RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

428 TESTS
items that polarize – being too easy or too hard
most items might be true or false under certain
conditions
it may not be clear to the student whether facts
or opinions are being sought
as this is dichotomous, students have an even
chance of guessing the correct answer
an imbalance of true to false statements
some items might contain ‘absolutes’ which
give powerful clues, e.g. ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘all’,
‘none’.
To overcome these problems the authors suggest
several points that can be addressed:
avoid generalized statements (as they are
usually false)
avoid trivial questions
avoid negatives and double negatives in
statements
avoid over-long and over-complex statements
ensure that items are rooted in facts
ensure that statements can be only true or false
write statements in everyday language
decide where it is appropriate to use
‘degrees’ – ‘generally’, ‘usually’, ‘often’ – as
these are capable of interpretation
avoid ambiguities
ensure that each statement contains only one
idea
if an opinion is to be sought then ensure that
it is attributable to a named source
ensure that true statements and false
statements are equal in length and number.
Morris et al. (1987), Hanna (1993: 150–2),
Cunningham (1998) and Aiken (2003) also indicate
particular potential difficulties in matching
items:
It might be very clear to a student which items
in a list simply cannot be matched to items in
the other list (e.g. by dint of content, grammar,
concepts), thereby enabling the student to
complete the matching by elimination rather
than understanding.
One item in one list might be able to be
matched to several items in the other.
The lists might contain unequal numbers
of items, thereby introducing distractors –
rendering the selection as much a multiple
choice item as a matching exercise.
The authors suggest that difficulties in matching
items can be addressed thus:
ensure that the items for matching are
homogeneous – similar – over the whole test
(to render guessing more difficult)
avoid constructing matching items to answers
that can be worked out by elimination (e.g. by
ensuring that: (a) there are different numbers
of items in each column so that there are
more options to be matched than there are
items; (b) students can avoid being able to
reduce the field of options as they increase
the number of items that they have matched;
(c) the same option may be used more than
once)
decide whether to mix the two columns
of matched items (i.e. ensure, if desired,
that each column includes both items and
options)
sequence the options for matching so that they
are logical and easy to follow (e.g. by number,
by chronology)
avoid over-long columns and keep the columns
on a single page
make the statements in the options columns as
brief as possible
avoid ambiguity by ensuring that there is a
clearly suitable option that stands out from its
rivals
make it clear what the nature of the relationship
should be between the item and the
option (on what terms they relate to each
other)
number the items and letter the options.
With regard to essay questions, there are several
advantages that can be claimed. For example,
an essay, as an open form of testing, enables
complex learning outcomes to be measured,
it enables the student to integrate, apply
and synthesize knowledge, to demonstrate the
ability for expression and self-expression, and to