7 Ultimate Functions of Tests in Education

We discussed the purposes of measurement and evaluation, but you are aware that test is the instrument used in measurement and evaluation.

Therefore, apart from those purposes, which in one way or the other are applicable to tests, we shall explain the main functions of tests in the educational system in this article. As a teacher, when you set a test for your class, what do you do with the results? How does the test help you in the teaching and learning situation?

According to Nwana (1981) there could be a variety of functions of tests .

These are:

• Motivate pupils to study.
• Determine how much the pupils have learned.
• Determine the pupils’ special difficulties.
• Determine the pupils’ special abilities.
• Determine the strength and weakness of the teaching Method.
• Determine the adequacy or otherwise of instructional Resources.
• Determine the extent of achievement of the objectives etc.

To Motivate the Pupils to Study

When you go to the church or mosque, every Sunday or Friday, you listen to the preacher as he exposes the Word, you are not subjected to any written or verbal examination on the substance of the preaching. Therefore, the effect of the preaching on you cannot be determined. Thus whether you are sleeping or paying attention to the preacher is left for you and you alone. This is not the case in a school situation where we need to verify our efforts as soon as possible. This is why test are regularly used to motivate pupils to learn. They study hard towards their weekly, terminal or end of the year promotion examinations.

Without these test, many of the pupils would be reluctant to make out time for private studies while some of them would be less likely to be attentive when the teacher is teaching, no matter how interesting and lively the teaching may be. You can see that listening to a teacher who is not going to give a test is like listening to the preacher in the church or mosque. But the risk here is that when the tests are too many, pupils start working to pass them.

To determine how much pupils have learned

One of the functions of tests can be to find out the extent to which the contents have been covered or mastered by the testees. For instance, if you treat a topic in your class at the end you give a test and many of your students score high marks. This is an indication that they have understood the topic very well. But if they score very low marks, it implies that your efforts have been wasted. You need to do more teaching. It is the results of the test that will help you decide whether to move to the next topic or repeat the current topic.

To Determine the Pupils’ Special Difficulties

Tests can be constructed and administered to students in order to determine particular problems of students. This is done in order to determine appropriate corrective actions. This identification of weaknesses and strength on the part of the students is the diagnostic use of tests. It helps in the desirable effort to give pupils, individuals or group remedial attention. Can you think of any of such tests? Before you continue do this activity.

To Determine The Pupils Special Abilities

Tests can be used as a measure to indicate what a person or a group or persons or students can do. These can be measures of aptitudes – capacity or ability to learn and measures of achievement or attainment. These can be done using aptitude tests and achievement tests. The major concentration of the class teacher is achievement test which he is expected to use to promote learning and bring about purposeful and desirable changes in the students entrusted to him

Determine The Strength And Weakness Of The Teaching Methods

The results of classroom tests provide empirical evidence for the teacher to know how well or how effective his teaching methods are. Test results are used as self -evaluation instrument. They can be used by others to evaluate the teacher. If the results are not encouraging, the teacher may decide to review his teaching methods with a view to modifying or changing to another.

To Determine The Adequacy Or Otherwise Of Instructional Materials

A good teacher makes use of a variety of teaching aids for illustrations and demonstrations. Effective use of these instructional resources helps to improve students understanding of the lesson. Topics which look abstract can be brought to concrete terms by the use of these materials. Therefore to determine the effectiveness, adequacy or otherwise of these teaching aids test can be used.

To Determine The Extent Of Achievement Of The Objectives

There are goals and objectives set for the schools. Every school is expected to achieve the goals and objectives through the instructional programmes. The results of tests given to students are used to evaluate how well the instructional programmes have helped in the achievement of the goals and objectives.

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