Diagnostic Tests and Criterion‐Referenced Assessments: their Contribution to the Resolution of Pupil Learning Difficulties

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Abstract
The results of two separate studies of pupil difficulties in comprehending the biological processes of osmosis and photosynthesis have been collated; the studies involved a detailed scrutiny of the subject content and presentation, the use of diagnostic tests administered at the end of the course and individual interviews, together with open‐ended testing of pupils aged 11 to 16 years. Learning difficulties are attributed not to pupil limitations, but to major deficiences in the subject presentation, eg inconsistencies, anomalies and ambiguities and to inadequacies in educational strategies, eg the failure to provide adequate instruction in prerequisite concepts, to monitor their development, to detect incorrect information acquired by pupils, or to define precise teaching objectives. It is argued that criterion‐referenced tests merely define areas of non‐attainment and should not be confused with true diagnostic tests. It is suggested that criterion‐referenced tests, if used as diagnostic tools, will not necessarily improve educational outcomes and may, in some circumstances, prove harmful.