Twelve multiple-choice items in a college statistics examination were written in three formats: (a) one correct answer, (b) "none of the above" as a foil, and (c) "none of the above" as the correct answer. The format using "none of the above" as the correct answer was the most difficult of the three formats. No consistent differences in item discrimination indices were found among the three formats. The test composed of multiple-choice items with one correct answer was more reliable than the two test forms using the "none of the above" option.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bennion, D. H. (1977). Assessing student learning: Behavioral objectives and evaluation procedures for the affective, cognitive and psychomotor domains. Dubuque: Kendall-Hunt.
2.
Bloom, B. S. , Madaus, G. F., and Hastings, J. T. (1981). Evaluation to improve learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
3.
Boynton, M. (1950). Inclusion of 'none of these' makes spelling items more difficult. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 10, 431-432.
4.
Brown, F. A. (1976). Principles of educational and psychological testing (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
5.
Ebel, R. L. (1979). Essentials of educational measurement (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
6.
Hughes, H. H. and Trimble, W. E. (1965). The use of complex alternatives in multiple-choice items. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 25, 117-126.
7.
Kryspin, W. J. and Feldhusen, J. F. (1974). Developing classroom tests: A guide for writing and evaluating test items. Minneapolis: Burgess.
8.
Mehren, W. A. and Lehmann, I. J. (1978). Measurement and evaluation in education and psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
9.
Mueller, D. J. (1975). An assessment of the effectiveness of complex alternatives in multiple-choice achievement test items. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 35, 135-141.
10.
Oosterhof, A. C. and Coats, P. K. (1984). Comparison of difficulties and reliabilities of quantitative word problems in completion and multiple-choice item formats. Applied Psychological Measurement, 8, 287-294.
11.
Rimland, B. (1960). The effect of varying time limits and use of 'right answer not given' in experiment forms of the U.S. Navy Arithmetic Test. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 533-539.
12.
Scannell, D. P. and Tracy, D. B. (1975). Testing and measurement in the classroom. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
13.
Tripp, A. and Tollefson, N. (in press). Are complex multiple-choice options more difficult and discriminating than conventional multiple-choice options? Journal of Nursing Education.
14.
Wesman, A. G. and Bennett, G. K. (1946). The use of 'none of these' as an option in test construction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 27, 541-549.
15.
Williamson, M. L. and Hopkins, K. D. (1967). The use of 'none of these' versus homogeneous alternatives on multiple-choice tests: Experimental reliability and validity comparisons. Journal of Educational Measurements, 4, 53-57.
