JIBING TEST ITEMS

Introduction
Evaluation is a basic task of educator. It is one of the basic task of the development of
a curriculum or a plan of instruction that we may distinguish. These are:
1. To determine the objectives in which the source or program seeks to attain.
2. To select learning experiences which will help to bring about the attainment of these
objectives.
3. To organize these learning experiences so as to provide continuity and sequence for
the students and to help him integrate what might otherwise appear as isolated
experiences.
4. To determine the extent to which the objectives are being attained.

This view rests on the assumption that education is a process for changing the
behavior patterns of human beings. As a result of this process, it is expected that
individuals will acquire ideas that did not have before, improve their ways of thinking,
develop tastes and sensitivities, modify their attitudes, and improve in other desired
ways.

It follows from this conception that the kinds of changes which an educator
seeks to bring about constitutes his educational objectives. The fundamental purposes
of an education are to effect changes in the way the individual thinks, feels, and acts.

The process of evaluation is one of the determining the effectiveness of the

course or program in bringing about such desired changes. According to the view
above, evaluation is an integrated aspect of curriculum development and instruction.
This is shown schematically in the following figure, which brings out the reciprocal
relations between the main elements in a well – planned program of education.

Educational objectives

Learning experiences Evaluation procedures

Thus, the objectives serve as the basis for developing both learning
experiences and evaluation procedures. The learning experiences and evaluation procedures,
in turn, help to clarify the objectives. Furthermore, situations used for instruction provide
parallels for evaluation, and indeed may suggest good leads for the latter. Correspondingly,
the evaluation procedures provide evidence on the effectiveness of the learning experience,
and ultimately on the attainability of the objectives themselves. There thus exists the possibility
of interruption among this different factors, each having a potential influence on the others.
This paper then zeroes in on the jibing of the instructional objectives to the
teacher-made test. This is a way of relating evaluation and instruction. Teachers may be
shown how they can tie in evaluation more closely with instruction.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING TRUE-FALSE ITEMS

1. The desired method of marking true or false should be clearly explained before students
begin the test.
2. Construct statement that are definitely true or false, without additional qualifications. If
opinion is used, attribute it to some source.
3. Use relatively short statements and eliminate extraneous material.
4. There must be approximately equal number of true and false items.
5. Avoid using double negative statements. They take extra time to decipher and are difficult
to interpret.
6. Avoid the following:
a. verbal clue, absolutes, and complex sentences.
b. broad general statements that are usually not true or false without further
qualifications.
c. terms denoting indefinite degrees (for example, large, long time, regularly), or absolute
for example, never, only, always)
d. placing items in a systematic order (for example, TTFF, TFTF and so on).
e. taking statements directly from the next and presenting them out of context.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING MATCHING ITEMS

1. Keep both the list of descriptions and the list of options fairly short and
homogeneous – they should both fit on the same page. Title the list to ensure
homogeneity and arrange the descriptions and options in some logical order.

If this is impossible you’re probably including too wide a variety in the exercise.
Try two or more exercises.

2. Make sure that all the options are plausible destructor for each description to
ensure homogeneity of list.
3. The list of description should contain the longer phrases or statement, while the
option should consist of short phrases, words and symbol.
4. Each description in the list should be numbered (each is an item), and the list of
options should be identified by letter.
5. Include more options than description. If the option list is shorter, some options
must be used more than once. Always include some options that do not much any
of descriptions, or some that much more than one, or both.
6. In the directions, specify the basis for matching and whether options can be used
more than once.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING MULTIPLE- CHOICE ITEMS
Here are some guidelines for writing multiple- choice tests:
1. The stem of the item should clearly formulate a problem. Include as much of the item as
possible keeping the response options as short as possible. However, include only the
material needed to make the problem clear and specific. Be concise- don’t add extraneous
information.
2. Be sure that there is one and only correct or clearly best answer.
3. Be sure wrong answer choices (distractors) are plausible. Eliminate unintentional
grammatical clues, and keep the length and form of all the answer choices equal. Rotate
the position of the correct answer from item to item randomly.
4. Use negative questions or statements only if the knowledge being tested requires it. In most
cases, it is more important for the students to know what specific item of information is
rather than what it is not.
5. Include from three to five options. Optimize testing for knowledge rather than encouraging
guessing. It is not necessary to provide additional distractors for an item simply to maintain
the same number of distractors for each item. This usually leads to poorly constructed
distractors that add nothing to test validity and reliability.
6. To increase the difficulty of a multiple-choice item, increase the similarity of content among
the options.
7. Use the option “none of the above” sparingly and only when the keyed answer can be
classified unequivocally as right or wrong. Don’t use this option when asking for a best answer.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING COMPLETION OR SUPPLY ITEMS

1. If at all possible, items should require a single-word answer, or a brief and definite
statement. Avoid statements that are too indefinite that they may be logically answered
by several terms.
a. Poor item: World War ended I in _________.
b. Better Item: World War ended II in the year _______.
2. Be sure the question or statement poses a problem to the examinee. A direct question
is often more desirable than an incomplete statement it provides more structure).
3. Be sure the answer that the student is required to produce is factually correct. Be sure
the language used in the question is precise and accurate in relation to the subject
matter area being tested.
4. Omit only key words, don’t eliminate so many elements that the sense of the content
is impaired.
a. Poor item: The _____ type of test item is usually more ___ than the __ type.
b. Better Item: The supply type of test item is usually graded less objectively than the
___ type.
5. Word the statement such that the blank is near the end of the sentence rather than
near the beginning. This will prevent awkward sentences.
6. If the problem requires a numerical answer; indicate the units in which it is to be
expressed.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES IN CONSTRUCTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF TESTS

1. The test items should be selected very carefully. Only important facts should be
included.
2. The test should have extensive sampling of items.
3. The test items should be carefully expressed in simple, clear, definite, and
meaningful sentences.
4. There should be only one possible correct response for each test item.
5. Each item should be independent, leading clues to other items should be avoided.
6. Lifting sentences from books should not be done to encourage thinking and
understanding.
7. The first person personal pronoun I and We should not be used.
8. Various types of test items should be made to avoid monotony.
9. Majority of the test items should be of moderate difficulty. Few difficult and few
easy items should be included.
10. The easiest question be at the beginning to encourage the examinee to pursue the
test and the most difficult items should be at the end.
11. Clear, concise, and complete directions should precede all types of test. Sample
test items may be provided for expected responses.
12. Items which can be answered by previous experience alone without knowledge for
the subject matter should not be included.
13. Catch words should not be used in the test items.
14. Test items must be based upon the objectives of the course an upon the course
content.
15. The test should measure the degree of achievement or determine the difficulties of
the learner.
16. The test should emphasize ability to apply and use facts as well as knowledge of
facts.
17. The test should be of such length that it can be completed within the time allotted
by all or nearly all of the pupils. The teacher should perform the test herself to
determine its approximate time allotment.
18. Rules governing good language expression grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization should be observed in all items.
19. Information on how scoring will be done should be provided.
20. Scoring keys in correcting and scoring tests should be provided.
21.