Comparing Test-Taking Effort Between Paper-Based and Computer-Based Tests

Abstract

The article compares the trajectories of students’ self-reported test-taking effort during a 120 minutes low-stakes large-scale assessment of English comprehension between a paper-and-pencil (PPA) and a computer-based assessment (CBA). Test-taking effort was measured four times during the test. Using a within-subject design, each of the N = 2,676 German ninth-grade students completed half of the test in PPA and half in CBA mode, where the sequence of modes was balanced between students. Overall, students’ test-taking effort decreased considerably during the course of the test. On average, effort was lower in CBA than in PPA. While on average, effort was lower in CBA than in PPA, the decline did not vary between both modes during the test. That is, students’ self-reported effort was higher if the items were easier (compared to students’ abilities). The consequences of these results concerning the further development of CBA tests and large-scale assessments in general are discussed.