ERIC Number: EJ1453851
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2473-3792
EISSN: EISSN-2473-3806
Available Date: N/A
Student Performance and Exam Quality in Student- versus Instructor-Created Exams in Human Physiology
Laura S. Kabiri; Catherine R. Barber; Thomas M. McCabe; Augusto X. Rodriguez
HAPS Educator, v28 n2 p35-46 2024
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used in undergraduate introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, and substantial evidence supports the use of student-created questions to promote learning. However, research on student-created MCQ exams as an assessment method is more limited, and no studies have investigated whether student-created exams address inequities in STEM outcomes. The current study explored student-created and instructor-created MCQ exams with students in an undergraduate human physiology course (N = 46). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and a paired samples "t" test compared student performance on the two versions. Multiple methods assessed exam quality, including the percentage of students who responded correctly to each question (difficulty), the corrected item-total correlation coefficient (discrimination), and an objective rater score (cognitive complexity). A series of four repeated measures factorial analyses of variance examined demographic subgroup performance differences. Students performed significantly better on student- rather than instructor-created exams. Both versions discriminated similarly and were moderately to strongly correlated with each other. However, student-created exams had a larger percentage of "easy" questions. Students who identified as first generation and/or low income performed significantly higher on student-created exams, but still failed to achieve the same level of performance as their peers. Student-created MCQ exams may serve an important role as part of a comprehensive assessment plan.
Descriptors: Physiology, Science Tests, Student Developed Materials, Test Construction, Test Items, Correlation, Comparative Analysis, Multiple Choice Tests, Equal Education, Outcomes of Education, Undergraduate Students, Teacher Developed Materials, Low Income Students, First Generation College Students, Student Characteristics
Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. PO Box 2945, LeGrange, GA 30421. e-mail: editor@hapsconnect.org; Web site: https://www.hapsweb.org/page/hapsed_home
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A