Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study

Informed study decisions are pivotal for student retention in higher online education. A self-assessment prior to enrolment has been proposed as a promising approach to enable informed decision-making and to build resources for retention. To determine whether such a self-assessment affects the decis...

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Main Authors: Laurie Delnoij, José Janssen, Kim Dirkx, Rob Martens
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: izzet kara 2022-06-01
Series:International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1811646
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author Laurie Delnoij
José Janssen
Kim Dirkx
Rob Martens
author_facet Laurie Delnoij
José Janssen
Kim Dirkx
Rob Martens
author_sort Laurie Delnoij
collection DOAJ
description Informed study decisions are pivotal for student retention in higher online education. A self-assessment prior to enrolment has been proposed as a promising approach to enable informed decision-making and to build resources for retention. To determine whether such a self-assessment affects the decision-making process as intended, thorough and careful validation is a necessity. This study reports on two validity aspects that are less commonly addressed in that respect, but essential for evaluating effectiveness: response processes and consequences of (self-) testing. To map the response processes and consequences of the current self-assessment, a mixed-methods approach was used in which eight prospective students took a self-assessment in an observed think-aloud mode and were interviewed before and after that. Results show different response processes depending on the type of subtest that is taken. The results also indicate that consequential aspect of validity must be considered in the context of decision-making phases. The demonstrated evidence and possible threats to validity are discussed in light of refining the self-assessment and embedding it in counselling practice.
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spelling doaj-art-ef2e33affcde4e269aa1fed94ed7558b2025-08-20T02:13:15Zengizzet karaInternational Journal of Assessment Tools in Education2148-74562022-06-0192376396618Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation StudyLaurie Delnoij0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6363-5714José Janssen1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5104-7648Kim Dirkx2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8014-0916Rob Martens3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7193-8125Maastricht UniversityOpen UniversiteitOpen UniversiteitOpen UniversiteitInformed study decisions are pivotal for student retention in higher online education. A self-assessment prior to enrolment has been proposed as a promising approach to enable informed decision-making and to build resources for retention. To determine whether such a self-assessment affects the decision-making process as intended, thorough and careful validation is a necessity. This study reports on two validity aspects that are less commonly addressed in that respect, but essential for evaluating effectiveness: response processes and consequences of (self-) testing. To map the response processes and consequences of the current self-assessment, a mixed-methods approach was used in which eight prospective students took a self-assessment in an observed think-aloud mode and were interviewed before and after that. Results show different response processes depending on the type of subtest that is taken. The results also indicate that consequential aspect of validity must be considered in the context of decision-making phases. The demonstrated evidence and possible threats to validity are discussed in light of refining the self-assessment and embedding it in counselling practice.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1811646study decisionsself-assessmentvaliditymixed-methodshigher educationstudy decisionsself-assessmentvaliditymixed-methodshigher education
spellingShingle Laurie Delnoij
José Janssen
Kim Dirkx
Rob Martens
Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education
study decisions
self-assessment
validity
mixed-methods
higher education
study decisions
self-assessment
validity
mixed-methods
higher education
title Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
title_full Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
title_fullStr Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
title_full_unstemmed Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
title_short Towards an Online Self-Assessment for Informed Study Decisions–A Mixed-Methods Validation Study
title_sort towards an online self assessment for informed study decisions a mixed methods validation study
topic study decisions
self-assessment
validity
mixed-methods
higher education
study decisions
self-assessment
validity
mixed-methods
higher education
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1811646
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