R help - Sep 2007 - recommended package/docs for analyzing multiple choice tests

Hi,
  What package would you recommend for analyzing the
validity/reliability of multiple choice tests.  Doing things such as
classical test analysis, factor analysis, item response theory.

I've used psychometric (item.exam), MiscPsycho (alpha.Summary), and ltm
(rcor.test).  MiscPsycho reported the numbers most similar to what I get
in SPSS: corrected point biserial correlations, cronbach's alpha.  I
didn't understand what the psychometric package meant by its
"discrimination" and "item reliability" numbers output by
the item.exam
function.  Perhaps the former is uncorrected point biserial
correlations?  They were higher values.  I downloaded and inspected
the source code for both packages.  It was hard to understand what the
functions were doing without some comments in the code.

Also, would you recommend a book or resource with examples of using R
for test analysis.

Thank you, it's been great learning R,
-Doug

Hello.

I think "Using R for psychology research" maybe useful for you.
http://www.personality-project.org/r/r.guide.html



On 9/19/07, Doug Holton <doug00 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hi,
>   What package would you recommend for analyzing the
> validity/reliability of multiple choice tests.  Doing things such as
> classical test analysis, factor analysis, item response theory.
>
> I've used psychometric (item.exam), MiscPsycho (alpha.Summary), and ltm
> (rcor.test).  MiscPsycho reported the numbers most similar to what I get
> in SPSS: corrected point biserial correlations, cronbach's alpha.  I
> didn't understand what the psychometric package meant by its
> "discrimination" and "item reliability" numbers output
by the item.exam
> function.  Perhaps the former is uncorrected point biserial
> correlations?  They were higher values.  I downloaded and inspected
> the source code for both packages.  It was hard to understand what the
> functions were doing without some comments in the code.
>
> Also, would you recommend a book or resource with examples of using R
> for test analysis.
>
> Thank you, it's been great learning R,
> -Doug
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide
http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>

-- 
CH Chan
Research Assistant - KWH
http://www.macgrass.com

In ltm (version 0.8-1) you may also check the following functions: 
descript(), cronbach.alpha(), mult.choice()

I hope it helps.

Best,
Dimitris

ps, you may find more information about `ltm' as well as sample 
analysis files at the Rwiki page: 
http://wiki.r-project.org/rwiki/doku.php?id=packages:cran:ltm

----
Dimitris Rizopoulos
Ph.D. Student
Biostatistical Centre
School of Public Health
Catholic University of Leuven

Address: Kapucijnenvoer 35, Leuven, Belgium
Tel: +32/(0)16/336899
Fax: +32/(0)16/337015
Web: http://med.kuleuven.be/biostat/
     http://www.student.kuleuven.be/~m0390867/dimitris.htm


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Holton" <doug00 at gmail.com>
To: <r-help at r-project.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 2:36 AM
Subject: [R] recommended package/docs for analyzing multiple choice 
tests

> Hi,
>  What package would you recommend for analyzing the
> validity/reliability of multiple choice tests.  Doing things such as
> classical test analysis, factor analysis, item response theory.
>
> I've used psychometric (item.exam), MiscPsycho (alpha.Summary), and 
> ltm
> (rcor.test).  MiscPsycho reported the numbers most similar to what I 
> get
> in SPSS: corrected point biserial correlations, cronbach's alpha.  I
> didn't understand what the psychometric package meant by its
> "discrimination" and "item reliability" numbers output
by the
> item.exam
> function.  Perhaps the former is uncorrected point biserial
> correlations?  They were higher values.  I downloaded and inspected
> the source code for both packages.  It was hard to understand what 
> the
> functions were doing without some comments in the code.
>
> Also, would you recommend a book or resource with examples of using 
> R
> for test analysis.
>
> Thank you, it's been great learning R,
> -Doug
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide 
> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
> 

Disclaimer: http://www.kuleuven.be/cwis/email_disclaimer.htm