Open AccessTHE RELATIONSHIP OF CONSTRAINED FREE‐RESPONSE TO MULTIPLE‐CHOICE AND OPEN‐ENDED ITEMS
Author(s) -
Bennett Randy Elliot,
Rock Donald A.,
Braun Henry I.,
Frye Douglas,
Spohrer James C.,
Soloway Elliot
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
ets research report series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.235
H-Index - 5
ISSN - 2330-8516
DOI - 10.1002/j.2330-8516.1989.tb00147.x
Subject(s) - multiple choice , sample (material) , factor (programming language) , statistics , item response theory , test (biology) , debugging , psychology , econometrics , computer science , mathematics , psychometrics , programming language , significant difference , paleontology , chemistry , chromatography , biology
This study examined the relationship of a machine‐scorable, constrained free‐response computer science item that required the student to debug a faulty program to two other types of items: (1) multiple‐choice and (2) free response requiring production of a computer program. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the fit of a three‐factor model to these data and to compare the fit of this model to three alternatives. These models were fit using two random‐half samples, one given a faulty program containing one bug and the other a program with three bugs. A single‐factor model best fit the data for the sample taking the 1‐bug constrained free response and a two‐factor model fit the data for the second sample. In addition, the factor intercorrelations showed this item type to be significantly related to both the free‐response items and the multiple‐choice measures.