A Study Of Multiple True-false Test Format As A Measure Of Second Language Vocabulary Knowledge

As a measure of vocabulary knowledge, Multiple Choice (MC) is widely used in China's English testing. This paper intends to propose another test format---Multiple True-false (MTF) test format as an alternative to the present MC.The MTF format is similar to the MC format in structure. But the examinees need to judge whether each choice is true or false.In this paper, the author intends to make a comparison between MC and MTF to answer the following questions:1. What about the time needed for a MTF item?2. Which is more reliable, MC or MTF?3. How about the concurrent validity of MTF?4. Which gets higher criterion-related validity, MC or MTF?5. Can MTF be an alternative to MC?Four research instruments were employed in the research: MC, MTF, CET-4 and End-term Exam (ET). Thirty MC items were selected. And then all the MC items were converted to the MTF items with some changes in stems and options. The two tests were administered to the students. The scores of the vocabulary part of CET-4 and ET were collected to be used as criterions for comparison.Sixty undergraduate students in Beijing Language and Culture University attended the research. They were from College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Their scores of the four tests, MC, MTF, CET-4 and ET, were collected and analyzed. Besides, a questionnaire about MTF was also assigned to the students.The final results and data analysis showed that MTF was a more reliable and valid measure of students'vocabulary knowledge.