Related Experiment Videos
The relationship between changing answers and performance on multiple-choice nursing examinations
1University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Nursing, San Antonio 78284-7948.
The Journal of Nursing Education
|October 1, 1990
Summary
Most undergraduate nursing students change answers on multiple-choice exams, with many improving their scores by correcting wrong answers to right ones. This common practice often leads to a gain in points for students.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Multiple-choice examinations are a common assessment tool in nursing education.
- Student test-taking strategies, including answer changing, can impact academic performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phenomenon of answer changing among undergraduate nursing students during multiple-choice examinations.
- To analyze the impact of answer changes on student scores.
Main Methods:
- Examining answer sheets for erasures to quantify answer changes.
- Analyzing the direction of changes (wrong-to-right vs. right-to-wrong).
- Sample comprised 284 upper-division baccalaureate nursing students.
Main Results:
- The majority of students (most) changed at least one answer on their examinations.
- A significant difference was observed between changing answers from wrong to right versus right to wrong.
- Approximately 55.3% of students gained points by changing answers, while only 18.3% lost points.
Conclusions:
- Answer changing is a prevalent behavior among undergraduate nursing students.
- Changing answers, particularly from wrong to right, is often a beneficial strategy for improving examination scores.
- Educators may consider the implications of answer changing when designing and evaluating assessments.