Οξούζογλου Λεωνίδας Επιβλέπων Καθηγητής: Οικονομίδης Αναστάσιος Εξεταστής 1: Σατρατζέμη Μαρία

1. ΔΙΑΤΜΗΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΜΕΤΑΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΩΝ ΣΠΟΥΔΩΝ ΣΤΑ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΑΚΑ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΑ STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ALTERNATIVE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS Οξούζογλου Λεωνίδας Επιβλέπων Καθηγητής: Οικονομίδης Αναστάσιος Εξεταστής 1: Σατρατζέμη Μαρία Εξεταστής 2: Ξυνόγαλος Στυλιανός

2. Multiple Choice Questions • objective • easy to score • cost-effective (especially in large scale assessment) • sampling of content can be broader • items can be stored in item-banks and reused • the use of large number of items is possible • individual test items can be subjected to statistical analysis

3. Multiple Choice Questions • more difficult to construct • when used for assessing higher levels, the reliability is questioned • the examinee might be exposed to acquiring false knowledge • the score might be affected by the use of guessing • lack of assessment of partial knowledge

4. Methods of testing using MCQs Developed to address the problem of guessing and to assess partial knowledge

5. Number of Right Scoring the scoring of a test just by counting the number of correct answers if a wrong option is chosen, the score of the item is 0

6. Negative Marking Scoring Rule where k, the number of choices in an item

7. Answer Until Correct • the examinee, in case of an incorrect choice, is permitted to choose one of the remaining options. • this procedure is repeated until the correct option is selected.

8. Answer Until Correct S(k,a) = k – a Scoring Rule where k is the number of choices in an item and a is the number of attempts

9. Elimination Testing (Coombs et al., 1956) the student has to indicate the wrong options of an item

10. Elimination Testing Scoring Rule for MCQs with 4 options

11. Subset Selection Testing the examinee is permitted to choose more than one options

12. Subset Selection Testing General Scoring Rule: the larger the number of options selected the lesser the score credited to the item

13. Subset Selection Testing Liberal Tests (Bush ,2001) where k is the number of options in a MCQ and a is the number of options selected by the examinee

14. Studies on Students Preference in Methods of Assessment • Zeidner (1990) • the majority of students believe that essay type exams are: • more reflective of students' true achievements, • more suitable for assessing course objectives, • generally fairer • than MCQs • students find MCQ type exams : • easier and less time consuming to prepare for • feel less time-pressure when taking the exams

15. Studies on Students Preference in Methods of Assessment • Birenbaum & Feldman (1998) • students with good learning skills who have high confidence in their academic ability, tend to prefer the constructed-response type of assessment over the MCQ type • students with high test-anxiety tend to prefer the MCQ testing format

16. Studies on Students Preference in Methods of Assessment Birenbaum (1997); Furnham et al. (2008); Gijbels & Dochy (2006) students’ approaches to learning have a significant effect on assessment preference

17. Purpose of the Study • what are the students’ preferences and opinions regarding assessment using MCQs ? • how do factors like gender, grade of education, school performance and course preference affect students’ preference in a certain method ? • what is the relation, if any, of student’s preference in an assessment method and his/her approach to learning ?

18. Method • Participants: • 178 students from the area of Thessaloniki • 96 students of secondary education • 82 university students

19. Method • Participants: • 178 students from the area of Thessaloniki • 100 females • 78 males

20. Method • Questionnaires : • Revised two-factor learning process questionnaire (R-LPQ-2F, Kember et al., 2004) • Revised two-factor study process questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F, Biggs et al., 2001)

21. Method • Questionnaires : • Preferred Assessment Method • Methods of Assessment • Essay type questions. • Number of Right (NR). • Negative Marking (NM) • Answer Until Correct (AUC). • Elimination Testing (ET) • Subset Selection Testing (SST)

22. Method • Questionnaires : • Preferred Assessment Method • Indicate how fair you think is this method. • Indicate how accurate you think is this method in measuring each person’s level of knowledge. • Indicate how stressful for the student you think this method is. • Indicate the level of your personal preference in this method. (9-point Likert – type scale)

23. Method • Procedure: • The students were given the questionnaires in class, under test conditions and given adequate time to think and respond. • The assessment methods had been thoroughly explained to them in a previous meeting. • A written explanation of the methods was given to them along with the questionnaires.

24. Results • Correlations between perceived fairness and level of preference were positive and significant at the 0.01 level • Correlations between perceived accuracy and level of preference were also positive and significant at the 0.01 level • Correlations between perceived student anxiety and level of preference were negative and not all of them significant • Correlations between perceived fairness and perceived accuracy were computed and found to be positive and significant at the 0.01 level

25. Results

26. Results Correlations between Level of Preference in different methods

27. Results Level of Preference categorized by grade of education * the difference of mean values is significant at the 0.05 level

28. Results Correlations between Level of Preference in each method and learning approach scale scores

29. Results ANOVA analysis significant interactions between: Learning Approach and Gender factors in Level of Preference in Essay Type (significant at the 0.01 level) and SST (significant at the 0.05 level).

30. Results ANOVA analysis Level of Preference in Essay Type

31. Results ANOVA analysis Level of Preference in SST

32. Results ANOVA analysis significant interactions between: Learning Approach and Grade factors in Level of Preference in SST (significant at the 0.05 level).

33. Results ANOVA analysis Level of Preference in SST

34. Results ANOVA analysis significant interactions between: Learning Approach, Gender and Grade factors in Level of Preference in NR (significant at the 0.05 level).

35. Results ANOVA analysis Level of Preference in NR

36. Results Correlations between Level of Preference in each method and school performance

37. Results Level of Preference categorized by Preference in Mathematics Level of Preference categorized by Preference in Science

38. Results Level of Preference categorized by Preference in Language

39. Conclusion • Fairness and accuracy seem to be significant variables in shaping students’ level of preference. Less significant role seems to play the anxiety that a method brings to a student. • MCQs with NR scoring scheme is the students’ most preferred method • The least preferred method of assessment is MCQs with a NM scoring scheme

40. Conclusion • Students who have a higher level of preference in one of the alternative methods (AUC, ET and SST) tend to have high level of preference in the remaining two. • Students that prefer Essay Type questions have a lower level of preference in alternative methods.

41. Conclusion • the deeper the approach a student adopts the more he/she prefers conventional method of assessment as Essay Type and NR MCQs

42. Conclusion • factors like Gender, Grade of Education or Learning Approach have an impact on students’ preference in assessment method • students with a high school performance tend to favor Essay Type Questions while those with a lower performance tend to favor the SST method • preference in certain courses (Mathematics, Science and Language) is related with a preference in some methods of assessment

43. Conclusion Future research the study of students’ attitudes before and after testing using each method

44. Conclusion • The Goal • PROVIDING EDUCATORS WITH METHODS OF ASSESSMENT USING MCQs, that: • Reduce the effect of guessing • Assess partial knowledge • Have the acceptance of students

45. ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