Handling Subscales in the Interpretation of Achievement Test Results

―Empirical Verification Using TIMSS2003 Grade8 Science Data―

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to obtain guidelines on how achievement test results should be interpreted and utilized, focusing on the subscales in achievement tests. To empirically verify the results, we conducted multilevel analysis focusing on the subscales using the TIMSS2003 grade8 science data in Japan. The results showed that the influence of the determinants on the ability specific to the subscales was limited. The results indicate that psychometric support for the interpretation of the test results is based on the assumption of the existence of a unidimensional ability, with reference to the characteristics of each subscale in addition to it. The results of this study, which can only be obtained by hybridizing psychometric techniques and an educational sociological approach, indicate its effectiveness as a validation approach in various test utilization situations in which subscales are set, which was discussed as the significance of this study.