Test Formats and Guidelines in

Item Writing
(Continuation)

Prepared by:
Raiza E. Fabila
TECP-1
Matching Type
Matching type
Matching Items consist of a column of
stimuli presented on the left side of the
exam page and a column of responses
placed on the right side of the page.

Students are required to match the

response associated with given stimulus.
Matching Type
When to Use Matching
The matching test item format provides a change of pace,
particularly for self-check and review activities. Many instructional
designers employ them in quizzes and tests too. They are
effective when you need to measure the learners ability to
identify the relationship or association between similar items.
They work best when the course content has many parallel
concepts, for example:
Terms and Definitions
Objects or Pictures and Labels
Symbols and Proper Names
Causes and Effects
Scenarios and Responses
Principles and Scenarios to which they apply

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earning_design/writing-
Matching Type
Balanced matching type, the number of
items are equal to the number of options.
For example, there are 15 items in column A or item
column, Column B or option column should also
have 15 items.

Unbalanced matching type, there is

unequal number of items and number of options.
For example, there are 10 items in Column A or item
column, there should be more than 10 items in
Column B or option column.
Matching type
In matching items, a good practice is to switch to the
matching format only when it becomes apparent that
the same alternatives are being repeated in several
multiple choice items.
Examples:
Which test item is least useful Which test item is difficult to
for educational diagnosis? score objectively?
A. True-false item* A. True-false item
B. Short-answer item B. Short-answer item*
C. Multiple choice item C. Multiple choice item
Which test item provides Which item measures the
highest score by guessing? greatest variety of learning
outcomes?
D. True-false item*
D. True-false item
E. Short-answer item
E. Short-answer item
F. Multiple choice item
F. Multiple choice item*
 Matching Type
Construction Guidelines
If you decide to use a matching format, take the time to construct items
that are valid and reliable. Here are some guidelines for this.

1. Two-part directions.Your clear directions at the start of each

question need two parts: 1) how to make the match and 2) the basis for
matching the response with the premise. You can also include whether
items can be re-used, but often pre-built templates dont allow for this.
Example for exercise above:Drag each career name in Column B to the
best definition in Column A. No items may be used more than once.
2. Parallel content.Within one matching test item, use a common
approach, such as all terms and definitions or all principles and the
scenarios to which they apply.
3. Plausible answers. All responses in Column B should be plausible
answers to the premises in Column A. Otherwise, the test loses some of
itsreliabilitybecause some answers will be give-aways.

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ng_design/writing-matching-test-
items/
Matching Type
4. Clueless.Ensure your premises dont include hints through
grammar (like implying the answer must be plural) or hints
from word choice (like using the term itself in a definition).
5. Unequal responses.In an ideal world, you should present
more responses than premises, so the remaining responses
dont work as hints to the correct answer. This is not often
possible when using a template.
6. Limited premises.Due to the capacity limitations of
working memory, avoid a long list of premises in the first
column. A number that Ive come across is to keep the list
down to six items. Even less might be better, depending on the
characteristics of your audience.
7. One correct answer.Every premise should have only one
correct response. Obvious, but triple-check to make sure each
response can only work for one premise.
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g_design/writing-matching-test-items/
Matching Type
Suggestion for the Construction of
Matching Type
1. Using heterogeneous materials must be avoided.
Only homogeneous materials are used.
2. Unbalanced matching type is preferable wherein
there are more options than item to minimize the
guessing factor.
3. Each item must be grammatically consistent.
4. All options including distractors or wrong response
are plausible or closely related with each other.
5. The item column or Column A must be placed at
the left and option column or Column B must be
placed at the right.
Matching Type
Suggestion for the Construction of
Matching Type
6. Option column must be arranged in alphabetical
order, if dates in chronological order to facilitate the
selection of correct answer. To facilitate the
examinees not to read all the options.
7. There must be only one correct response in each
item.
8. Be sure that each item has a pair in the option
column.
9. The ideal number of item is 5 to 10 and maximum of
15.
10. All items and options must appear in one page to
avoid waste of time and energy in turning the pages.
Matching Type
Advantages: Disadvantages:
1. Require short 1. Have difficulty
period of reading measuring learning
and response time, objectives requiring
allowing the teacher more than simple
to cover more recall of information.
content. 2. Are difficult to
2. Provide objective construct due to the
measurement of problem of selecting
student achievement common set of stimuli
or ability. and responses.
3. Provide highly
reliable test score.
Cloze Test
Cloze Test
Acloze test(alsocloze deletion test) is an exercise,
test, or assessment consisting of a portion of text with
certain words removed (cloze text), where the participant
is asked to replace the missing words.

Cloze tests require the ability to understand context and

vocabularyin order to identify the correct words or type of
words that belong in the deleted passages of a text. This
exercise is commonly administered for the assessment of
native and secondlanguage learningand instruction.

The wordclozeis derived fromclosureinGestalt theory.

