ERIC Number: EJ826615
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
A Statistical Analysis of Infrequent Events on Multiple-Choice Tests that Indicate Probable Cheating
Sundermann, Michael J.
Journal of Chemical Education, v85 n4 p568-871 Apr 2008
A statistical analysis of multiple-choice answers is performed to identify anomalies that can be used as evidence of student cheating. The ratio of exact errors in common (EEIC: two students put the same wrong answer for a question) to differences (D: two students get different answers) was found to be a good indicator of cheating under a wide range of circumstances. The longest continuous streak of identical answers was also a good indicator of cheating, especially for short tests with a low class average. This article also discusses how to interpret the data for use in practical circumstances and discusses ways to prevent cheating. (Contains 8 tables.)
Descriptors: College Students, Cheating, Multiple Choice Tests, Statistical Analysis, Student Behavior, Error Patterns, Prevention, Student Evaluation, College Science, Organic Chemistry, Probability
Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. Subscription Department, P.O. Box 1267, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-1267. Tel: 800-691-9846; Tel: 856-931-5825; Fax: 856-931-4115; e-mail: jchemed@egpp.com; Web site: http://www.jce.divched.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A