An Analysis of the Complex Thinking Requirements of the TerraNova and IOWA Practice Tests in English/Language Arts for Grade 8: A Tale of Two Tests

• Main Author: Lamberti, Armand
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: eRepository @ Seton Hall 2020
• Subjects: cognitive complexity; creative thinking; higher-order thinking; problem solving; standardized assessment; strategic thinking; Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK); Educational Assessment; Evaluation; and Research; Junior High; Intermediate; Middle School Education and Teaching; Terranova
• Online Access: https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2810; https://scholarship.shu.edu/context/dissertations/article/3906/viewcontent/Dissertation___Armand_Lamberti.pdf

ABSTRACT The importance of higher-order thinking, 21st-Century Skills, and standardized testing are important issues in education. TerraNova and IOWA tests are widely used to assess students’ academic competence. The publishers of the TerraNova and IOWA tests claim that their assessment instruments challenge students to employ higher-order thinking skills. This study sought to examine and describe ways in which the language found in the TerraNova and IOWA English/Language Arts practice tests compared with the language that promotes higher-order thinking found in the literature. A convergent, parallel mixed-methods study with qualitative and quantitative content analysis methods was conducted to (a) describe the way(s) in which the language found in the questions on the TerraNova and IOWA English/Language Arts Practice Tests for grade 8 compares with the language associated with higher-order thinking found in research literature and (b) to describe and compare the complex thinking requirements found on the TerraNova and the IOWA English/Language Arts Practice Tests for grade 8. The qualitative method consisted of a content analysis of the language of the questions on each test, deductive coding, and categorizing the cognitive level of each question based on Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. The quantitative aspect of the study consisted of calculating the percentages of questions categorized in each level of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. Each depth of knowledge level represents a level of cognitive complexity: levels 1 and 2 – lower level, levels 3 and 4 – higher level. Each question was rated on a 1–4 DOK level based on Webb’s Depth of Knowledge methodology. To assist with reliability in coding, the coders utilized a double-rater read behind consensus model. This study sought to reveal the extent to which complex/higher-order thinking skills are incorporated throughout the TerraNova and IOWA standardized practice tests. The results of this convergent, parallel mixed-methods study found that 98% of the 220 test questions ...