The exercise was first described by W.L. Taylor in 1953.[1]
Cloze Test
Task Design
Words may be deleted from the text in question
either mechanically (every nth word) or
selectively, depending on exactly what aspect it
is intended to test for. The methodology is the
subject of an extensive academic literature;
nonetheless, teachers commonly devise ad hoc
tests.
Cloze Test
Assessment
The definition of success in a given cloze test
varies, depending on the broader goals behind the
exercise. Assessment may depend on whether the
exercise is :
objective (i.e. students are given a list of words
to use in a cloze)
subjective (i.e. students are to fill in a cloze with
words that would make a given sentence
grammatically correct).
Cloze Test
Assessment
Recent research using eye-tracking has posited that
cloze/gapfill items where a selection of words are
given as options may be testing different kinds of
reading skills depending on the language abilities of
the participants taking the test.
Lower ability test takers are suggested to be more
likely to be concentrating on the information contained
in the words immediately surrounding the gap.
While higher ability test takers are thought to be
able to use more global information in their selection
of a word to fit the gap.
Cloze Test
Implementation
In addition to use in testing, cloze deletion can be used in
learning, particularly language learning, but also learning
facts.
This may be done manually for example, by covering
sections of a text with paper, or highlighting sections of text
with a highlighter, then covering the line with a colored
ruler in the complementary color (say, a red ruler for green
highlighter) so the highlighted text disappears; this is
popular in Japan, for instance.
Cloze deletion can also be used as part of spaced repetition
software, for example the SuperMemo and Anki applications
feature semi-automated creation of cloze tests.
Dictation
Dictationis the transcription of spoken text:
one person who is "dictating" speaks and another
who is "taking dictation" writes down the words
as they are spoken.
Among speakers of several languages, dictation
is used as a test oflanguage skill, similar to
spelling beesin the English-speaking world.
Secondary to teaching language skills, the
exercise of dictation has also been used to
introduce students to literary works, and to instill
morals.
 Method[edit]
Theexerciserequiresatleasttwopersons:areciterandarecorder.Thereciterreadsaselectedtext,
evenlyandclearlyandataudiblevolume,bysnippetsofmultiplewords(threetotenorasneedbe).
Thetextistranscribedbytherecorders,asthereciterproceeds.Eachsnippetisreadbythereciter
atfirstslowly,thenrepeatedonceortwiceatanormalpace.Oncetheselectionhasbeenreadtothe
endinthisway,thereciterreadsthetextonceagainfromstarttofinishatanormalpace.The
recordersthenhavetimetore-readtheirwork,andeditwherenecessary.Theexercisein
knowledge,comprehensionandapplicationcomestoaclose.
Theanalysisandevaluationstepnowproceedsasfollows,upontherevelationoftheselectedtext.
Theprocessrequiresaredpen,andcanbevariedaccordingtothematurityoftherecorders,orasto
taste:
therecitergathersthewrittenworkoftherecordersandevaluatesit;
therecordersaregiventheselectionandexpectedtogradethemselves.
Thelatterauto-evaluationprocessisquicker,butissometimestrickierfortworeasons:one,the
handwritingoftherecorderisindistinguishablefromthatoftheevaluator;andtwo,theseverityof
theevaluatormaybeinquestionasthesameperson(orclassofpersons)isemployed.
Theselectedtextsareoftentakenfromasentence,aparagraphorapageofapublishedbook,and
mayincludeanhomilyinmorals,honestyornobility.BiblicalpassagesorpagesfromtheFables
ofLafontainehavebeenemployedwithsuccessthroughouttheages.
 Method[edit]
Theexerciserequiresatleasttwopersons:areciterandarecorder.Thereciterreadsaselectedtext,
evenlyandclearlyandataudiblevolume,bysnippetsofmultiplewords(threetotenorasneedbe).
Thetextistranscribedbytherecorders,asthereciterproceeds.Eachsnippetisreadbythereciter
atfirstslowly,thenrepeatedonceortwiceatanormalpace.Oncetheselectionhasbeenreadtothe
endinthisway,thereciterreadsthetextonceagainfromstarttofinishatanormalpace.The
recordersthenhavetimetore-readtheirwork,andeditwherenecessary.Theexercisein
knowledge,comprehensionandapplicationcomestoaclose.
Theanalysisandevaluationstepnowproceedsasfollows,upontherevelationoftheselectedtext.
Theprocessrequiresaredpen,andcanbevariedaccordingtothematurityoftherecorders,orasto
taste:
therecitergathersthewrittenworkoftherecordersandevaluatesit;
therecordersaregiventheselectionandexpectedtogradethemselves.
Thelatterauto-evaluationprocessisquicker,butissometimestrickierfortworeasons:one,the
handwritingoftherecorderisindistinguishablefromthatoftheevaluator;andtwo,theseverityof
theevaluatormaybeinquestionasthesameperson(orclassofpersons)isemployed.
Theselectedtextsareoftentakenfromasentence,aparagraphorapageofapublishedbook,and
mayincludeanhomilyinmorals,honestyornobility.BiblicalpassagesorpagesfromtheFables
ofLafontainehavebeenemployedwithsuccessthroughouttheages.
Thank you. God Bless.