The Study of Information Aptitude Scale Development
Jia-Rong Wen* Jian-Ren Lin** Pi-Fen Yu***
Institute of Information and Computer Education
National Kaohsiung Normal University Taiwan,China
E-mail: ***
E-mail: ***
The main purpose of this study is to develop an information aptitude-testing instrument for Taiwan senior high school students. This instrument can help teachers understand the students’ level of intellectual competence so at to better direct them toward a suitable career study. In order to do the self-understanding in time, our main goal is to design the test items and analysis the reliability and validity of the test. In the future, we will create a standardized norm and hope it can become a standardized test for the students. We have selected 12 factors to be used in this testing scale. They are accurate reasoning, reasoning attention, discrimination, logic reasoning, order reasoning, analogue reasoning, abstract thinking, information collection, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, creative ability, and integrated ability. According to these 12 abilities, we categorized them five sub-tests: serious test, analogue, flow reasoning test, factor reasoning test, and past test.
Key words: aptitude information aptitude scales
1 Introduction
Developing of the evaluation instrument is a very important task in education. Examination or evaluation tool can help students understand themselves. This study may also be used to explore student’s aptitude or learning behavior. In this information era, skillful information resource people are in demand. In order to meet this demand, many related departments are setup in universities in Taiwan. They train students to be skillful. Resulting in increased manpower. Students like to get into related information departments. They want to try to be involved in the information area in the future. However, the lack of a self-understanding instrument results in them not knowing what is suitable for them or not. These have a huge influence their career development.
The purpose of this study is to explore the dimensions of information aptitude. Developing their fitness information aptitude test for senior high school students. In this, we can understand the general status of these students in Taiwan. In addition, we can understand the relationships between information aptitudeand academic achievement. So, our purposes are
（1）To explore the nature and components of information aptitude scale.
（2）Develop the information aptitude scale for senior high school students.
（3）Explore the relation of student’s background and their information aptitude.
（4）Analyze the reliability and validity of the information aptitude test.
Aptitude is potential gifts or one’s ability to learn knowledge and skill. Aptitude test is used to measure testers’ aptitude. According to the purpose, there are “academic aptitude test” and “profession aptitude test”. The former can measure students’ academic potential, the later can measure if one has potential for the job. Otherwise, according to the range of the content, there are “general aptitude tests”, “multifactor aptitude tests”,and”specific aptitude tests” in aptitude test. (Sheng Yu Guo, 1997) Therefore, aptitude is also called hidden ability or special ability. In computer field, as for education and guidance, it is important to find if students have computer aptitude or to help students to understand if they have potential for computer.
2 Literature Review of the Information Computer Tests
Test or evaluation can help students to predict academic achievement, and can also research students’ aptitude or the learning behavior. Aptitude and information test, have developed abroad for several years, and used it to help students to understand if they have computer potential in education, and used it to test those who engaged in the information related job have potential for computers. Computer aptitude test is for vocation test, as for three computer employees, such as: IBM Computer Aptitude Tests including letters test, graph test, counting reasoning. UNIVAC computer aptitude test includes Math symbols, language reasoning, Math reasoning.(Lian Pi Li, 1976)
The main purpose of System Programming Aptitude Test developed by Wolfe Jack was to find those who have ability to do all kinds of system programming during 1979-1983. The test is to test ability to logic, accuracy, symbol reasoning, inference, interpretation, problems analyzing attention. The time of doing the test is180-240 minutes. (Juni & Marshall, 1993)
The main purpose of Computer Programmer Test Package developed by Industrial Psychology International,Inc is to help select those who suit for engaging in programming to help boss understand the programmers’ performances of the during1981-1984. The main five tests: Language used in office sub-test; number operation sub-test, judgment sub-test, construct sub-test, perceive sub-test. The time of doing the test is 40 minutes. (Herman & Moreland,1987)
Computer Aptitude, Literacy, and Interest Profile developed by Poplin, includes Computer Aptitude, Literacy, and Interest, which is in the measurement of cognition, psychomotor, and affection. In Computer Aptitude test, the purpose lies in understanding if testers have potential for engaging in related computer job, the test is to test ability to logic thinking, order of words and numbers, exchange of words and numbers, general mount, vision space,. The four main tests: 24 questions in evaluation sub-test, 20 questions in graph sub-test, 20 questions in logic sub-test, 24 questions in serial sub-test. It’s worthy of notice that testers’ the ages are 12-60, and for those with learning disability using the test. Therefore, the questions of the test are more graphic. (Poplin, 1984)
According to data analysis above, 1980 computer s business was prevalent to use computers to promote the competition in the company,in computer field, the opportunity of job is also increasing such as computer operators, programmer, system analyzer. The school of developed country applied computer technology largely it becomes a trend that using computers to teach as assistance. (Hearne & Poplin & Schoneman, 1986) The information science, information engineer, information management department in the college cultivate information persons. Those departments of university are hot choices for students. Therefore, it’s meaningful to develop computer aptitude test. Computer aptitude test is developed by big graph, symbol, reading. There is little literature review about ability in many scales. The main abilities are logic thinking, problem solving, attention, accuracy, number.
