Agreement between expert-system and human raters' scores on complex constructed-response quantitative items

Article Abstract:

This study evaluated agreement between expert-system and human scores on 12 constructed-response algebra word problems taken by Graduate Record Examination General Test examinees. Problems were drawn from three content classes (rate x time, work, and interest) and presented in four constructed-response formats (open ended, goal specification, equation setup, and faulty solution). Agreement was evaluated for each item separately by comparing the system's scores to the mean scores taken across five content experts. The expert system produced scores for all responses and duplicated the judgments of raters with reasonable accuracy; the median of 12 correlations between the system and human scores was .88, and the largest average discrepancy was 1.2 on a 16-point scale. No obvious differences in scoring agreement between constructed-response formats or content classes emerged. Ideas are discussed for using expert scoring systems in large-scale assessment programs and in interactive diagnostic assessment. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Evaluation, Expert systems, Educational tests and measurements, Test scoring

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Analyzing test structure by multidimensional scaling

Article Abstract:

Multidimensional scaling was used to analyze item response data for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to uncover the dimensions underlying the test. Four dimensions were identified for samples varying in native language and level of English proficiency: 3 corresponded to the test's sections and 1 was an end-of-test phenomenon. Dimensions were predominantly defined by easy items and were most important for low-scoring examinees. The dimensions' importance did not differ across language groups, except for the end-of-test dimension. Major conclusions were that (a) the TOEFL measures the intended constructs; (b) the test assesses the same constructs in each language group, but the constructs are more differentiated for low-scorers; and (c) easy and difficult items differ in what they measure. Multidimensional scaling appears to be a useful for item-level analyses of test structure. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Tests, problems and exercises, English language, Multidimensional scaling

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Professional mediators' judgments of mediation tactics: multidimensional scaling and cluster analyses

Article Abstract:

The contingency approach to research on mediation has become increasingly popular in recent years. In building contingency models, researchers have used general mediation strategies to organize mediation tactics. However, none of the extant organizing schemes have been verified empirically. In the present study, 54 active professional mediators sorted 36 mediation tactics into as many mutually exclusive categories as they wanted. A matrix of tactic similarities was derived from the aggregate data. Multidimensional scaling and clustering analyses were used to identify structure in the matrix. The best scaling solution yielded three dimensions, labeled substantive-reflexive, affective-cognitive, and forcing-facilitating. Hierarchical clustering provided strong support for Kressel and Pruitt's (1985) categories: reflexive, substantive, and contextual. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Models, Paradigms (Social sciences), Mediation, Scaling (Social sciences)

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