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What makes domain knowledge difficult? Word usage frequency from SUBTLEX and dlexDB explains knowledge item

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Item difficulty in knowledge tests is influenced by word frequency. Words more common in everyday settings make test items easier, suggesting greater exposure and readability. This aids in test interpretation and item refinement.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Educational Psychology
  • Psychometrics
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Test quality and interpretation rely on understanding item difficulty.
  • Item difficulty is influenced by the opportunity to learn content, often conveyed through language.
  • Word frequency may indicate exposure to concepts and predict item difficulty.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between word frequency in different settings and the difficulty of political knowledge test items.
  • To determine if everyday or academic word frequencies better predict item difficulty.
  • To explore the utility of word frequency analysis for refining knowledge test items.

Main Methods:

  • Administered 99 political knowledge test items to 250 German students (grades 7 and 10).
  • Analyzed item difficulty in relation to word frequencies from everyday settings (SUBTLEX-DE) and academic settings (dlexDB).

Main Results:

  • Word frequencies in everyday settings (SUBTLEX-DE) significantly explained variance in item difficulty.
  • Word frequencies in academic settings (dlexDB) alone did not significantly explain item difficulty variance.
  • Combined everyday and academic word frequencies explained a considerable amount of item difficulty variance, with higher frequencies in everyday settings indicating easier items.

Conclusions:

  • Word frequency, particularly in everyday contexts, is a valuable predictor of knowledge test item difficulty.
  • Higher word frequency, especially in everyday language, correlates with increased exposure, potentially lower conceptual complexity, and better readability.
  • Analyzing word frequency across different language settings offers a practical tool for improving test score interpretations and developing better knowledge assessment items.