Premium
Item analysis as a basis for weighting examination questions
Author(s) -
Yeager Ver L.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.980070208
Subject(s) - memorization , weighting , class (philosophy) , reading (process) , mathematics education , medicine , multiple choice , basis (linear algebra) , computer science , artificial intelligence , psychology , mathematics , linguistics , philosophy , geometry , radiology
Not all tost questions are of equal importance and, therefore, should not be weighted equally. To determine weight, a method has been used in which the weight of each question is based on what the class as a whole learned from what was presented in lectures, laboratories, and assigned reading material. Multiple choice written tests are machine‐graded and the percentage of students correctly answering each question is used as the weighting factor. Important basic material that is emphasized in lecture or that can readily be recognized by the students as important will be weighted high if most students learn it. Questions about small details that are not stressed will be weighted low if few students learn that detail. However, questions on poorly taught material will be weighted low if the students do riot learn it, even if material is important. Students who just memorize detail but do not understand what is important will not gain from this method. Since the methods weights the question based on what the class as a whole learned, the students think it is fair. Students are more willing to learn when they believe trey are being treated fairly. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.