McBride Catherine, Ho Jana Chi-San, McQuade Maria, Ngan Vince Siu Hin, Ng Melody Chi Ying, Cheah Zebedee Rui En, Maurer Urs
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Psych J. 2025 Feb;14(1):5-14. doi: 10.1002/pchj.805. Epub 2024 Dec 4.
In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, online assessment has emerged as an increasingly popular method for testing children. This review aims to review key advantages and disadvantages of online assessment in young children, specifically in the area of literacy and mathematics assessment. We first consider the recent history of online assessment and give evidence from our own experiences with online assessments in both Cebu, Philippines and Hong Kong. We then discuss the benefits of conducting assessments online. One of the key strengths of online assessments is the efficient use of resources, such as ease of staff training, increased participation and decreased costs for both participants and researchers. Difficulties related to testing environment, parental interference and exclusion of certain populations are also highlighted as focal challenges that must be considered when designing and implementing online assessment. The reliability and validity of online assessments are then specifically discussed in relation to the question of how to best ensure that online measures function as intended, stressing the importance of establishing separate norms for the various administration modes. Notably, online assessments delivered via phone screen must have separate norms than those delivered on a computer screen, as device differences may account for differences in performance. Finally, we present broader considerations for designing online assessments with young children. This includes practical tips for pilot testing, user interface design, data confidentiality and automatic scoring, both to enhance the efficiency of future online assessments and increase participation. Specifically, online assessments for children must account for their developing attentional abilities, meaning assessments should be brief, engaging and contain clear task instructions. The implementation of these considerations will support the development of more reliable, valid and inclusive assessments which will allow researchers and practitioners to support equitable and feasible online testing moving forward.
在新冠疫情后的几年里，在线评估已成为测试儿童的一种越来越流行的方法。本综述旨在回顾幼儿在线评估的主要优缺点，特别是在读写能力和数学评估领域。我们首先考察在线评估的近期历史，并给出我们在菲律宾宿务和香港进行在线评估的经验证据。然后我们讨论在线进行评估的好处。在线评估的一个关键优势是资源的有效利用，比如员工培训容易、参与度提高以及参与者和研究者的成本降低。与测试环境、家长干扰和某些人群被排除在外相关的困难也被强调为在设计和实施在线评估时必须考虑的重点挑战。接着具体讨论了在线评估的可靠性和有效性，涉及如何最好地确保在线测评按预期发挥作用的问题，强调为各种管理模式建立单独规范的重要性。值得注意的是，通过手机屏幕进行的在线评估必须有与通过电脑屏幕进行的评估不同的规范，因为设备差异可能导致表现上的差异。最后，我们提出了针对幼儿设计在线评估的更广泛考虑因素。这包括试点测试、用户界面设计、数据保密和自动评分的实用技巧，以提高未来在线评估的效率并增加参与度。具体而言，针对儿童的在线评估必须考虑到他们不断发展的注意力能力，这意味着评估应该简短、有趣且包含清晰的任务说明。实施这些考虑因素将支持开发更可靠、有效和包容的评估，这将使研究人员和从业者能够在未来支持公平且可行的在线测试。
