Challenging Multiple-Choice Questions to Engage Critical Thinking

This article examines a technique for engaging critical thinking on multiple-choice exams. University students were encouraged to "challenge" the validity of any exam question they believed to be unfair (e.g., more than one equally correct answer, ambiguous wording, etc.). The number of va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInsight (Parkville, Mo.) Vol. 9; pp. 92 - 97
Main Authors Kerkman, Dennis, Johnson, Andrew
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Park University, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning 01.08.2014
Park University
Subjects
Correlation
Critical Thinking
Grade Point Average
Hypothesis Testing
Multiple Choice Tests
Multiple Regression Analysis
Predictor Variables
Scores
Student Participation
Teaching Methods
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:This article examines a technique for engaging critical thinking on multiple-choice exams. University students were encouraged to "challenge" the validity of any exam question they believed to be unfair (e.g., more than one equally correct answer, ambiguous wording, etc.). The number of valid challenges a student wrote was a better predictor of exam scores than the number of invalid challenges or GPA. The technique also allows instructors to gain insight into the sources of students' errors that may be useful in improving instruction.
ISSN:1933-4850
1933-4869
DOI:10.46504/09201408ke