CONSTRUCTING OBJECTIVE TEST ITEMS:SIMPLE FORM

EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 These topic is the actual construction of the test items. These is crucial because the validity of a classroom test is ultimately determined by the extent to which the performance to be measured is actually called forth by the test items. These techniques of test construction are the topic. The rules for constructing test items described in these chapter are applicable to all types of EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education classroom tests using supply-type or selection-

 The simpler forms of objective test items namely: a) short-answer items b) true-false or alternative response item c) matching exercise

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Testing and Assessment in Education

SHORT-ANSWER ITEMS

EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 The short-answer item is supply-type test items that can be answered by a word, phrase, or symbol. The short-answer item uses a direct question. Examples: what is the name of the man who invented the steamboat? (robert fulton) Also included in this category are problems in arithmethic, mathematics, science, and other areas whose solution must be supplied by the student.
EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

Uses of Short-Answer Items: The short-answer item is suitable for measuring a wide variety of relatively simple learning outcomes. The following outcomes and test items illustrates some of its common uses: -Knowledge of Terminology -Knowledge of Specific Facts -Knowledge of Principle -Knowledge of Method or Procedure. -Simple Interpretation of Data EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education

COMMON USES OF SHORTANSWER ITEMS

EXAMPLES:
Lines on a weather map that join points of the same barometric are called________. (isobars) A member of United States Senate is elected to a term of _______ years. (6) If the temperature of gas is held constant while the pressure applied to it is increased, what will happen to its volume? (it will decrease) What device is used to detect whether an electric charge is positive or negative? (electroscope) In the number 612, what value does the 6 represent? (600)

Knowledge of Terminology

Knowledge of Specific Facts Knowledge of Principle

Knowledge of Method or Procedure Simple Interpretation of Data

EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 More complex interpretations can made when the short-answer item is used to measure the ability to interpret diagrams, charts, graphs, and pictorial data. Even more notable exceptions to the general rule that short-answer items are limited to measuring simple learning outcomes are found in the areas of EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education mathematics an sciences, where the solutions

USES OF SHORT-ANSWER ITEMS

EXAMPLES:
Milk sells for $0.96 a quart and $3.68 a gallon. How many cent would you save on each quart of milk if you bought it by the gallon? (4) If 2x+4 = 10, then x=? Answer: x=(10-4) 2

Ability to Solve Numerical Problems

Skill in Manipulating Mathematical Symbols

Ability to Complete and Balance Chemical Equations

3H2SO4 + 2Fe = Fe2(SO4)3 + H2

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 For outcomes similar to those in these examples, the short answer item is clearly superior. The performance described in the learning outcomes is identical with the performance called forth by the items. To obtain correct answer, students must actually solve problems, manipulate mathematical symbols, and complete and balance equations. EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

Advantages of Short-answer Items The short-answer test item is one of the easiest to construct, because of the relatively simple learning outcomes it usually measures. A more important advantage of the short-answer item is that the students must supply the answer. This reduces the possibility that the students will obtain the correct answer by guessing.

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Limitations of Short-answer Items

1. Unsuitability for measuring complex learning outcomes. Like the problem-solving outcomes measured in mathematics and science, the short-answer item is used almost exclusively to measure the recall of memorized information.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

2. The difficulty of scoring (unless the question is very carefully phrased). For example, a question such as Where was George Washington born? could be answered by the name of city, country, state, region, or continent. Although the teacher may have had the name of the state in mind when the question was written, the other answers could not be dismissed as incorrect.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

2. The difficulty of scoring (cont.) But even when this problem is avoided, the scoring may be contaminated by the students spelling ability. If spelling is not counted in the scoring, the teacher must still decide whether misspelled words actually represent the correct answer.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 These limitations are less troublesome when the answer is to be expressed in numbers or symbols, as in physical science or mathematics. Here, more complex learning outcomes can be measured, spelling is not a problem, and it is easier to write test items for which there is only one correct response.

