Constructed-response Questions Research Articles

Twelve tips for developing effective marking schemes for constructed-response examination questions

Constructed-response questions (CRQs) require effective marking schemes to ensure that the intended learning objectives and/or professional competencies are appropriately addressed, and valid inferences regarding examinee competence are drawn from such assessments. While the educational literature on writing rubrics has proliferated in recent years, this is largely targeted at classroom use and formative purposes. There is comparatively little guidance on how to develop appropriate marking schemes for summative assessment contexts. The different purposes mean that different principles and practices apply to mark schemes for examinations. In this article, we draw on the educational literature as well as our own practical experience of working with medical and health professional educators on their questions and marking schemes to offer 12 key principles or tips for designing and implementing effective marking schemes.

Analysis of Mixed-Format Assessments Using Measurement Models and Topic Modeling

ABSTRACT It is common to find mixed-format data results from the use of both multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) questions on assessments. Dealing with these mixed response types involves understanding what the assessment is measuring, and the use of suitable measurement models to estimate latent abilities. Past research in educational measurement, however, has often overlooked the written responses in CR items after analyzing the response scores. This study presents a method for bridging this gap by using a topic model called latent Dirichlet allocation to uncover the structure in written answers and then use that information to augment results from traditional measurement models. In this study, a five-step framework is employed for assessing both the examinees’ latent abilities and the internal structure of the written responses obtained from mixed-format assessments. An empirical dataset obtained from Grade 8 examinees in a southeastern state on an English language arts assessment is used for illustration. Based on the dimensionality of the assessment, a unidimensional partial credit model and two multidimensional bi-factor models were fit to the data. A comparison of results from these analyses suggests that a constrained bi-factor model was most useful for detecting the mixed-format score patterns, and that a 5-topic model was determined for the textual responses. The topic distributions were found to be related to the latent abilities estimated from the constrained bi-factor model. This framework combines both the score patterns and textual responses, and highlights the utility of combining the traditional response analysis with a start-of-art language model.

중학생의 민주적 의사소통 수행 수준별 특성 분석

This study aims to investigate how different levels of student performance are distinctively characterized in a scenario-based democratic communication assessment, applying a series of text-mining analyses. Responses written by 543 middle school students were categorized into higher, middle, and lower levels according to their scores, and the performance characteristics of the groups were compared. The main findings are as follows. First, the keyword frequency analyses showed that words describing the problem situation in the scenario were frequent at the lower level, while words describing methods and procedures for solving the problem were frequent at the upper level. Second, as a result of keyword network analysis, words describing the situation were loosely connected at the lower level, while words describing the principles of problem solving showed higher centrality. Third, the topic modeling analysis showed that at the lower level, the presented problem situation emerged as a latent topic, while at the upper level, mutual respect and problem solving methods emerged as latent topics. Finally, we discuss the usefulness and future challenges of using text mining techniques to scrutinize qualitative differences in student performance in constructed response questions.

Rater variability and reliability of constructed response questions in New York state high-stakes tests of English language arts and mathematics: implications for educational assessment policy

Using generalizability (G-) theory as a theoretical framework and research methodology, this study examined the impact of the current one-rater holistic scoring practice on the rater variability and reliability of constructed response questions in New York State high-stakes tests of grades four and six English language arts (ELA) and grades four and five mathematics assessments. Following the New York State scoring rubrics, a total of 36 grades four and six ELA constructed response samples and 72 grades four and five mathematics constructed response samples were marked holistically by ten independent raters having current certifications as educators in the State of New York. The results indicated that the current single-rater holistic scoring practice would not be able to yield acceptable G-coefficients for the New York State grades four and six ELA and grades four and five mathematics assessments. Implications for assessment policy making at the local and state levels are discussed.

New York State Social Studies Regents Exam Item Analysis and Implications - Multiple Choice Questions & Constructed Response Questions -

New York State Social Studies Regents Exam Item Analysis and Implications - Multiple Choice Questions & Constructed Response Questions -

