Q

Q often occurs as a prefix representing various terms or techniques of evaluation.

Q Data are the data derived from questionnaire.
Q Method is the questionnaire method.
Q Technique is one of the self reporting techniques used to assess the non-scholastic aspects of learners growth.

[Also see, 'Q' Technique].

'Q' Technique is one of the latest self-reporting techniques. It may be used to assess the non-scholastic aspects of a learner's growth. The above technique as explained by Natarajan and Kulshreshta {1983} contains a list of objectives and the learner has to indicate various degrees with which each adjective describes him. (Some adjectives may be quite non-descriptive, some adjectives may be opposite and some may be most descriptive of him. [Also see, Self-assessment].

Qualitative Grading is one of the various marking schemes available to the teacher in the subjective task of essay marking. In this scheme, responses are classified into a system of 5, 7 or 10 grades and 'impression marking' of the answer as a whole makes it feasible to discriminate performances in this way. This is not, of course, dealing with scores and marks as measurement, but as grades used for reporting only. [Also see, Analytic Scoring, Global Quality Scaling].

Quality Scale is one which is used as a standard of comparison for rating the quality of work of other examinees. As stated by Ebel [1979], it consists of a series of typical specimens of such things as handwriting, composition, or drawings of a particular subject, arranged in an order of merit, usually with a numerical value assigned to each.

Quantification refers to the numerical value attached to various amounts of the property or trait or progress. No measurement is possible, until some ways are found to quantify the attributes to be measured. Tests of any kind - whether aptitude or achievement or proficiency - attempt to measure only on the basis of quantifications of various aspects to be measured.

Quartile Deviation is based on the range of the middle 50 percent of the scores. The middle 50 percent of a set of scores is called the 'inter-quartile range' and the 'quartile deviation' is simply half of this range. The quartile deviation is also called the 'semi-interquartile range' (Gronlund, 1976, p.533). the inter-quartile range' (middle 50%) is bounded by the 75th percentile and the 25th percentile. These points are called 'quartiles' and are indicated by Q3 and Q1 respectively. The quartile or Q2, is the median. To obtain the value of quartile deviation, the following formula is used:

Q =(Q3 - Q1)/2
where, Q = quartile deviation
Q3 = 75th percentile
Q1 = 25th percentile

Question is the act of asking/interrogating an examinee in order to get some information as reply. The term 'question' is usually associated with the short answer and essay types while the 'item' is associated with the objective types.

Question Indices refer to various measures followed in the process of item analysis in order to find out the effectively of a question/item in terms of its popularity, attraction towards the test takers, nature (easy or difficult, power of discrimination, etc. the four important measures of question indices are: Choice Index (CI), Mean Ability Index (MT), Facility Value (FV) and the Discrimination Index (DI). These measures are explained at length under separate entries.

Questionnaire is a list of questions designed to elicit information about a subject or a particular area of study that can later be analysed for usable information. It is usually administered to a group of selected individuals for the required purpose. Questionnaire is an important tool especially in the measurement of non-scholastic aspects of learners' growth. Habits, personal and social qualities, attitudes, values, etc., are some of the non-scholastic aspects which can be measured by using a questionnaire.

Question Bank is one which consists of a large number of questions/items of different types having got predetermined all the academic and statistical information, such as

1) Content area covered by the question.
2) Intellectual ability which the question attempts to test.
3) The type of question.
4) Marks allotted.
5) Time required for answering.
6) Difficulty index (facility value)
7) Discrimination index, etc.

The main function of a Question Bank would be to make available to teachers and examining bodies a variety of questions/items together with pre-determined technical values, so that they might prepare their own tests and examinations as per their requirement. [Also see, Item Bank, Item File].

Questionwise Analysis [See, Item Analysis].

Quiz is an intimate questioning and is like a puzzle. It is generally administered where testing has to be done instantly and the time available for this purpose is restricted. Also, it is mostly oral. Field of knowledge to be tested may or may not be known to examinees before hand. Questions are unexpected and the examinees have to recall and reply the answers within a restricted short duration of time. Quiz is administered informally in classrooms and formally through mass communication devices. [Also see, Puzzle].

Quotient is the division sum of a number (dividend) by an another (divisor). This basic arithmetical operation plays an important role in determining the question/item indices and also the levels of intelligence or achievement of an examinee. [Also see, Intelligence Quotient, Achievement Quotient].