Item Analysis and Validation

I. Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Determine the characteristics of the entire test by analyzing each item through
item analysis and index of discrimination.
2. Determine the validity of the instrument as to appropriateness, correctness,
meaningfulness, and usefulness.
3. Illustrate how item analysis and index of discrimination are done by solving
problems and showing examples.

II. Discussion Entries

A. Teacher’s Input

Item Analysis

Item analysis is the study of each item in a test to determine the effectiveness
of the entire test. It is done after an examination has been administered and
scored. There are many procedures that may be applied. The most common is by
analysing the difficulty of the item and the discriminating power of the item from
the number of students who answered the item correctly, considering the upper
group and the lower group of the distribution. It is either by using 1/3 of the upper
group and 1/3 of the lower group or ¼ of the upper group and ¼ of the lower
group.

Purpose of Item analysis:

1. This provides information about

a.) Difficulty of the item;

b.) discriminating power of the item; and
c.) The value of each alternative.

2. This will allow the teacher to decide whether to revise or replace an item in a test.
Each item in a test is analyzed in terms of difficulty and its ability to discriminate.

The benefits derived from item analysis:

1. Information for the difficulty of the test.

2. Provide data which help students improve their learning.

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 3. Provide insights and skills that lead to the preparation of better tests in the
future.

Two typical methods used in the analysis of a test.

1. Item Difficulty

This gives information of the difficulty of the item as to easy, with right difficulty
or difficult to have an action whether to discard, retain or revise the item.

2. Discrimination Index

Discrimination index tells whether it can be discriminated between those who

know and those who do not know the answer.

ITEM DIFFICULTY

Item difficulty tells us whether the item is difficult, with right difficulty or
easy to have an action whether to discard, retain, or revise the item.

Formula:

Number of students who responded the item correctly

1. p 
Total Number of students who took the test

Ru + RL
2. P  x 100
T

Where:

P – Index of difficulty (percentage who answered the item

correctly)
Ru - The 25% number of respondents in the upper group who answered
the item correctly
RL – The 25% number of respondents in the lower group who answered
the item correctly
T – The total number who tried the item

Table of Interpretation

Range of Interpretation Action

Difficulty Index
0 – 0.25 Difficult Revise or discard
0.26 – 0.75 Right difficulty Retain
0.76 and above Easy Revise or Discard
Source: Assessment of learning outcomes by R. L. Navarro and Rosita Santos pp.
67)

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 If P = 0 the item is extremely difficult
If P = 1 the item the item is extremely easy

INDEX OF DISCRIMINATION

Index of discrimination is the ability to answer the problems by those who know and
those who are merely guessing specially to the difficult items because easy items cannot be
discriminated by these two groups of learner. This can be inferred from the difference between
the number of proportion of respondents of the upper group who got the item right and the
proportion of the respondents of the lower group who got the item right. The index is
dependent upon the difficulty of the item.

Formula:

Index of Discrimination = Du-Dl

Where:

No. of Students in the upper 25% with Correct Answer

Du 
No. of Students in the upper 25%

No. of Students in the lower 25% with Correct Answer

Dl 
No. of Students in the lower 25%

Table for interpretation

Index Range Interpretation Action

-1.0 to -0.50 Can discriminate but Discard
item is questionable
-0.51 to 0.45 Non-discriminating Revise
0.46 to 1.0 Discriminating item Include

Item discrimination indices are interpreted in the context of the type of test which is
being analysed. Items with low discrimination indices should be examined. Negative indices
should be scrutinized to determine why a negative value was obtained. (It may be mis-keyed or
unkeyed)

Values of discrimination indices are classified as a) ‘good “ if the index is above 0.30;
b.) “fair “ if it is between 0.10 and 0.30; and c.) “poor” if is below 0.10.
The smaller is the index the more difficult is the item. Maximum discriminating power is
indicated by an index of 1.0.

A good item is one that has good discriminating power. It is not too difficult or too easy.

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VALIDATION

- The process of collecting and analysing the evidences to support the meaningfulness
and usefulness of the test. Validation of instrument comes after performing the
item analysis and revision.

Purpose of Validation

To determine the characteristics of the whole test itself, namely the validity and
reliability of the test.

Process of test validation

Collecting the evidence

Three main types of evidence that may be collected

a. Content-related evidence of validity

 Content and format of the instrument

How appropriate is the content?
How comprehensive?
How adequately does the sample of items or questions represent the content to be
assessed?

b. Criterion-related evidence validity

 Relationship between scores obtained using the instrument and scores obtained
using one or more other tests. Scores are compared with scores on some other test
which presumes has already high quality. How strong is the relationship? How well
such scores estimate present or predict future performance of a certain type?

c. Construct-related evidence of validity

 The nature of the psychological construct or characteristic being measured by the

test. How well does a measure of the construct explain differences in the behavior
of the individuals or their performance on a certain task?

