Item Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Item Analysis - Assignment Example This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginning of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be fewer items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores.It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A competency test typically contains a few simple items, a few difficult items and a few items w ith moderate difficulty. A speed test, on the other hand, requires all items to be similarly difficult. For a competency test; it is necessary that we choose items that not only have different levels of difficulty; but also discriminate between individuals who are able to solve it and those who are not. A good item would typically help us in understanding how well the individual test taker has mastered the individual concept while also helping us differentiate those who did master the concept from those who did not.... Also; the Alpha coefficient is affected by the length of the test; with the reliability being higher and more trusted for a longer test than a shorter one. The given test is only 10 items long; and this may compromise the reliability to some extent. The skewed scores also present other concerns. The Standard Error of Skewness for this test may be calculated by using the Tabachnick & Fidell’s (1996) formula . This provides us with a SES value of 0.245. If we define the acceptable limits within which the value of skewness may fall as being between 2 SES both sides of zero; then we may accept a value that falls between – 0.49 and + 0.49. the obtained value of + 0.78 is well outside these limits, indicating that there is a positive skew to the scores and a significant clustering of scores towards the lower side of the scale. This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginni ng of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be less items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores. It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A

How can managers assist employees with their career development Research Paper

How can managers assist employees with their career development - Research Paper Example It has also been stated that presence of a motivated workforce is very critical to the success of a firm in the market. It has been proved in various researches that job satisfaction is an essential aspect that leads to motivation among the employees. A motivated employee is known to provide the best shot at the workplace and is likely to view his or her tasks as responsibilities rather than routine work that can lead to organizational efficiency generating competitive advantage for the organization. The aspect of motivation is also directly linked to career development of the individual employees. The role of the manager or the supervisor becomes very important in this regard as their attitude can lead to considerable effects on the level of motivation and job satisfaction. The present paper would try to analyze the role of the managers in assisting employees towards their career development Analysis The concept of career development has been a matter of consistent research over the last few decades. During the era of the 80’s the focus was based on the ‘unitarist’ practices with employees extending their career options to multiple employers in an attempt to get the best of development of their personal careers. The present age has led to a situation in which employers are facing issues of high turnovers that has led to formulation of strategies that call for the need to ensure career development of the employees so as to ensure motivation and job satisfaction that can in turn help retain the best employees in the organization. The aspect of career development also calls on managers and supervisors to formulate practices that tend to encourage and improve their learning curves. The recent recession and downturn in the markets also had a very negative impact on the relationship with employees and their managers as well as on the careers of employees who were downsized in order to maintain costs. However, many organizations and managers have realized this as an opportunity to ensure a relationship based on partnerships and mutual benefits leading to a condition of greater shared responsibility that has led to generation of a positive sentiment even during times of severe crisis situations like the economic recession (Bratton & Gold, 2001, p.172-180). Figure 1: Career Development Model (Source: Bratton & Gold, 2001, p.182) The figure above shows a career development plan that combines the organizational needs along with the career development of an employee in the organization. The model proposes a session for career counseling that can be used to integrate organizational requirements with the career growth and competence of an individual employee. The model also shows a significant and important role for the manager in the entire process as the entire task of making a mutual integration with the career goals of an individual employee. The manager has a key role in making a decision about the type of training program tha t should be suitable for the employee so as to ensure organizational development as well as career development of an individual (Bratton & Gold, 2001, p.172-180). Numerous research conducted by academic and professional circles have stated the importance of the role of