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Education QUESTION #6778
Question 1
A researcher applies Item Response Theory to a set of test items and finds that one item has a very low 'a' (discrimination) parameter and a relatively high 'c' (pseudo-guessing) parameter. What practical recommendation follows from this?
  • Retain the item because low guessing should be prioritized over discrimination
  • The item likely does not differentiate ability levels effectively and may be susceptible to correct responses through guessing; it should be revised or removed from the bank✔️
  • Increase the item difficulty to reduce the guessing parameter
  • Use this item as a warm-up item since it is accessible to all ability levels
Correct Answer Explanation
In IRT's 3-parameter logistic model: 'a' is discrimination (steepness of ICC), 'b' is difficulty, and 'c' is the pseudo-guessing parameter (lower asymptote of the ICC). A low 'a' means the item poorly differentiates ability levels; a high 'c' means even low-ability examinees have a substantial probability of answering correctly — suggesting guessing is inflating scores. Such items should be revised or dropped.