Enhancing the Validity of Cross-Cultural Studies: Improvements in Instrument Translation Methods.

Abstract

Translating psychological tests and attitude scales from one language and culture for use in others has been common in the history of educational and psychological assessment. Despite the long history, methods for conducting test and attitude scale translations and establishing equivalence of the multiple versions of an instrument are not well-known or routinely used in practice. The primary purpose of this paper is to focus attention on three major sources of invalidity in test translation work and to suggest solutions whenever possible: The first is cultural differences associated with administrations, item formats, and speededness. The second is technical factors associated with the instrument itself, the selection and training of translators, the translation process, and the judgmental and empirical designs that can be used in translating instruments. The third source of invalidity is factors affecting the interpretations of achievement test results such as similarity of curricula, equivalence of motivational levels, and sociopolitical considerations. U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Or lice ot Educational Research and Improvement EOUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER tERICI document has been reproduced as received from the derson or organization or.gcnatMQ't c Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points ol view or opinions slated .01515C:10[u merit dO nOt necessarily represent official OE RI position or pOlCy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY oAm1 1. /4/Ait (3L6-77m) TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). Enhancing the Validity of Cross-Cultural Studies: Improvements in Instrument Translation Methods1,2'3'4 Ronald K. Hambleton and Anil Kanjee University of Massachusetts at Amherst For as long as psychological tests and attitude scales have existed, researchers have been interested in translating them. One reason is that it is often Cheaper and faster to translate an instrument than it is to develop a new instrument for a second language group. Sometimes, too, the technical expertise does not exist in the second language group to actually construct the needed instrument. A second reason is that translated tests and scales allow crossnational, cross-language, and/or cross-ethnic comparative studies to take place. Such studies have become particularly popular in recent years as many countries strive to set world-class educational standards or simply to look at their own educational progress in relation to other countries. For example, over 60 countries will partieipate in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) being conducted in 1994 and 1998 by the IEA. Finally, instruments are translated to enhance fairness tn assessment by enabling persons to take tests and psychological scales in their preferred languages. For example, high school students in Israel can take their college Paper presented at the meetings of AERA and NCME, Atlanta, 1993. 2Laboratory of Psychometric and Evaluative Research Report No. 255. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts, School of Education. 3To appear in T. Husen and T. N. Postlethwaite (Eds.). (1994). International Encyclopedia of Education (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press. 4Partial support for the preparation of this paper was provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of Education. The opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors and not necessarily the NCES.

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