ERIC Number: EJ1139744
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1936-346X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
ANOVA Analysis of Student Daily Test Scores in Multi-Day Test Periods
Mouritsen, Matthew L.; Davis, Jefferson T.; Jones, Steven C.
Journal of Learning in Higher Education, v12 n2 p73-82 Fall 2016
Instructors are often concerned when giving multiple-day tests because students taking the test later in the exam period may have an advantage over students taking the test early in the exam period due to information leakage. However, exam scores seemed to decline as students took the same test later in a multi-day exam period (Mouritsen and Davis, 2012). This study reports mean test score analysis of a four-day exam period. Students with higher cumulative GPAs tend to take the exam earlier in the testing period. The majority of students take the exam the last day of the testing period. Test score variance for each test day also increases with each test day. One-way ANOVA analysis finds that mean test scores of students who take the test later in the test period significantly decline. Pairwise comparisons that assume unequal numbers of observations in each group as well as unequal variances of exam scores for each day, show that day 4 mean scores are significantly less than days 1, 2, and 3. The only other pairwise difference is day 1 and day 3. Further, a 4 X 2 (4 test days by two different professors) ANCOVA analysis is also reported where cumulative GPA and Test # (4 or more tests each semester) are used as control variables to see if student test scores still decrease for students taking the test later in the testing period. The results show significant decreases in mean test scores as students take the test later in the testing period even when controlling for students' cumulative GPA and Test # within the semester. An estimated marginal means analysis further shows that the upper bound of day 4 is below the lower bound of days 1, 2, and 3, consistent with pairwise comparisons of test score means. The results suggest that information leakage, if any, is not evident in multi-day test scores. The results suggest that an instructor may have an opportunity to further help students taking the exam later in the exam period. Further research on demographics, test preparation, procrastination, self-efficacy, and emotional intelligence of students taking multi-day tests is in order (Hen and Goroshit, 2014).
Descriptors: Statistical Analysis, Scores, Tests, Testing, Grade Point Average, Correlation, Test Length, Test Wiseness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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