- You will select a standardized assessment tool that you could administer as a licensed counselor in your state, review the empirical literature on this instrument, and thoroughly explore it in order to understand how it is used, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and who uses it and why. You will then complete an assessment instrument analysis.
Scenario:
You have been hired as a consultant for a clinical practice (e.g., university counseling center, outpatient mental health center, inpatient facility). Your responsibility is to critique assessment instruments. You will write an analysis of a standardized instrument of the Beck Depression Inventory. The administrator of the clinical practice will review your report and decide if the assessment instrument is appropriate for the practice. Provide an overview of the test:
Describe the historical or theoretical origins of the test instrument. List the title, author(s), publisher, date and place of publication, forms available, and the cost of the test.
Discuss the history of the test.
What population was the test originally developed to assess?
What was the demographic makeup of the population used to standardize the original instrument?
Include all demographic characteristics such as sample size, age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), education, and diagnosis. How was the sample selected (such as systematic, random, cluster, and so on)?
If the measure has been modified, discuss the reasons for changing the measure for each version.
Describe the type and purpose of the test:
Does the test provide an objective or subjective measure of the construct(s)?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the type of test?
Does the test provide self-report or other report data?
Is the test standardized, or are there other ways to score and interpret data?
Describe the test instrument (You may not be able to access a copy of the actual instrument but should be able to find the information required below.):
Give a brief description of the sections of the test and include sample test items.
Provide information about administration and scoring. Describe any special instructions, whether the test is timed, and if so, the time limits.
Give details concerning scoring as a whole (for example, total score), by sections (for example, index scores), and by subscales (for example, subscale scores). Indicate whether the directions for administration and scoring are clear.
Identify and explain the requirements for administration:
What training or skills are needed to administer this test?
Can it be administered by a master’s level counselor without supervision?
How might counselors use this instrument as a part of assessment?
What is the level (A, B, or C) of this test?
Provide a description of the norms:
What is the demographic makeup of the sample used to develop norms for the most recent version of the test? Include all demographic characteristics such as sample size, age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), education, and diagnosis.
How was the sample selected (for example, systematic, random, cluster)?
Discuss the problems, diagnoses, personalities, emotional states, abilities, strengths, or limitations the test was developed to measure.
Discuss available research on the use of this test with special populations.
On which population(s) should this measure be used with caution?
On which population(s) should this measure not be used?
Does the standardization process appear adequate for the recommended uses of the test?
Analyze the psychometric properties:
Discuss the psychometric properties of the current version of the test: validity (e.g., content, predictive, concurrent, and construct), reliability, (e.g., internal consistency, parallel forms, test-retest), measure(s) of variance (e.g., range, standard deviation), and type of score used (e.g., raw, z-score, t-score). Include the reliability and validity coefficients.
Does the measure report cutoff scores only, or is the confidence interval presented?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the method of reporting scores?
Discuss how accurately and consistently the test measures what it is designed to measure. Also, discuss whether the test has good psychometric properties and why.
Analyze and explain ethics and diversity concerns:
What are some ethical or legal considerations that should be addressed when using this measure?
What are the relevant cultural diversity issues associated with this measure?
Critique the practical applications of the instrument, that is, its usefulness in counseling settings:
Discuss how the measure is currently used.
What diagnoses or problems does it currently assess?
How does the current version compare with the original?
What do researchers say about the usefulness of the test?
What does the literature say about the strengths and limitations of the test?
Who uses this measure (for example, community counselors, school counselors, career counselors, psychologists, or human resource departments)?
What controversies, if any, surround the use of this instrument?
What are some limitations of this instrument?
In your opinion (but based on all the knowledge you acquired during your review of the literature), what modifications or changes can be made to improve the measure in the future? Why?
What information or variables should be taken into consideration when using this measure?
Your final product will be a 5- to 7-page Microsoft Word document (not counting title and reference pages) and utilize at least 5 scholarly sources. Your paper should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner in APA format; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
