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AN ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS OF ENGLISH READING MID-TERM TEST MADE BY THE ENGLISH TEACHERS
AT SMA N 2 RANAH PESISIR
Oleh:
Popi Nuraprida Oktafia*)
**)
Martin Kustati and ***) Rika Afriyanti Staf Pengajar Program Studi Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera BaratABSTRAK
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah soal Mid semester ganjil khususnya dalam pembelajaran reading yang di buat oleh guru bahasa Inggris di SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir memiliki bentuk soal yang bagus dan sesuai dengan kaidah yang sudah di tentukan khususnya untuk soal pilihan ganda (a good construction of multiple choice test items). Untuk mengetahui kualitas soal, di sini ada tiga bagian yang akan di analisa di dalam tes: (1) Pertanyaan (The stem), (2) Pilihan jawaban (The option), dan (3) Pilihan jawaban yang tidak benar atau pengganggu (The Distractor). Jenis penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Adapun sumber data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah soal mid semester ganjil khususnya dalam pembelajaran reading yang di buat oleh guru bahasa Inggris khususnya untuk kelas XI SMA. Instrument yang digunakan adalah Evaluation check list. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah soal Mid semester ganjil yang dibuat oleh guru SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir yaitu hamper sempurnah. Karena soal tersebut memenuhi lebih dari 50 % semua indikator yang berhubungan dengan bentuk soal pilihan ganda yang bagus (The construction of multiple choice items). Kemudian Pertanyaan (The stem), Pilihan jawaban (The option), dan Pilihan jawaban yang tidak benar (The distractor) juga hampir sempurnah memenuhi semua indikator yang berhubungan dengan bentuk pembuatan tes pilihan ganda yang bagus yang sesuai dengan kaidah atau pernyataan dari teori. Tapi, peneliti masih menemukan beberapa soal yang tidak memenuhi syarat-syarat yang ada.
Kata kunci: Soal Mid semester ganjil, pilihan ganda, bentuk soal yang bagus, pertanyaan, pilihan jawaban, jawaban yang tidak benar.
*) Penulis
**) Pembimbing 1
***) Pembimbing 2
INTRODUCTION
In teaching English as a foreign language, the students should master of English.
It can be said that the students should learn English in oral and written. Usually, in oral communication, the students must be able to produce the words, the language and also to express their ideas to communicate with other people. Then, oral communication delivers the information as directly. Meanwhile, in written communication, the students must be able to share the words, the language and their ideas on the
paper. It is also as indirectly communication.
When the students express their writing on the paper, they must pay attention about grammar, coherence, spelling, the information and the ideas.
Both of them are important in teaching English.
Furthermore, teaching English for EFL students are not easy as our imagination. The English teacher teaches four language skills;
listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Especially in teaching reading, the English teacher does not only teach how to read the text but also the teacher leads the students to determine main idea from the text, and make the students
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comprehend the text. After the English teacher teaches reading comprehension to the students, she or he also needs to measure the students’
ability in reading comprehension by giving a test.
To know how far the students comprehension about the material, the teacher designs and gives the test to the students. Test is a method to measure students’ ability about the lesson. By giving a test, the teacher will know the students’ achievement and also the teacher’s success in teaching and learning process. Then, the result of the test can evaluate the students’
weakness and the teacher as well.
In addition, before designing the test, the teacher has to pay attention about construction of multiple choice items test. The teachers must have a good ability and creativity in designing the test because if the test has a good construction so it will give a good effect to the test-taker or the students in learning outcome. Therefore, the teacher must design the test that makes the students easy to comprehend the questions before answering the questions.
Moreover, in Senior High School 2 Ranah Pesisir there are two kinds of test items that given by the English teachers to the students.
They are essay and multiple choice item.
According to Johnson and Johnson (2002:66) essay test consists of few questions requiring to write paragraphs or themes as answers. Essay items require students to recall, select, organize and apply what they have learned and express it in their own words. In the other words, essay test permit the students to express an individual style and opinion in answering the question. Then, Farrell (2009:92) states that multiple choice item offer the test-takers a number of choices, one of which is the correct answer. In this test, the students should select the best possible answer as their choice.
However, not all the English teachers can make the reading test items with good construction. Based on preliminary study in Senior High School 2 Ranah Pesisir. It is foundsome phenomena in the multiple choice items made bythe English teachers. The first phenomena is the test makes the students confused because it is not related to the material given by the English teacher.
The second phenomena is the questions of the test are not clear or ambiguity. Therefore, the students can not get the point what is the meaning of the question exactly. The last phenomena is the options of the test make the
students confused to choose the correct answer because almost of the options are possible to be chosen but in other way the options of the test are not in the same level and less increativity.
Dealing with the phenomena above, the researcher is interested to investigate the construction of multiple choice test item at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir because based on the phenomena that researcher found there. Then, this school also just build for more or less 7 years but the English teachers who teach at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir are mostly from qualified teacher, it because they had variety and a good knowledge when they taught the students, they are understand about the students needed in learning process.
