On The Correlation Between Options Arrangement And Response Pattern In Objective Language Testing

In objective language testing, multiple-choice (MC) is a major item type. The reason why MC is so widespread in testing is that it has its own special advantages which are quite different from other methods. For example, the rating process is efficient and objective; it has a good diagnostic function; MC could make the test cover most of the field, so it can ensure high content validity. Just because it has so many advantages, it becomes rather popular in the research field as well. But most of the previous research concentrated only on the design of the MC which including the design of stem and the design of the options. The skill of responding to MC is also a very common point in the research. That is to say, most of them ignored the arrangement of the options and the relationship between the location of keys and response pattern. This dissertation is trying to answer these questions. In order to collect research data, three experiments were carried out among first-year non-English majors in Xi'an Innovation College of Yan'an University. Three administrations of tests among 61 test takers furnished experimental data with which statistical analysis can be conducted. The ultimate purpose was to provide empirical data for the research purpose, thus to help administers of tests in their construction of English language testing.By means of ANOVA and Quick Cluster (with PASW statistics 17.0), the experiment data was analyzed in order. The results of the experiments show that there is a close relationship between the arrangement of the key and response pattern. Considering the difficulty, there is a regular pattern between them. When the MCs'key in A, the ratio of correct response is higher than that of other places are mainly moderate difficulty items. The items which the ratio of correct response is higher than the key is located in other three places when the key is actually in B is more difficult than the items which the key is A. As for C, the MCs are much more difficult. And as for D, all the MCs are very difficult. To sum up, as for moderate difficulty MC, there is a higher possibility of being picked out if the key appears early. And at the same time, as far as difficult MCs are concerned, there is a higher possibility of being picked out if the key appears later.