Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are a common way to assess reading comprehension. Every MCQ needs a set of distractor answers that are incorrect, but plausible enough to test student knowledge. However, good distractors are hard to create. Distractor generation (DG) models have been proposed, and their performance is typically evaluated using…

This study investigated the effects of imposing task- or process-oriented reading behaviors on reading comprehension assessment performance. Students in grades 5-8 (N = 275) were randomly assigned to hear multiple-choice items read aloud before or after reading a test passage and when they were and were not allowed access to the passage while…

In an investigation with advanced language learners, Brantmeier [Brantmeier, C., 2006. "Advanced L2 learners and reading placement: self-assessment, computer based testing, and subsequent performance." "System" 34 (1), 15-35.] reports that self-assessment (SA) of second language (L2) reading ability, when measured with self-rated scales, is not an…

This technical report describes the process of development and piloting of reading comprehension measures that are appropriate for seventh-grade students as part of an online progress screening and monitoring assessment system, http://easycbm.com. Each measure consists of an original fictional story of approximately 1,600 to 1,900 words with 20…

The choice of a particular reading comprehension passage and testing procedure, whether in research or practice, does not allow generalization to other operational definitions of reading comprehension, suggesting serious limitations in most contemporary reading comprehension research and testing. (JD)

This study investigated the validity of having English-as-a-Second-Language test-takers select from a checklist the strategies they believe they use when answering multiple choice reading comprehension questions. Results suggest that the self-report checklist discussed above exercised to an unknown extent an instrument effect on the readers who…

Examines what percentage of coverage of text is needed for unassisted reading for pleasure, where learners are able to read without the interruption of looking up words. Looks at the effect of three densities of unknown vocabulary on two measures of reading comprehension, a multiple-choice test and a cued written recall test. (Author/VWL)

WITH EXISTING COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, TESTS FOR SCREENING COLLEGE APPLICANTS CAN BE WRITTEN BY COMPUTERS. RESULTS OF A 72-ITEM COMPUTER-WRITTEN SYNONYMS TEST WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE ETS WIDE RANGE VOCABULARY TEST. BOTH TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED IN THE FALL OF 1965 TO ENTERING UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FRESHMEN. AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEMESTER, THESE…

Explored the relative impact of the test-developer on the performance of test takers using multiple-choice reading comprehension tests that had no specifications. Six passages each with three different sets of multiple-choice items constructed by three groups of individuals were trialled on 335 Iranian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners.…

Describes a study of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, each presented in the native language and in the second language, on the same second language text. Different methods resulted in different scores. Some methods were found to be more difficult than others and to have a greater effect on students of low-level proficiency. (SED)

The usefulness of before-adjunct questions with standardized multiple-choice tests in increasing reading comprehension scores was studied by examining the relative effectiveness of reading test questions first or reading the passage first. Subjects were 210 fourth graders randomly assigned to two treatment groups. The Level 9 Reading Comprehension…

Two approaches to comprehension are described which attempt to probe the students' real understanding of a prepared passage. In the first method, multiple choice questions were asked based on a 400-word passage; in the second method, a variant of the first, questions are separated into comprehension and phrase vocabulary. (SCC)

The "Test Development Notebook" is a resource designed for the preparation of tests of literal comprehension for students in grades 1 through 12. This volume contains 100 multiple-choice cloze exercises taken from test instructions, instructional magazines, encyclopedias, reference books, and children's magazines; and the accompanying answer key.…