Effects of Structural Characteristics of Stem Format of Multiple-Choice Items on Item Difficulty and Discrimination
Claudio Violato, Peter H. Harasym · Psychological Reports · 1987
The effects of stem orientation (positively stated stem or negatively stated) and completeness (closed or complete stem and incomplete stem) of multiple-choice items on difficulty and discrimination, were studied experimentally employing 142 senior students in education (82 women and 60 men). Incomplete versus complete stems increased item difficulty but had no effect on discrimination. Stem orientation had no effect on either difficulty or discrimination. The implications of the results are discussed.