This study compared the estimates of reliability made using one, two, three, four, five, and unlimited consecutive failures as ceiling rules in scoring a mathematics achievement test. The total score for each individual became the sum of the correct responses prior to the point described by the ceiling rule. The results of this study indicated that the estimate of reliability using two, three, four, and five consecutive failures as the ceiling rules were an improvement over the methods using one and unlimited consecutive failures.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allen, M. J. and Yen, W. M. (1979). Introduction to measurement theory. Monterey: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
2.
Bradbard, D. A. and Green, S. B. (1983). Use of the Coombs elimination procedure in classroom tests, Journal of Experimental Education, 54, 68-72.
3.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of test. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334.
4.
Cudeck, R. (1982). A comparative study of indices for internal consistency. Journal of Educational Measurement, 17, 117-129.
5.
Edwards, A. L. (1957). Techniques of attitude scale construction. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
6.
Ferguson, G. A. (1981). Statistical analysis in psychology and education. New York: McGraw-Hill.
7.
Kolstad, R. K. , Wagner, M. J., Kolstad, R. A., and Miller, E. G. (1983). The failure of distractors on complex multiple choice items to prevent guessing. Education Research Quarterly, 8, 44-50.
8.
Kirk, R. E. (1982). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences. Montery: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
9.
McNemar, Q. (1962). Psychological statistics (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.
10.
Mitchell, J. V. (1985). The ninth mental measurement yearbook (Vol II). Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Press.
11.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
12.
Price, D. B. (1964). A group approach to the analysis of individual differences in the randomness of guessing behavior on multiple-choice tests and development of scoring methods to take such differences into account, Research Bulletin (No. 64-59). Princeton N. J.: Educational Testing Service.
13.
Terwilliger, J. S. and Lele, K. (1979). Some relationships among internal consistency, reproducibility, and homogeneity. Journal of Educational Measurement, 16, 101-108.
14.
Torgerson, W. S. (1958). Theory and methods of scaling. New York: John Wiley and Son.
15.
Wick, J. W. (1983). Reducing proportion of chance scores in innercity standardizes testing results: Imposition average scoring. American Education Research Journal, 20, 461-463.
16.
Winer, B. J. (1971). Statistical principles in experimental design (2nd ed.). Tokyo: McGraw-Hill Kogakusha.