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Suggestions for Constructing Short-Answer Items

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Testing and Assessment in Education

1. Word the item so that the required answer is both brief and specific. The answer to an item should be a word, phrase, number, or symbol. This can be easily conveyed to the students through the directions at the beginning of the test and by proper phrasing of the question. Examples : Poor : An animal that eats the flesh of other animals is (carnivorous). Better : An animal that eats the flesh of other animals is classified as (carnivorous). Testing and Assessment in EDP Education

2. Do not take statements directly from textbooks to use as a basis for short-answer items. When taken out of context, textbook statements are frequently too general and ambiguous to serve as good short-answer items. Examples : Poor : Chlorine is a (halogen). Better : Chlorine belongs to a group of elements that combine with metals to form salts. It is therefore called a (halogen). Testing and Assessment in Education

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3. A direct question is generally more desirable than an incomplete statement.

Examples : Poor : John Glenn made his first orbital flight around the earth in _____. (1962) Better : When did John Glenn make his first orbital flight around the earth?(1962) Best : In what year did John Glenn make his first orbital flight around the earth? (1962)

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4. If the answer is to be expressed in numerical units, indicate the type of answer wanted.
Examples : Poor : If oranges weigh 5 2/3 oz. each, how much will a dozen oranges weigh? (4 lb. 4 oz.) Better : If oranges weigh 5 2/3 oz. each, how much will a dozen oranges weigh? __lb.__ oz. (4) lb. (4) oz

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5. Blanks for answer should be equal in length and in a column to the right of the question. Avoid giving unintentional clues that the answer is a short or long word by making the Examples :blanks theWhat is the name of the part ofenough for the Poor : same size and large speech that connects longest response.
words, clauses, and sentences? __________. (conjunction) : What is the name of the part of speech that declares, asserts, or predicts something? ____. (verb) Better : What is the name of the part of speech that connects words, clauses, and sentences? __________.(conjunction) : What is the name of the part of speech that declares, asserts, and Assessment in Testing or predicts something? __________. (verb) Education

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6. When completion items are used, do not include too many blanks. If a statement is too mutilated by blanks, the meaning will be lost, and the student will have to Examples :- teacher had in mind. guess what the
Poor : (Warm-blooded) animals that are born (alive) and (suckle) their young are called (mammals). Better : Warm-blooded animals that are born alive and suckle their young are called (mammals).

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TRUE-FALSE OR ALTERNATIVERESPONSE ITEMS

 Declarative statement that the student is asked to mark true or false, right or wrong, correct or incorrect, yes or no, fact or opinion, agree or disagree or the like.

EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 The common use of true-false item is in measuring: The ability to identify the correctness of statements of fact, definition of terms, statement of principles Eg: Mark (/) if the statement is true and mark (X) if the
statement is wrong.
1. Prophet Muhammad is the first prophet. ( ) 2. Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah. ( ) 3. Hijrah literally means moving from one place to another place. ( )

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 The ability to distinguish fact from opinion Eg:

Read each of the following statement. If the statement is a fact, circle the F. if the statement is an opinion, circle O. 1. The earth is a planet. O F 2. The earth revolves around the moon. O F 3. There are intelligent life forms on planets orbiting some distant star. O F

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 The ability to recognize cause-and effect relationships Eg:

In each of the following statement, both parts of the statement are true. You are to decide whether the second part explains why the first part is true. If it does, circle Yes. If it doesnt, circle No. 1. Leaves are essential because they shade the tree trunk. YES NO 2. Whale are mammals because they are large. YES NO 3. Some plants do not need sunlight because they get their food from other plants. NO

YES

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 The ability to measure simple aspect of logic. Eg:

Read each of the following statement. If the statement is a true, circle the T. if the statement is a false, circle F. Also, if the converse of the statement is true, circle CT. If the converse of the statement is false, circle CF. Be sure to give two answer of each statement. 1. 2. 3. 4. All trees are plants. T All parasites are animals. T All eight-legged animals are spiders. T No spider are insects. F F F CT CF CT CF CT CF T F CT

CF

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The Advantages Of True-false Items 1. More illusory than real 2. Wide sampling of course material can be obtained

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Testing and Assessment in Education

The Limitation Of True-false Items

1. Limitation in the types of learning outcomes that can be measured 2. Susceptibility to guessing: Successful guessing on true-false item has two implications that should be taken into account; the reliability of each item is low the diagnostic value of such test is practically nil 3. Students response sets. EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

