Confidence in performance on science tests and student preparation strategies

Abstract

This exploratory study was designed to investigate the accuracy of high school students' confidence in their answers on classroom tests, how that accuracy varied between different types of questions, and whether having to judge their confidence in test items resulted in an improvement in accuracy over the school year. The study was conducted in a rural high school in a South Eastern state of the US involving 54 students enrolled in three sections of a human anatomy class. For an entire school year the teacher asked students to indicate their confidence in a response's correctness when they answered questions on tests and examinations. Further data included interviews with 25 students and a career goals questionnaire. Having students gauge the correctness of their responses to test questions on class tests over the school year did not result in quantifiable improvements in their accuracy. However, students indicated that reflective use of the language of human anatomy and physiology through reading out loud to themselves, practising writing words and phrases, and verbal questioning and discussion with others helped them to achieve higher academic outcomes. Modelling or discussing effective study strategies with family members were also identified as important factors on the ways students prepared for tests.