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D.

Designing Multiple-Choice Test Items

Multiple-choice items, which may appear to be the simplest kind of item to construct, are
extremely difficult to design correctly. Hoghes (2003, pp. 76 78) cautions against a number
of weaknesses of multiple choice items :

The technique tests only recognition knowledge


Guessing may have a considerable effect on test scores.
The technique severely restricts what can be tested
It is very difficult to write successful items
Washback may be harmful
Cheating may be facilitated

A standard multiple-choice test item consists of two basic parts: a problem (stem) and
a list of suggested solutions (alternatives). The stem may be in the form of either a question
or an incomplete statement, and the list of alternatives contains one correct or best alternative
(answer) and a number of incorrect or inferior alternatives (distractors).
The purpose of the distractors is to appear as plausible solutions to the problem for
those students who have not achieved the objective being measured by the test item.
Conversely, the distractors must appear as implausible solutions for those students who have
achieved the objective. Only the answer should appear plausible to these students.
Since there will be occasions when multiple-choice items are appropriate, consider
the following four guidelines for designing multiple-choice items for both classroom based
and large-scale situations (adapted from Gronlund, 1998, pp. 60-75 and J.D. Brown, 1996,
pp. 54-57)
1. Design each item to measure a specific objective
Example:
Where did George go after party last night?
a. yes, he did
b. Because he was tired
c. To Elaines place for another party
d. Around eleven oclock.
The specific objective being tested here is comprehension of wh-questions. Distractor (a)
is designed to ascertain that the student knows the difference between an answer to a wh-
question and a yes/no question. Ditractors (b) and (d), as well as the key item (c) test
comprehension of the meaning of where as opposed to why and when. The objective has
been directly addressed.

2. State both stem and options as simply and directly as possible.


It means that stem and option must be clear and unambiguous. The teacher must not
create multiple-choice items too wordy.
Example:
Multiple-Choice, flawed
My eyesight has really been deteriorating lately. I wonder if I need glasses. I think Id
better go to the __________ to have my eyes checked.
a. Pediatrician
b. Dermatologist
c. Optometrist

You might argue that the first two sentence of this item give it some authenticity and
accomplish a bit of schema setting. But if you simply want a student to identify the type
of medical professional who deals with eyesight issues, those sentences are superfluous.
Moreover, by lengthening the stem, you have introduced a potentially confounding
lexical item, deteriorate, that could distract the student unnecessarily.

Another rule of succinctness is to remove needless redundancy from your option. In the
following item, which where is repeated in all three options. It should be placed in the
stem to keep the item as succinct as possible.

Multiple-choice item, flawed

We went to visit the temples,______ fascinating.

a. Which were beautiful


b. Which were especially
c. Which were holy
3. Make certain that the intended answer is clearly the only correct one. It means that the teachers
need to avoid a wide variety of responses may be perceived as correct.
Multiple-choice item, flawed:
Where did George go after the party last night?
a. Yes, He did.
b. because he was tired
c. to Elaines place for another party.
d. he went home around eleven oclock

A quick consideration of the distractor (d) reveals that it is as plausible answer,


along with the intended key, (c). Eliminating unintended possible answers is often the
most difficult problem of designing multiple-choice items. With only a minimum of
context in each stem, a wide variety of responses may be perceived as correct.
1. Use Item Indices to Accept, Discard, or Revise Item

In designing multiple-choice test items there are 3 item indices to measure the items
in a test in order to accept, discard or revise items, there are:

1) Item Facility (IF) or item difficulty


It is a determination to what extent a test is easy or difficult for proposed
group of test taker. If someone thinks that a test is easy if 99% respondent
answer correctly and is difficult if 99% answer are wrong, that is a problem.
Because that idea can not separate the high-ability and the low ability of test-
takers. In this index, to discribe the percentage of student answer the items
correctly, someone can use the simple form, is by dividing students
answering the item correctly with total of items in that test. For example 13
divided by 20 than you get 65%. No absolute rule decides acceptable or
unacceptable this index.
2) Item Discrimination (ID)
It is to what extent an item differentiates between high-ability and low
ability of test takers. An item who has score equally well between high-ability
and low-ability will have poor Item Discrimination because the text cannot
discriminate those two group. So that. An item that provides correct answer
from the most in high-ability and incorrect answer from the most of low-
ability group has good discrimination power.
To see the range of high and low ability you can use these simple steps. The
first, make sure that you have calculated your student scores. Next, rate them
from highest scores to lowest scores and divide them into three parts (high,
middle and low). Then, eliminate the middle group and leave two group.
Imagine you have 30 student ( high 10, 10 middle, low 10), in high group 7
students correct and in low group 2 students correct. Finally, use the ID
formula, (7-2 = 5 10 = .50), you would find that this item has an ID of .50,
or a moderate level. Calculating the data above by using that formula will
find out the range 0.50, means you have moderate item Of ID. In case, the
highest value of discriminating power is 1.0, so that if you value is near to
zero, you have to discard or revise your items.
3) Distractor efficiency
It is to what extent distractors attract a sufficient number of test-taker, and
those responses also are distributed equally over distractors. It is important in
measuring multiple-choice items value and the one that related to Item
Discrimination. To get the result you do not need to use mathematical
formula. you can analyze it by looking at the distribution of response (from A
to E). For example, according to the data above there are 3 students from low,
none from high choose A, 1 from high and 5 from low choose B, 7 from high
and 3 from low choose C, none both of high and low choose D and 2 from
high and none from low choose E ( correct is C).

That response distribution shows you two ways to improve the items. The first is distractor D has
no utility because cannot atrract anyone. The second distractor E just attract 2 students from
high-ability to choose this incorrect one

The table below will serve as guide in interpreting the results of the item analysis.

Table for interpreting difficulty index (p)


Range of Difficulty Index (p) Interpretation
0 - .20 Very difficult
0.21 0.40 Difficult
0.41 0.60 Moderately difficult
0.61 0.80 Easy
0.81 1.00 Very easy

Table for interpreting discrimination index (D)

Range of Discrimination Index (D) Interpretation


-1.0 - -.06 Questionable
-0.59 - -0.20 Not discriminating
-0.21 - 0.20 Moderately discriminating
0.21 - 0.60 Discriminating
0.61 - 1.00 Very discriminating

In interpreting the results, we have to consider not only whether how easy or how

difficult the item is, but also its ability to discriminate students who know and those who do not

know the answer. In other words, both the p values and D values are taken into consideration.

The decision rule is to retain or accept the items that are not so easy or too difficult, and at the

same time can discriminate bright from poor students.


After interpreting the difficulty and discrimination indices, the table below will help us

what to do with the test item

Difficulty Index Discrimination Index Suggested Action


Not discriminating Discard/Reject
Difficult Moderately discriminating May need revision
Discriminating/Very discriminating Accept/Retain
Not discriminating Needs revision
Moderately difficult Moderately discriminating May need revision
Discriminating/Very discriminating Accept/Retain
Not discriminating Discard/Reject
Easy Moderately discriminating Needs Revision
Discriminating/Very discriminating Needs Revision

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