Beyond right or wrong: More effective feedback for formative multiple-choice tests

This study investigates the influence of different forms of post-test feedback on retention and transfer of biomedical knowledge within a  test-enhanced learning framework.Methods64  participants from a Canadian and an Australian medical school sat two single-best-answer formative multiple choice tests one week apart. We compared the effects of conceptually focused, response-oriented, and simple right/wrong feedback on a learner’s ability to correctly answer new (transfer) questions. On the first test occasion, participants received parent items with feedback, and then attempted items closely related (near transfer) to and more distant (far transfer) from parent items. In a repeat test at 1 week, participants were given different near and far transfer versions of p arent items. Feedback type, and near and far transfer items were randomized within and across participants.ResultsAnalysis demonstrated that response-oriented and conceptually focused feedback were superior to traditional right/wrong feedback for both types of transfer tasks and in both immediate and final retention test performance. However, there was no statistically significant difference between response-orientated and conceptually focused groups on near or far transfer problems, nor any differences in performance between our initial test occasion and the retention test 1  week later. As with most studies of transfer, participants’ far transfer scores were lower than for near transfer.DiscussionRight...
Source: Perspectives on Medical Education - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research