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ERIC Number: ED662885
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Multiple Choice vs. Fill-In Problems: The Trade-Off between Scalability and Learning
Ashish Gurung; Kirk Vanacore; Andrew A. McReynolds; Korinn S. Ostrow; Eamon S. Worden; Adam C. Sales; Neil T. Heffernan
Grantee Submission, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (LAK '24) (14th, Kyoto, Japan, Mar 18-22, 2024)
Learning experience designers consistently balance the trade-off between open and close-ended activities. The growth and scalability of Computer Based Learning Platforms (CBLPs) have only magnified the importance of these design trade-offs. CBLPs often utilize close-ended activities (i.e. Multiple-Choice Questions [MCQs]) due to feasibility constraints associated with the use of open-ended activities. MCQs offer certain affordances, such as immediate grading and the use of distractors, setting them apart from open-ended activities. Our current study examines the effectiveness of Fill-In problems as an alternative to MCQs for middle school mathematics. We report on a randomized study conducted from 2017 to 2022, with a total of 6,768 students from middle schools across the US. We observe that, on average, Fill-In problems lead to better post-test performance than MCQs; albeit deeper explorations indicate differences between the two design paradigms to be more nuanced. We find evidence that students with higher math knowledge benefit more from Fill-In problems than those with lower math knowledge. [This paper was published in: "The 14th Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (LAK '24), March 18-22, 2024, Kyoto, Japan," ACM, 2024, pp. 507-517.]
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); National Science Foundation (NSF); Office of Postsecondary Education (ED), Higher Education Programs; Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) (ED), Education Innovation and Research (EIR); Office of Naval Research (ONR) (DOD); Schmidt Futures
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305N210049; R305D210031; R305A170137; R305A170243; R305A180401; R305A120125; 2118725; 2118904; 1950683; 1917808; 1931523; 1940236; 1917713; 1903304; 1822830; 1759229; 1724889; 1636782; 1535428; P200A180088; P200A150306; U411B190024; S411B210024; N000141812768
Author Affiliations: N/A