Multiple-choice exams: an obstacle for higher-level thinking in introductory science classes.

ABSTRACT: Learning science requires higher-level (critical) thinking skills that need to be practiced in science classes. This study tested the effect of exam format on critical-thinking skills. Multiple-choice (MC) testing is common in introductory science courses, and students in these classes tend to associate memorization with MC questions and may not see the need to modify their study strategies for critical thinking, because the MC exam format has not changed. To test the effect of exam format, I used two sections of an introductory biology class. One section was assessed with exams in the traditional MC format, the other section was assessed with both MC and constructed-response (CR) questions. The mixed exam format was correlated with significantly more cognitively active study behaviors and

SUBMITTER: Stanger-Hall KF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3433302 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature