Eight Simple Steps to Item Analysis


  1. Score each answer sheet, write score total on the corner

    • obviously have to do this anyway

  2. Sort the pile into rank order from top to bottom score

      (1 minute, 30 seconds tops)

  3. If normal class of 30 students, divide class in half

    • same number in top and bottom group:

    • toss middle paper if odd number (put aside)

  4. Take 'top' pile, count number of students who responded to each alternative

    • fast way is simply to sort piles into "A", "B", "C", "D" // or true/false or type of error you get for short answer, fill-in-the-blank

      OR set up on spread sheet if you're familiar with computers

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0	
      *B     4	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

    • repeat for lower group

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0 	
      *B     4       2	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

    • this is the time consuming part --> but not that bad, can do it while watching TV, because you're just sorting piles

    THREE POSSIBLE SHORT CUTS HERE (STEP 4)

    (A) If you have a large sample of around 100 or more, you can cut down the sample you work with

    • take top 27% (27 out of 100); bottom 27% (so only dealing with 54, not all 100)

    • put middle 46 aside for the moment

      • larger the sample, more accurate, but have to trade off against labour; using top 1/3 or so is probably good enough by the time you get to 100; --27% magic figure statisticians tell us to use

    • I'd use halves at 30, but you could just use a sample of top 10 and bottom 10 if you're pressed for time

      • but it means a single student changes stats by 10%

      • trading off speed for accuracy...

    • but I'd rather have you doing ten and ten than nothing

    (B) Second short cut, if you have access to photocopier (budgets)

    • photocopy answer sheets, cut off identifying info

        (can't use if handwriting is distinctive)

    • colour code high and low groups --> dab of marker pen color

    • distribute randomly to students in your class so they don't know whose answer sheet they have

    • get them to raise their hands

      • for #6, how many have "A" on blue sheet?
        how many have "B"; how many "C"

      • for #6, how many have "A" on red sheet....

    • some reservations because they can screw you up if they don't take it seriously

    • another version of this would be to hire kid who cuts your lawn to do the counting, provided you've removed all identifying information

      • I actually did this for a bunch of teachers at one high school in Edmonton when I was in university for pocket money

    (C) Third shortcut, IF you can't use separate answer sheet, sometimes faster to type than to sort

    
          SAMPLE OF TYPING FORMAT 
             FOR ITEM ANALYSIS
    
    
    ITEM #    1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10
    
    KEY       T  F  T  F  T  A  D  C  A  B
    
    STUDENT
    
    Kay       T  T  T  F  F  A  D  D  A  C
    
    Jane      T  T  T  F  T  A  D  C  A  D
    
    John      F  F  T  F  T  A  D  C  A  B
    
    

    • type name; then T or F, or A,B,C,D == all left hand on typewriter, leaving right hand free to turn pages (from Sax)

    • IF you have a computer program -- some kicking around -- will give you all stats you need, plus bunches more you don't-- automatically after this stage

      OVERHEAD: SAMPLE ITEM ANALYSIS FOR CLASS OF 30 (PAGE #1) (in text)


  5. Subtract the number of students in lower group who got question right from number of high group students who got it right

    • quite possible to get a negative number

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0 	
      *B     4       2         2	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

  6. Divide the difference by number of students in upper or lower group

    • in this case, divide by 15

    • this gives you the "discrimination index" (D)

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0 	
      *B     4       2         2      0.333	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

  7. Total number who got it right

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0 	
      *B     4       2         2      0.333   6	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

  8. Divide total by total number of students

    • difficulty = (proportion who got it right (p) )

    ITEM ANALYSIS FORM TEACHER CONSTRUCTED TESTS

    CLASS SIZE = 30
    
    ITEM   UPPER   LOWER   DIFFERENCE   D   TOTAL   DIFFICULTY
    
    1. A     0 	
      *B     4       2         2      0.333   6      .42	
       C     1	
       D     1	
       O
    
    *=Keyed Answer

      You will NOTE the complete lack of complicated statistics --> counting, adding, dividing --> no tricky formulas required for this

    • not going to worry about corrected point biserials etc.

    • one of the advantages of using fixed number of alternatives