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Application:

1. In the table below summarises the answers of 36 students who took the 100-item multiple
choice test in English 1 subjecting item 20 for ITEM analysis with letter d as the correct answer.
Shall we retain, revise, or discard item number 20?

Students Score Answer Students Score Answer

1. 89 B 19 90 B
2 85 A 20 87 E
3 85 E 21 83 C
4 89 A 22 82 D
5 99 B 23 82 D
6 73 A 24 82 D
7 85 E 25 84 A
8 87 A 26 87 B
9 89 B 27 80 B
10 95 B 28 97 A
11 86 A 29 97 B
12 98 B 30 87 A
13 74 D 31 79 C
14 76 D 32 77 B
15 85 C 33 84 C
16 90 B 34 78 A
17 74 A 35 79 D
18 95 B 36 95 E
B- the correct answer

Solution;

Solution using the upper 25% right responses and lower 25% right responses

Step 1. Arrange the test scores from highest to the lowest value.
Suggestion: Use a master sheet of scores to arrange the scores fast without missing any
value.
Procedure:

99-Highest score
73- Lowest score
2 – The difference of their tens digits
+ 4 - constant
6 – This represents the number of horizontal lines in the table counting from
the range of lowest score to highest score.
13 – is the constant which represents the number of vertical lines in the table.

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Step 2. Tally the scores in a table

Master sheet of scores

0 1 2 3 4 5 7 86 9 T
9 II III II I I 9
8 I III I II IIIIIIIII III 19
7 I II I I I II 8
T 3 0 3 2 4 7 2 7 2 6 36
Step 3. Determine the scores to be found on the upper and lower 25% of the distribution.

25% = 36 x 0.25 = 9

Above 25% Below 25%

1. 99-B 80-B
2. 98-B 79-C
3. 97-B 79-D
4. 97-A 78-A
5. 95-E 77-B
6. 95-B 76-D
7. 95- B 74-A
8. 90-B 74-D
9. 90-B 73-A

Step 3: Write Frequency of occurrence

Option A B C D E TOTAL

Upper 25% 1 7 0 0 1 9
Lower 25% 3 2 1 3 O 9

Step 4. Solve for the Item difficulty and the discrimination index of the item by using the
formula and interpret the results.

1. Item difficulty= Ru+RL /T x 100 = (7+2) /18 = 0.50 0r 50%

Item number 20 by interpretation using the table has right difficulty therefore it should be
retained.

2. Discrimination Index = Difficulty of the upper group – Difficulty of the lowest group

Discrimination Index = 7/9 – 2/9 = 0.78 -0.22 = 0.56

Discrimination index of 0.56 in the table is interpreted as discriminating item and therefore item
number 20 should be included in the test.

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Step 5. Describe the characteristics of the descriptors:

Option A-good; option B- good; option C-good; option D-good; option E-poor

Option E is a poor option because some of the upper group answer Option E while no one
answer Option E in the lower group. Option E therefore is questionable. It might be that this
option is not clearly stated or presented.

B. Student’s Input

a) Activity

Solve the following problem:

1. The table below reflects the scores in a 100-item multiple choice test taken by 30
students in mathematics I and their answers in item number 7 with letter E as the
correct response. Subjecting this item (number 7) for analysis, compute the Item
Difficulty and the Discrimination Index of the item and interpret your findings?

Students Score Answer Students Score Answer

1. 86 D 16 60 D
2 81 A 17 80 A
3 73 E 18 50 C
4 82 E 19 80 B
5 85 D 20 89 C
6 74 E 21 90 E
7 94 A 22 77 E
8 74 E 23 63 A
9 75 C 24 57 B
10 76 D 25 70 B
11 75 E 26 95 A
12 79 A 27 72 C
13 65 D 28 79 E
14 87 E 29 83 B
15 98 E 30 97 E

2. Create a group of 8 students and prepare a 50-item test with table of

specifications in any of the core subjects then conduct it to a pilot class of 30
students. From the result item analyse using index of difficulty and index of
discrimination then revise the entire test whose every item is with moderate
difficulty. Show your solution by writing it in the activity or work folio.

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Work folio

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Work folio

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b) Reflection

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c) Summative Statement and Evaluation

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d) Documentary Proof of Learning

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e) My performance in the learning episode

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)
1.Attainment
of expected
learning
outcomes
2. Level of
effort used
in the
activity
3.Compre-
hensiveness
4.Value of
Reflection
5. Summa-
tive state-
ment and
evaluation
6. Proof of
learning
7. Level of
creativity
8. Accuracy
and quality
of output
Total
Overall
Rating

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