Menucha Birenbaum

Open-Ended Versus Multiple-Choice Response Formats—It Does Make a Difference for Diagnostic Purposes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of response format—open-ended (OE) versus multiple-choice (Me)—on the diagnosis of examinee misconceptions in a procedural task. A test in fraction addition arithmetic was administered to 285 eighth- grade students, 148 of whom responded to the OE ver sion of the test and 137 to the MC version. The two datasets were compared with respect to the underlying structure of the test, the number of different error types, and the diagnosed sources of misconception (bugs) reflected in the response patterns. The overall results indicated considerable differences between the two formats, with more favorable results for the OE format.

Assessment preferences and their relationship to learning strategies and orientations

The study investigated inter- and intra-group differences in assessment preferences among students in two academic disciplines which differ in their educational environment through examining the relationships between assessment preferences and student learning orientations and strategies. The sample consisted of 85 engineering and 87 education students in a major university in Israel. The subjects were administered the MSLQ for measuring their motivated learning strategies and the API for measuring their assessment preferences. The results indicated that individual differences in assessment preferences overshadow disciplinary group differences and that differences in assessment preferences are to a relatively large extent related to learning strategies and orientations. Implications for adaptive assessment were discussed.

Relationships between Learning Patterns and Attitudes towards Two Assessment Formats.

Summary The study examined the relationships between learning patterns and attitudes towards two assessment formats: open‐ended (OE) and multiple‐choice (MC), among students in higher education. Sixteen Semantic Differential scales measuring emotional reactions, intellectual reactions and appraisal of each assessment format, along with measures of learning processes, academic self‐concept and test anxiety, were administered to 58 students. Results indicated two patterns of relationships between the learning‐related variables and the assessment attitudes: high scores on the self‐concept measure and on the three measures of learning processes were related to positive attitudes towards the OE format but negative ones towards the MC format; low scores on the test anxiety measures were related to positive attitudes towards the OE format. In addition, significant gender differences emerged with respect to the MC format, with males having more favourable attitudes than females. Results were discussed in light of...

Who is afraid of statistics? Correlates of statistics anxiety among students of educational sciences

Summary The purpose of the present short report is to investigate the correlates of statistics anxiety. The sample consisted of 151 first‐ and second‐year‐level female students in the department of educational sciences enrolled in statistics‐related courses. The findings indicated that a priori anxiety of statistics was not reduced by acquaintance with the subject, nor was students’ willingness to further study of statistics affected by this experience. Furthermore, grades in statistics were neither related to statistics anxiety nor to willingness to pursue further study of statistics. Inductive reasoning ability was significantly related to statistics anxiety but not to mathematics anxiety.

Modeling Mathematics Achievement of Jewish and Arab Eighth Graders in Israel: The Effects of Learner-Related Variables.

This study examined a structural model of mathematics achievement of 2 culturally different groups of Jewish and Arab 8th graders in terms of 5 learner-related variables, namely, gender, epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy, attitudes, and mathematics anxiety. Multigroup structural modeling analysis indicated that the goodness of fit of the hypothesized structural model and the total effects of mathematics self-efficacy and epistemological beliefs were comparable in both groups. The 2 groups differed in the effects that gender, attitudes toward mathematics, and mathematics anxiety exerted on mathematics achievement. They also diverged in terms of the amount of variance in mathematics achievement that the 5 learner-related variables accounted for.

Stimulus Features and Sex Differences in Mental Rotation Test Performance.

Abstract This study examined sex differences in spatial abilities using a standard two-dimensional paper-and-pencil test of mental rotation administered to 410 subjects. A personality questionnaire and six other ability tests related to mental rotation were also administered: numerical ability, verbal ability, inductive reasoning, associative memory, perceptual speed and accuracy, and speed of closure. Structural and superficial features of the tasks were specified, and sex differences in accuracy and speed were examined. Certain features of the mental rotation test stimuli (e.g., long trajectories, multilined or multispotted) proved difficult for both males and females, but more difficult for females. These findings were interpreted in the light of Just and Carpenters (1985) model. Males also completed more items than females. In this regard, personality factors related to cautiousness yielded significant negative correlations with speed. On the related ability tests, males outperformed females on a numerical skills test, and females outperformed males on an associative memory test. No significant sex differences emerged on the other four ability tests.

On the construct validity of the sensation seeking scale in a non-english-speaking culture

The purpose of the present study was to examine the structure validity of Zuckermans Sensation Seeking Scale in a non-English-speaking culture. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling technique (SSA) was employed for analyzing the responses of 272 Israeli male applicants for a job for which sensation seeking was of special relevance. The general findings replicated the structure postulated by Zuckerman. Only 1 in 8 of the items were mislocated, all of which were indicated as inappropriate in previous factor-analytic studies conducted in other nations. Language: en

Gender and Ethnic-Group Differences in Causal Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics and Language Examinations

The purpose of the present study was to examine gender and ethnic differences among Jewish and Arab high school students in Israel with respect to their causal attributions for success and failure in mathematics and language examinations. The entire sample included 333 ninth graders. Nine causal attributions were examined. It was hypothesized that cultural differences in general and in gender role socialization in particular, between the two ethnic groups, will result in different attributional patterns. The findings indicated larger effects of ethnicity than of gender. The effects were more pronounced in success than in failure attributions. Arab students, compared to Jewish students, exhibited higher endorsement levels on success attributions and lower levels with less differentiation on failure attributions for all four subjects. These results were discussed within the frame work of particular cultural norms.

Style and substance in social desirability scales

The purpose of the present study was to examine the nature of a social desirability measure under two different types of instructions for filling out personality questionnaires in an occupational selection setting. 1230 male applicants for public vehicle driving licences were administered Cattetts 16PF and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. One was given standard instructions for filling out these questionnaires; the second was given special instructions designed to reduce social desirability response bias. Social desirability was indexed by the Lie scale of the EPQ. Based on Eysencks theorizing concerning the meaning of the Lie scale, the following hypothesis was tested: the factorial location of the Lie scale in the personality domain will differ under the two forms of instructions. It should appear separately from other personality factors under the standard instructions, whereas under the special instructions it should be subsumed under the personality factor which measures conformity. The results supported this hypothesis. The discussion focuses on the meaning of the Lie scale under conditions that elicit social desirability bias and on the role of special instructions in reducing this bias.

Assessment preferences, learning orientations, and learning strategies of pre‐service and in‐service teachers

The importance of developing effective learning strategies and motivational beliefs has been widely acknowledged as a way of meeting the demand to acquire lifelong learning capabilities for successful functioning as professionals in the ‘information age’. The study reported in this paper examined the learning orientations and strategies of prospective teachers as well as their assessment preferences and compared them with those of in‐service teachers. The Motivated Learning Strategies Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Assessment Preferences Inventory (API) were used to test the hypothesis that in‐service teachers will exhibit a deeper approach to learning and assessment due to their constant engagement in meaningful learning experiences. The results confirmed the hypothesis and their implications for teacher education programmes were then discussed.