Question

All of the following statements about the empirical method of objective test construction are true except one. Which statement is FALSE?

A) The empirical method involves statistical techniques to identify items that discriminate between different groups.
B) Item selection is based on the observed performance of the test-takers rather than theoretical considerations.
C) The goal is to create a test that accurately measures the underlying construct it intends to assess.
D) The empirical method relies heavily on expert judgment and theoretical frameworks in item creation.

Answer 1

The false statement about the empirical method of test construction is that it relies heavily on expert judgment and theoretical frameworks, when in fact it uses actual test-taker performance to determine item effectiveness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that is FALSE concerning the empirical method of objective test construction is: D) The empirical method relies heavily on expert judgment and theoretical frameworks in item creation.

Empirical methods in test construction focus primarily on statistical analyses and the performance outcomes of test-takers to select items that effectively discriminate between groups. Unlike theoretical methods that would rely on established frameworks or expert judgment to craft test items, the empirical approach is inductive and uses actual data to determine which items are most effective. In essence, the method aims to objectively measure the underlying construct by seeing what items correspond to different outcomes in various groups, without initial theoretical bias.