Therefore, the researcher wants to analyze whether reading Mid-test made by the English teachers have a good construction at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir. There are three questions that would be analyzed the first, how is the stem of multiple choice items test in reading Mid-term test made by the English teachers at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir for eleventh grade students? The second, how is the option of multiple choice items test in reading Mid-term test made by the English teachers at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir for elevents grade students? The third how is the distractor of multiple choice items test in reading Mid-term test made by the English teachers at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir for eleventh grade students?
Before the test maker designs a test, therefore, she/he must understand about definition of Multiple choice items. There are some expert that will be explained about that. Multiple choice items are one of types of reading comprehension that more popular than other tests. It is a method for the teacher to measure the students’ ability in reading material. Stufflebeam, et. al (2000:119) states that multiple choice test are the most common way of gathering achievement data in formal education program evaluation-indeed. It assumes that multiple choice test is a test that uses to determine students’ achievement in learning.
In addition, multiple choice item is used by the teacher to test level of the students’ ability about the material. According to Downing (2006) defines that multiple choice item is an extramely versatile test item form; it can be used to test all levels of the cognitive taxonomy, including very high level cognitive process. In other word, multiple choice item can measure students’
knowlege at lower and higher thingking.
Moreover, in multiple choice item, the students should choose the best answer of item.
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Farrel (2009:92) explains that multiple choice tests offer the test-takers a number of choices, one of which is the correct answer. It can be said that, in multiple choice test, the students will respon the question which choose one of the correct answer.
In multiple choice items, there are some suggestions in designing a good construction of multiple choice item. Cohen, et. al (2004:343) suggest that several consideration for constructing effective multiple choice test items. First, the test- maker ensure that they catch significant knowledge and learning rather than low-level recall of facts. Second, the test-maker includes frame the nature of the issue in the stem of the item, ensuring that the stem is in meaningful in itself. Third, the test-maker ensure that the stem includes as a much of the item as possible, then with no irrelevancies. Fourth, the test-maker must avoid negative stem to the items. Fifth, the test should keep the readability levels low. Sixth, the test-maker ensure clarity and unambiguity.
Seventh, the test-maker ensure that all the options are plausible so that guessing of the only possible option is avoided. The last, the test-maker must avoid the possibility of students making the correct choice through incorrect reasoning.
In designing multiple choice items, it must attent to the construction of multiple choice, there are three components of multiple choice items that will be discussed in the next paragraph, it includes the stem, option and distractor.
The stem is the initial part of multiplechoice item. According Nugent and Vitale (2012:53) stem is the statement that asks the question. In other word stem is the question or maybe the statement that ask the question, it can be presented as an incomplete sentence or complete sentence. The purpose of stem is to present a problem in a clear and concise manner.
In designing the stem, the test-maker can choose two parts in the stem. It because according to Nugent (2012: 54) Stem divided into two parts, they are: 1) The stem that is complete. 2)The stem that is an incomplete sentence.
Then, in desinging the option, there are some options in the test. Nugent and Vitale (2012:
58) explain an item must have a minimum of three options to be considered a multiple-choice item, but the actual number varies among tests.It means that the optionmust have minimum three or four single option choices.
Moreover, the option can also design into two parts. Nugent (2012: 58) states that the
option into two parts, they are: 1) The option that is a sentence. 2) The option that completes the sentence begun in the stem. 3) The option that is an incomplete sentence. 4) The option that is word.
The last part is the distractor which is the possible answer but not correct answer in a list of the options. It supported by Nugent and Vitale (2012:53) states that the distractors are the remaining options that are incorrect answers.
They are referred to as “distractors” because they are designed to distract the test-maker from the correct answer. It means that the distractors are incorrect answers that will distract the test-taker of correct answer.
In designing a good the distractor, the thest-maker should pay attention with some considerations that uses to consruct the distractor in multiple choice item. Moreover, Oermann and Gaberson (2014) states that distractors are the incorrect but plausible options offered. Distractor should appeal to learners who lack the knowledge for responding to the quesstion without confusing those who do know the content. There are somes suggestions for writing distractors include: (1) the distractors should be consistent grammatically and should be similar in length, detail, and complexity with each other and the correct answer. (2) the distractors should sample the same content area as the correct answer. (3) the test must avoid using
“all of above” and “none of the above” in a multiple choice item. (4) the test must omit terms such as “always,” “never”, “sometimes,”
“accasionally,” and similar ones from the ditractors. (5) the test must avoid using ditractors that are essentially the same.
In addition, the-maker should design the distractor creatively.
Based on explanation about the construction of multiple choice, there are some experts have explained about that. So, the researcher takes some experts to get indicators because it can be completed the explanation of indicators when the researcher combines theories from some experts.
It can be concluded that multiple choice item is a test that can be used to determine students’ ability in reading comprehension. It can help the techer to get the data about students’
achievement in learning. In multiple choice test, the students can choose one of the correct answer to respon the question.
