Using Computers for Reading Tests Does Not Affect Scores
Testing Accommodations Summary Computer-Based Read-Aloud Tools: An Effective Way to Accommodate Students with Disabilities Computers Improve Students' Writing Performance on Tests Using Computers for Reading Tests Does Not Affect Scores Computer Accommodations Must Begin as Classroom Accommodations
Overview
Reading tests often present extended passages and then call for students
to respond to a series of questions. When the text extends onto multiple
pages, developers of computer-based reading tests must decide how to guide
students through the passage. Currently, two options exist: a) the passage
is broken into subsections and each subsection is presented as a single
block of text mimicking a printed page of text; or b) the passage is presented
as a single block of text through which the student must scroll much like
working with a word processing document. While students who are accustomed
to using the Internet or reading text passages on a computer may be comfortable
and familiar with scrolling, students who are less familiar with technology
may find scrolling to be a new experience that ultimately reduces their
performance on reading tests.
Study Design
To examine whether and how the presentation of reading passages affects
the test performance of fourth grade students, 219 students from eight Vermont
schools were randomly assigned to perform the same reading test in one of
three modes: (1) on paper, (2) on computer with scrolling reading passages,
and (3) on computer with passages divided into sections that were presented
as “whole pages” of text. To control for effects that might
result from differences in the computers available within each school, the
research team brought a set of Macintosh 12-inch iBooks which use the traditional
hand-held mouse and mousepad.
Scrolling Text Presents Obstacles
While results from this study should not be interpreted as definitive, there
were four findings:
- No significant differences in reading comprehension scores occurred across testing modes, but students scored noticeably lower when working with scrolling text.
- No statistical differences appeared in reading comprehension scores based on students’ prior experiences with computers, but a pattern in performance suggests that students do worse with the scrolling text mode, particularly students with weaker computer skills.
- The majority of students who took the reading test on a computer indicated that they prefer that to paper and pencil tests.
- Providing electronic tools such as highlighters and review markers is useful for some students.
Recommendation
Although the size and scope of this study were not large enough to show
definitively that scrolling negatively affects students with weak computer
skills, the results suggest that further research is warranted to more fully
understand the impact of scrolling on passage-based assessments.