CRQs in Anaesthesia: Constructed Response Questions for Exams

In recent years, the Royal College of Anaesthestists (the governing body of anesthesia in the United Kingdom) has switched from short answer questions to constructed response questions on their final Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists examinations. Constructed response questions are used to test one’s knowledge and how that knowledge is applied in a variety of topics.The content covered in the book is very comprehensive. The authors, all of whom have taken the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists exam, have meticulously researched the information covered by the exam. The book is broken into 20 chapters. Six chapters are devoted to mandatory units of training: neuroanesthesia (chapter 1), obstetric anesthesia (chapter 2), pediatric anesthesia (chapter 3), pain (chapter 4), cardiac anesthesia (chapter 5), and critical care (chapter 6). Four chapters then cover the following: perioperative medicine (chapter 7); regional anesthesia, orthopedic, and trauma anesthesia (chapter 8); other topics in general medicine (chapter 9); and optional topics (chapter 10). Chapters 11 to 20 provide answers to questions posed in the first 10 chapters.Within a chapter, each field that is highlighted is then broken into several key subjects. In neuroanesthesia, examples of key subjects are status epilepticus, delirium, and intracranial pressure physiology. Each subject is then tested with an average of four to seven constructed response questions. You, as the reader, are expected to answer each question with the appropriate responses. There is a numerical guide next to each question as to how many answers the book (test) is expecting. As shown in figure 1, the topic of intracranial pressure physiology has several questions to be answered, and the “marks” or the number of answers the test requires. Once you have completed a section, you can check your answers against the provided answers in the second half of the book.In going through this book, I found myself challenged as I progressed through the chapters. What makes it especially challenging is knowing the expected number of responses to a question and coming up with those correct responses. I love the breadth of topics and the ease of reading this review book. Neuroanesthesia is very comprehensive. The chapter does a nice job of covering major key topics with thorough explanations. Additionally, throughout the book, neuro topics are included within other chapters, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome and stroke in the critical care chapter.Critical care is understandably a broad topic that is difficult to fit into one chapter. However, ventilator management is only briefly touched upon within the topic of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Manipulation of different ventilator modes or a scenario involving weaning from the ventilator is lacking. Given how much of our clinical practice involves respiratory physiology and the use of ventilators, it is an area that could be expanded.Constructed response questions are associated with concise fragmented responses. In this review book, the answers to the questions are at times in sentence form rather than fragmented responses. While I personally prefer sentence or paragraph responses, they are not the typical answers one would see to constructed response questions. These pertain more to oral board answers in the United States. There are also scenarios in which the questions are open-ended, making it difficult to predict which specific answers the authors require. Overall, the content matter is comprehensive and well understood once the answers are read.Ultimately, this book is intended to prepare trainees for the final Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists constructed response question examination. While it does have a specific niche, it may be useful even for those trainees outside of the United Kingdom. It appears that the book could be a good review in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, India, and other European countries. In the United States, the content covered in the book can be helpful, in conjunction with other resources, when preparing for the oral board examinations.The author declares no competing interests.

A small-group activity to enhance learning of cardiovascular drugs for health science students.

This small‐group activity provides two cases in cardiovascular pharmacology to engage students in a medical or other health professions curriculum. The goal of this activity is to apply students' basic knowledge of physiology and pharmacology to clinical case scenarios. Students were provided with the cases 1 week in advance and were encouraged to use their lecture notes and/or other references of their choosing to answer as many of the questions as possible and prepare to discuss the answers with their classmates at the session. Facilitators were provided with detailed notes and a video that explain the answers and provide suggestions for engaging and challenging the students. For the 2021 academic year, 201 students (139 first‐year medical students and 62 second‐year pharmacy students) at UC San Diego participated in the small‐group activity. Eighteen facilitators were recruited to lead this 110‐min session. Students' performance was assessed on the final exam of their integrated cardiovascular physiology‐pharmacology course. Students achieved 84% (SD 17.54) on questions related to the small‐group session compared to 78% (SD 15.60) on other cardiovascular pharmacology questions not related to the activity. Student perceptions of the facilitators leading the small‐group activity were very positive (average of 4.7 on a 5‐point Likert Scale). Using this approach, we demonstrate that a small‐group activity with clinical scenarios helps students master the pharmacology content related to cardiovascular drugs. The small‐group activity included constructed response questions to foster conceptual understanding.

Show your work: secondary mathematics teachers’ use of computational test items before and during distance learning

ABSTRACT High-school mathematics teachers tend to use computational, constructed response questions in their classroom tests. However, the rapid shift to distance learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic created technological obstacles to using these items. This study investigated teachers’ reasons for using particular items and how they adapted their assessment practices during distance learning. Teachers reported using computational items because they provided insight into students’ thinking, helped with determining point allocations, and prevented academic dishonesty. During distance learning, most sample teachers maintained their use of these items by collecting students’ written work via uploaded photographs or a “whiteboard” feature in a paid assessment system. Despite continued use of computational questions, few teachers reported using shown work to determine student understanding or to assign partial credit. Instead, they relied heavily on auto-grading and reported collecting student work mostly to deter cheating. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.

