The Use of Animations in Assessment: Comparing an Animated and a Text-Based Situational Judgment Test

• In Event: 45.029 - Technologically Enhanced Items: New Approaches to Assessment Design

Abstract

The heavy reading demands of some text-based tests, along with their restrictive nature in terms of the complexity of what can be presented as stimuli, can have serious implications for validity. This study examined the extent to which animations constitute a useful alternative to text for assessing complex skills. Participants in the study were randomly assigned to take either an animated or a text-based version of the same situational judgment test. The results showed that those who took the animated version of the test performed significantly better than those who took the text-based version. However, the effectiveness of animations in reducing construct-irrelevant variance that is attributed to language-related factors was less clear cut. Overall, animations were found to reduce the variance attributed to construct-irrelevant factors, but their impact was not pronounced. The significance and implications of this research are discussed.

Author

• Anastasios Karakolidis, Dublin City University