Defining Prose Task Characteristics for Use in Computer-Adaptive Testing and Instruction

The purpose of this study was to validate the constructs that define the difficulty levels of prose-task processing. To accomplish this, this study investigated the extent to which variables from a previous study (Mosenthal, 1996) on document processing influenced difficulty on 165 tasks drawn from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American educational research journal 1998, Vol.35 (2), p.269-307
Main Author: Mosenthal, Peter B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement tests
Adaptive Testing
Adult education
Adult literacy
Adults
Business structures
Computer Assisted Testing
Definitions
Difficulty Level
Educational innovations
Educational research
Educational sciences
Educational testing
Inference
Linear regression
Literacy
Mathematical independent variables
Prose
Readability
Reading instruction
Scores
Studies
Teaching methods
Teaching, Learning, and Human Development
Test Construction
Writing
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to validate the constructs that define the difficulty levels of prose-task processing. To accomplish this, this study investigated the extent to which variables from a previous study (Mosenthal, 1996) on document processing influenced difficulty on 165 tasks drawn from the prose scales of five national, adult-literacy surveys. It was found that three process variables accounted for 78% of the variance when prose task difficulty was defined using level scores. The constructs within five levels are specified in terms of a hierarchy of processing difficulty and proficiency. The application of these levels for designing computer-adaptive testing and instruction programs is considered, as are applications for conducting prose research and interpreting literacy policy.
ISSN:0002-8312
1935-1011
DOI:10.3102/00028312035002269