of the two forms was .80. Pearson Product moment correlation was used in the computation. The correlation of the split halves, using Pearson Product moment correlation and the Spearman-Brown formula to estimate reliability should the test be lengthened, was .70 for Form A and .75 for Form B.

The average item difficulty on the items measuring the proofreading component skills was 57.6 on Form A and 59.7 on Form B. Only eleven of these items on Form A and only nine of these items on Form B had an item difficulty of less than 20 percent or greater than 80 percent. The median discriminating power was .26 on Form A and .27 on Form B.

Several conclusions were made as a result of the study. Component skills of proofreading could be determined through a review of the literature. A consensus of component skills of proofreading skill can be reached by surveying a panel of business education experts. Equivalent forms of an objective, reliable instrument could be developed to measure proofreading skill with a minimal demand being placed on class instruction time.

Recommended Citation

Camp, Sue C., "Developing equivalent forms of proofreading tests. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1987.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12028