View in EDS

Statistical Evaluation of Student Performance and Response Patterns in Educational Assessments in a University Context

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Statistical Evaluation of Student Performance and Response Patterns in Educational Assessments in a University Context
Language: English
Authors: Mauricio Suárez-Durán (ORCID 0000-0003-1451-630X), Alonso Barrera Pacheco (ORCID 0000-0001-5328-0454), Camilo Andrés Rodríguez-Nieto (ORCID 0000-0001-9922-4079), Vicenç Font Moll (ORCID 0000-0003-1405-0458)
Source: Journal on Mathematics Education. 2026 17(1):27-42.
Availability: Indonesian Mathematical Society. Jl. Padang Selasa 524, Palembang, South Sumatra 30139, Indonesia. Tel: +618-127-106777; Fax: +627-113-20310; Web site: http://jme.ejournal.unsri.ac.id/index.php/jme
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, College Mathematics, Statistics, Mathematics Tests, Psychometrics, Multiple Choice Tests, Test Validity, Test Reliability, Difficulty Level, Test Items, Mathematics Achievement
ISSN: 2087-8885
2407-0610
Abstract: This study investigates undergraduate students' performance on a university-level statistics assessment and evaluates the psychometric quality of the instrument using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). The assessment was administered to 431 students enrolled in engineering and business programs and comprised 16 multiple-choice items selected from an 85-item bank. These items were aligned with four performance indicators related to inferential statistics and regression analysis and were further classified according to cognitive demand and representational format (graphical, tabular, and textual). Descriptive results indicate that the majority of students achieved acceptable levels of performance (scores ≥ 3 on a five-point scale). However, reliability analyses revealed low internal consistency (Cronbach's α < 0.60), including a negative alpha coefficient for one indicator, suggesting weaknesses in construct validity. IRT analyses further demonstrated that the item bank was disproportionately weighted toward low-difficulty items and that certain constructs--most notably those involving tabular representations--were negatively associated with overall test performance (0.47). In contrast, items requiring part-whole reasoning (0.73) and conceptual understanding (0.70) emerged as the strongest predictors of student success. Collectively, these findings indicate that university statistics assessments should extend beyond procedural computation to foreground conceptual interpretation, proportional reasoning, and meaningful connections across representations. The study underscores the need for improved assessment design that achieves an appropriate balance among item difficulty, discriminative capacity, and cognitive alignment. Future research should replicate these analyses across multiple cohorts and incorporate qualitative approaches to more deeply examine students' statistical reasoning processes.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 20260101
Accession Number: EJ1515259
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1515259
    Name: ERIC Full Text
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text from ERIC
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1515259
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Statistical Evaluation of Student Performance and Response Patterns in Educational Assessments in a University Context
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Mauricio+Su&#225;rez-Dur&#225;n%22&quot;&gt;Mauricio Su&#225;rez-Dur&#225;n&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1451-630X&quot;&gt;0000-0003-1451-630X&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Alonso+Barrera+Pacheco%22&quot;&gt;Alonso Barrera Pacheco&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5328-0454&quot;&gt;0000-0001-5328-0454&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Camilo+Andr&#233;s+Rodr&#237;guez-Nieto%22&quot;&gt;Camilo Andr&#233;s Rodr&#237;guez-Nieto&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9922-4079&quot;&gt;0000-0001-9922-4079&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Vicen&#231;+Font+Moll%22&quot;&gt;Vicen&#231; Font Moll&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1405-0458&quot;&gt;0000-0003-1405-0458&lt;/externalLink&gt;)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;SO&quot; term=&quot;%22Journal+on+Mathematics+Education%22&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Journal on Mathematics Education&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/searchLink&gt;. 2026 17(1):27-42.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Indonesian Mathematical Society. Jl. Padang Selasa 524, Palembang, South Sumatra 30139, Indonesia. Tel: +618-127-106777; Fax: +627-113-20310; Web site: http://jme.ejournal.unsri.ac.id/index.php/jme
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 16
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles&lt;br /&gt;Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;EL&quot; term=&quot;%22Higher+Education%22&quot;&gt;Higher Education&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;EL&quot; term=&quot;%22Postsecondary+Education%22&quot;&gt;Postsecondary Education&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Undergraduate+Students%22&quot;&gt;Undergraduate Students&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22College+Mathematics%22&quot;&gt;College Mathematics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Statistics%22&quot;&gt;Statistics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Mathematics+Tests%22&quot;&gt;Mathematics Tests&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Psychometrics%22&quot;&gt;Psychometrics&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Multiple+Choice+Tests%22&quot;&gt;Multiple Choice Tests&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Test+Validity%22&quot;&gt;Test Validity&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Test+Reliability%22&quot;&gt;Test Reliability&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Difficulty+Level%22&quot;&gt;Difficulty Level&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Test+Items%22&quot;&gt;Test Items&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;DE&quot; term=&quot;%22Mathematics+Achievement%22&quot;&gt;Mathematics Achievement&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 2087-8885&lt;br /&gt;2407-0610
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This study investigates undergraduate students&#39; performance on a university-level statistics assessment and evaluates the psychometric quality of the instrument using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). The assessment was administered to 431 students enrolled in engineering and business programs and comprised 16 multiple-choice items selected from an 85-item bank. These items were aligned with four performance indicators related to inferential statistics and regression analysis and were further classified according to cognitive demand and representational format (graphical, tabular, and textual). Descriptive results indicate that the majority of students achieved acceptable levels of performance (scores ≥ 3 on a five-point scale). However, reliability analyses revealed low internal consistency (Cronbach&#39;s α &lt; 0.60), including a negative alpha coefficient for one indicator, suggesting weaknesses in construct validity. IRT analyses further demonstrated that the item bank was disproportionately weighted toward low-difficulty items and that certain constructs--most notably those involving tabular representations--were negatively associated with overall test performance (0.47). In contrast, items requiring part-whole reasoning (0.73) and conceptual understanding (0.70) emerged as the strongest predictors of student success. Collectively, these findings indicate that university statistics assessments should extend beyond procedural computation to foreground conceptual interpretation, proportional reasoning, and meaningful connections across representations. The study underscores the need for improved assessment design that achieves an appropriate balance among item difficulty, discriminative capacity, and cognitive alignment. Future research should replicate these analyses across multiple cohorts and incorporate qualitative approaches to more deeply examine students&#39; statistical reasoning processes.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260101
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1515259
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1515259
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 27
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Mathematics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematics Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychometrics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multiple Choice Tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Test Validity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Test Reliability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Difficulty Level
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Test Items
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematics Achievement
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Statistical Evaluation of Student Performance and Response Patterns in Educational Assessments in a University Context
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mauricio Suárez-Durán
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Alonso Barrera Pacheco
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Camilo Andrés Rodríguez-Nieto
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Vicenç Font Moll
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 2087-8885
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2407-0610
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 17
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal on Mathematics Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1