ERIC Number: EJ952638
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Oct
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-6283
EISSN: N/A
Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Exam Performance in a College Classroom
Funk, Steven C.; Dickson, K. Laurie
Teaching of Psychology, v38 n4 p273-277 Oct 2011
The authors experimentally investigated the effects of multiple-choice and short-answer format exam items on exam performance in a college classroom. They randomly assigned 50 students to take a 10-item short-answer pretest or posttest on two 50-item multiple-choice exams in an introduction to personality course. Students performed significantly better on items presented in a multiple-choice format. The high internal validity achieved with matched test items, manipulation of item type order, and manipulation of student expectancy across exams was complemented by high external validity and pedagogical ecology afforded by the college classroom, extending previous laboratory findings. Performance on multiple-choice exams may provide inaccurate information to instructors concerning student learning and overestimate students' learning of course information. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Test Items, Test Format, Multiple Choice Tests, Validity, Ecology, Introductory Courses, Psychology, Undergraduate Students, Pretests Posttests, Investigations, Learning, Comparative Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A