Then, in designing good multiple choice items. Threfore, construction of multiple choice
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items contains three components such as the stem, option and distractor. The stem is a statement that will use to ask the question. There are some indicators of the stem. The first part, the stem must attent to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The second part, the language used in the stem must clear. The third part, each of stem designed in form complete and incomplete sentence or question(direct and indirect). The fourth part, stem is designed based on the text.
The fifth part, it has one answer key. The last part, stem designed is not used direct textbook quotation.
In addition, the option is a list of the possible responses offered by the item. For the option there some partsthat would be explained here. The first part, the option must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation, the option must design with clear and arranged in a good structure. The second part, the language used in the option must clear. The third part, the option also must have the same word classes. The fourth part, the option must have style and structure length of phrase or sentence are the same. The last part, the option is consist of complete and incomplete sentence.
In the distractor, it is incorrect answers that will distract the test-taker of correct answer.
There are some indicators of the distractors. The first part, the distractors should be consistent grammatically. The second part,the distractors should sample the same content area as the correct answer. The third part, the distractor must avoid using “all of above” and “none of the above” in a multiple choice items. The fourth, the test must omit terms such as “always,” “sometimes,”
“accasionally,” and similar ones from the ditractors. The last part, the test must avoid using ditractors that are essentially the same. All of the constructions of multiple choice items are very important in designing a good test in multiple choice test.
DISCUSSION
In this research, the researcher used descriptive research as a method to do a research.
Gay and Airasian (2000:275) state that descriptive study determines and describes the way thing are.
It can be said that, descriptive research concerns to the descripsion about things that to be the subject of the research. This research described the construction of English reading mid-term test
made by the English teachers at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir.
In this research, the researcher would be collected English reading mid-term test that made by the English teachers at the first semester in academic year 2013/2014 for eleventh grade students at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir. Then, the researcher would be analyzed the data by using the result of evaluation check list. analyzing reading test at senoir high school students.
Thus, the researcher concludes the result of analyzing the construction of multiple choice by using four criterias. There are perfect, it is for English reading mid-term test that fulfill all of the indicators. Then, almost perfect is for English reading mid-term test that fulfill more than 50%
of all the indicators. Less perfect is for English reading mid-term test that fulfill less than 50% of all the indicators. The last, Imperfect is for English reading mid test have not fulfill all of the indicators. All of the criterias are very important to determine the result of analyzing the test.
After the researcher collected and analyzed the data about English reading Mid- term test made by the English teachers at the first semester in academic year 2013/2014 for eleventh grade students at SMA N 2 Ranah Pesisir. The researcher found that the items included four criterias, there are perfect, it is for English reading mid-term test that fulfilled all of the indicators. Then, almost perfect is for English reading mid-term test that fulfilled more than 50%
of all the indicators. Less perfect is for English reading mid-term test that fulfilled less than 50%
of all the indicators. The last, Imperfect is for English reading mid test have not fulfilled all of the indicators.
Therefore, in this research, the researcher found the first was the stem, it was almost perfect because the items in English reading mid-term test especially for multiple choice items test fulfill more than 50 % of all the indicators. Then, for the option was fulfill more than 50 % of all the indicators of a good construction of multiple choice test in reading test so the option came to be almost perfect. The last, the distractors also almost perfect because it was almost perfect because the items fulfilled more than 50 % of all the indicators.
Thus, the items almost appropriate with the indicators. But in this situation only some of the items had problems in construction of multiple choice test items. Such as in the stem, some of items used complete and incomplete sentence but
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for incomplete sentence there did not use appropriate punctuation in the stem. Then, some the options of the test did not use the same word classes and consistent grammatically. The last was the distractors, some of the test did not design with creativity. It did not have style and variety to make the test-taker unsure about the correct answer.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
From the data that got in analyzing English reading mid-term test. The researcher found that the test almost fulfill as a good construction of multiple choice test items.
Therefore, it was fulfill as a good quality of the test that include of three points, the first was the stem, it was almost perfect because the items in English reading mid-term test especially for multiple choice items test fulfill more than 50 % of all the indicators. The second, the option was fulfill more than 50 % of all the indicators of a good construction of multiple choice test in reading test so the option came to be almost perfect. The last, the distractors also almost perfect because it was almost perfect because the items fulfilled more than 50 % of all the indicators. Therefore, all of the items of English reading mid-term test almost fulfill all the indicators that related to the construction of multiple choice items test.
Based on the result of this research, the researcher hope that the teacher know about their ability in designing a good test. The teacher should keep their good ability in designing a good test. Beside that the teacher can more pay attention about a good construction of multiple choice test and improve their ability in designing a good test especially in reading test to get the best quality of English reading mid test. It because if the teacher has a good knowledge and a good ability in designing the test. Therefore, it will be affect to students’ outcome in learning process especially in reading.
In addition, the researcher also hope that when the teacher found the problems in designing the test, the teacher should have a good preparation before making a good test. The teacher can find a good ways to improve the creativity to make the test with a good quality.
The researcher hope that this research would give motivation for the teacher to keep on their working together in designing a good test, therefore, the teacher can practice and share their
ability in designing a good test to each other. The ways are also important to produce the best quality of the test that makes the test more valid.
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