AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEXITY AND PROCESS IN MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS1,2

In this study hierarchical syndrome analysis was used to investigate empirically the clustering of tests each of which consisted of items based upon the rationale of a particular category of the Bloom Taxonomy (i.e., an “application” test, an “analysis” test, etc.). Each test included items related to eight physical science principles. Thus an attempt was made to hold the content as constant as possible and systematically vary process in the formation of the tests. The data indicate possible ways of combining Taxonomy item types based on the psychological distance between the categories.     

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENTIAL OPTION WEIGHTING ON MULTIPLE-CHOICE OBJECTIVE TESTS1

The purpose of this study was to determine in what way Guttman weighting affected the internal consistency and intercorrelation of the suhtests of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The tests were first scored with Guttman weights and then with conventional correction-for-guessing weights. The internal consistency of the tests increased markedly when Guttman weights were used. The correlation of the two verbal subtests increased somewhat when Guttman weights were used, but the correlation of the two mathematics subtests as well as the intercorrelation of all verbal and mathematics subtests decreased. Differences in the factor structure of the Guttman- and conventionally-weighted subtests were used to explain the result.     

AN EMPIRICAL MODEL FOR FACULTY TIME ANALYSIS

This report contributes to the discussion of faculty time analysis by outlining the development of a model for estimating the time involved in teaching a university course. Over a period of six years, systematic time analysis has assisted in determining the principal components and empirical coefficients of the model. Data are reported showing reasonable agreement between model estimates and time analysis for the courses specified.     

AN INTERPRETATION OF LIVINGSTON'S RELIABILITY COEFFICIENT FOR CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS

An alternative interpretation of Livingston's reliability coefficient is based on the notion of the relation of the size of the reliability coefficient to the range of talent. It is shown that the (generally) larger Livingston coefficient does not imply a smaller standard error of measurement and consequently does not imply a more dependable determination of whether or not a true score falls below (or exceeds) a given criterion value.     

ELIMINATION SCORING: AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION

The purpose of this paper was to provide an empirical test of the hypothesis that elimination scores are more reliable and valid than classical corrected for-guessing scores or weighted-choice scores. The evidence presented supports the hypothesized superiority of elimination scoring.     

THE SPEEDEDNESS QUOTIENT: A NEW DESCRIPTIVE STATISTIC FOR TESTS

It is proposed to describe the speededness of a test by a new statistic, the Speededness Quotient (SQ). The SQ is derived by dividing the total number of unattempted items by the total number of errors. It is suggested that test publishers should report the SQ of a test especially when reporting the reliability as an odd-even correlation coefficient.     

TOWARD AN INTEGRATION OF THEORY AND METHOD FOR CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS1,2

In this paper, an attempt has been made to synthesize some of the current thinking in the area of criterion-referenced testing as well as to provide the beginning of an integration of theory and method for such testing. Since criterion-referenced testing is viewed from a decision-theoretic point of view, approaches to reliability and validity estimation consistent with this philosophy are suggested. Also, to improve the decision-making accuracy of criterion-referenced tests, a Bayesian procedure for estimating true mastery scores has been proposed. This Bayesian procedure uses information about other members of a student's group (collateral information), but the resulting estimation is still criterion referenced rather than norm referenced in that the student is compared to a standard rather than to other students. In theory, the Bayesian procedure increases the “effective length” of the test by improving the reliability, the validity, and more importantly, the decision-making accuracy of the criterion-referenced test scores.     

PROJECTIVE AGING: AN ENGAGING TECHNIQUE FOR TEACHING ISSUES IN GROWING OLDER

This article presents a teaching technique to help students think about what it means to grow old. In this directed experiential learning situation, students evaluate issues and myths associated with the aging process by imagining their own aging, describing themselves as “old” people, sharing these images, and discussing the realities of aging. Through this process, students are actively involved in their own learning. Reactions to this classroom experience are also presented.     

中国居民储蓄变动的实证分析

居民储蓄持续增长已成为我国重要的经济现象之一。理论上,影响我国居民储蓄的主要因素是居民可支配收入和价格水平。协整理论和误差修正模型进一步表明,在居民储蓄、居民可支配收入和价格水平之间存在协整关系,居民储蓄无论在短期还是长期均快于居民可支配收入的增长。