ERIC Number: EJ739128
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Dec
Pages: 17
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0655
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Statistical Test for Detecting Answer Copying on Multiple-Choice Tests
van der Linden, Wim J.; Sotaridona, Leonardo
Journal of Educational Measurement, v41 n4 p361-377 Dec 2004
A statistical test for the detection of answer copying on multiple-choice tests is presented. The test is based on the idea that the answers of examinees to test items may be the result of three possible processes: (1) knowing, (2) guessing, and (3) copying, but that examinees who do not have access to the answers of other examinees can arrive at their answers only through the first two processes. This assumption leads to a distribution for the number of matched incorrect alternatives between the examinee suspected of copying and the examinee believed to be the source that belongs to a family of "shifted binomials." Power functions for the tests for several sets of parameter values are analyzed. An extension of the test to include matched numbers of correct alternatives would lead to improper statistical hypotheses.
Descriptors: Multiple Choice Tests, Test Items, Hypothesis Testing, Statistical Distributions, Item Response Theory, Guessing (Tests), Cheating
Blackwell Publishing. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8599; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: customerservices@blackwellpublishing.com; Web site: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/jnl_default.asp.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A