ERIC Number: EJ789946
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 21
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-7347
EISSN: N/A
Creating IRT-Based Parallel Test Forms Using the Genetic Algorithm Method
Sun, Koun-Tem; Chen, Yu-Jen; Tsai, Shu-Yen; Cheng, Chien-Fen
Applied Measurement in Education, v21 n2 p141-161 Apr 2008
In educational measurement, the construction of parallel test forms is often a combinatorial optimization problem that involves the time-consuming selection of items to construct tests having approximately the same test information functions (TIFs) and constraints. This article proposes a novel method, genetic algorithm (GA), to construct parallel test forms effectively. The sum of squared errors of the generated TIFs produced by GA were compared with those of the Swanson and Stocking method, and the Wang and Ackerman method. Experimental results show that tests constructed using GA yielded lower error, and an average improvement ratio above 90%. (Contains 7 tables, 7 figures, and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Test Format, Measurement Techniques, Equations (Mathematics), Item Response Theory, Educational Research, Evaluation Methods, Test Construction, Error of Measurement, Test Items
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A