Event Title
Should We Write Our Own Questions? The Effects of Multiple Choice Question Generation on Test Performance
Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
1-5-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 3:00 PM
Project Type
Poster- Restricted to Campus Access
Description
Students often feel that re-reading course material is an effective way to study; however, studies have shown that studying by taking a practice test is more beneficial than simply re-reading. This notion that studying by taking a test greatly increases ones performance on a later assessment is called the testing effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). Building on this finding, Weinstein, McDermott, and Roediger (2010) investigated the benefits that creating an exam can have on later retention. Participants re-read, took a test on, and created short-answer questions about passages, and the results showed a positive effect of generating such questions on later test performance. Due to the abundance of multiple-choice questions in educational settings, it is important to examine the impact of generating such questions on test performance. Some studies (e.g., Kang, McDermott, & Roediger, 2007), found that the testing effect is reduced when a multiple choice test is given compared to short answer test; others, however, have found no difference (Smith & Karpicke, 2013). Thus, this project investigates the benefits of creating multiple choice questions as a study strategy compared to taking a multiple choice exam or re-reading class material.
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Psychology Dept.
CLAS Field of Study
Social Sciences
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
139
Should We Write Our Own Questions? The Effects of Multiple Choice Question Generation on Test Performance
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Students often feel that re-reading course material is an effective way to study; however, studies have shown that studying by taking a practice test is more beneficial than simply re-reading. This notion that studying by taking a test greatly increases ones performance on a later assessment is called the testing effect (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). Building on this finding, Weinstein, McDermott, and Roediger (2010) investigated the benefits that creating an exam can have on later retention. Participants re-read, took a test on, and created short-answer questions about passages, and the results showed a positive effect of generating such questions on later test performance. Due to the abundance of multiple-choice questions in educational settings, it is important to examine the impact of generating such questions on test performance. Some studies (e.g., Kang, McDermott, & Roediger, 2007), found that the testing effect is reduced when a multiple choice test is given compared to short answer test; others, however, have found no difference (Smith & Karpicke, 2013). Thus, this project investigates the benefits of creating multiple choice questions as a study strategy compared to taking a multiple choice exam or re-reading class material.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/379