Suggestions for Constructing True-False Items

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 The main task in constructing true-false items is formulating statements free from ambiguity and irrelevant clues. The things that should be avoid when phrasing the statements : 1) Avoid broad general statements if they are to be judged true or false. Most broad generalizations are false unless qualified, and the use of qualifiers provides clues to the answer.
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Testing and Assessment in Education

2) Avoid trivial statements. In an attempt to obtain statement that are unequivocally true or false, we sometimes inadvertently turn to specific statements of fact that fit this criterion beautifully but have little significance from a learning standpoint. 3) Avoid the use of negative statements, especially double negatives. Students tend to overlook negative words such as no or not, and double negatives contribute to the statements ambiguity. EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education When negative word must be used, it should

4) Avoid long, complex sentence. Long, complex sentence tend to measure extraneous factor of reading comprehension and therefore should be avoided in tests designed to measure achievement. 5) Avoid including two ideas in one statement, unless cause-and-effect relationship are being measured.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

6) If opinion is used, attribute it to some sources, unless the ability to identify opinion is being specifically measured. Statements of opinion cannot be marked true or false. And it is unfair to expect students to guess how the teacher will score such items or to respond to opinion statements as statements of fact. EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

7) True statements and false statements should be approximately equal in length. There is a natural tendency for true statements to be longer because such statements must be precisely phrased in order to be absolutely true. This can be overcome by lengthening the false statements through the use of qualifying phrasing similar to those found in true statements. Thus the EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education length of the statement will be eliminated as a

MATCHING EXERCISES

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 In its traditional form, the matching exercise consists of two parallel columns with each word, number, or symbol in one column being matched to a word, sentence or phrase in the other column. The items in the column from which a match is sought are called premises, and the items in the column from which the selection is made are called responses. EDP 3501 Testing and premises to in Education The basis for matching Assessment responses

The Uses, Advantages, and Limitations of Matching Exercises

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 Uses of Matching Exercises

A matching appropriate. exercise seems most

It is a compact and efficient method that can be used to measure many relationships in a short time. The learning outcome of matching exercise is emphasize and measure the ability to identify the relationship between two things. EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 Examples of relationships included in matching exercise are:

Persons Dates Events Terms Authors Achievements Historical Definitions Titles of Books

The matching exercise has also been used with pictorial materials in relating pictures and words or to identify positions of maps, charts, and diagrams. EDP 3501

Testing and Assessment in Education

 Advantages of Matching Exercises The major advantage of matching exercise is its compact form, which makes it possible to measure many relationships in a short time. Another advantage often cited for the matching exercise is ease of construction, but goodmatching exercises require a high degree of skill.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 Limitations of Matching Exercises

It has only limited usefulness in classroom tests because it tends to have more irrelevant clues. The main limitation of the matching exercise is the difficulty of removing irrelevant clues. Another limitation is the difficulty of finding significant homogeneous material.

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Testing and Assessment in Education

 Suggestions Exercise

for

Constructing

Matching

Suggestions and tips for writing good matching questions include: Provide clear directions. Use only homogeneous material. Arrange the shorter responses on the right. Allow the responses to be used once, more than once, or not all. Arrange the list of responses in logical order and systematically (alphabetical, numerical) Place all the items for one matching exercise on the same page. EDP 3501 Testing and Assessment in Education

 Example of Matching Exercises Directions: On the line next to each children's book in Column A print the letter of the animal or insect in column B that is a main character in that book. Each animal or insect in Column B can be used only once.
Column A 1. Charlotte's Web 2. Winnie the Pooh 3. Black Beauty 4. Tarzan 5. Pinocchio 6. Bambi Column B A. Bear B. Chimpanzee C. Cricket D. Deer E. Horse F. Mouse G. Pig

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 Example of Matching Exercises

Directions: On the line to the left of each invention listed in Column A, write the letter of the inventors name in Column B who is noted for that invention. Each name in Column B may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
Column A Bell Column B

1. Invented volleyball in 1895. A. Alexander Graham

2. Inventor of the CD. B. Douglas C. Engelbart 3. Invented the computer mouse. C. Gordon Gould 4. Inventor of the telephone. D. James Russell 5. Made the first light laser. E. Rudolph Diesel F. Thomas Adams G. William G. Morgan

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Testing and Assessment in Education