title: Factorial modeling of differential distractor functioning in multiple-choice items.
abstract: A factorial procedure for investigating differential distractor functioning in multiple-choice items is proposed. The procedure adopts the formulation of general linear models and treats grouping factors as independent variables and item parameters across the grouping factors as a dependent variable. Specifically, each distractor in a multiple-choice item is modeled with a distinct distractibility parameter. The distractibility parameters across groups are partitioned into a grand mean distractibility and sets of parameters representing main effects of the individual grouping factors, and interaction effects among them. Results of a simulation study show that the parameters of the proposed modeling were recovered very well. Ten four-choice items in the English test of the 1997 Taiwan Joint College Entrance Examination with seven thousands of examinees in two grouping factors were analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi 621, Taiwan. psywcw@ccunix.ccu.edu.tw
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012570:School Admission Criteria / Q000706:statistics & numerical data