Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic tests in education are measurement methods that aim at identifying specific aspects in the field of teaching and learning. In psychology and medicine, the term diagnostic refers to making a medical diagnosis of a disease. The term also sometimes refers to any test that produces a profile of scores with strengths and weaknesses. This entry does not discuss the term in those contexts. Testing in this context means assessing one or more clearly defined criteria such as school achievement, student motivation, or learning disabilities. In a scientific understanding, tests need to be constructed using specific methods, need to meet specific quality criteria, and need to be conducted under specific rules. Teachers and educators need to evaluate and analyze diagnostic test results in order to ...