A software tool for the statistical analysis of language tests
A software tool for the statistical analysis of language tests

Summary/Abstract: The statistical software tool described here was designed to assist in the analysis of the results of tests which are administered as part of the entrance exam in English at Adam Mickiewicz University's Institute of English. The major objective of the exam, which in addition to a battery of tests includes an interview, is the selection of the best candidates for English studies. This explains the emphasis placed in the workshop on the statistics of item analysis, that is on evaluating test items in terms of their effectiveness. A description of item analysis will be the focus of the first part of this chapter. Then I will describe the role of the computer in analyzing test results and give some examples of authentic analyses for discussion. The examples come from the 1986 tests the results of which were analyzed using a series of programs I wrote for the Commodore 64 microcomputer. Finally, I will close with a few remarks on some of the hardware and software options.

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