The occurence of test-wiseness and the possibility of inducing it via instruction : a cross-sectional study
Ingvar Nilsson · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) · 1975
In the present study the occurrence and the possibility of inducing "test-wiseness" have been studied. The study has been cross-sectional and has been carried out in grades 6 and 9 in the compulsory school and in grade 3 in the "gymnasium". Two experimental multiple-choice tests, one correctly constructed (PART I) according to existing item construction principles and a parallel version to this but imperfectly constructed (PART I') and a control test (PART II) were given under two different instructional conditions, viz. "neutral" and "reinforced" instruction. The results showed among other things that students who took the imperfectly constructed test (PART I') achieved better than those who took the correct one (PART I). With the "reinforced" instruction this difference was still more expressed. An ANOVA showed that no significant interaction between the main effects of "Test" and of "Instruction" existed. An ANCOVA with the result on PART II as control variable showed that received differences in test results between groups with different experimental tests were not a reflection of actual differences in knowledge between the students. Finally, some implications of the obtained results are discussed. Among other things some recommendations for item construction and test use are given.