General Knowledge Test Research Articles

Moderate benefit of escape room game on learning outcome in medicine

BackgroundWell-designed escape room games engage students with complex problems and challenge clinical and teamwork skills, but their impact on learning has been uncertain. This study aimed to estimate the effect size of escape room game on performance in a broad knowledge test.MethodsDuring clinical rotation in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), medical students participated in a 3-hour small-group class. For 2 semesters, groups had traditional patient visits and case discussions, and for 3 semesters, patient visits and an escape room game including debrief. The game was set up in the outpatient clinic, the puzzles were taken from clinical problems in REI, and challenges included operating an ultrasound scanner on a mannequin. Mid-semester, students completed a test of general knowledge in REI. To estimate the effect of small group class on declarative knowledge, test scores of students who had already had the class (exposed) were compared to scores of those who had not yet had the class (control).ResultsStudents were highly satisfied with gamified teaching. Those who attended the small group class without the escape room game achieved similar scores on knowledge test than control students (Cohen’s d = 0.05, 95%CI -0.58 to 0.68, n = 71). Students who played the escape room game achieved marginally higher score than respective controls (Cohen’s d = 0.22, 95%CI -0.1 to 0.53, n = 182).ConclusionsEscape room game may improve learning outcome of a traditional small group class, but the effect of a single game session on declarative knowledge is modest and is unlikely to exceed related instructional methods like simulation.

A combination of case-based learning with flipped classroom improved performance of medical students in nephrology bedside teaching

BackgroundBedside teaching remains a challenging endeavor for clinical doctors and medical students, as the students often encounter difficulties in applying their knowledge to clinical situations. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of combining case-based learning (CBL) with a flipped classroom (FC) approach in nephrology bedside teaching.MethodsA total of 92 medical students were enrolled in this study, including clerks and interns. The students were assigned into two groups. The CBL/FC group students received the combined teaching approach of CBL and FC (CBL/FC). Students who received the traditional lecture-based teaching (LBT) approach were treated as the control group. General knowledge tests, clinical case scenarios, and questionnaires were used to evaluate the teaching efficacy.ResultsNinety-two students were included in this study. Overall, 46 students were assigned to the CBL/FC group, while the other 46 students were assigned to the LBT group. The students in both groups showed comparable performance in the knowledge test. However, in clinical case scenarios, students in the CBL/FC group demonstrated superior performance compared to those in the LBT group. Additionally, the analysis of questionnaires revealed that the CBL/FC group students expressed more positive attitudes toward their proficiency in medical history taking, physical examination, medical record documentation, clinical reasoning, and consideration for patients’ welfare. Moreover, the students from the CBL/FC group regarded the CBL/FC teaching approach as an effective and satisfying method without increasing the learning burden.ConclusionThis study reveals that the CBL/FC combined teaching approach shows promise in nephrology education and provides an effective and alternative format for medical teaching.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BOARDING-BASED FORMAL SCHOOL LEARNING AT SYUBBANUL WATHON HIGH SCHOOL TEGALREJO MAGELANG

Modern developments have made changes in the world of education, one of which is combining the formal school education system which uses the national curriculum and the Islamic boarding school education system which uses the local curriculum. This research aims to increase knowledge about the Islamic boarding school-based high school learning system which is currently rarely implemented in the Indonesian education system. This research uses qualitative methods, namely data collection methods through interviews and observations as well as through library sources, scientific journal articles and books. This research discusses the integration of the formal school education system and the Islamic boarding school education system at Syubbanul Wathon High School. The process of accepting new students requires applicants to take general knowledge tests such as English, Indonesian and Mathematics, as well as a reading and writing test of the Al-Qur'an. The implementation of learning is divided into 2, namely male students study from morning to afternoon and afternoon to evening reciting the Koran at the boarding school, while female students do the opposite. Then in the evening the santri and female students continue to recite the Koran at the Islamic boarding school. Learning evaluation is carried out by combining all assessments at school and at the Islamic boarding school. A learning system like this can balance students' religious knowledge and general knowledge, so that there will be no gaps in one of them.

Which factors contribute to standardized test scores for prospective general science teachers: an analysis of the PraxisⓇ general science content knowledge test

Effective science instruction and associated student learning is reliant upon a strong foundation of teacher content knowledge. This study of the PraxisⓇ General Science Content Knowledge Test from May 2006 to June 2016 investigates content knowledge of 28,688 general science teacher candidates. Examinees performed well on Life Science topics while Earth & Space Science was identified as an area in need of support. Analysis of the assessment revealed differences in achievement associated with undergraduate major, gender, and ethnicity. Test-takers with STEM majors demonstrated stronger content knowledge than their out-of-field counterparts, that men outperformed women in the study, and White test-takers lost fewer scaled points than Black and Hispanic candidates. To strengthen recruitment and retention efforts, recommendations include reviewing our findings for alignment with state standards. This will facilitate development of comprehensive content knowledge professional learning experiences that will be used as an anchor for focused support on those topics where test-takers tend to demonstrate lowest proficiency.

