The Perceived Disadvantages of the Computerized
Finally, subjects report as an advantage the fact that a computerized test implies saving resources, a fact which makes an ecological contribution since no paper is used. Thomas Sabo Bracelets The second question reported refers to the perceived disadvantages of the computerized test.
Despite the evidence of computer familiarity reported before, adaptation to a new form of evaluation receives the highest frequency among the disadvantages assigned to computerized testing, particularly among high school students. Computer familiarity is an issue of great concern in the area, despite findings that a lack thereof is not an adverse factor in test performance (Taylor, Kirsch, Eignor, and Jamieson 1999). In the present study, its possible influence was minimized by a practice session with the test program and sample items before the actual test, and by the fact that computers were part of the subjects’ regular classroom activities. However, it does seem that familiarity with computers does not guarantee that subjects will not be concerned about having their performance tested through a novel means. The fact that subjects’ grades were involved may have added to their concern about an innovative method of evaluation. Students’ perceptions in this respect imply that teachers planning to implement computerized testing must be aware that care must be taken to address students’ concerns about a different way of testing with actions that minimize possible rejection and/or distrust.
The category that appears in the second place is self-explanatory: it shows that subjects did not find any disadvantage in the computerized test. In the third place, we find the issue of visual fatigue produced by reading on screen. It is necessary to highlight the fact that university students report this disadvantage in a substantially higher number than high school students. It will be remembered that the test for high school students was a grammar test and the test for university students was a reading test.
It is obvious that the latter needed to focus their eyes on the screen for a longer period and possibly with more intensity, since they had to read and reread texts and questions. The former, on the other hand, had mostly sentences and a few mini-conversations plus their respective questions. Visual fatigue is an issue that needs to be addressed in computerized testing, and as such, it was explored in detail in the larger study. Due to space limitations, suffice it to say that the results were encouraging since the majority of comments pointed to visual fatigue not being a detrimental factor in subjects’ perceptions. However, the few reports received about reading on screen being bothersome, do justify the need for monitors with high refresh rates and for measures such as using appropriate colours in the presentation of the test, ensuring that students wear their prescription glasses if necessary, using comfortable chairs and maintaining an appropriate posture.
In the fourth place, we find subjects concern about power failures and machine/program malfunction affecting their tests. The author did not expect this category to appear in the reports since the program was designed in such a way that once the computer is restarted, the test is restored in the exact item the subject was working on before the failure, with all the completed items intact. Thomas Sabo Pendant However, because of a mistake by the author, university students did not receive this information on the day of their practice session. Notice that this very logical worry was not reported by high school students, who did receive the information and were, reassured that the program had protection against power failures and other types of interruptions.
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