The Experimental Study of the Effect of Functional-Variational Factors on the Results of Linguistic Testing

A feature of the presented study is a comprehensive approach to studying the reliability problem of linguistic testing results due to the several functional and variable factors impact. Contradictions and ambiguous views of scientists on the researched issues determine the relevance of this study. The article highlights the problem of equivalence of diagnostic potential and the complexity of closed and open test tasks. The issues of polymorphism and monomorphism of tests, as well as variability of tests on the sequence of different question forms and their ratio in one test, are revealed. The article authors substantiate the need for in-depth empirical research to further improve the basic quality design principles and improve tests for final testing of high school students. The main purpose of the study was to examine the controlled and uncontrolled factors that affect test results. This article represents a study conducted among the students of the 8th and 9th grades (N=332) and in the subject field of Ukrainian (as a native language). In the first phase of the study the criteria-oriented author's tests and questionnaires were used by the authors as research tools. Data analysis was performed using factor and analysis of variance (and other mathematical and statistical methods), which allowed proving the direct influence of the factor "form of test tasks" on the test results (impact power is up to 35%). The methodology of the study allowed us to determine the combination of forms of tasks that have the lower impact on test results and, accordingly, are characterized by the highest diagnostic reliability. In the second (refining) phase of the study, taking into account the previous results, it was found that the ratio of test questions, as well as their sequence, can also affect the test results and are detected depending on the gender characteristics of the test participants. According to the results of the research, some ideal externally-organized design of Ukrainian language tests for in-school control and classroom-assessment is proposed. It is provided by a combination of the multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions in equal proportions in descending order of operational complexity of tasks (taking into account gender peculiarities of testing participants). The prospects for continuation and deepening of the research, connected with further study of the optimal empirically valid test structure, are substantiated. In the second (refining) phase of the study, taking into account the previous results, it was found that the ratio of test questions, as well as their sequence, can also affect the test results and are detected depending on the gender characteristics of the test participants. According to the results of the research, some ideal externally-organized design of Ukrainian language tests for in-school control and classroom-assessment is proposed. It is provided by a combination of the multiple-choice questions and constructed-response questions in equal proportions in descending order of operational complexity of tasks.

Students’ Satisfaction towards E-Assessment for Academic Achievement in ESL at Public Schools and Colleges

The core aim of this research study is to assess, analyze, and evaluate students’ perception of traditional and electronic assessment, which may affect their academic performance. This research study focuses on students’ perceptions about English as a second language in the context of formal assessment and electronic assessment, which is taken as a problem of this study, i.e., students’ perception of traditional and electronic assessment. This study uses a quantitative research approach, and the data have been obtained through a survey questionnaire from 100 students of SSC and HSC Part- I and II. The research results served descriptively and analytically regarding the two significant types of assessment applied in their classrooms; one is the traditional assessment, which is further subdivided into multiple-choice questions (including fill in the blanks and true and false statements), constructed response questions, and extended response questions. At the same time, the second form of assessment is the electronic assessment which is a computer-based assisted assessment. Electronic assessment is the modern technology that includes all forms of assessments, including collaborative approach-based assessment, interactive assessment, portfolios, and group projects. The result of this study reflects exciting findings. The results for the closed-ended questions (survey questionnaire) bend towards the null hypothesis (Ho), which states that there is no significant difference among students of GSL towards traditional and electronic assessment. However, the results of the two open-ended questions bend towards the alternative hypothesis (Hα), which states that there is a significant difference for the level of difference among students of GSL towards traditional and electronic assessment. Most importantly, teachers are obligated to select an assessment tool with careful consideration to ensure the appropriateness of each assessment tool for the learning objectives. Based on the research findings, some valuable recommendations for the policymakers, curriculum developers, students, and teachers are finally presented.