The Motivational Utility of Knowledge: Examining Fundamental Needs in the Context of Houselessness Knowledge

Past research on knowledge has differentiated between dimensions (e.g., amount, accuracy, specificity, coherence) of knowledge. This paper introduces a novel dimension of knowledge, the Motivational Utility of Knowledge (MUK), that is based on fundamental human needs (e.g., physical safety, affiliation, actualization, reproduction). Adults in the United States (N = 190) were recruited from an online survey platform and paid for participation. Participants read a set of four texts arguing different views of houselessness and were administered a comprehension test after each text. Participants were asked about their conceptions of houselessness before and after reading. Finally, they were given the MUK scale, a demographics questionnaire, including questions about their personal experience with houselessness, and were administered a general prior knowledge test and a vocabulary knowledge test. We examined MUK, the factor structure of the scale and the relationship between MUK and other measures of knowledge. The analyses showed that the subscales of MUK loaded onto a single factor—an overall value of houselessness knowledge. In addition, we found that MUK was correlated with conceptions of houselessness and comprehension of texts on houselessness, indicating that the scale was valid. Overall, the findings demonstrate that MUK is an important dimension of knowledge to consider in learning tasks.

The impact of implicit narrator reliability on production of information.

Previous research established that readers acquire accurate and inaccurate information from fiction. The current study explored factors that might moderate these effects. Participants read fictional stories that each contained three assertions. The first two assertions in each story were either correct information or implausible misinformation, allowing a manipulation of the (implicit) credibility of the narrator. The last assertion in each story was the critical one, and was correct information, implausible misinformation, or plausible misinformation. After reading, participants answered general knowledge questions that were related to the critical assertions they encountered during reading. Encountering misinformation led to lower accuracy than being presented with correct information, and being presented with plausible misinformation led to higher production of that misinformation. The narrator credibility manipulation interacted with the type of critical assertion: When the critical assertion was presented accurately in a story, credible narrators presenting true critical assertions led to greater accuracy on the general knowledge test than when noncredible narrators presented this same information. These findings are discussed with respect to theories of validation during language comprehension.

The influence of general knowledge test performance on self-ratings of and perceived relationships between intelligence, knowledge, and memory

The present study examined how taking a general knowledge (GK) test affects perceptions of one’s intelligence, memory, and knowledge and the relationship between these three constructs. Participants rated their abilities on each construct and the strength of the relationships between them before and after completing an easy or hard GK test or control task. In Experiment 1, participants were (mis)informed that GK questions were correctly answered by 50% of the population; in Experiment 2, no such information was provided. Regardless of (mis)information about others’ performance, participants in the Hard condition believed they had a worse memory, were less knowledgeable, and were less intelligent post-task. However, the strength of the perceived relationship between GK and intelligence decreased only when participants were misled. Judgments of one’s intelligence, memory, and knowledge can be manipulated by taking a GK test, and individuals engage in self-protective behavior to reduce the potential threat to one’s self-concept.

Validation of the teacher education institution’s entrance test using the Rasch model

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the College Entrance Test (CET) used by a teacher education institution to assess the general and specialization knowledge of prospective students in English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The Rasch model was employed to analyze the data collected from the sample of 250 test takers for the general knowledge test, 122 for specialization in English, 74 for Mathematics, 122 for science and 77 for Social Studies. The measurement analysis components including person and item reliability, unidimensionality, person-item map, fit statistics, Point Measure Correlation (PTMEA) and item local dependence were used. The study findings indicated that some test components had poor person reliability and the degree of item difficulty was higher than the students' abilities. There were also concerns about the conformity to the unidimensionality criteria, suggesting an analysis of items that might form another dimension in the constructs of the tests, although each of the items is independent. Furthermore, some items were misfitting or overfitting the Rasch model. In conclusion, the CET needs improvement to ensure its quality as a reliable and valid selection tool for the college. The study's results provide significant insights into the CET's strengths and weaknesses that can guide the test developers in revising and enhancing the CET to effectively measure the general and specialization knowledge of test takers in English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

Let God Judge Between Me and Thee: Activating God-Related Concepts Increases Overconfidence in Chinese Han and Bai People

ABSTRACT Risk compensation theory posits that high-risk environments lead to more cautiousness or conservatism. Previous research has shown that reminders of God’s protection can evoke a strong feeling of safety. Drawing on this literature, we develop a theoretical perspective that activating God-related concepts can boost overconfidence level by cultivating a sense of security. Three studies, spanning diverse populations (Chinese Han and Bai people), multiple methods measuring overconfidence (the peer-comparison problem and the general knowledge test), and multiple manipulations designed to activate God-related concepts (a scrambled-sentence priming task and a reading task), support our theory. In Experiment 1, student participants who had been primed with God concepts displayed a higher level of overconfidence than those primed with neutral concepts. Employing a multiple-item measure gauging people’s overconfidence, Experiment 2 replicated these effects in non-student adults. Experiment 3 found that these effects can generalize to an understudied minority ethnic group of Bai. Importantly, Experiments 1 through 3 provided consistent evidence that the relationship between God-related thoughts and overconfidence was mediated by the sense of security. On the basis of our findings, we propose that the salience of God plays a causal role in shaping the overconfidence heuristic-driven bias.

Production of Cognitive and Life Skills in Public, Private, and NGO Schools in Pakistan

The share of private and NGO schools in primary education has substantially increased over time, though the public sector is still a major player in this area. The present study analyses the factors determining the quality of education offered by the three types of schools and draws policy recommendations for improving primary education in Pakistan. The study compares learning achievement of Class 4 students enrolled in 50 public, private, and NGO schools located across six districts of Pakistan and in Azad Kashmir in terms of their scores in Mathematics, Urdu, and General Knowledge tests. The analysis shows that, practically, there is no gap between public and NGO schools in terms of the test scores of their students. However, a significant test score gap was found between the students enrolled in public and private schools. This gap was largely explained by family background and school-related variables, including teachers’ qualification and student/teacher ratio. However, the performance of private schools was not uniform across districts. In some districts public schools performed even better than private and NGO schools. The findings of this study highlight the need for improving the quality of education in public schools by recruiting more qualified teachers and improving overall supervision. Teacher training is the area where the public and private sectors can benefit by pooling their resources and expertise.

Stories of Teacher Candidates of Color in a Teacher Preparation Program: Using Community Cultural Wealth to Disrupt Majoritarian Narratives

Society portrays a deficit perspective on teachers and communities of color. Our research serves as a tool to name these inequitable stereotypes and disrupt majoritarian narratives by highlighting the stories of former teacher candidates of color (TCoC). This qualitative research study utilized in-depth semi-structured interviews with each participant to capture their counter stories. This research focuses on the General Knowledge Test (GKT), a licensure examination, which must be passed to gain entrance to the College of Education. Although our participants continued to experience difficulties during their teacher preparation program, they resisted against gatekeeping mechanisms and refused to allow the GKT to dictate their goals of becoming educators. We came to this research with a critical lens to centralize the counter-stories of TCoC and to raise questions about equity and justice. Using Critical Race Theory and Community Cultural Wealth, we attempt to disrupt and dismantle majoritarian narratives regarding TCoC.

Vaccinating Front-Line Healthcare Workers: Results of a Pre-Pandemic Cross-Sectional Study from North-Eastern Italy on First Responders.

First responders are front-line healthcare workers who are potentially exposed to different infectious agents. Characterizing their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards immunization, therefore, has the potential to significantly improve occupational health and safety. A cross-sectional study was performed in October 2018 using a sample of 161 first responders from the Parma Province (mean age 45.1 ± 14.1 years; seniority 10.8 ± 8.6 years). The participants were questioned on three recommended vaccinations (i.e., the seasonal influenza, measles, and pertussis vaccines) and on meningococcal vaccines (not officially recommended for first responders). The participant’s knowledge status and risk perception were assessed as percentage values through a specifically designed questionnaire. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for factors associated with vaccination status were calculated by means of a binary logistic regression analysis. The internal consistency result, calculated using a general knowledge test, was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.894), but the corresponding score was unsatisfying (46.5% ± 32.4), evidencing uncertainties surrounding the recommendations for measles and meningococcal vaccines (39.1% and 34.2% incorrect answers, respectively). While the large majority of respondents were favorable towards the meningococcal (89.4%), measles (87.5%), and pertussis vaccines (83.0%), 55.3% exhibited a favorable attitude toward the seasonal influenza vaccine, the uptake of which in 2018, was reported by 28.0% of respondents, compared to the self-reported lifetime status for meningitis (26.1%), measles (42.2%), and pertussis (34.8%). Not coincidentally, all assessed infections were associated with a low-risk perception score, particularly influenza (33.9% ± 18.4). Interestingly enough, neither knowledge status nor risk perception were associated with vaccination rates. More precisely, the main predictor for being vaccinated against seasonal influenza in 2018 was a seniority of ≥10 years (aOR 3.26, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.35–7.91), while both pertussis and measles were positively associated with higher educational achievement (aOR 3.27, 95%CI 1.29–8.30; and aOR 2.69, 95%CI 1.09–6.65, respectively). The reasons for vaccination gaps among the sampled first responders, apparently, did not find their roots in inappropriate knowledge status and risk perception alone. However, the very low rates of sampled immunization lead us to recommend stronger and more appropriate information campaigns.

