Measurement of vocational competences: an analysis of the structure and reliability of current assessment practices in economic domains

Both fostering and measuring action competence remain central targets of vocational education and training research; adequate measurement approaches clearly are prerequisites for international, large-scale assessments. For the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, competence assessments of industrial managers rely mainly on final examinations that attempt to measure not just knowledge but also action competence. To evaluate this test instrument, this article considers two questions: (1) Can the test assess action competence with validity, and (2) how reliable are the corresponding assessment results? The study relied on statistical procedures (e.g., IRT scaling), applied empirically to a sample of 1,768 final examinations. As a result the current examination appears neither adequate nor accurate as an instrument to capture action competence. We conclude that several improving steps have to be undertaken to improve the economic assessment.