ASSESSING UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTERDISCIPLINARY UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Science educators have highlighted the need to develop students to integrate knowledge across science disciplines to address real-world issues. However, there has been little research about the development of interdisciplinary assessment instruments. In this research, the instrument that measures the level of upper-secondary school students’ interdisciplinary understanding of environmental issues was developed and validated based upon Wilson’s Construct Modeling framework. After a pilot testing, the revised assessment instrument of interdisciplinary understanding covering five typical environmental problems comprised 14 multiple-choice questions and four constructed-response questions. Five hundred twenty-three eleventh graders, including 279 boys and 244 girls from mainland China, made up the research sample. The partial credit Rasch analysis has verified the reliability and validity of the interdisciplinary understanding instrument. In addition, the results of cluster analysis revealed that over half of the students could use some partially accurate scientific concepts and principles from two or more disciplinary perspectives to deal with a specific environmental issue. The validated instrument can provide insights for assessing and developing upper-secondary school students’ interdisciplinary understanding in science education. Keywords: Environmental Issues, Interdisciplinary Assessment, Interdisciplinary Understanding, Rasch Measurement Model, Science Education

Automated Writing Assessments Measure Undergraduate Learning after Completion of a Computer-Based Cellular Respiration Tutorial.

The focus of biology education has shifted from memorization to conceptual understanding of core biological concepts such as matter and energy relationships. To examine undergraduate learning about matter and energy, we incorporated constructed-response (CR) questions into an interactive computer-based tutorial. The objective of this tutorial is to teach students about matter and energy and help dispel common misconceptions through the context of cellular respiration. We used a constructed-response classifier (CRC) tool to categorize ideas in responses to three CR questions and measure changes in student thinking about cellular respiration. Our data set includes 841 undergraduates from 19 geographically diverse institutions including two-year colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, and research-intensive colleges and universities. We found students from all institution types included more scientific ideas in CRs post-tutorial. Students used an average of 2.1 ideas in CRs and frequently used both scientific and developing ideas. We found this mixed thinking persisted after the tutorial regardless of institution type. Students’ multiple-choice (MC) selections were correlated with their CRs, but CRs revealed more mixed thinking than would be inferred from MC responses. Our study shows a CRC tool can measure student learning after a computer-based tutorial and provides more complete information than MC responses.

Can Multiple-Choice Questions Replace Constructed Response Test as an Exam Form in Business Courses? Evidence from a Business School

The discussion of whether multiple-choice questions can replace the traditional exam with essays and constructed questions in introductory courses has just started in Norway. There is not an easy answer. The findings depend on the pattern of the questions. Therefore, one must be careful in drawing conclusions. In this research, one will explore a selected business course where 30 percent of the test is comprised of multiple-choice items. There obviously are some similarities between the two test methods. Students who perform well on writing essays tend also to achieve good results when answering multiple- choice questions. The result reveals a gender gap where multiple-choice based exam seems to favor the male students. There are some challenges in how to measure the different dimensions of knowledge. This study confirms this. Hence, it is too early to conclude that a multiple-choice score is a good predictor of the outcome of an essay exam. This paper will provide a beneficial contribution to the debate in Norway, but it needs to be followed up with more research. Keywords: multiple choice test, constructed response questions, business school, gender, regression model.

The study of the impact of various question formats and their combination variability on test results

The aim of the research was to identify and examine the characteristics of the impact of four question types and their combination in polymorphism tests on the testing output indicators for secondary school students. Students in the 8th and 9th grades (N=164) participated in the study that was done in the field of studying the native (Ukrainian) language. It was possible to demonstrate the existence of the effect of factor "question form" on the test scores (impact power is up to 35%) and to identify the combination of question forms that is characterized by the highest diagnostic accuracy thanks to the tools (criterion-oriented author's tests, questionnaire), and methods of results' analysis (factor analysis, dispersion analysis, etc.) used in the research process. According to research findings, creating a polymorphic linguistic test is advised. If there is an even distribution of these questions throughout the test, the use of multiple-choice questions with one correct answer combined with text and constructed-response questions can guarantee the clarity of test output indicators (with the least impact of question formats on them). The study's drawbacks are identified, and the likelihood that they will be addressed by further research on the most effective test framework for empirical validity is supported.

