The Reliability, Discrimination and Difficulty of Word-Knowledge Tests Employing Multiple Choice Items Containing Three, Four, or Five Alternatives

Abstract

The multiple-choice item found on standardized and teacher-made tests typically requires the examinee to choose among either four or five alternative answers. The present study offers some evidence favouring three-option over four-option items. Word knowledge tests containing three, four, and five-option items were developed and administered to pupils in ten upper primary classes from schools in the Adelaide metropolitan area. In each of the classes, item discrimination was better and reliability was higher for the three-option test compared to the test employing four-option items. The five-option test was also superior to the four-option test. Differences between the three and five-option tests on reliability and item discrimination were not significant.