In 1990s, there was a trend in computer aptitude test: the step of developing the test is more systematic, related basic research is firmer. On the other hand, the test trend to develop the writing test and on-line test side by side. This computer aptitude test of the period as follows:
The main purpose of International Programming Aptitude Test developed by Bruce Winrow was to find those who have potential to be programmers during 1983-1999. The core ability of the test is logic, problem analyzing, problem solving, attention, accuracy, symbol reasoning. There are seven questions in the test, and the time of doing the test 120-180 minutes. (Winrow,1999)
The main purpose of Computer Aptitude Test developed by private institute PC AGE was to understand if testers have enough aptitude to be successful computer experts and information scientist in 1977. Therefore, the testers are all adults. The core ability of the test is problem solving, logic thinking, attention, and accuracy. Those abilities are necessary for systems analyst, programmer, network manager, network engineer, network administrator, C/network technician.There are five sub-tests including of analogy, sentence, procedure tree, Math and logic sequence, a mount to 25 questions in the test, and the time of doing the test 30 minutes.
The main purpose of Computer Aptitude Test developed by Personnel Psychology Centre was to understand if testers have potential to be successful programmers. There are 30 questions orders of numbers and words, 40 questions of graphic analogy, and 20 questions algorithm reasoning in three main tests. The time of doing the test 80 minutes (Personnel Psychology Centre,2001)
3 Research Method and Procedure
In order to develop this computer aptitude test, it needs to research literature on correlated computer ability to insure main computer correlated ability. After referring to experts’ opinions, the researcher edits the questions of the test. Next step, the researcher analyzes the reliability and validity. According to purpose and question of this research, the research method and procedure are as follows:
（1）Correlated Literature Review
This research is to develop computer aptitude test, so the research needs to collect literaturereview offered to prove the test. The literature is included standard test, aptitude literature, computer aptitude literature, and correlated computer aptitude test literature.
（2）Correlated Scale Analysis
The researcher collects computer aptitude test and correlated computer aptitude test and analyzes this test suiting for which range, purpose, core ability and type. Then, the researcher contacts with writers to obtain available experience and necessary assistance.
（3）Survey of Experts’ Opinions
According to the result of interviewing with experts and referring to correlated scales, the research develops “online computer aptitude ability test”. The test is eight items scale counting from zero to seven. ( Seven stands for being very important; one stands for being very unimportant; zero stands for no this ability within it.) According to the opinions collected from the twenty professors of computer science department, forty professors of computer engineering department and twenty- three professors of information management department, we can understand the importance of computer aptitude. We also can understand the differences of proportion of the computer aptitude ability in computer science department, computer engineering department and information management department in computer aptitude.
（4）Design the Questions of the Test
The researcher drafts the sub-test of computer aptitude test and two-way specification table. In addition, the researcher refers to correlated test analyzing to arrange questions of each test. The test includes A and B part of exam paper for senior high students.
（5）Experts’ and Scholars’ Revise
After initial editing, the researcher turned in experts and math and Chinese teacher in senior high school to revise the difficulty, clearness, relation of question and aptitude ability, and revise of test instruction.
（6）Pre-exam Test and Item Analyzing
This research is sampling survey from senior high school students of north, middle, south and east part of Taiwan. Effective sample is the first grade of senior high school students who amount to 945 in 23 classes. The researcher or the teacher supervises the process of the testing. According to item difficulty, item discrimination, and the rate of lost answer, the researcher or the teacher decides which questions of the test should be preserved, corrected or deleted. The analyzing of the test as follows:
①Item Difficulty
Some scholars claim that passing percent in item difficulty is.40~.80. However, some scholars consider it needs .30 of question in this test to have good talented. This research is to delete those questions expect .30~.80.
②Item Discrimination
The highest 27% total scores detract lowest 20% total scores in item difficulty. According to standard of item discrimination proposed by Ebel, the test of the exponent of discrimination that is lower than .19 belong to the worst. The researcher would consider deleting or correcting it. This research is prior to deleting or correcting the question that its exponent is lower than and equal to .19.
③The Rate of Lost Answer
This research is prior to deleting the question that is higher than 10% of the rate of lost answer.
（7）Correlated Data Analysis
The research uses the way to test reliability and validity as follows:
①Reliability Analyzing:
Test the Kuder-Richardson method and split-half method of test.
②Validity Analyzing
According to the result of factor analysis, the researchers analyze if the construction of questions is suitable for computer aptitude ability, and use it to test construct-related validity.The researchers analyze the production-moment correlation of sub-test and total grades to get the consistence of the test.To get criterion validity from correlation among the grades of the Chinese, Math and intelligence test and computer aptitude test.