Assessment to Optimize Learning Strategies: A Qualitative Study of Student and Faculty Perceptions

Phenomenon: The format of medical knowledge assessment can promote students’ use of effective learning strategies from the learning sciences literature, such as elaboration, interleaving, retrieval practice, and distributed learning. Assessment format can also influence faculty teaching. Accordingly, our institution implemented a new assessment strategy in which pre-clerkship medical students answered weekly formative quizzes with constructed response questions (also referred to as open-ended questions) and multiple-choice questions in preparation for summative open-ended question examinations, to support students’ use of recommended learning strategies. Our qualitative study explored medical student and faculty perceptions of this assessment strategy on learning and teaching. Approach: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 second-year medical students to explore their preparation for quizzes and summative examinations. We also interviewed 10 faculty responsible for writing and grading these assessments in the pre-clerkship foundational sciences curriculum regarding their approach to writing assessments and rubrics, and their perceptions of how their teaching may have changed with this assessment strategy. We analyzed interview transcripts using thematic analysis with a priori sensitizing concepts from the learning sciences literature. Findings: We identified four major themes characterizing student and faculty perceptions of weekly formative quizzes and summative OEQ examinations. Participants found that this assessment strategy helped (1) prioritize conceptual understanding, (2) simulate clinical problem solving, and (3) engage students and faculty in continuous improvement in their approach to learning or teaching. Faculty and students also recognized challenges and potential tradeoffs associated with these assessment formats. Participants identified (4) facilitators and barriers when implementing this assessment strategy. Insights: Our findings suggested that assessment of medical knowledge through weekly formative quizzes and summative open-ended question examinations can facilitate students’ use of effective learning strategies. Faculty also recognized improvements in their teaching and in quality of assessment. This format of assessment also presented some challenges and potential tradeoffs and significant institutional resources were required for implementation.

Developing Computer Resources to Automate Analysis of Students’ Explanations of London Dispersion Forces

Computer-assisted analysis of students’ written responses to questions is becoming a possibility due to developments in technology. This could make such constructed response questions more feasible for use in large classrooms where multiple choice assessments are often considered a more practical option. In this study, we use a previously developed prompt and coding scheme to characterize students’ explanations of the origins of London dispersion forces in order to develop machine learning resources that can carry out such an analysis for large numbers of students. We found that by using large numbers of human coded student responses (N = 1,730) we could subsequently automatically characterize students’ responses at a high level of accuracy compared to human coders. Furthermore, these resources were developed using responses from several different groups of students across multiple institutions to ensure both that our resources can work well with students from different backgrounds and that these computer resources can detect the different ways in which students explain this phenomenon. Such resources may help instructors to administer more complex open-ended assessment tasks to larger numbers of students and analyze the responses capturing language corresponding to causal mechanistic reasoning. Instructors could then use this information to better support their students’ learning.

Evaluation of construct-irrelevant variance yielded by machine and human scoring of a science teacher PCK constructed response assessment

Machine learning has been frequently employed to automatically score constructed response assessments. However, there is a lack of evidence of how this predictive scoring approach might be compromised by construct-irrelevant variance (CIV), which is a threat to test validity. In this study, we evaluated machine scores and human scores with regard to potential CIV. We developed two assessment tasks targeting science teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); each task contains three video-based constructed response questions. 187 in-service science teachers watched the videos with each had a given classroom teaching scenario and then responded to the constructed-response items. Three human experts rated the responses and the human-consent scores were used to develop machine learning algorithms to predict ratings of the responses. Including the machine as another independent rater, along with the three human raters, we employed the many-facet Rasch measurement model to examine CIV due to three sources: variability of scenarios, rater severity, and rater sensitivity of the scenarios. Results indicate that variability of scenarios impacts teachers’ performance, but the impact significantly depends on the construct of interest; for each assessment task, the machine is always the most severe rater, compared to the three human raters. However, the machine is less sensitive than the human raters to the task scenarios. This means the machine scoring is more consistent and stable across scenarios within each of the two tasks.

Aligning hearts and minds: creation of an integrated cardiovascular pharmacy course

