Mathematical Proficiency, Statistics Knowledge, Attitudes toward Statistics, and Measurement Course Performance

This study examined if statistical knowledge, mathematical ability, and attitudes toward statistics were predictive of success in a measurement course. Two hundred fifty-eight students in an upper division undergraduate measurement class completed the following measures on the first day of class: a test of mathematical operations (50 questions), The Attitudes Toward Statistics Scale (ATS--29 questions), and the Statistical Competency Survey (SCS--74 questions). At the completion of the course, students' overall scores and grades were recorded along with their mathematical operations, ATS, and SCS scores. Three of the subscales of mathematical operations correlated significantly with measurement course grades. All SCS subscales correlated significantly with measurement grade. Finally, the ATS and its subscales were not correlated significantly with measurement course performance. Should a tests and measurement course be required for the undergraduate psychology major? The participants of the St. Mary's Conference sponsored by the American Psychological Association thought so (Brewer et al., 1993). The St. Mary's Conference recommendations, however, are not matched with reality. Perlman and McCann (1999b) reviewed 500 college catalogs and found 51% of institutions offered an undergraduate psychometrics methods course, but the percentage of institutions requiring the course was quite small. Perlman and McCann (1999a) reported 9% from their catalog review. Messer, Griggs, and Jackson (1999) in their random sample of 292 course catalogs found 19% of the institutions required the psychometric methods course. Why so few schools require the measurement course for the undergraduate major is not clear. Many possibilities exist. The increased specialization at the graduate level may have trickled down to the undergraduate major and more specialized classes leave less room for a measurement course (Messer et al., 1999). Faculty and students may see measurement as another statistics-style course needed by only a few students. Because few doctoral programs exist in measurement, there may be fewer faculty with a vested interest to persuade department colleagues of the value of a measurement course for undergraduates (cf., Aftanas, 1994; Aiken et al., 1990; Davison, Damarin, and Drasgow, 1986; Meier, 1993). Whatever the reason so few institutions require a measurement course at the undergraduate level, concerns about measurement literacy are not new and not confined to the undergraduate psychology degree. Concerns about measurement literacy take on two distinct, although not unrelated forms. The first form is the availability of graduate programs in measurement and the resulting shortages in psychometricians. Proportionately, fewer doctoral programs in psychometrics are available than ever before. Further, because of the trend to incorporate psychometrics within the broader rubric, "Psychometrics, Mathematical, and Quantitative," those who pursue quantitative doctoral training probably receive less instruction in measurement and scaling than before (Davison et al., 1986). In addition to the decline in psychometric Ph.D.s, Aiken et al: (1990) reported a substantial decrease in psychometric training of all Ph.D.s. In short, measurement literacy appears to be diminishing within the psychology Ph.D. Less measurement training at the doctoral level may lead to less emphasis in the undergraduate curriculum as fewer new faculty hires have significant training or interest in psychometric issues. The second measurement literacy issue is that of whether elementary, junior high, and high school teachers receive sufficient training in measurement to understand and use standardized tests and create classroom tests. Several authors have decried the lack of measurement training elementary, junior high, and high school teachers acquire in the education curriculum (Lambert, 1991; Wisenberg & Lukin, 1991). Few states require measurement content for teacher certification. …