I've Fallen and I Can't Get up: Can High-Ability Students Recover from Early Mistakes in CAT?

Autor/inn/en	Rulison, Kelly L.; Loken, Eric
Titel	I've Fallen and I Can't Get up: Can High-Ability Students Recover from Early Mistakes in CAT?
Quelle	In: Applied Psychological Measurement, 33 (2009) 2, S.83-101 (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0146-6216
DOI	10.1177/0146621608324023
Schlagwörter	Computer Assisted Testing; Adaptive Testing; Item Response Theory; Academic Ability; Test Bias; Predictive Measurement; Simulation; Models; Student Evaluation + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Item-Response-Theorie; Testkritik; Simulation program; Simulationsprogramm; Analogiemodell; Schulnote; Studentische Bewertung
Abstract	A difficult result to interpret in Computerized Adaptive Tests (CATs) occurs when an ability estimate initially drops and then ascends continuously until the test ends, suggesting that the true ability may be higher than implied by the final estimate. This study explains why this asymmetry occurs and shows that early mistakes by high-ability students can lead to considerable underestimation, even in tests with 45 items. The opposite response pattern, where low-ability students start with lucky guesses, leads to much less bias. The authors show that using Barton and Lord's four-parameter model (4PM) and a less informative prior can lower bias and root mean square error (RMSE) for high-ability students with a poor start, as the CAT algorithm ascends more quickly after initial underperformance. Results also show that the 4PM slightly outperforms a CAT in which less discriminating items are initially used. The practical implications and relevance for psychological measurement more generally are discussed. (Contains 7 figures and 3 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10