Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information on Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology, 3e

Click here for more information on Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology, 3e

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Applied Psychological Measurement
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Samejima, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Nonparametric Estimation of the Plausibility Functions of the Distractors of Vocabulary Test ltems

Fumiko Samejima

The University of Tennessee

The Level 11 Vocabulary Subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills was analyzed using a two-stage latent trait approach and an empirical dataset of 2,356 examinees. First, each of the 43 multiple-choice test items was scored dichotomously; then, assuming the (two-parameter) normal ogive model the item parameters were estimated. The operating characteristics of the correct answer and of the three distractors were estimated using a nonparametric approach called the simple sum procedure of the conditional probability density function approach combined with the normal approach method. Differential information was provided by the distractors, and these operating characteristics were named the plausibility functions of the distractors. The operating characteristic of the correct answer of each item estimated by assuming the normal ogive model was compared with the nonparagnetrically estimated operating characteristic for model validation. It was concluded that the nonparametric approach leads to efficient estimation of the latent trait. Index terms: distractors, item response theory, latent trait models, multiple-choice test items, nonparametric estimation, plausibility functions of distractors.

Applied Psychological Measurement, Vol. 18, No. 1, 35-51 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/014662169401800104


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?