Application of latent trait and multidimensional scaling models to cognitive domain-specific tests /
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| Other Authors: | , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1990.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the inspection of response selections on domain-specific multiple-choice tests provided useful information about the structures of students' knowledge in the content areas of human biology and social studies. The multiple-choice tests were developed according to a prespecified scheme where the distractors represented varying degrees of correctness in relation to the target domains. The subjects in this investigation were 823 sixth-grade students enrolled in two school districts in Southcentral Texas. Their responses to these multiple-choice tests showed that whether the domain was human biology or social studies, error selections were generally nonrandom. In addition, the application of a binomial logistic model showed that for Human Biology (Form 1) and Social Studies (Form 2) the dichotomous scoring of responses was related to- estimates of individual ability. A multinomial logistic response model provided evidence that the selection of systematically-constructed distractors when coded polychotomously was significantly related to ability for the Human Biology (Form 1). For this one form, the multinomial logistic model revealed that a hierarchy existed among the distractor categories of this human biology test. Psychometrically, difficulty estimates increased across option step categories while simultaneously decreasing as one progressed across the ability continuum. Application of multidimensional scaling models demonstrated that both forms of the human biology measure were described sufficiently in two dimensions. Analysis of the social studies measures suggested that more than two dimensions were needed to describe the structure of the respondents' selections. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Educational psychology." |
| Physical Description: | xiv, 180 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |