Re: Multiple choice vs essay testing

[Drnanjo]

Tipsters,

I guess I am a little flummoxed now because I feel like I am battling an
argument that basically states that "If Anastasi says it, it must be
correct." I do not have the time to find experts to back up my opinion in
this matter, so I will just state it again. If I am wrong, I am wrong. I
guess I will be proven so in the great by and by.

I think college level tests should include essays not necessarily because it
improves writing (although it should provide an opportunity for that too) but
because it is an intellectual exercise that requires the student to plan out
a strategy for addressing the issue and then do it. Our students are trained
to be very, very passive intellectually, and as wonderful as Multiple Choice
questions can be, they require mainly recognition memory that doesn't need a
whole lot of active effort on their part.  I believe that I am encouraging
them to take the kind of initiative that the work they are preparing to do
(as future college graduates) will require of them for success.

Scantron testing too strikes me as placing a mechanical barrier in a
relationship that needs a human, connected element.  I just can't bring
myself to use them.  

I gave a true false quiz this week that required the students to choose the
correct answer and then EXPLAIN why they did so. It was very enlightening and
allowed me to see that some of them chose the right answer but still didn't
grasp the concept. It allowed me to add a small review of the items where the
problem was most pronounced. I am really glad that I did this.  

With all due respect to Dr. Anne, I will keep plugging away toward the goal
of combining objective and essay material for the best possible effect.

Nancy Melucci
ELAC