BackgroundIn order to train pharmacy students to function within a large, complex healthcare system, the curriculum needs to integrate disciplines, theory and practice (1,2). Moreover, curricular integration is explicitly called for in the accreditation standards for pharmacy programs in the US(3).The UCSF School of Pharmacy launched a new, three‐year curriculum in 2018 that focuses on using pedagogic strategies that facilitate integrative learning, such as ability‐based outcomes to define learning expectations, case‐ and problem‐based learning, capstone courses, experiential learning, and comprehensive authentic assessment(4). Here we report on the design of and early outcomes from an integrated cardiovascular block.MethodsThe overall course objectives for the cardiovascular (CV) course were developed in a multidisciplinary team to address “what skills and knowledge does a PharmD student need to succeed in clinical rotations?” Anchor cases cover key conditions and serve as the springboard to basic science topics and to illustrate its relevance to clinical practice. Relevant session objectives were selected and modified in collaborative, multidisciplinary team meetings. An interactive process narrowed down the topics to fit in the template calendar. Instructors used session objectives to design online and in‐class learning materials and assessments.Weekly, required formative assessments included case‐based 10–12 constructed response questions with detailed answer keys. Summative exams followed a similar format as the formative assessments and contained MCQs.Pharmacology items on summative exams in the legacy and current CV courses were categorized by Blooms Level 1–4 (1: define/identify, 2: explain/recall, 3: apply, 4: evaluate), and an average Bloom’s score per exam was calculated. Student evaluations were collected using Evalue.ResultsWeekly anchor cases are acute coronary syndrome, chronic stable angina, dyslipidemia, heart failure, and arrhythmias. Each week, relevant disciplines (physio, biochem, anat pcol, therapeutics, biostats, etc.) focus on the cases, while the experiential arm provides relevant clinical skills and experiences. ○ Legacy curriculum: Blooms Level per exam: ave 2.2 SEM=0.06) ○ New curriculum: Blooms Level: ave 3.45 (SEM=0.14) ○ Student performance on PCOL questions, some of which are multidisciplinary ranged from 79 – 99% ○ Lower performance was associated with multidisciplinary questions ○ Passing rate on 3 exams ranged from 91–97% ○ Students listed integration, clinical cases and formative assessments as strengths, and high workload and integration of inquiry as areas for improvement.Discussion ○ Integration requires frequent meetings and adaptation of teaching materials driven by a list of essential knowledge and skills, per condition provided by therapeutics. ○ Centralized, administrative course support is essential in both design and implementation phases. ○ Lower student performance on multidisciplinary questions indicate that students are learning to apply knowledge to clinical scenarios.ConclusionFrequent, collaborative meetings are important in creating an integrated course.Evaluation and exam performance data show that this course teaches students to apply pharmacology knowledge to clinical cases.

A comparison between peer-assisted learning and self-study for electrocardiography interpretation in Thai medical students.

Introduction: Peer-assisted learning has been shown to be an effective teaching and learning method. However, this technique has not been proven in Thai medical school. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning and self-study in interpreting an electrocardiogram in Thai medical students. Methods: This is a prospective, randomized controlled trial, conducted in Chonburi teaching hospital, a community hospital affiliated with Chulalongkorn University. All medical students from the fourth and fifth years, a total of eighty students, were randomly assigned to two groups of peer-assisted learning (PAL) and self-study (SS) via stratified randomization done by computer-generated randomization. The two groups were matched for sex and grade point average. In the PAL group, teaching was performed by the fourth and fifth year medical students. We conducted five weekly study sessions. Different topics of electrocardiogram interpretation were assigned to tutors for teaching. SS group would separately study the same topic on their own. Constructed response questions were used to assess the students at the beginning as a pre-test and after a five-week session as a post-test. Online self-assessment was delivered to students one month after the study.Results: Mean pre-test and post-test score was put into the analysis and compared across groups using t-test. No significant difference in pre-test score was observed between the two groups in the same academic year. There was a significant difference between the mean post-test score between the fourth year PAL and SS groups. Also, the mean difference score in the fourth year PAL group was higher than the fourth year SS group. However, in the fifth year group, there was no significant difference between the PAL and SS groups in the mean post-test score and mean difference score.Conclusion: In conclusion, peer-assisted learning is an interesting method to improve understanding and interpreting skills of basic ECG better than self-study in the early clinical year medical students.

The research of the effect of different question forms and their combination variability on the results of testing

The purpose of the research was to identify and study the features of the effect of four questions forms and their combination in polymorphic test on the output indicators of secondary school students’ testing. In the study, conducted in the subject field of studying native (Ukrainian) language, took part students of 8th and 9th-grades (N=164). The tools (criterion-oriented author’s tests, questionnaire) and methods of results’ analysis (factor analysis, dispersion analysis, etc.) used in the research process, made it possible to prove the existence of the effect of factor “question form” on the test scores (impact power is up to 35%), and also to determine combination of question forms that is characterized by the highest diagnostic accuracy. Results of a study indicate that it is advisable to construct a polymorphic linguistic test. The combination of the multiple-choice questions with one correct answer with using the text and constructed-response questions can ensure the clarity of output indicators of testing (with the least effect of question forms on them), in case evenly balance of these questions in the test. The disadvantages of the study are pointed out and prospects for their continuation and deepening, connected with further study of the optimal empirically valid test structure, are substantiated.