The multiple choice form is also able to measure the knowledge of method and procedure, such as knowledge of
laboratory procedure, knowledge of methods used in problem solving, computational and performance skill.
Some advantages of using multiple choice items are: the multiple choice items are fast, easy and economical to score, they can be objectively so that they
will be fairer and more reliable than subjectively scored tests. Besides those advantages, the multiple choice it’s also have disadvantages
such as: the technique of the test only recognition knowledge, so the students have no or little opportunity to express their own idea of a problem, pupils have much
time to guess the answer and it may effect on their scores, it is difficult to write successful items and cheating may be facilitated.
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This type of test has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this test are related to the teacher measure the student. It helps them to give the score
objectively. But in other side it also has disadvantages that related student, that only measure the students’ knowledge and make the students easy to cheat each
other.
B. Item Analysis
Selection of appropriate language items is not enough by itself to ensure a good test. Each question need to function properly: otherwise, it can weaken the
exam. Fortunately, there are some rather simple statistical ways of checking individual items. This is done by studying the students’ responses to each item.
According to Nitko: “item analysis refers to the process of collecting, summarizing and using information about individuals test items, especially
information about pupils’ responses to items.
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The analysis of students’ response
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Kathleen M. Bailey, Learning About Language Assessment Boston: ITP An International Thomson Publishing Company, 1988, p. 131.
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Anthony J. Nitko, Educational test…, p. 284.
of objective test items is a powerful tool for test improvement. Ahmann and Glock said “Item analysis is reexamining each test to discover its strength and flaw.”
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From those opinions, it can be conclude that item analysis is the process of collecting information about students’ responses to the items to see the quality of
the test items. More specific, item analysis information can tell us if an item was too easy or too hard. Item analysis data also aid in detecting specific technical
flaws and thus further provides information for improving test items. According to James Dean Brown and Thom Hudson, “Item analysis is the
systematic statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of individual test item.”
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Item analysis as a whole will be defined here as the systematically statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of individual test items. Items analysis is
usually done for purposes of selecting which items will remain on future revised and improved versions of test. Sometime, however, item analysis is performed
simply to investigate how well the items on a test are working with a particular group of students, or to study which items match the language domain of interest.
C. Kinds of Item Analysis
