Le, V.-N., Gallagher, L. P., & Kupermintz, H. (1999). Construct validation of mathematics achievement: Evidence from interview procedures. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
Summary
This study investigated the validity of measures derived from a large-scale multiple-choice achievement test in mathematics, using evidence from introspective think-aloud protocols of students as they attempted test items. A small-scale study of 21 local high-school students was conducted to identify and describe cognitive processes underlying their utility in supporting validity claims about the achievement dimensions tapped by the test. Differences and similarities in solution strategies and sources of knowledge used to solve items representing five achievement dimensions were examined. The results provide further evidence for the plausibility of interpretations of the dimensions derived from a large-scale factor analysis and support the conclusion that 12th-grade mathematics achievement is factorially and cognitively complex. Test scores that do not capture such complexity may mask important achievement information. (Contains 7 tables and 10 references.) (Author/SLD)