Abstract
Multiple-choice questions are widely used in educational assessment. While they offer many advantages, they also present a significant shortcoming: examinees may guess the correct answers, especially if clues are unintentionally provided. One potential clue is the correct answer position, as studies have shown that answer keys’ distribution in educational tests often exhibits a middle bias. A position bias at test level has also been observed in distractor positions, with more frequently selected distractors typically placed earlier in the options list. Based on these findings, it has been hypothesized that item writers tend to place the correct answer in a middle position and develop more plausible distractors before less plausible ones. However, the position of options often shifts between item creation and final test assembly, and no study has reported the placement of answers and distractors in freshly crafted items. This study investigates option placement in a pool of 5,291 newly written 4-option items created by one of 140 item writers for standardized test development. Results confirm a clear pattern across all subject areas (mathematics, reading, history/social science, and basic science): item writers typically place the correct answer in a middle position, the distractor they consider most attractive in position A, the second-most attractive in B or C, and the least attractive in D. These findings suggest that item writers likely position options based on the order in which they first come to mind but then move the correct answer to a central position to make it less conspicuous.
Presenters
Séverin LionsResearcher / Profesional, Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Educación (IE) / Departamento de Evaluación, Medición y Registro Educacional (DEMRE), Universidad de Chile, Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MULTIPLE-CHOICE, ITEM WRITERS, RESPONSE PLACEMENT, DISTRACTORS, POSITION BIAS
