Re: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
I do combination tests that have a fair number of MC and a few short essay questions. There is a consistent positive correlation (range generally from .3 to .6) between the scores on the essays and the MC (I grade the essays before the MC). Occasionally a test doesn't show the correlation, but usually it does. -- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA On 10/6/08 8:12 PM, Gerald Peterson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have found strong positive associations between the multiple choice tests I develop and short essay homework assignments. Those who can't answer real multiple choice (NOT just regurgitation type) questions also do not know the material well enough for essays. Just asking for recognition of the definition of say random assignment in an experiment is usually easy, but asking them in a short essay to explain the purpose of random assignment requires more than just definitional information and can be tougher. Many of my MC questions require recognition of examples or illustrations of concepts, not just definitions. Of course, some might find it more difficult to objectively grade essays, and some might use written assignments to curve or otherwise soften up their grading. My Asian students have trouble with language on the exams, but work hard and often perform fine. Some of the top students right now in my classes are from the Middle East or traditional students with brain injuries who are working extra hard to compensate for their challenges. I know of other systems around the world that require students to do their own studying and then pass a couple of major exams in an area. Attending lectures are optional. If these exams are objectively graded and require actual knowledge or mastery of the material, I see no problem with that approach either. The range of topics and depth of understanding can be assessed fine with MC questions that would otherwise require an essay over each section or chapter. I guess it depends on course objectives. I have no problem with either approach. I have not encountered students who do poorly on MC tests but do well on essaysunless the essays are just inviting BS and verbosity and are graded for effort. Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
- Original Message - From: Shearon, Tim [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) tips@acsun.frostburg.edu Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 7:57 PM Subject: RE: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice Michael- You said: From my experiences,some American students can really be a pain Yes. And some can be an absolute joy. I find it a bit more rewarding to focus on them (well, sometimes. . .). :) Just generally though this strikes me as a bit of the fundamental attribution error at work, perhaps. I've had students from the US who were pains. But also students who were pains from Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Russia. . . . I mentioned those particular ones because I've also had students from each of those countries who were delightful and responsible students. But, also in response to the above quote: And so can some United States faculty be a pain- I'm sure I've had my moments at faculty meetings, for example. (Michael- As the TIPS cross-cultural dude, were you referring to experience with students from all the Americas? Else, some would be rather likely to take offense. At a cultural slight.) Tim ___ When I mention American I mean students from the United States and not the North and South American continent. Again, as the Cross-cultural dude on Tips and one who is interested in race relations(especially in the Americas), I have made some interesting observations.My Russian students usually seem to have had some background in Psychology and are well disciplined in the classroom.I think some of the Russians are annoyed by the undisciplined aspects and attitudes of American students towards the prof in the classroom.I am also amazed by students from Iceland.Their English is excellent and they get good grades.On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being very ideal,I would probably give the students I have known from Switzerland and France a 6. My Arabic students would get a 5 The aforementioned international students have never had a a black as a prof. Other unique students have been from Hungary and the Czexh Republic.There might be an interactional confounding factor in my evaluation: when I have interacted with those international students,I bring with me a mountain of background information about their countries so they are surprised that I know of Alexander Dubzeck of tge Czech Republic and the capitals of their countries.One observation I have made of some United States students misbehavior in the classroom is that must class disruptions occur where the male is seated next to or in close proximity to a female. No comment re British and Canadian students. TO BE CONTINUED. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
RE: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
I might have come to this discussion too late to be of assistance. But, for what it is worth, my students from abroad have consistently stated that MC tests are not used in their school systems. They also tell me that MC tests are referred to as American tests. Joan [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do you think it's possible that, rather than a multicultural/cross-cultural bias here, we have the same-old, same-old student response: If I didn't do well, it's the fault of the test/professor/culture??? Beth Benoit Granite State College New Hampshire From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 6:09 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice Is the multiple choice exam format unique to the U.S?I have had international students commented that, in their respective countries,this is rarely used as an assessment of a student's knowledge base. Those who studied in Europpe were appalled by this method in the U.S.Some said that European teachers' method of testing gave them a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses from a cognitive standpoint..Some of these students said the European and Australian schools allowed for elaborative and deep processing of information instead of the fact retention paradigm of the multiple choice format. A friend of mine who studied in England had many complaints from U.S students while teaching at Kansas State.The students were used to MC andnot writing out answers. Just curious if Wundt gave essay exams to the Americans studying at Leipzig and if this had anything to do with the formation of the Functionalism by the Americans.I assume that many tipsters have been exposed to a variety of assessment methods,so how do you read the criticism of the multiple choice modality from international students? Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
RE: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
I have found strong positive associations between the multiple choice tests I develop and short essay homework assignments. Those who can't answer real multiple choice (NOT just regurgitation type) questions also do not know the material well enough for essays. Just asking for recognition of the definition of say random assignment in an experiment is usually easy, but asking them in a short essay to explain the purpose of random assignment requires more than just definitional information and can be tougher. Many of my MC questions require recognition of examples or illustrations of concepts, not just definitions. Of course, some might find it more difficult to objectively grade essays, and some might use written assignments to curve or otherwise soften up their grading. My Asian students have trouble with language on the exams, but work hard and often perform fine. Some of the top students right now in my classes are from the Middle East or traditional students with brain injuries who are working extra hard to compensate for their challenges. I know of other systems around the world that require students to do their own studying and then pass a couple of major exams in an area. Attending lectures are optional. If these exams are objectively graded and require actual knowledge or mastery of the material, I see no problem with that approach either. The range of topics and depth of understanding can be assessed fine with MC questions that would otherwise require an essay over each section or chapter. I guess it depends on course objectives. I have no problem with either approach. I have not encountered students who do poorly on MC tests but do well on essaysunless the essays are just inviting BS and verbosity and are graded for effort. Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
