Problem 6 1.8
Assessment
1. What forms of assessment exist in education and what are their advantages and
disadvantages?
2. How does assessment influence how students’ study?
The influence of assessment method on students’ learning approaches
Students have a preferred approach to their studies:
- Deep approach- focuses on meaning and understanding
- Surface approach- focuses on recall and reproduction
Approaches consist of strategies and motives
- E.g. deep approaches may consist of integrating the theoretical and practical
components of a course (deep strategy) with the intention to understand and
make sense of the material (deep motive)
- E.g. surface approaches may consist of lists and drill several discrete pieces of
information (surface strategy) in order to reproduce them in the examinations
and pass the course (surface motive)
Students may vary the approach according to situational factors
Assessment has been found to shape how much, how (their approach), and what
(the content) students learn
Students prepare for what they expect to be the performance requirements
Studies have found that deep level learning strategies are not required to satisfy
examination requirements
The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between:
1. Students approaches to learning when preparing for assessment by assignment
essay or MCQ exam
2. Their perceptions of the levels of intellectual skills and abilities being assessed by
each method
3. Their preferences for assessment essay or the MCQ examination for assessing
knowledge and understanding of the course
4. Their learning outcomes (grades)
Approach, perception and outcome
Students are more likely to employ surface learning approaches to prepare for MCQ
exams and deep learning approaches to assignment essays
Students are strategic and employ different learning strategies in different situations
Statistically significant differences in students’ perception of the levels of intellectual
abilities being assessed
- MCQ exam- perceived as assessing knowledge-based or lower levels of cognitive
processing -> students with this perception are associated with successful
outcomes in MCQ which suggests perception has a powerful role in the learning
process
- Assignment essays- perceived as assessing higher levels of intellectual skills like
analysis, application and comprehension
, Students’ perceptions may intervene and act as filters which influence their choice of
learning approaches
Relationship between approach, perception and performance outcome
- Better essay marks were positively associated with the employment of deep
learning approaches and the perception that it assesses higher levels of cognitive
processing and is negatively associated with surface strategies and motives
- Poor essay marks were associated with students who employed surface
strategies during preparation
- Non-employment of deep preparation strategies (the use of surface strategies)
may be predictive of higher scores in MCQ examination
- Strong relationship between the employment of surface learning approaches and
poor essay results when using a quantitative measure of performance
Role of preference for assessment
Those who prefer essay assessment- found to employ deep strategies and report
deep motives when preparing their essays and performed more successfully than
those preferring MCQ
Preferred MCQ- employed surface strategies (but not surface motives) when
preparing their essays and performed less successfully in assignment essays
strong relationship between approaches and outcomes with preferences for
assessment method possibly acting as intervening variable at least in assignment
essay contexts -> not replicated for MCQ exams
Educational implications
match educational goals and assessment methods
assessment methods should encourage the development of abilities (analysis, critical
thinking, application of learning in novel situations and transfer of learning to solve
problems) and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have
developed these abilities
MCQ- concern some students may be disadvantaged by employing deep learning
strategies when preparing and are inappropriate assessment form for subjects that
involve ‘conditional and meta-theoretical knowledge’
- The objective that students learn to be analytical and critical thinkers may not be
achieved and may not be learning the skills needed for their own academic and
professional development
Questions that need to be addressed
- If an examination is essential, is MCQ the best kind of examination that meets
these objectives?
- Are there any other forms of assessment that would better meet course
objectives and that could be monitored to ensure that the product is the
students’ own work? -> reflective journals/diaries, peer assessment and self-
assessment
The Unintended Outcomes of High-stakes Testing
The study examines the unintended outcomes of high stakes testing relating to:
1. Using tests as a means to hold educators accountable
Assessment
1. What forms of assessment exist in education and what are their advantages and
disadvantages?
2. How does assessment influence how students’ study?
The influence of assessment method on students’ learning approaches
Students have a preferred approach to their studies:
- Deep approach- focuses on meaning and understanding
- Surface approach- focuses on recall and reproduction
Approaches consist of strategies and motives
- E.g. deep approaches may consist of integrating the theoretical and practical
components of a course (deep strategy) with the intention to understand and
make sense of the material (deep motive)
- E.g. surface approaches may consist of lists and drill several discrete pieces of
information (surface strategy) in order to reproduce them in the examinations
and pass the course (surface motive)
Students may vary the approach according to situational factors
Assessment has been found to shape how much, how (their approach), and what
(the content) students learn
Students prepare for what they expect to be the performance requirements
Studies have found that deep level learning strategies are not required to satisfy
examination requirements
The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between:
1. Students approaches to learning when preparing for assessment by assignment
essay or MCQ exam
2. Their perceptions of the levels of intellectual skills and abilities being assessed by
each method
3. Their preferences for assessment essay or the MCQ examination for assessing
knowledge and understanding of the course
4. Their learning outcomes (grades)
Approach, perception and outcome
Students are more likely to employ surface learning approaches to prepare for MCQ
exams and deep learning approaches to assignment essays
Students are strategic and employ different learning strategies in different situations
Statistically significant differences in students’ perception of the levels of intellectual
abilities being assessed
- MCQ exam- perceived as assessing knowledge-based or lower levels of cognitive
processing -> students with this perception are associated with successful
outcomes in MCQ which suggests perception has a powerful role in the learning
process
- Assignment essays- perceived as assessing higher levels of intellectual skills like
analysis, application and comprehension
, Students’ perceptions may intervene and act as filters which influence their choice of
learning approaches
Relationship between approach, perception and performance outcome
- Better essay marks were positively associated with the employment of deep
learning approaches and the perception that it assesses higher levels of cognitive
processing and is negatively associated with surface strategies and motives
- Poor essay marks were associated with students who employed surface
strategies during preparation
- Non-employment of deep preparation strategies (the use of surface strategies)
may be predictive of higher scores in MCQ examination
- Strong relationship between the employment of surface learning approaches and
poor essay results when using a quantitative measure of performance
Role of preference for assessment
Those who prefer essay assessment- found to employ deep strategies and report
deep motives when preparing their essays and performed more successfully than
those preferring MCQ
Preferred MCQ- employed surface strategies (but not surface motives) when
preparing their essays and performed less successfully in assignment essays
strong relationship between approaches and outcomes with preferences for
assessment method possibly acting as intervening variable at least in assignment
essay contexts -> not replicated for MCQ exams
Educational implications
match educational goals and assessment methods
assessment methods should encourage the development of abilities (analysis, critical
thinking, application of learning in novel situations and transfer of learning to solve
problems) and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have
developed these abilities
MCQ- concern some students may be disadvantaged by employing deep learning
strategies when preparing and are inappropriate assessment form for subjects that
involve ‘conditional and meta-theoretical knowledge’
- The objective that students learn to be analytical and critical thinkers may not be
achieved and may not be learning the skills needed for their own academic and
professional development
Questions that need to be addressed
- If an examination is essential, is MCQ the best kind of examination that meets
these objectives?
- Are there any other forms of assessment that would better meet course
objectives and that could be monitored to ensure that the product is the
students’ own work? -> reflective journals/diaries, peer assessment and self-
assessment
The Unintended Outcomes of High-stakes Testing
The study examines the unintended outcomes of high stakes testing relating to:
1. Using tests as a means to hold educators accountable
