Often, important decisions regarding accountability and placement of students in performance categories are made on the basis of test scores generated from tests, therefore, it is important to evaluate the validity of the inferences derived from test results. One of the threats to the validity of such inferences is aberrant responding. Several…

Most teachers assume that asking questions contributes to the effectiveness of their instruction. Because proper questioning techniques are important for the classroom, this study identified the Mathematics pre-service teachers' classification of test items using the revised Bloom's Taxonomy (rBT) and the Cunningham's Levels of Questions (CLQs).…

A log-linear model (LLM) is a well-known statistical method to examine the relationship among categorical variables. This study investigated the performance of LLM in detecting differential item functioning (DIF) for polytomously scored items via simulations where various sample sizes, ability mean differences (impact), and DIF types were…

Scholars increasingly rely on indirect questioning techniques to reduce social desirability bias and item nonresponse for sensitive survey questions. The major drawback of these approaches, however, is their inefficiency relative to direct questioning. We show how to improve the statistical analysis of the list experiment, randomized response…

One of the most commonly used methods for measuring higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving or written expression is open-ended items. Three main approaches are used to evaluate responses to open-ended items: general evaluation, rating scales, and rubrics. In order to measure and improve problem-solving skills of students, firstly, an…

Changes in the economy and society lead to a growing necessity of financial education. In this context, we investigate the approaches to financial education in secondary schools in the United States and Germany. We seek to answer the question if and how the implementation of financial education is similar and different between the two countries.…

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable measuring instrument that can measure the level of mathematical language used by students and their teachers during the teaching of fractions to fourth-grade primary school students. This study is a methodological validity and reliability study. In total, 999 students from fourteen different…

Research on problem-solving strategies has been conducted since the 1940s. Experts and novices use different strategies in problem solving; the main difference is in the familiarity with which they face new problems. For multiple-choice problems, an analysis of distractors can provide possible clues about the resolution processes developed by…

The purpose of this study was to create and validate a measure for jazz theory knowledge assessment. The Jazz Theory Measure (JTM) was created by exploring publications on jazz improvisation instruction and research studies that utilized jazz theory as a significant aspect of the study (i.e., dependent variable, independent variable, data…

A common approach to increase test security in higher educational high-stakes testing is the use of different test forms with identical items but different item orders. The effects of such varied item orders are relatively well studied, but findings have generally been mixed. When multiple test forms with different item orders are used, we argue…

Communication of International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) results is dominated by reporting average country achievement scores that conceal individual differences between pupils, schools, and items. Educational research primarily focuses on examining differences between pupils and schools, while differences between items are overlooked. Using a…

We use Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis to construct a three-question math quiz to assess key skills needed for introductory finance. We begin with data collected from a ten-question criterion-referenced math quiz given to 314 undergraduates on the first day of class. MCMC indicates the top three questions for predicting overall course…

Spreadsheets are a core computational tool for practicing engineers and engineering students. While Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and other spreadsheet tools have some differences, numerous formulas, functions, and other tasks are common across versions and platforms. Building upon learning science frameworks showing that interactive activities…

Item response theory (IRT) is a popular method to infer student abilities and item difficulties from observed test responses. However, IRT struggles with two challenges: How to map items to skills if multiple skills are present? And how to infer the ability of new students that have not been part of the training data? Inspired by recent advances…

In this paper, I consider a set of test items that are located in a multidimensional space, S[subscript M], but are located along a curved line in S[subscript M] and can be scaled unidimensionally. Furthermore, I am demonstrating a case in which the test items are administered across 6 levels, such as occurs in K-12 assessment across 6 grade…