Methods for Multiple-choice testing as a desirable difficulty in the classroom
Data was collected from two terms of a 10-week course at a large public university, with quizzes being administered five times throughout the semester, and 372 students total completing all items. The quizzes contained three multiple-choice questions, and were administered 3-4 days after the material was taught. The quiz was returned after 3-4 days. Two types of questions, previously tested and related, then appeared on a 50-item cumulative final exam. To prevent bias, topics were randomly selected from a list to be on post-lecture quizzes, and questions were created by writers blind to the purpose of the questions. Furthermore, each question-pair (on quiz and on final) was assigned to one condition of identical repeat, conceptual-repeat, baseline control, or filler. Identical-repeat pairs were one question that would be on both the quiz and final. Conceptual-repeat pairs had the same concept, but different questions on the quiz and final. Control questions were on the final, but not any quizzes, serving as a baseline control in that they could have been on quizzes, but were not. Filler questions were randomly selected questions on quizzes to bring up the number of questions to three and did not appear on the final content or question-wise. From the five quizzes across the term, the same 15 questions were on the 50-question final for every student.
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Psychology
Social Science
Empirical Science
Science