A Likert seven-choice response format for personality inventories allows finer distinctions by subjects than the traditional two-choice format. The Eysenck Personality Inventory was employed in the present study to test the hypothesis that use of the expanded format would result in a clearer and more accurate indication of test structure.…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federally funded testing group, found that 17-year-olds today know less about science than high school students in 1969-70 and 1972-73, when previous assessments were conducted. Here is a closer look at that assessment. (Author/RK) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document:…

A factor analysis of Rotter's internal-external locus of control scale is described. The four factors extracted were there correlated with several political attitude instruments. Results lead authors to suggest a modification in Rotter's scale, particularly in the "just world" items. (JKS)

Some of the merits and pitfalls of multiple choice examinations are outlined and ways of increasing reliability and feedback information are summarized. Included are discussions of basic format, examples of poor design, examples of augmentation, and feedback from computerized grading. (LBH)

Comments upon objective test items which evaluate history students' analytical and interpretive skills. Concludes that properly constructed multiple choice test items go beyond testing for rote memorization of content. (Author/DB)

Argues that instruction in thinking skills must be regularly assessed in the classroom. Offers an example of a basic format for testing thinking skills. Concludes that teachers must test thinking skills if such skills are to be valued by students. (JDH)

Notes that in 1985, California eighth-grade students took the first statewide history-social science test which emphasized critical thinking skills. Contends that these skills are teachable and should be a priority in social studies. Describes three approaches to critical thinking skills assessment and provides three examples. Concludes with…

This study evaluated 16 hypotheses concerning possible sources of bias in test items on the Graduate Record Examination General Test. Ten of the hypotheses showed interactions between group membership and the item version indicating a differential effect of the item manipulation on the performance of Black and White examinees. (Author/LMO)

To determine which produced the most accurate item parameter estimates, four methods of item response theory were evaluated: (1) heuristic estimates; (2) the ANCILLES program; (3) the LOGIST program; and (4) the ASCAL program. LOGIST and ASCAL produced estimates of superior and essentially equivalent accuracy. (SLD)

The contribution of passage variables, question types, and format variables to reading comprehension was assessed for 50 successful and 50 unsuccessful readers. A three-stage conditional regression assessed the predictability of 20 predictor features on item difficulty scores. The location of response information and stem length accounted for…

Intercorrelations among multiple true-false items were examined to determine to what extent each choice can be treated as independent. Results from 157 health science and 170 medical students indicated that correlations between options from the same stem were larger than those from different stems. Methods for computing reliability estimates were…

Notes that significantly different results frequently exist between tests that purport to measure the same skill when the same child is tested on both instruments. Considers discrepancies related to examinee, examiner, examinee-examiner interactions, environment, and psychometric characteristics of the tests employed. Cites 10 major psychometric…

The purpose of this study was to test a specific hypothesis with regard to how cloze retrieval takes place once semantic constraints are recognized. Results from human subjects and computer simulation suggested that increase in latency between the two- and three-semantic-constraint conditions was not artifactual. (JAZ)

Reviews some of the ways researchers estimate readability with a focus on multiple choice test items in science. Presents criteria to consider for minimizing readability problems in test items. Examines samples from the National Assessment of Educational Progress test bank for readability. (ML)

Qualitative evidence for the operation of partial knowledge is given by two findings. First, performance when second and subsequent choices are made is above the chance level. Second, it is positively related to first choice performance. A number of theories incorporating partial knowledge are compared quantitatively. (Author/LMO)