Terry M. Wood

The Test Battery Reliability of the Health-Related Physical Fitness Test.

Abstract The Health-Related Physical Fitness Test (HRPFT) includes four subtests which measure components of physical fitness affecting a positive health state. The validity and reliability of each subtest have been demonstrated to be adequate, as has the overall validity of the battery. However, test battery reliability has not been established. The purpose of this study was to estimate the multivariate reliability of the HRPFT as a battery, using a data set obtained from middle-school children. Test battery reliability was estimated using a canonical correlation analysis. Estimates were calculated for boys and girls 11-14 years of age. The HRPFT was highly reliable for all age groups and both sexes. Univariate reliabilities were also calculated and, with the exception of the distance run test, these estimates were high. In conclusion, the multivariate reliability of the HRPFT as a test battery is satisfactory under all conditions for these middle-school children.

The Health-Related Physical Fitness Test: A Tri-State Survey of Users and Non-Users

Abstract The Health-Related Physical Fitness Test (HRPFT) Opinionnaire (Safrit & Wood, 1983) was administered to a stratified random sample of physical education teachers in Illinois, Oregon, and Arizona. For the total sample across states, the return rate was 31%. The responses were analyzed by total sample, state, and school level. Where appropriate, an item analysis was conducted to examine the internal consistency of items within clusters. In the total sample, 19% of the teachers had used the HRPFT and 81% had not. The major reasons for using the HRPFT were motivation, evaluation, and diagnosis of students. Eleven percent of the teachers in the users group did not feel health-related physical fitness was an important part of the physical education curriculum. Only half of the users agreed that the HRPFT measured overall physical fitness. Approximately 25% of non-users had read about the test, and very few had heard presentations about it. Generally, the results of this survey pointed to limited use of...

A comparison of three multivariate models for estimating test battery reliability

Abstract This investigation compared, using computer sampling procedures, three multivariate models for estimating test battery reliability: the canonical reliability model (Conger & Lipshitz, 1973), the maximum generalizability model (Joe & Woodward, 1976), and the canonical correlation model (Wood & Safrit, 1984). The models were compared on the basis of theoretical underpinnings; sampling distribution characteristics; and the properties of bias, consistency, and relative efficiency. While estimators for all models evidenced little bias and were consistent, the coefficient of maximum generalizability showed the least degree of bias, the smallest errors in estimation, and the greatest relative efficiency across all experimental conditions.

A Model for Estimating the Reliability of Psychomotor Test Batteries.

Abstract Some types of motor behavior cannot be measured by one test alone. For example, physical fitness is typically viewed as a multifaceted construct which should be measured by a battery comprising a group of tests. Test developers typically report a reliability estimate for each individual test in the battery. If the reliability of each test is acceptable, the reliability of the test battery is assumed to be satisfactory. However, measurement error can affect the total battery as well as each individual test. A proposed model for estimating test battery reliability based upon canonical correlation analysis is described in this paper. Descriptive statistics from previous investigations and nonempirical data are used to exemplify the procedure. Finally, modifications of the model for psychomotor test batteries are delineated.

The Application of Sequential Probability Ratio Testing To a Test of Motor Skill.

Abstract When a criterion-referenced lest is used to make mastery/nonmastery classifications, the probability of false positive and false negative classifications must be considered as well as the minimum skill level for mastery classification and maximum skill level for nonmastery classification. These constraints can lead to an excessively long fixed-length criterion-referenced test. In this investigation, an alternative strategy for testing—the sequential probability ratio test—was applied to a test of motor skill. The applicability of this procedure was examined using a golf chip test with parameters of α = .05, β = .05, θ0 = .7, and θ1 = .5. The test classifications had acceptable reliability and moderate validity. The sequential test classified almost half of the students in 15 or fewer trials. However, four students could be classified only after more than 65 trials, thus raising a question about the feasibility of using this testing procedure in a physical education class. On the other hand, feasi...