The Importance of Computational Skill for Answering Items in a Mathematics Problem Solving Test: Implications for Construct Validity

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of computational skill for answering items in the Quantitative Thinking subtest (Test Q) of the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED). Nine matched pairs of schools participated in the study. One school from each pair allowed students to use calculators when taking Test Q, while the other school did not allow calculators to be employed. The difficulty levels of the items in Test Q were calculated for both test conditions. In general, the differences in p values were very small. On the basis of these results, it was concluded that computational skill is not a major factor contributing to an examinee's score on Test Q and thus that the use of Test Q as a measure of problem solving ability is not compromised by its computational requirements.