4 Research Discovery
This research is to develop a computer aptitude test suitable for the first grade students in senior high school. After the literature review, interviewing with the experts, survey done on the experts and the test pre-exam, according to the purpose and issues of the research, the researchers made conclusion as follows:
（1）The Subtests of Computer Aptitude Test
There are five subtests in this research. The name of each subtest and the testing abilities are as follows(Table 1.):
①Numbers test: main abilities on serial reasoning, induction and deduction.
②Analogy test: main abilities on analogy and creativity.
③Procedures reasoning test: main abilities on logic thinking and integrity.
④Fact reasoning test: main abilities on logic thinking and informational retrieval.
⑤Route test: main abilities on accuracy and attention.
Table1 sub-test type and ability two way corresponding table
Test / Accuracy / Attention / recognition / Logic thinking / Serialreasoning / Analogy / Abstract thinking / Information retireval / induction / deduction / creativity / integrationSequence / ＊ / ＊ / ＊
Analogy / ＊ / ＊
Procedurereason / ＊ / ＊
Fact reasoning / ＊ / ＊
Route / ＊ / ＊
（2）The Editing of the Questions on the Pre-exam Test
Through several small-scale pre-exams, the researchers modified the presentation of the test, the difficulty and numbers of questions, and the time needed in taking the test. Then the researcher completed the final questions of the pre-exam—exam paper A and B for the senior high students. (Table 2.)
Table2. question of pre-exam and test schedule
Name of test / Question of senior high school / Suggestive time / Regular time1st part sequence analogy test / Sequence test / 13 / 6 / 12
Analogy test / 16 / 6
2nd part logic reason test / Procedure reason test / 10 / 5 / 12
Fact reasoning test / 15 / 7
3rd part route test / Route test / 10 / 12 / 12
Whole test / 64 / 36
（3）The Correlation Between Computer Aptitude and Variable of Students’ Background
In the A part of route analyzing test in senior high school, girls’ scores are higher than boys’. In the B part of analogy test and fact reasoning test, boys’ scores are obviously higher than girls’. The whole test, neither in A part nor in B part of exam paper, the boys’ and girls’ scores in senior high school has big difference. Both A part and B part of exam paper in senior high school have obvious difference in the degree of high schools. In other words, the scores of senior high school entrance exam apparently influence on computer aptitude.
（4）The Reliability and Validity of Computer Aptitude Test
Table 3 The Reliability and Validity of Computer Aptitude Test
part / reliability / ValidityKuder-Richardson / Split-half / Criterion
A / 0.83 / 0.69 / .545＊
.002＊＊
.228＊＊＊
B / 0.85 / 0.74 / .572＊
.040＊＊
.386＊＊＊
The correlation between sub-test scores andthe schoolwork disposition test＊, Chinese scores ＊＊, Computer scores＊＊＊
①The Kuder-Richardson Reliability of Computer Aptitude Test
The coefficient of A part exam paper in senior high is between 0.40 and 0.84, and the coefficient of total test is 0.83. The coefficient of B part is between 0.41and 0.81, and the total test is 0.85.
②The Split-half Reliability of Computer Aptitude Test
The coefficient of A part of exam paper in senior high is between 0.24 and 0.69, and the coefficient of the total test is 0.69. The coefficient of B part of exam paper in senior high is between 0.25 and 0.80, and the coefficient of the total test is 0.74.
③The Construct-related Validity of Computer Aptitude Test
In the factor analysis, the new variable is the combination of the scores of odd number questions and even number questions within five sub-tests. Then we can get odd numbers, even numbers, odd analogy, even analogy, procedure reasoning odd, procedure reasoning even, fact reasoning odd, fact reasoning even, route odd, and access even. By using the Main Axis Analyzing and Oblique Axis to extract the five factors, we’ll find that the way of forming A part and B part of exam paper corresponds with our constitution of questions. The variable formed by the odd number questions and the even number questions of each sub-test will attribute to the same factor. In the correlated analyzing, by using the scores in both A and B part of the five sub-tests and the total scores as product-moment correlation analyzing, we’ll find that the correlation of every sub-test is obvious and the correlation between sub-test and total scores is obvious, too. Therefore, the questions developed by A and B test have the correspondent validity in structure.
④Criterion Validity of Computer Aptitude Test
In the A part of exam paper(100 persons): the correlation of sub-test and the scores of the schoolwork disposition test is between .108 and.412, and the total test is .545. The correlation between sub-test and scores in Chinese is .219 and .171 and total test is .002. The correlation between sub-test and scores in Math is .136-.297 and total test is .390. The correlation between sub-test and scores in Computer class is -.041-.230 and the total test is .228.