Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match: Matching Items
General Information
All lectures are audio recorded.
Content from Salkind, Tests and Measurement 3e. SAGE Publishing (2018) unless otherwise noted.
Definition and Purpose of Matching Items
Matching items are recognized as an acceptable tool for assessment.
They are designed to assess knowledge of a particular topic.
Key features include:
Easy to administer and score.
Assess the association between ideas.
Advantages of Matching Items
Particularly beneficial when there are several possible answers and repetitiveness is to be avoided.
Involves a selection process where the test taker selects one answer from a set of alternatives, usually more than five alternatives.
More effective in comparison to other forms of testing such as multiple-choice (MC) and true/false (T/F).
Structure of Matching Items
Two parts of Matching Items:
Column A: Contains statements referred to as premises.
Column B: Contains response options.
Premises should always be placed in the left column and answer options to the right.
The number of answer options must exceed the number of stems (premises).
Example of Matching Items Structure
Column A (Stems):
____1. Sum of a set of scores divided by the number of observations
____2. Most frequently occurring score in a set of scores
____3. Difference between the highest and lowest score
Column B (Options):
a. Mean
b. Median
c. Mode
d. Range
e. Standard Deviation
Application of Matching Items
Use matching items when the same response can be utilized in multiple questions to ensure independence.
Multiple-choice items should be independent; using the same answer can threaten item integrity.
Matching items help in minimizing bias:
Example of potential bias with multiple-choice questions:
Q1: The Declaration of Independence was signed in:
a. 1774
b. 1775
c. 1776
d. 1777
Q2: The important historical document that was a response to the repression felt by the founders of the United States was called:
a. the Magna Carta
b. The Declaration of Independence
c. the Constitution
d. the Framer’s Document
A revised example using matching avoids bias:
Column A:
____1. This historical document was signed in 1776.
____2. This historical document was a response to the repression felt by the founders of the United States.
Column B:
a. The Magna Carta
b. The Constitution
c. The Declaration of Independence
d. The Framer’s Document
Guidelines for Writing Matching Items
Create two columns: one for premises and one for responses.
Provide comprehensive directions (e.g., can test takers use one response more than once?).
Ensure all premises and responses are reasonable and not obvious.
Do not present matching items where the correct answer is evident.
List responses in a different order than corresponding premises to ensure difficulty (e.g., avoid ordering responses like 1 = A, 2 = B).
A premise should contain more words than an option to provide clarity.
Ensure all premises and responses appear on the same page for convenience.
Each premise must have only one correct response to increase the reliability and validity of the test.
Label columns to help orient and assist test takers (e.g., Column A, Column B, Date and Event, Symbol and Meaning).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Matching Items
Advantages
Easy to score and administer to a large number of test takers.
Offers a means to compare ideas and facts effectively.
When multiple-choice items require the same response, matching items provide a perfect solution.
Responses are short, easy to read, and less dependent on writing ability.
Reduces the impact of guessing on test scores.
Disadvantages
The level of knowledge tested is limited in scope.
Only useful when a sufficient number of options can be generated to avoid redundancy.
Scoring can become complicated if not well-constructed.
Tends to emphasize memorization rather than higher-order thinking skills.
Extended Matching Items (EMIs)
Extended Matching Items (EMIs) represent a variation of matching and multiple-choice items and are increasingly preferred in undergraduate and postgraduate medical examinations.
Components of EMIs:
Theme
Option list
Lead-in statement
Two or more item stems
Example of EMI:
Theme: Antipsychotic side effects.
Options:
A Amisulpiride
B Chlorpromazine
C Clozapine
D Fluphenazine
E Flupenthixol
F Haloperidol
G Olanzapine
H Quetiapine
I Risperidone
J Thioridazine
Lead-in statement: For each patient described below, choose the single most appropriate drug responsible for the side-effect. Each option may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
Item stems:
1) A 42-year-old woman with a diagnosis of schizophrenia presents with complaints of sharp chest pain. Chest X-ray is essentially normal and the ECG reveals diffuse ST segment elevation in all chest leads.
2) A 42-year-old woman with schizoaffective illness presents with palpitations and shortness of breath; ECG reveals a QTc interval of 440 msec and T wave inversion.
3) A 44-year-old woman with chronic psychotic illness complains of recent onset of polyuria and malaise. Her blood sugar levels are in the range of 13-16 mmol/L.
Educational Implications of EMIs
EMIs focus on the application of knowledge rather than mere recall of facts.
They often take the form of small problems, especially in medical education, where participants work with short cases or vignettes containing symptoms or lab results to arrive at a diagnosis by choosing from a long list of potential options.
EMIs emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking rather than basic recall of information.
Familiarity with EMIs is important for specialized preparation in examinations, such as those for the membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK.