Educational tests are resources that are used in educational institutions with the purpose of improving behavioral, emotional or even aspects related to academic performance, which may be evident in children and adolescents. This article will explain the different types of educational tests that exist, as well as some psychometric tests that are used to address various types of behavior problems in adolescents.
What is a Test in Education?
The elaboration of various types of educational tests has contributed to the understanding of fundamental aspects in the development of areas of knowledge such as Psychology, Psychopedagogy and Pedagogy.
These tools have different applications, being considered a means through which it is possible to make orientations in order to obtain transformations in human beings, focusing on educational and training problems for children, adolescents and adults.
What are the types of Educational Tests?
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, various kinds of educational tests have been developed with the purpose of improving the different educational problems and being able to detect those manifestations and behaviors that can affect the integral development of children and adolescents since they are in the Education cycles.
Some of the types of Education tests that are most commonly used today are the following:
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Learning styles test
Learning style tests are used to find out the preferences or general tendencies that a person uses to learn. In this sense, these evaluations facilitate the understanding of the students’ personal learning style, focusing mainly on the strategies they use to learn.
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Multiple intelligence test
Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence test is one of the most beneficial in the educational field, since it allows determining the dominant intelligence of a student.
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Vocational orientation test
This is one of the most popular educational tests for teenagers, because it helps them to have a more precise idea about which career they can study at the university.
In these professionally oriented educational tests, questions related to different professions that merit higher education are asked, as well as some that require intermediate and basic levels.
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Herrmann brain dominance test
This educational test is based on the 4-quadrant classification made by the American researcher Ned Herrmann to determine the person’s learning style. According to the scale proposed by Hermann, it is a test with which cerebral dominance is evaluated.
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Inteligence test
They are also known as intelligence quotient (IQ) tests, being evaluations that allow measuring the intelligence of children and adolescents by analyzing some functions, attitudes and knowledge in particular.
Its focusing priorities remain on language skills, math, quick information processing, and visual skills. In addition, they serve to know the strengths and weaknesses of children and adolescents, being very helpful to know what their greatest abilities and skills are.
What Psychometric Tests to use to address a behavior problem in adolescents?
Psychometric tests are instruments through which different adaptive and maladaptive aspects present in the behavior of children and adolescents can be assessed. Additionally, they can be applied mainly by professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, educational psychologists and educational psychologists.
Thus, some of the tests that can be used to address behavioral problems in adolescents are the following:
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BASC: Behavior Assessment System for Children and Adolescents
These educational tests are applied in areas such as clinical and educational psychology, being developed for individuals between 3 and 18 years old. They allow the measurement of some behavioral disorders in the classroom, focusing mainly on aspects such as students who act impulsively. (Or are oppositional or dissocial). With this test, it is possible to measure numerous aspects concerning their behavior and personality.
It consists of a self-report in which the child or adolescent describes their emotions and self-perceptions, as well as 2 assessment questionnaires are used. One of them is for parents and the other one is for guardians. There, descriptions of the observable behavior of these children are recorded in various contexts.
Likewise, these educational tests serve to obtain information about positive (adaptive) dimensions. (Such as social skills, leadership, study skills, interpersonal relationships, adaptability, self-esteem, among others). Similarly, some negative (clinical) dimensions can also be observed. (Such as attention problems, aggressiveness, withdrawal, hyperactivity, depression, social anxiety, stress…).
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ESPERI: Questionnaire for the detection of behavioral disorders in children and adolescents
They are questionnaires that are applied in areas such as clinical, forensic and educational psychology, as well as in social services. These assessments allow the early detection of different behavioral disorders that children and adolescents may have. (Such as inattention, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, predisocial, dissocial, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.).
The test is made up of 4 questionnaires, among which there is one that has been carried out for children from 8 to 11 years old. There is another one for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, as well as another 2, which must be answered by the teachers and parents of the children.
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BAS-II: Adaptive Behavior Assessment System
This is one of the educational tests used in clinical and educational psychology. It is applied in order to thoroughly evaluate the various daily functional skills that a person has in various contexts.
In this way, these psychometric evaluations have the purpose of being able to determine if a child or adolescent is able to function in their daily life without needing help from other people. They focus on aspects such as functional academic skills, communication, use of community resources, self-care, among others.
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SIGN: Evaluation System for Children and Adolescents
It consists of an instrument that is applied in the areas of clinical, educational and forensic psychology. This with the purpose of detecting a wide spectrum of emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 years.
The SENA can be used with students in cycles of Early Childhood Education, as well as Primary and Secondary Education. They offer several global indices through which the scores obtained on the different scales can be summarized. In this regard, these global indices show the functioning of the person evaluated in several more general areas. (Total Problems Index, Externalized Problems Index, Internalized Problems Index, Contextual Problems Index, Personal Resources Index).
In this way, with this type of educational test that is applied in a self-reported way to children, adolescents, parents and adolescents, some internalized problems such as anxiety , depression, social anxiety and somatization, among others, can be perceived.
These psychological educational tests also help to observe externalized problems such as aggressiveness, attention problems, defiant behavior, anger control problems, substance use, among others. Educational tests are resources that can transform the lives of children and adolescents when applied with responsibility and professional criteria. This helps them to receive treatment and guidance for behavioral and other problems that they may experience.
However, the practices in which this type of evaluation is used should only be carried out by professionals who have the power to determine the ailments of the students. This while acting with professionalism and seriousness when they consider that these children and adolescents need them when receiving their respective orientation classes.
