TitleAssessing Individual-Level Impact of Interruptions During Online Testing
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsSinharay, S, Wan, P, Choi, SW, Kim, D-I
JournalJournal of Educational Measurement
Volume52
Number1
Pagination80–105
ISSN1745-3984
AbstractWith an increase in the number of online tests, the number of interruptions during testing due to unexpected technical issues seems to be on the rise. For example, interruptions occurred during several recent state tests. When interruptions occur, it is important to determine the extent of their impact on the examinees' scores. Researchers such as Hill and Sinharay et al. examined the impact of interruptions at an aggregate level. However, there is a lack of research on the assessment of impact of interruptions at an individual level. We attempt to fill that void. We suggest four methodological approaches, primarily based on statistical hypothesis testing, linear regression, and item response theory, which can provide evidence on the individual-level impact of interruptions. We perform a realistic simulation study to compare the Type I error rate and power of the suggested approaches. We then apply the approaches to data from the 2013 Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) test that experienced interruptions.
URLhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jedm.12064
DOI10.1111/jedm.12064