Using Common Testing Techniques Effectively

1. Using Common Testing Techniques Effectively Writing Multiple-choice, Gap-filling, and Short-answer Items Hanh Thi Nguyen, Ph.D. TESL Programs Learning Assessment Committee member

2. What is a ‘good’ test? • An effective test • measures what it is supposed to measure (has validity) • measures consistently (has reliability) • is practical to make, administer, and score (has practicality) • has positive effects on learning (has positive washback)

3. How to meet those criteria? • Validity: • Write test items that correspond to course objectives • Make sure only these objectives are tested • Reliability: • Include not too few items, but not too long a test either • Eliminate distracting factors in the environment • Make sure scoring is done consistently • Make sure candidates are familiar with testing format • Make sure instructions are non-ambiguous • Practicality • Consider time and cost • Sometimes practicality conflicts with validity and reliability, so test what needs to be tested, do not just test what is easy to test • Positive washback • Make sure test can improve teaching • Make sure test has positive impact on learning

4. Common testing techniques • Multiple-choice items • Gap-filling items • Short-answer items • Extended response (essay) items – not covered today

5. Multiple-choice items • 1. What is the shape of the earth?StemOptions A. roundkey B. squaredistractor C. ovaldistractor D. triangulardistractor

6. Advantages of MC items • Objective testing • Scoring is easy • Less dependent on students’ writing skills • Can cover a broad range of contents • Very effective when eliciting a best answer

7. Disadvantages of MC items • Testing only recognition knowledge, no production knowledge • Candidates have a 25% chance to guess right (if 4 options) – hence, “multiple-guess” test • Not always possible to have 3-4 plausible alternatives to correct answer

8. Examples • If I ___ him last year, I ___ him to help me.A. know, askB. knew, askedC. have known, askedD. had known, would have asked • Key is the longest string – facilitates guessing • Option A not likely to distract

9. Examples • She started to ____, thinking about his death.A. giggleB. complainC. shoutD. weep • All 4 options are possible answers. • Need further context to restrict answer.

10. Suggestions for constructing MC items • For the stem: • Use direct questions rather than incomplete sentences. • Present a single question or problem in stem • Make sure to include in the stem the words that are repeated in all options (avoid redundancy)

11. Suggestions for constructing MC items • For the options • Use errors commonly made by students in class as basis for distractors • Use options that say “none of the above”, “all of the above”, “A & B only” sparingly • Avoid having the key being the longest or shortest item • When possible, present options in some logical order (chronological, least to most, alphabetical…) • Use similar format for all options (all are phrases, all are single words, etc.)

12. True/False items • Essentially, T/F items are MC items with only 2 options • Advantages: • Good for testing misconceptions, comprehension • Can be scored quickly • Disadvantages: • Students have a 50-50 chance to guess the right answer

13. Suggestions for constructing T/F items • Make sure there is a single idea in the stem • Make sure the statement is either absolutely true or false, no exceptions • Avoid using extreme qualifiers (never, always, etc.) whenever possible • Avoid using negative statements • Avoid recycling the exact statement from the text • Avoid using unfamiliar vocabulary

14. Matching items Directions: On the line next to each children’s book in Column A print the letter of the animal or insect in Column B that is a main character in that book. Each animal or insect in Column B can be used only once. Column A Column B ____1. Charlotte’s Web A. Bear ____2. Winnie the Pooh B. Chimpanzee ____3. Black Beauty C. Cricket ____4. Tarzan D. Deer ____5. Pinocchio E. Horse ____6. Bambi F. Pig

15. Matching items: advantages & disadvantages • Essentially are MC items, in which the answer of one item also depends on the answers of the other items in the matching set • Advantages: Good for testing • Definitions • Classifications • Cause and effects • Problems and solutions • Relationship between 2 entities (e.g., event-date, book-character) • Disadvantages • Items are inter-related • Time consuming for test-takers • Not suitable for all knowledge and learning skills

16. Suggestions for constructing matching items • Make sure all items are of the same topic Directions: Match the following. 1. Water A. NaCl 2. Discovered Radium B. Fermi 3. Salt C. NH3 4. Ammonia D. 1942 5. Year of the first Nuclear Fission E. H20 F. Curie G. 1957 • Do not mix matching with sentence completion, e.g.,__ 1. A ____ orbits a planet. A. sun etc.

17. Gap-filling items • The colors of the United States flag are ____, ____, and ____. • Gap-filling items are open-ended, requiring students to produce language.

18. Gap-filling items: advantages & disadvantages • Advantages: • Reducing guessing • Students must know answers, no hint given • More or less objective • Disadvantages: • Answers limited to a few restricted words, not assessing higher level learning • Difficult to restrict answers, it is easy to have more than one correct answer • Scoring takes more time than MC items

19. Examples • The smallest phonetic ____ in a language that is capable of conveying a distinction in meaning is called a phoneme. • The ______ were to Egypt as the ______were to Persia and as ______ were to the early tribes of Israel. • Some men don’t have ____ on their face. • An ____ is a part or particle considered to be an irreducible constituent of a specified system.

20. Suggestions for constructing gap-filling items • The gap should contain the key information being tested. • Make sure the meaning of the statement is not lost after words have been taken out • Make sure only one correct answer is possible. • Avoid grammatical clue that gives away the answer

21. Short-answer items • What are the colors of the United States flag? • Essay-test items: • Extended response: paragraphs • Restricted-response: short-answer items • How short is short? • A word, a phrase, a sentence (not a paragraph)

22. Short-answer items • Advantages: • student needs to produce language, less guessing • can test some higher learning level • easier to write: no need for distractors or strict answer restriction • avoid the problems of extended response items • Disadvantages: • scoring is less objective • more time consuming for test-takers and scorers

23. References • Hughes, A. (2003). Testing for language teachers (2nd ed). Cambridge University Press. • Clay, Ben. (2001). Is this a trick question? A short guide to writing effective test questions. Kansas Curriculum Center.