PRETESTS
Sujitkumar Sonkar
Transformation Thought Leader | Training & Facilitation Expert (>15 years)
PRETESTS
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As the name suggests, pretests are assessments used before starting a lesson, unit, semester, etc. At every grade level and in every subject, teachers need to know what their students already know before beginning a new unit of study. One way to achieve this is by using a pretest that assesses student proficiency in the skills that will be taught.
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Pretests can be used for several purposes:
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1. Awareness: Creating awareness in learners of what they already know and what to expect from the upcoming lesson/unit/etc.
2. Excitement: Generating excitement about the upcoming lesson/unit/etc.
3. Expectation Setting: Setting expectations in learners about what they will learn in the upcoming lesson/unit/etc.
4. Understanding Student Knowledge: Helping educators understand their class's conceptual understanding.
5. Readiness: Creating a better learning environment in the classroom.
6. Planning: Helping educators plan more effectively.
7. Effectiveness: Improving the overall delivery of teaching-learning plans.
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Why Pretest?
Pretesting increases the impact of teaching and learning materials by determining if they are suitable for the target audience. It can save time, money, and energy overall as the resulting material will be more effective.
Pretesting should be conducted to gather information from the audience on the following aspects of the material:
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Comprehension: Are the messages and materials of the upcoming lesson/unit/etc. understood by the learners?
Attractiveness: Does the material capture the students' attention?
Acceptance: Is there anything about the materials that is not being accepted by the audience?
Involvement: Are the students getting involved with the material presented?
Motivation/Persuasion: Does the audience feel motivated enough to take action based on the materials presented?
Improvement: How and what can be improved to make the upcoming lesson/unit/etc. better?
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Identification
Pretests can help identify:
1. Students with significant weaknesses in a particular area.
2. The strongest students in a class.
3. Topics that students already know.
4. Topics that students are unfamiliar with.
5. Topics that students have not yet learned.
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Educator's Role
An educator should discuss the pretest with the learners, giving them an idea about their strengths and areas for improvement in the coming sessions. While discussing the results, the educator should be neutral and encouraging to everyone. Additionally, the educator should help learners create learning plans or maps for the upcoming lesson/unit/etc.
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Types of Pretests
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Pretests can be identical to posttests.
Pretests can be similar to posttests.
?Pretests can be different from posttests.
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Pretest Administration
Pretests should be fun and creative.
Pretests should not be graded.
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While administering the pretest, an educator should clarify the purpose of the pretest and encourage learners to provide feedback. Overall, pretests can be very effective for educators if used with the right intentions and kept simple.
References
American Journal of Business Education – Third Quarter 2008 Volume 1, Number 1