Development and Validation of an Aptitude Test in Research Productivity

Abstract

The creation and validation of the Aptitude Test for Research Productivity (ATRP), a tool for predicting higher education faculty members' research capacity and productivity, are presented in this paper. ATRP is positioned as a tool to help with the strategic recruitment and development of faculty members who are engaged in research.
Research used a mixed-methods strategy, thorough literature analysis conducted in the first phase to determine the essential competencies linked to high research productivity, refined into quantifiable attributes through expert interviews, modified into a pilot test version that included several psychometric features meant to assess cognitive and non-cognitive abilities relevant to research.
Sample faculty members from three state universities participated in a multi-step process that involved item analysis, reliability testing, and construct validation to validate the ATRP. The study evaluated the validity and reliability of the ATRP using Rasch measurement models and traditional test theory. Ordinal logistic regression used to assess the test's predictive ability and determine how well it could differentiate between various degrees of research productivity.
The validation process's results showed that the ATRP can accurately distinguish between faculty members who are likely to be highly and poorly productive researchers. ATRP items successfully capture fundamental components of research aptitude, evidenced by the test's strong construct validity and internal consistency.
The study suggests using ATRP in conjunction with a comprehensive evaluation plan for hiring and training new faculty members. Subsequent investigations on enhancing the ATRP by the integration of adaptive testing technologies and investigating the effects of cross-disciplinary applications.