DIAGNOSTIC TEST

DIAGNOSTIC TEST 

• Diagnosis in education means the art or act of finding out the root cause for defective learning so as to adopt remedial teaching.   

• According to Thorndike and Hagen diagnostic test should provide a detailed picture of strength and weakness of the pupil in a particular area.

• This test is given at the beginning of the instruction.

• These test are designed to identify and investigate the difficulties, disabilities and inadequacies of pupil in specific field before they become serious problems to themselves and the teacher. This demands great ingenuity, insight and imagination on the part of the test constructor.

    Definition

              It is the test designed to locate the specific learning deficiencies in case of specific individuals at the specific stage of learning lesson, so that specific effort could be made to overcome those deficiencies.

OBJECTIVE OF DIAGNOSTIC TEST 

1. To provide educational and vocational guidance to students and guardians on the basis of traits realized from specific subject related learning unit.
2. To make teaching learning circumstances effective.
3. to  make evaluation process more meaningful and effective.
4. To make arrangement for remedial teaching.
5. To give advise to a teacher or to make self improvement in their teaching process
6. To know about the weakness, deficiencies and difficulties of a student in a specific area of their studies.
7. To assist the teacher in selection of different test, techniques and tools for knowing the causes related to the specific problems in learning process
8. To assist the selection of different types of questions for the constructions of different achievement test.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAGNOSTIC TEST

1.  These test are standardized but some specialist's opinion that should not be standardized
2. Time limit of the test is not specified
3. These tests form an essential part of the curriculum.
4. These test reveals the mental process of the learner.
5. These are conducted according to specific objectives.
6. The basis of the test are formed according to the facts and norms established by conducting experiments.
7. The test do not focus the child's ability but diagnosis his weakness in order to provide for remedy
8. These test are analytical.
9. Scores obtained by students are not important. It only reveals the difficulty questions which a student can solve or not.
10. This helps to know the students progress in a particular subject area objectively.

LEVELS OF DIAGNOSTIC TEST

             There are mainly 5 levels of diagnosis such as-

1. Identify the pupil who have troubles
2. Identify the areas of errors.
3. Identify the reason for that errors.
4. Suggest the remedies to overcome that errors.
5. Suggest the methods to prevent that errors. 

                   The first four are corrective diagnostic level and the last one is known as preventive diagnostic level.

PROCEDURE/ STEPS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A DIAGNOSTIC TEST

 1. IDENTIFICATION OF DIFFICULT AREA:

             This is the first step in the construction of a diagnostic test. To find out this difficult area a teacher can make use of the scores achieved by students in a teacher-made test or achievement test. The difficult area is that art of the question that most of the children answered incorrectly.

2.ANALYSIS OF TEACHING UNIT:

              After selecting the difficult area they should be further divided into simpler teaching - learning points and then test items are constructed for each point.

3.ARRANGE THE TEST ITEMS IN A SEQUENTIAL ORDER:

               Write the test items representing all into steps arising out of the difficult area and arrange these items in a sequential order.

4.DIVISION OF ITEMS INTO SMALLER UNITS:

               Sometimes number of test items will be very large , then more time will be required to work out these items. In such cases items may be divided into  3 or more sections as per the convenience of the learners. These may be administered in different occasions.

5.CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS:

            Very clear instructions should be given as to what pupil should do and how. The following are some instructions given in a diagnostic test-

• This test has nothing to do with your success or failure in th examination. This is only to know what your difficulties are, so that your teacher can help you to save them.
• There is no limit of time, but try to complete this as fast a possible.
• Write the answers in the space left blank against each question
• Workout the items one by one , but you feel if you can't do anyone ,do not waste time, proceed to next.

6.ANALYSIS OF DIAGNOSTIC TEST:

               The result of a Diagnosis test has to be analyzed with a view to find out the exact area in which difficulties exist and to determine what exactly the nature of each difficulty is. This may be done with respect to the group diagnosis as well as individual diagnosis.

              Group Diagnosis is meant to locate difficulties in general for the group or subgroup.

              Individual Diagnosis aims at helping each individual student to solve specific difficulties of his own.

               On the basis of this analysis the reason for each difficulty has to be determined. This process is one that requires both competence and imagination that are using out of experience.

7. REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION:

                   When the exact nature of the difficulties and the reason behind this are find out, the teacher has to take steps for the remedial instruction. This also provides on the basis of group level or individual level depending upon the scope of the diagnosis.

 Remedial instruction includes -

• To provide additional learning activities that might help in reducing the difficulties noticed.
• To provide instructions to do not repeat the problems or difficulties again and again.

                 For acquiring a new knowledge, every time the learner require a pre requisite knowledge. Without fill this gap no one could attain mastery in their learning process. Hence diagnosis and remediation should be a continuous process and an integral part of effective teaching learning process.(ie,, imparting instructions).

ACHIEVEMNT TEST  Vs. DIAGNOSTIC TEST

           
                                             

                       

ACHIEVEMENT TEST	DIAGNOSTIC TEST
1. It is designed to test the achievement of the learner	1. Designs to measure the non- achievement of a learner
2. Used for the placement of students	2. Used for remedial teaching.
3. All topics are given importance.	3. Only the content area that gives problem is given importance.
4. Intense evaluation of a particular area is not attempted.	4. Intense evaluation of a particular area is attempted.
5. Construction is comparatively easy.	5. Construction is comparatively difficult.
6. Time factor is important in answering the question.	6. Time factor is not important.