Comparison of the Standard and Computerized Versions of the College Level Examination Program General Examination in English Composition

• Main Author: Muhlestein, Alan L.
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 1981
• Subjects: literature; computerized testing; computer testing; testing; paper testing; pencil and paper; equivalency; computer-administered; Psychology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/5986; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7064&context=etd

The purpose of this study was to test whether the computer-administered College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examination in English Composition produced scores equivalent to those obtained from the traditional paper-and-pencil version. The CLEP examination and its adaptation for computer administration and the results of a pilot study are presented. The subjects in this study were volunteers who took the CLEP English Composition Examination in order to earn college credit and were randomly assigned to either the computer-first or paper-and-pencil-first groups. Each subject took both forms of the examination with approximately one half of the subjects taking each version first. Analysis of variance failed to detect a significant effect for test form or an interaction of test form and order of administration. Equivalence reliability coefficients and internal consistency coefficients also indicated that the computer administration did not significantly alter the results of the examination. In general, the results of this study support the hypothesis that the computer-administered version of the CLEP General Examination in English Composition produces results equivalent to those obtained from the traditional paper-and-pencil version.