Like Gary, my good students perform well with either testing format and the same is true of my weak students. But when I check the actual correlation between MC and essay scores, the resulting values are usually between .4 and .6 -- a modest association that could be attributed either to the fact that different skills are tapped by these two testing formats or to the reduced reliability associated with grading essay answers. I suspect that both attributions are valid. To be fair to the students, I usually try to provide both objective test items (MC, true/false) and essay items (short-answer questions, assigned papers), so that the specific skills associated with each testing format carry significant weight in the course grade. But as the course size increases, I feel I am forced to emphasize the objective format -- mainly because the task of grading written work becomes overwhelming when the class size approaches 100 or more. --Dave Gerald Peterson wrote: I have found strong positive associations between the multiple choice tests I develop and short essay homework assignments. Those who can't answer real multiple choice (NOT just regurgitation type) questions also do not know the material well enough for essays. Just asking for recognition of the definition of say random assignment in an experiment is usually easy, but asking them in a short essay to explain the purpose of random assignment requires more than just definitional information and can be tougher. Many of my MC questions require recognition of examples or illustrations of concepts, not just definitions. Of course, some might find it more difficult to objectively grade essays, and some might use written assignments to curve or otherwise soften up their grading. My Asian students have trouble with language on the exams, but work hard and often perform fine. Some of the top students right now in my classes are from the Middle East or traditional students with brain injuries who are working extra hard to compensate for their challenges. I know of other systems around the world that require students to do their own studying and then pass a couple of major exams in an area. Attending lectures are optional. If these exams are objectively graded and require actual knowledge or mastery of the material, I see no problem with that approach either. The range of topics and depth of understanding can be assessed fine with MC questions that would otherwise require an essay over each section or chapter. I guess it depends on course objectives. I have no problem with either approach. I have not encountered students who do poorly on MC tests but do well on essaysunless the essays are just inviting BS and verbosity and are graded for effort. Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) -- -- ___ David E. Campbell, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: 707-826-3721 Office: 444 BSS Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Ecampbell/psyc.htm --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
[tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
Is the multiple choice exam format unique to the U.S?I have had international students commented that, in their respective countries,this is rarely used as an assessment of a student's knowledge base. Those who studied in Europpe were appalled by this method in the U.S.Some said that European teachers' method of testing gave them a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses from a cognitive standpoint..Some of these students said the European and Australian schools allowed for elaborative and deep processing of information instead of the fact retention paradigm of the multiple choice format. A friend of mine who studied in England had many complaints from U.S students while teaching at Kansas State.The students were used to MC andnot writing out answers. Just curious if Wundt gave essay exams to the Americans studying at Leipzig and if this had anything to do with the formation of the Functionalism by the Americans.I assume that many tipsters have been exposed to a variety of assessment methods,so how do you read the criticism of the multiple choice modality from international students? Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
RE: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
Do you think it's possible that, rather than a multicultural/cross-cultural bias here, we have the same-old, same-old student response: If I didn't do well, it's the fault of the test/professor/culture??? Beth Benoit Granite State College New Hampshire From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 6:09 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice Is the multiple choice exam format unique to the U.S?I have had international students commented that, in their respective countries,this is rarely used as an assessment of a student's knowledge base. Those who studied in Europpe were appalled by this method in the U.S.Some said that European teachers' method of testing gave them a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses from a cognitive standpoint..Some of these students said the European and Australian schools allowed for elaborative and deep processing of information instead of the fact retention paradigm of the multiple choice format. A friend of mine who studied in England had many complaints from U.S students while teaching at Kansas State.The students were used to MC andnot writing out answers. Just curious if Wundt gave essay exams to the Americans studying at Leipzig and if this had anything to do with the formation of the Functionalism by the Americans.I assume that many tipsters have been exposed to a variety of assessment methods,so how do you read the criticism of the multiple choice modality from international students? Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
Beth: I do not recall the reference but it has been reported that international students usually accept responsibility for the grades they get.American students are more likely to blame the teacher for a low grade. From my experiences,some American students can really be a pain Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
RE: [tips] Cross-cultural/Multiple choice
Michael- You said: From my experiences,some American students can really be a pain Yes. And some can be an absolute joy. I find it a bit more rewarding to focus on them (well, sometimes. . .). :) Just generally though this strikes me as a bit of the fundamental attribution error at work, perhaps. I've had students from the US who were pains. But also students who were pains from Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Russia. . . . I mentioned those particular ones because I've also had students from each of those countries who were delightful and responsible students. But, also in response to the above quote: And so can some United States faculty be a pain- I'm sure I've had my moments at faculty meetings, for example. (Michael- As the TIPS cross-cultural dude, were you referring to experience with students from all the Americas? Else, some would be rather likely to take offense. At a cultural slight.) Tim ___ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and systems You can't teach an old dogma new tricks. Dorothy Parker --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])winmail.dat
