• Open Access

Evaluating multiple-choice exams in large introductory physics courses

Michael Scott, Tim Stelzer, and Gary Gladding
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2, 020102 – Published 28 July 2006

Abstract

The reliability and validity of professionally written multiple-choice exams have been extensively studied for exams such as the SAT, graduate record examination, and the force concept inventory. Much of the success of these multiple-choice exams is attributed to the careful construction of each question, as well as each response. In this study, the reliability and validity of scores from multiple-choice exams written for and administered in the large introductory physics courses at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign were investigated. The reliability of exam scores over the course of a semester results in approximately a 3% uncertainty in students’ total semester exam score. This semester test score uncertainty yields an uncertainty in the students’ assigned letter grade that is less than 13 of a letter grade. To study the validity of exam scores, a subset of students were ranked independently based on their multiple-choice score, graded explanations, and student interviews. The ranking of these students based on their multiple-choice score was found to be consistent with the ranking assigned by physics instructors based on the students’ written explanations (r>0.94 at the 95% confidence level) and oral interviews (r=0.940.09+0.06).

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  • Received 11 May 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.020102

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Authors & Affiliations

Michael Scott, Tim Stelzer, and Gary Gladding

  • Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA

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Issue

Vol. 2, Iss. 2 — July - December 2006

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It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

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