Chapter 13

Assessment of Sport Skills and

Motor Abilities

Guidelines for Sport Skills Testing andMotor Performance Tests

• acceptable reliability and validity• simple to administer and take• easy to understand instructions• not expensive nor require extensive equipment• reasonable time for preparation and

administration• encourage correct form• involve only one participant

Guidelines for Sport Skills Testing andMotor Performance Tests (con’t.)

• suitable difficulty• interesting and meaningful• exclude extraneous variables• provide for accurate scoring• provide target scoring guidelines (if appropriate)• sufficient trials• yield diagnostic scores

Effective Testing Procedures

• Pretest Dutiestime, forms, procedures, instructions

• Testing Dutieslocation, materials, cheating, safety,absences, make-ups

• Posttest Dutiestranscription, item analysis, reporting,confidentiality

Figure 13.3Flowchart for Construction of Motor Performance Tests

Characteristics

Review

Pilot Test

Reliability & Validity

Norms

Manual

Issues in Skills Testing

• In addition to reliability and validity(the most important issues)

• Feasibility

• Testing methodObjective skills tests?Alternative (authentic assessment)? – See

chapter 8

Skills Test Classification

• ObjectiveAccuracy-basedRepetitive Performance (wall-volley)Total Body MovementDistance or Power

Subjective Rating Scales

• Relative Rank-order

• AbsoluteEvaluation against a

fixed standard

• Common ErrorsHalo Effect"Standard" ErrorCentral-tendency

Developing Well-Constructed Scales

• State objectives in terms of observable behavior• Select traits that determine success• Define selected traits in observable behavior• Select and develop the rating instrument• Define degrees of success• Test and revise the rating scale• Use the scale in an actual testing situation

More Rating Scales Suggestions

• Develop well-constructed scales• Train raters well• Explain common rating errors to raters• Permit ample time to observe performance• If possible, use multiple raters

Other Tests

• Performance-Based TestingActual performance of the skill

• Trials-to-Criterion TestingCould save considerable time and effort

Ability or Skill?

• Abilitygeneral, innate psychomotor trait

• Skillspecific, learned psychomotor capacity

• Specificitydetermined with concurrent validity

Measurement Aspects of the Domain of Human Performance

Muscular StrengthSpeedAnaerobic PowerFlexibilityBalanceKinesthetic perception

Power Tests

• Arm PowerOne-hand shot putTwo-hand shot put over headMedicine-ball pitchBasketball throw

• Leg PowerMargaria-Kalamen Leg Power TestIncline Run

Strand & Wilson

Reprinted, by permission, from B. Strand and R. Wilson, 1992, Assessing sport skills (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics).

Effective testing consists of . . .

• Including sport relevant variables,• Selecting reliable and valid tests,• Developing sport specific protocols,• Controlling test administration,• Maintaining athletes rights to respect,• Repeating the tests periodically, and• Interpreting the results for the performance and

interested parties (e.g., coaches, parents, etc.)

Purposes of Human Performance Testing and Analysis

Selection

Classification

Diagnosis

Classification Tests for High School Tennis Players

• Motor Performance50-yard dashAgility line drill

• Tennis Skills TestsForehandBackhandVolleyMoving forehandMoving backhandServe

Table 13-9Men's Volleyball Performance Profile

Performance Test Construction

A C DB

A C DB

Which is the LEAST valid test?

A C DB

Which is the MOST valid test?

A C DB

Which test might you useif you have limited time?

You might useA or B – realize youlose some validity

Which test wouldyou use?

MOST valid

Which two testsmight you use?

MOST validwith LEAST

overlap