Analyzing the measurement error from false positives in the Force Concept Inventory

Abstract

We analyze the measurement error from false positives of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) focusing on the four questions (Q.5, Q.6, Q.7, and Q.16). We determine whether or not a correct response to a given FCI question is a false positive using subquestions. Using the data of 1145 university students in Japan from 2015 to 2017, we find that the sum of the false positives from Q.5, Q.6, Q.7, and Q.16 is about 10% of the FCI score of a mid-level student. We consider what degree these errors influence the statistics that are used with the test (e.g. t statistics).