The Impact of the Feminist Critique on Tests, Assessment, and Methodology

Abstract

In this article we discuss the implications of the feminist critique for methodologies related to tests and assessment. Several specific examples of the impact (or lack of impact) of feminist thinking on psychological, vocational, and educational tests are provided. From the point of view of a feminist critique, while the revision of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory appears to be a success, the 1990 revision of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) is not. Feminists have inspired methodological improvements such as the use of meta-analysis to evaluate sex difference data and the ability to estimate sampling error to challenge the research on free-response and multiple-choice tests. Recognition of the need to involve women in the development of normative data, introduction of sensitivity reviews, and implementation of differential item functioning analyses have improved tests. However, although testing has improved from the feminist perspective, additional changes can be expected as feminists (female and male) become more involved as scholars and scientists.