WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Calinog Campus
Calinog, Iloilo
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate School
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION MAJOR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING ENGLISH

ITEM ANALYSIS

Item analysis is a statistical procedure used to evaluate the quality of test items in terms of their
difficulty, discriminatory power, and alignment with the intended learning outcomes. It involves
analyzing the performance of each individual test item to determine how well it measures the intended
construct.

Difficulty Level

The difficulty level of an item is determined by calculating the percentage of test-takers who answered
the question correctly. A P-value of 0.5 indicates that an item is neither too difficult nor too easy. For
example, if 80% of students answered a math problem correctly, it may indicate that the problem was
too easy and did not effectively differentiate between high-performing and low-performing students.

To calculate the P-value, you can follow these steps:

1. Determine the number of test-takers who answered the item correctly.

2. Determine the total number of test-takers who attempted the item.

3. Divide the number of test-takers who answered the item correctly by the total number of test-
takers who attempted the item.

4. Multiply the result by 100 to obtain the P-value as a percentage.

For example, if 80 out of 100 test-takers answered a math problem correctly, the P-value would be
calculated as follows:

P-value = (number of test-takers who answered the item correctly / total number of test-takers
who attempted the item) x 100

P-value = (80/100) x 100

P-value = 80%

This means that the item had a P-value of 80%, indicating that it may be too easy and may not
effectively differentiate between high-performing and low-performing students. the P-value, you
can follow these steps:

FRANCIS JAY P. ALITE

MAED-ENGLISH
 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Calinog Campus
Calinog, Iloilo
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate School
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION MAJOR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING ENGLISH

Discriminatory Power

The discriminatory power of an item is the degree to which it can differentiate between high-performing
and low-performing students. The point biserial correlation coefficient is used to determine this value. A
D-value of 0.3 or higher indicates good discriminatory power. For example, if a reading comprehension
question has a high D-value, it suggests that students who perform well on the question also perform
well on the overall test, while students who perform poorly on the question also perform poorly on the
overall test.

In item analysis, the D-value refers to the discrimination index, which is a measure of how well an item
distinguishes between high-performing and low-performing students. To calculate the D-value, you
can follow these steps:

1. Divide the test-takers into two groups: high-performing and low-performing. You can use a
criterion such as the total test score or a predetermined cutoff score to differentiate between
the two groups.

2. Determine the number of high-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly.

3. Determine the number of low-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly.

4. Calculate the percentage of high-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly.

5. Calculate the percentage of low-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly.

6. Subtract the percentage of low-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly from the
percentage of high-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly.

7. Divide the result by 100 to obtain the D-value.

The formula for calculating the D-value is as follows:

D-value = [(percentage of high-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly) -

(percentage of low-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly)] / 100

For example, if 70% of high-performing test-takers and 30% of low-performing test-takers

answered an item correctly, the D-value would be calculated as follows:

D-value = [(percentage of high-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly) -

(percentage of low-performing test-takers who answered the item correctly)] / 100

D-value = [(70 - 30)] / 100

D-value = 0.4

FRANCIS JAY P. ALITE

MAED-ENGLISH
 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Calinog Campus
Calinog, Iloilo
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate School
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION MAJOR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING ENGLISH

This means that the item had a D-value of 0.4, indicating that it effectively differentiated between
high-performing and low-performing students. A D-value of 0.3 or higher is generally considered
acceptable, while a D-value below 0.3 may indicate that the item needs revision or removal from
the test.

Alignment

Alignment refers to the extent to which a test item measures the intended learning outcome or
construct. Items that are not aligned with the intended construct may not effectively measure student
learning. Alignment can be determined by comparing the items on the test with the intended learning
outcomes. For example, if a question on an English test asks about a grammar rule that was not covered
in class, it may indicate that the item is not aligned with the intended learning outcomes.

For example, if a question on an English test asks about a grammar rule that was not covered in class, it
may indicate that the item is not aligned with the intended learning outcomes.

Here is a sample of alignment in item analysis for an English language assessment:

Suppose a teacher is creating a reading comprehension test to assess students' understanding

of a particular text. The intended learning outcomes for this assessment are:
1. Students will be able to identify the main idea of the text.

2. Students will be able to identify supporting details within the text.

3. Students will be able to make inferences based on the text.

To ensure alignment between the test items and the intended learning outcomes, the teacher
may create the following items:
1. "What is the main idea of the passage?"

2. "Which sentence in the passage provides evidence for the author's argument?"

3. "What can you infer about the character's motivations based on their actions in the passage?"

4. These items are aligned with the intended learning outcomes because they directly assess the
skills and knowledge specified in the learning outcomes.

FRANCIS JAY P. ALITE

MAED-ENGLISH
 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Calinog Campus
Calinog, Iloilo
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate School
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION MAJOR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING ENGLISH

For example, Item 1 assesses the ability to identify the main idea of the text, Item 2 assesses the
ability to identify supporting details, and Item 3 assesses the ability to make inferences based on the
text.

By analyzing the alignment between test items and intended learning outcomes, educators can
ensure that their assessments are effectively measuring student learning and achieving their
educational goals in English language comprehension.

MORE Examples

Here are some examples of item analysis in different subject areas:

Math Test

A math test has a question that asks students to solve an algebraic equation. The item analysis reveals
that only 30% of students answered the question correctly, indicating that the item is too difficult.
However, the item also has a high discriminatory power, with a D-value of 0.8, suggesting that it is
effective in differentiating between high-performing and low-performing students.

Reading Comprehension Test

A reading comprehension test has a question that asks students to identify the main idea of a passage.
The item analysis reveals that 90% of students answered the question correctly, indicating that the item
is too easy. Additionally, the item has a low discriminatory power, with a D-value of 0.2, suggesting that it
may not effectively differentiate between high-performing and low-performing students.

Science Test

A science test has a question that asks students to identify the different types of rocks. The item analysis
reveals that the question is not aligned with the intended learning outcomes, as the test did not cover
this topic. This item may need to be revised or removed from the test.

FRANCIS JAY P. ALITE

MAED-ENGLISH
 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Calinog Campus
Calinog, Iloilo
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate School
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION MAJOR IN LANGUAGE TEACHING ENGLISH

In conclusion, item analysis is a valuable tool in evaluating the quality of test items and ensuring that
assessments accurately measure student learning. By analyzing the difficulty level, discriminatory power,
and alignment of each item, educators can make informed decisions about teaching and learning, and
improve the effectiveness of future assessments.

FRANCIS JAY P. ALITE

MAED-ENGLISH