TASK STRUCTURE DESIGN: BEYOND LINKAGE*

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the role testing can play in ascertaining and improving the effects of educational programs and services. Our point of view maintains that the connection between tests and instruction is best made integrally through an understanding of the design of learning tasks rather than through the use of techniques that attempt to join or to link the now separate domains of instruction and testing. The focus on the design requirements of learning tasks represents a fundamentally different perspective on the test/instruction issue. This perspective is theoretically grounded in its orientation deriving from research in learning, instruction, and cognitive processing, to name but a few areas; yet, it also has numerous potential implications for practice. The context for task structures will be described, and their use in developing instruction and tests will be considered. The limitations of such an approach in practice will be discussed and feasible approximations outlined. Finally, the research agenda in this area will be broadly sketched.