Effect of Tasks Complexity and Visualization on Investment Decision-Making

ABSTRACT
 This study examines the differences in investment decision-making, as measured by the accuracy, confidence, and calibration levels of investment decisions between participants who receive tasks with different levels of complexity and information visualization. It involved a laboratory experiment among accounting students who had taken or were taking courses in Financial Statement Analysis and Investment and Capital Market Management. The final sample comprised 172 participants who passed the manipulation check and the general accounting knowledge test. A 2 × 2 (within subject) experimental design was used for the analysis: task complexity (high and low) and information visualization (high and low). The results indicate that for nonprofessional investors, the complexity of the task has the most effect on investment decision-making compared to information visualization. Nonprofessional investors obtain information with high visualization, tasks with high complexity can reduce the level of accuracy, trust, and calibration in their decision-making. This is because a nonprofessional investor is more focused on the difficulty of the assignments that must be resolved, and thus, even a high level of information visualization does not help in investment decision-making.

The Effect of Moodle-Integrated Learning Platform on ELT Pre-service Teachers’ General Pedagogical Knowledge

This study aims to determine the effects of Moodle-integrated learning environments on pre-service teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge and performance. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental research design with eighty-seven teacher candidates. Data from the study was collected via a placement test, a performance test, and three general pedagogical knowledge tests. A one-way between-subjects covariance and a mixed between-within-subjects analysis of variance were used to analyze the descriptive data statistics. The initial findings indicated no significant difference between the groups’ placement test scores prior to the Moodle integrated learning platform support. The performance test, administered after the intervention, indicated that students in the experimental group significantly outperformed students in the control group. The results also highlighted that Moodle effectively prepared students for learning by building general pedagogical knowledge.

Validated tests for language research with university students whose native language is English: Tests of vocabulary, general knowledge, author recognition, and reading comprehension.

We present five studies aimed at developing an L1 vocabulary test for English-speaking university students. Such a test is useful as an indicator of crystallized intelligence and because vocabulary size correlates well with reading comprehension. In the first study, we tested 100 written words with four answer alternatives, based on Nation's Vocabulary Size Test. Analysis suggested two factors, which we interpreted as the possible existence of two types of difficult words: unknown words for general knowledge and unknown words for specialized knowledge. In Study 2, we attempted to develop a vocabulary test for each type of word, and these tests were then validated in Study 3. Since the test for general words proved too easy for the target population, we improved it in a fourth study by creating and testing more difficult items. Finally, a fifth study was conducted to validate the new test. Unexpectedly, Study 5 found a high correlation (r = .82) between the general knowledge vocabulary test and the specialized knowledge vocabulary test, suggesting that they measure the same latent factor, contrary to our initial assumption. Both tests have high reliability (r > .85) and correlate well (r > .4) with general knowledge, author recognition, and reading comprehension. In addition, a collection of other language tests was used and improved to verify the validity of the vocabulary tests. An exploratory factor analysis of all tests identified three factors (text comprehension, crystallized intelligence, and reading speed), with the vocabulary tests loading on the factor crystallized intelligence, which in turn correlates with reading comprehension. Structural equation modeling confirmed the interpretation.

