Writing and Evaluating Test Items Flashcards
The _____ offers two alternatives for each item. Usually a point is given for the selection of one of the alternatives. The most common example of this format is the true–false examination
dichotomous format
The _____ resembles the dichotomous format except that each item has more than two alternatives. Because it is a popular method of measuring academic performance in large classes, the multiple choice examination is the polytomous format you have likely encountered most often.
polytomous format (sometimes called polychotomous)
When taking a multiple-choice examination, you must determine which of several alternatives is “correct.” Incorrect choices are called _____. Well-chosen distractors are an essential ingredient
distractors
The _____ method. This method compares people who have done well with those who have done poorly on a test. For example, you might find the students with test scores in the top third and those in the bottom third of the class. Then you would find the proportions of people in each group who got each item correct. The difference between these proportions is called the discrimination index.
extreme group
The _____ method. Another way to examine the discriminability of items is to find the correlation between performance on the item and performance on the total test. You might remember from Chapter 3 that the correlation between a dichotomous (two-category) variable and a continuous variable is called a point biserial correlation
point biserial
According to _____ theory, a score is derived from the sum of an individual’s responses to various items, which are sampled from a larger domain that represents a specific trait or ability
classical test
Newer approaches to testing based on item analysis consider the chances of getting particular items right or wrong. These approaches, now known as _____ theory, make extensive use of item analysis. Perhaps the most important message for the test taker is that his or her score is no longer defined by the total number of items correct, but instead by the level of difficulty of items that he or she can answer correctly.
item response theory (IRT)
