Publication Date

8-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts in Education (MA)

MA Concentration

Teaching Mathematics

Advisors

Pamela Redmond, Jim O'Connor

Abstract

Evaluation of students and schools exists in education, and multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are the primary tool used on assessments to perform this evaluation. Teachers must be prepared for realities of the use of MCQs, and likewise must prepare their students for the MCQ format. A literature review reveals gaps in research-based best practices for creating MCQs and teaching MCQ test strategy. The literature offers guidelines for the writing of good quality MCQ items, but many of these guidelines have no research support. Further there is little research into best practices for teaching testing strategies. This causal-comparative research study compared two groups of high-school Algebra 1 students to investigate whether a treatment of using multiple-choice questions frequently on classroom assessments affected the outcomes on the final exam, and how significant was the effect. Although the results of this study showed no statistically significant improvement for the treatment group, there was evidence that a small practical improvement was present. Further improvement to the delivery of the treatment and continued study of the effect of using MCQs throughout the school year on final exam success is warranted.

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