Partial Knowledge in Multiple-Choice Testing

Abstract

<span>The intent of this study was to discover the nature of (partial) knowledge as <span>estimated by the multiple-choice (MC) test method. An MC test of <span>vocabulary, including 20 items, was given to 10 participants. Each examinee <span>was required to think aloud while focusing on each item before and while <span>making a response. After each test taker was done with each item, s/he was <span>required to provide answers to retrospective questions. The specific purpose <span>of the questions was to elicit the examinees' ‘systemic knowledge' of each <span>item (i.e., how much they knew about each component of the item as well as<br /><span>their knowledge as to the relationship between the components). Based on <span>the nature of the test takers' protocols, task analysis, and objective of the <span>study, a coding scheme was developed for analyzing the protocols. Then, the <span>protocols were closely examined to find out the coding categories that <span>contributed to the basic identity of the two polar classes of knowledge (i.e., <span>Absence of Knowledge and Full Knowledge). The same approach was used <span>in the rest of the protocols to find out the possible subcategories of partial <span>knowledge. Similar codes were categorized into natural classes to develop a <br /><span>model of knowledge in MC testing which resulted in a model of knowledge <span>comprising five categories.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>