A case study on multiple‐choice testing in anatomical sciences

Although multiple choice examinations are often used to test anatomical knowledge, these often forgo the use of images in favor of text-based questions and answers. Because anatomy is reliant on visual resources, examinations using images should be used when appropriate. This study was a retrospective analysis of examination items that were text based compared to the same questions when a reference image was included with the question stem. Item difficulty and discrimination were analyzed for 15 multiple choice items given across two different examinations in two sections of an undergraduate anatomy course. Results showed that there were some differences item difficulty but these were not consistent to either text items or items with reference images. Differences in difficulty were mainly attributable to one group of students performing better overall on the examinations. There were no significant differences for item discrimination for any of the analyzed items. This implies that reference images do not significantly alter the item statistics, however this does not indicate if these images were helpful to the students when answering the questions. Care should be taken by question writers to analyze item statistics when making changes to multiple choice questions, including ones that are included for the perceived benefit of the students. Anat Sci Educ 10: 68-78. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of images on item statistics in multiple choice anatomy examinations

Notebaert

2016

“…Knowledge about students' perceptions and motivations that lead them to prefer RL or SDL approaches, as well as their preferences for CLS, is necessary to better understand students' learning processes in medical histology (Hilliard, 1995). Different studies have identified several factors that may influence the educational process significantly, including gender, attitude, and the instructional methods used (Barnes et al, 2005; Golda, 2011). A further consideration is that in medical education, gender issues have become more important for academicians, health administrators, and society in general, mainly because of the increasing feminization of the medical profession.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reception learning and self‐discovery learning in histology: Students' perceptions and their implications for assessing the effectiveness of different learning modalities

Campos-Sánchez

Martín-Piedra

Carriel

et al. 2012

Two questionnaires were used to investigate students' perceptions of their motivation to opt for reception learning (RL) or self-discovery learning (SDL) in histology and their choices of complementary learning strategies (CLS). The results demonstrated that the motivation to attend RL sessions was higher than the motivation to attend SDL to gain new knowledge (P < 0.01) and to apply this acquired knowledge to diagnosis (P < 0.01), therapy (P < 0.01), and research (P < 0.05). Students also showed a stronger preference for RL based on motivations related to leadership (P < 0.01) and competition (P < 0.01), although the rates were very low in both cases (≤ 1.9 ± 1.1). Statistically significant differences were found between male and female students for leadership (higher in males), responsibility (higher in females), and acquiring new knowledge (higher in females only in RL). This study's findings for students' preferred CLS strategies suggested a greater need for additional complementary resources after RL than after SDL (P < 0.01). In conclusion, RL was associated with a greater need for complementary training resources such as textbooks, atlases, the internet, audiovisual media, and tutorials, whereas SDL was associated with a greater need to orient teaching and training toward medical practice. These results suggest the need to reorient both types of learning processes to enhance their effectiveness in teaching histology, especially in the case of SDL, which should place more emphasis on clinically oriented knowledge.

“…Although there are challenges associated with MCQ assessments, it is commonly accepted that MCQs can be used to test a variety of Bloom's taxonomy performance levels (Aiken, ; Morrison and Free, ; Brady, ; Palmer and Devitt, ; Clifton and Schriner, ; Tiemeier et al, ). A wealth of information is available to aid with the writing of efficient and fair MCQs (Case and Swanson, ; Haladyna et al, ; McCoubrie, ), especially for use in medical examinations (Downing, ; Golda, ). Ideally, MCQs are written to assess higher‐order thinking skills.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climbing Bloom's taxonomy pyramid: Lessons from a graduate histology course

Zaidi

Hwang²,

Scott³

et al. 2017

Bloom's taxonomy was adopted to create a subject-specific scoring tool for histology multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This Bloom's Taxonomy Histology Tool (BTHT) was used to analyze teacher- and student-generated quiz and examination questions from a graduate level histology course. Multiple-choice questions using histological images were generally assigned a higher BTHT level than simple text questions. The type of microscopy technique (light or electron microscopy) used for these image-based questions did not result in any significant differences in their Bloom's taxonomy scores. The BTHT levels for teacher-generated MCQs correlated positively with higher discrimination indices and inversely with the percent of students answering these questions correctly (difficulty index), suggesting that higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions differentiate well between higher- and lower-performing students. When examining BTHT scores for MCQs that were written by students in a Multiple-Choice Item Development Assignment (MCIDA) there was no significant correlation between these scores and the students' ability to answer teacher-generated MCQs. This suggests that the ability to answer histology MCQs relies on a different skill set than the aptitude to construct higher-level Bloom's taxonomy questions. However, students significantly improved their average BTHT scores from the midterm to the final MCIDA task, which indicates that practice, experience and feedback increased their MCQ writing proficiency. Anat Sci Educ 10: 456-464. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.