Investigating the treatment of missing data in an Olympiad-type test – the case of the selection validity in the South African Mathematics Olympiad

摘要

The purpose of the South African Mathematics Olympiad is to generate interest in mathematicsand to identify the most talented mathematical minds. Our focus is on how the handling ofmissing data affects the selection of the ‘best’ contestants. Two approaches handling missingdata, applying the Rasch model, are described. The issue of guessing is investigated through atailored analysis. We present two microanalyses to illustate how missing data may impactselection; the first investigates groups of contestants that may miss selection under particularconditions; the second focuses on two contestants each of whom answer 14 items correctly.This comparison raises questions about the proportion of correct to incorrect answers.Recommendations are made for future scoring of the test, which include reconsideration ofnegative marking and weighting as well as considering the inclusion of 150 or 200 contestantsas opposed to 100 contestants for participation in the final round.