Why are There Differences between Student Performance on Term Tests and External Achievement Tests? (Course name: What does a test measure?)

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that there are students who obtain high scores on term tests but not on external achievement tests (external tests, hereafter) and that differential performances across term and external tests are affected by students' learning strategies, motivation for learning, and test belief (i.e., the beliefs a test taker has about a test). This study examined (a) to what extent students perform well only on term tests and (b) how differences in scores between term and external tests are related to motivation for learning and test belief. Methods and Materials:We asked 134 first-year medical students at Juntendo University to complete two questionnaires. We inquired about their motivation for learning and test belief and about whether they obtained higher scores on term tests or external tests, in general across all subjects, and specifically on each of five subjects: Japanese, English, math, science, and social studies. Results:The results suggest that 41% of students gained high scores on term tests only when students gave a general response without regard to any specific subject, with 37-59% across the five subjects. Further, we did not find any differences between different groups in relation to motivation and test belief. Conclusions:The results suggest the importance of investigating differences between term and external test scores and the factors behind them.