摘要：The overall study from which findings are presented gave stem-equivalent short answer and multiple choice tests of English structure and reading to students at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. A comparison of scores, facility, discrimination, reliability and validity from 3-, 4- and 5-option versions of the multiple choice test found little variation in the performance of the three option formats although higher numbers of options tended to increase difficulty and to spread responses between the options. Analysis of the responses offered by the participants in the short answer and multiple choice tests highlighted the areas where the variation in the responses arose and also pointed to some differences in the way that the multiple choice format affected the structure and reading sections. Major differences were also noted between the answers offered by the participants to the short answer test and their option selections in the multiple choice test, with at least 60% of the responses changing between the two tests. The researchers conclude that option number format is of little importance in the measurement of language ability compared with the much greater construct variation apparently induced by the use of multiple choice items as against constructed response formats.
关键词：English structure test ;English reading test ;Multiple choice ;Number of options ;Constructed response ;Short answer
