Technical Report - International Military Testing Association

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e. If a diatractor ia discriminating in the wrong direction it
may rapreoent an aspect th8.t cannot be r8movod without d88troying the
whole point of the item. The iccm nny be covering the point about which
there fo much mietnformntion; the dintractor should not be revlaed if
the point of the item ie loat through ravieion.
The following quotation from Devie’ ch8ptar on “Item Selection
Techniques” in Lindquist’e Educational Measurement should be helpful
when revieion technique8 8re applied to testa end item8. .-
“It is interesting that mny invalid dietracters are found in items
that how been carefully edited and checked by subject-matter urperts.
Thi8 anph88ixes the well-kno-m fact thnt because a dfatracter ie dircriminative
in the wrong direction we cannot conclude that it io too
nearly correct from a factual point of view. Convereely, the fact that
an incorrect choice ie too nearly a correct anawer doe8 not nacasaarily
mean that it will turn out to be diocriminative in the wrong diraction
when it ir subjected to item mnlyoie. Item analyois technique8 cunnot
alone be relied upon to detect error8 and 8mbiguitieo; expert crfticiw
and editing ore indiepenaable in te8t construction, The full value of
item analyrie technique8 cannot be reelircd unlers criticiomo of the
item8 by recognited authoritier are available for reference.”
Referance
Davio, P. B., Item selection technique8 in Lfndquiot, E. F. (ed.),
Educational Measurement. Uarhlngton, D. C.: American Council
on Educcltionx951, 308.
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