A 933-pupil survey of ancient-history recall provided the data for scaling question difficulty¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 1922 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Complete survey returns from high schools of two large cities, two small ones, random sampling of two others, and University of Texas classes yielded 933 acceptable papers used to scale the questions. → Sackett 1922

Evidence¶

Sackett 1922¶

Sackett, L. W. (1922). A Scale in Ancient History. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu

q2 · i? · design · r2

Observational survey data collection described in the article's method section: returns from complete high-school surveys in four cities, random sampling of two more, and University of Texas Freshman and Sophomore classes. The article states "A total of 933 papers were obtained filled out in acceptable form."

"Returns were secured from the complete surveys of the high schools of two large cities, two small ones, the random sampling of two other large ones and classes from two grades, Freshmen and Sophomores, in the University of Texas. A total of 933 papers were obtained filled out in acceptable form."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Question E was answered by all 27 high-school pupils, establishing a zero-difficulty reference 2.191 units below the median — related
• No question among the sixty had zero difficulty; the easiest averaged 7.83, 7.62, and 7.23 — related
• Grading answers required weighted partial credit because responses varied in degrees of rightness — related
• Question difficulty was scored as percentage of correctness, assumed inversely related to difficulty — related
• The scale measures only the ability to recall definite facts promptly, a limited kind of historical ability — related