Uticaj pripremne nastave na postignuće kandidata na prijemnom ispitu Kriminalističko-policijskog univerziteta

This paper aimed to determine the differences in achievement at the entrance exam between candidates who attended preparatory classes (PC) and those who independently prepared for enrollment at the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies (UCIPS). The study included 599 respondents (257 women and 342 men) who were divided into subsamples: 132 women (WPC) and 158 men (MPC) who attended PC and 125 women (WNPC), and 184 men (MNPC) who independently prepared for enrollment in the UCIPS. The entrance exam, in addition to the success from high school, also includes tests for assessment of aptitude and abilities (TAA), namely: the test of knowledge of the Serbian language and literature (TSL), the test of general knowledge (TGN) and test of assessment of general physical fitness (GPF). Differences between groups were determined by t-test for independent samples at a significance level of p <0.05. It was found that WPC had statistically significantly better results from TSL (14.35%) and GPF (14.43%), while no statistically significant difference was found in TGN. In men who attended PC, the results of all TAA segments were significantly better: TSL by 21.17%, TGN by 10.51% and GPF by 27.65%. The obtained results indicate that the structure and manner of performing the PC, which include detailed acquaintance with the procedures, determination of the current level, correction of errors, and recommendations for further improvement, positively impacted the candidates' achievement at the UCIPS entrance exam.

Overconfident and unaware: Intellectual humility and the calibration of metacognition

ABSTRACT Two studies examined whether Intellectual Humility moderates the Dunning-Kruger Effect – the tendency of those with little relative knowledge/expertise to overclaim their ability. In study 1, participants completed a measure of intellectual humility and were asked to predict their relative performance prior to a test of fluid intelligence, and then their actual performance was compared to their initial prediction and ranked relative to the other performances. Low performers tended to over-estimate their performance (i.e., the Dunning-Kruger effect), but less intellectually humble people demonstrated a greater susceptibility to this effect. Intellectual humility was unrelated to actual performance. These results were replicated in study 2, with a test of general knowledge in place of problem-solving ability. Additionally, in Study 2 more measures of intellectual humility were added to clarify potential relationships. Implications are discussed.

What Influences Attitudes and Confidence in Teaching Physics and Technology Topics? An Investigation in Kindergarten and Primary-School Trainee Teachers

This study investigated the correlations of general knowledge, vocational interests, and personality with trainee teachers’ attitudes and perceived capabilities in teaching physics and technology topics in kindergarten and primary school. A quantitative survey was composed using the Nature–Human–Society questionnaire, the general knowledge test BOWIT, the general interest structure test AIST-R, and the 10-item Big Five Inventory. The sample consisted of 196 female trainee teachers for kindergarten and primary school, and the results showed that only a few trainee teachers favoured teaching physics and technology topics. The bivariate analyses indicated that investigative and realistic interests were highly correlated with their confidence in teaching physics and technology topics, followed by significant relationships with possessing general knowledge in science and technology. The relationships with personality, especially neuroticism and extraversion, were also evident, but they were not as strong. The results were further differentiated in various subgroups (i.e., a group who favoured teaching physics and technology topics versus a group who did not, as well as a group with the typical interest profile of kindergarten and primary-school teachers versus a group with a social and investigative interest profile), which provided additional insights.

Does teaching to the test improve student learning?

A central concern surrounding test-based accountability is that teachers may narrow teaching practices to improve test performance on a curriculum-based specific knowledge test rather than student learning more broadly. Two of the most common teaching practices that “teach to the test” are providing test-specific classwork and increasing the frequency with which students take practice tests. Whether such teaching practices improve student learning—both in terms of learning the content associated with a specific knowledge test as well as more general learning—is a largely unanswered question. To approach this question, this paper uses a student fixed effects approach to analyze the impact of these kinds of narrow teaching practices on student performance on a specific test as well as a general knowledge test. We find that test-specific classwork and practice tests with specific test items tend to have little or negative impacts on curriculum specific or general knowledge test performance, except for male students, and that subject practice tests (without emphasizing test-specific items) have positive effects on student outcomes on both kinds of tests, but larger on the curriculum-specific than on the general test, and much larger on the curriculum-specific test for male students. We discuss the logic for these results and what they tell us about the effectiveness of test-focused teaching practices more generally.

An interactive e-book development based on green chemistry study on Hydrocarbon

The aim of this study is to make an interactive e-book based on the green chemistry approach. This interactive e-book was prepared by using the development rearch method by Richey, Klein, and Nelson with the DDE model (Design, Development, and Evaluation). Interactive aspects of this teaching material are the “watch for know” coloumn that presents related learning videos, links that contain related general knowledge, practice questions and competency test at the end of learning activities that consist of questions, scores, and the answer key. This interactive e-book includes green chemistry aspect as an approach by providing contextual cases in hydrokarbon subject. This interactive e-book is valid after going through two types of validation, that were content and media validation. There are two validator in each type of validation. The validation questionnaire is an instrument used in this study. The content validation questionnaire consist of subject accuracy, recency, and communication aspect. The media valiodation questionnaire consist of media design and navigation/operation.