Evaluating Maintenance Performance: The Development of Graphic Symbolic Substitutes for Criterion Referenced Job Task Performance Tests for Electronic Maintenance. Volume III.

An in-depth review of the literature reported in AFHRL-TR-74-57I, of this series of documents strongly reiterated the fact that paper and pencil tests of job knowledge and electronic theory tests have very poor criterion-related or empirical validity with respect to the ability of electronic maintenance men for performing their tasks. As a result, a battery of criterion referenced Job Task Performance Tests JTPT was developed and tried out and results were reported in AFHRL-TR-57II. The battery included tests for the various job activities performed by electronic maintenance technicians such as checkout, alignadjust, removereplace, soldering, use of general and special test equipment, and troubleshooting. In this report, a battery of symbolic tests was developed including a companion symbolic test for each of the job activities for which a criterion referenced JTPT had previously been developed. Based on two limited validations, all of the graphic symbolic tests, with the exception of the symbolic test for soldering, indicated sufficient promise to justify further consideration and refinement. All of these promising symbolic tests should be given more extensive validations using larger numbers of experienced subjects. The validation of any such symbolic test requires the administration of a companion JTPT as a validation criterion. As a result, a validation is an expensive process in terms of equipment and experienced manpower. The troubleshooting symbolic tests require the most extensive refinement. Several suggestions are made for improving their empirical validity.