Multiple-choice questions and student characteristics.

Abstract

Multiple-choice aptitude and achievement questions have been criticized for penalizing the highly able student while rewarding the less able one. This paper reviews previous attempts to examine this criticism and presents original research designed to expand the ways of testing the critics' proposal. The research explored relationships between performance on multiple-choice questions and characteristics which the critics suggest differentiate students who are rewarded from those who are penalized. The Ss were 108 undergraduate males. The characteristics examined were: creativity, nonconformity, ability to recognize ambiguity, preference for complexity, and test-wiseness. Analyses of the data for the total group of Ss and for various subgroups supported some, but not all, of the critics' claims and suggested the need for reformulating arguments concerning multiple-choice assessment.

Sources of measurement error in pediatric intelligence testing

“…Kubinger and Wolfsbauer (2010: 303) contend that from the point of view of personality psychology, examinees in a multiple-choice test are likely to differ in the way they deal with multiple choice items, which might impact their results. Dochy et al (2001) on their side presume that, if an examinee reaches a particular answer for an item in a multiple-choice test, which, however, is not offered as an option, then, the higher the examinee’s general assertiveness is, the more he/she uses “none of the other options is right.” Ávila and Torrubia (2004) established that extraverted, impulsive, and low-anxiety examinees give more incorrect responses in multiple-choice tasks but make fewer omission errors and Alker et al (1969) indicate that examinees with a “nonconformist” personality score higher on achievement tests than others because of fewer skipped items and not at all using the “I don’t know the solution” option. Lastly, Stoeber and Kersting (2007) showed that “perfectionist” examinees attain higher scores in achievement tests.…”

On the Risk of Certain Psychotechnological Response Options in Multiple-Choice Tests

“…This is in accordance with the long-ago study of Sheriffs and Boomer (1954), which showed that low-assertive people try to avoid any decisions about which they are uncertain but suffer from the fear of being punished because of guessing -this supports the hypothesis that examinees would use "I don't know the solution" rather than guess by chance. On the other hand, an almost equally old study of Alker, Carlson, and Hermann (1969) indicates that examinees with a "nonconformist" personality score higher on achievement tests than others because of fewer skipped items, as a consequence, they would not at all use "I don't know the solution." The same conclusion might be true for extraverted, impulsive, and low-anxiety examinees, according to a study of Ávila and Torrubia (2004), who established that this subpopulation gives more incorrect responses in multiple-choice tasks but makes fewer omission errors.…”

“…At the most, Dochy, Moerke, DeCorte, and Segers (2001) presume that, if an examinee reaches a particular answer for an item, which, however, is not offered as an option, then, the higher the examinee’s general assertiveness is, the more he/she uses “none of the other options is right.” This is in accordance with the long-ago study of Sheriffs and Boomer (1954), which showed that low-assertive people try to avoid any decisions about which they are uncertain but suffer from the fear of being punished because of guessing – this supports the hypothesis that examinees would use “I don’t know the solution” rather than guess by chance. On the other hand, an almost equally old study of Alker, Carlson, and Hermann (1969) indicates that examinees with a “nonconformist” personality score higher on achievement tests than others because of fewer skipped items, as a consequence, they would not at all use “I don’t know the solution.” The same conclusion might be true for extraverted, impulsive, and low-anxiety examinees, according to a study of Ávila and Torrubia (2004), who established that this subpopulation gives more incorrect responses in multiple-choice tasks but makes fewer omission errors. Finally, Stoeber and Kersting (2007) showed that “perfectionist” examinees attain higher scores in achievement tests, which suggests that they will not use “I don’t know the solution” but may use “none of the other options is right.”…”

EFFECTS OF VIOLATING ITEM CONSTRUCTION PRINCIPLES1

“…In addition, interest in the construct of "test-wiseness" may generate evidence concerning such principles (cf. Alker, Carlson, and Hermann, 1969;Gibb, 1964;Millman, Bishop, and Ebel, 1965;Slakter, Koehler, and Hampton, 1970;Wahlstrom and Boersma, 1968).…”