A. Ease or difficulty
B. Discrimination power
C. Objectivity
D. Reliability
Answer is = A
You are correct! The facility index of an item in a test determines:
A. Ease or difficulty
The facility index (FI) is a statistical measure used in item analysis to assess the difficulty level of a particular question or item on a test. It indicates the proportion of test-takers who answered the question correctly.
Here’s how FI helps determine ease or difficulty:
- Higher FI: A facility index closer to 1 (e.g., 0.8 or higher) indicates that a large proportion of test-takers answered the question correctly. This suggests the item is likely on the easier side.
- Lower FI: A facility index closer to 0 (e.g., 0.2 or lower) indicates that a small proportion of test-takers answered the question correctly. This suggests the item is likely on the more difficult side.
Here’s why the other options are not the primary focus of facility index:
- Discrimination power: This is measured by a different statistic called the discrimination index (DI). It assesses how well an item can differentiate between high-performing and low-performing test-takers.
- Objectivity: Facility index doesn’t directly address objectivity, which refers to the extent to which scoring is free from bias.
- Reliability: While FI can be indirectly related to reliability (consistent difficulty level across administrations), it’s not the primary purpose of the facility index.
In conclusion, the facility index is a valuable tool for test developers and educators to understand the difficulty level of individual test items. This information can be used to improve the overall quality of the test by ensuring a good balance of easy, medium, and difficult questions.