Article
To know or not to know? The ability to reflect knowledge gaps does decrease during studies
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Authors
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Jan P. Ehlers
- Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
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Michaela Zupanic
- Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
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Zineb Miriam Nouns
- Insititute of Medical Education, Bern, Switzerland
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Marzellus Hofmann
- Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| Published: | March 12, 2015 |
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Outline
Text
The German Progress Test Medicine (PTM) is designed to test the development of knowledge during undergraduate medical education [1]. The tests are at graduation level. Anyhow, the students take them regularly from beginning and progressively perform better. Each PTM is composed of 200 Multiple-Choice –Items Type A which include a „Don´t know“-option. Incorrect answers are penalized (-1 score). The students need to correctly identify gaps of knowledge in order to score as high as possible [2]. MCQ Tests with positive marking are known to promote guessing [3]. In this first explorative study we aim to investigate in which way the „don´t know“-option is used by the students as they progress in their studies and what does that tell us about their ability to correctly identify nescience.
Hypothesis:
- 1.
- The more the students know, the more items they get correct
- 2.
- The higher their ability to identify nescience, the more they use the “don’t know”-option AND the less they answer incorrectly.
We analysed 3,359 test results from 2009 – 2014 of students from semester 1 – 9 at Witten/Herdecke University. We compared their mean results and could see an increase of right answers from 7.2% to 41.5% and a decrease of „don´t know“ answers from 89.2% to 44.6%. At the same time the ratio of wrong answers increased from 3.6% to 13.9%.
Whereas the increase of correct answers and the decrease of “don’t-know”-answers are as hypothesized in line with their progress, the increase of wrong answers needs further investigation. If this bases on a culture of not reflecting knowledge gaps and this behavior is fortified during studies this certainly is something to worry about. It seems reasonable to give specific feedback and to start thinking about new ways of the evaluation of nescience and guessing also in summative assessments [4], [5].
References
- 1.
- Nouns ZM, Georg W. Progress testing in German speaking countries. Med Teach. 2010;32(6):467-470. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2010.485656
- 2.
- Wrigley W, van der Vleuten CP, Freemann A, Muijtjens A. A systematic framework for the progress test: Strengths, constraints and issues: AMEE Guide No. 71. Med Teach. 2012;34(9):683-697. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2012.704437
- 3.
- Mccoubrie P. Improving the fairness of multiple-choice questions: a literature review. Med Teach. 2004;26(8):709-712. DOI: 10.1080/01421590400013495
- 4.
- Bond AE, Bodger O, Sibinski DO, Jones DH, Restall CJ, Dudley E, van Keulen G. Negatively-Marked MCQ Assessments That Reward Partial Knowledge Do Not Introduce Gender Bias Yet Increase Student Performance and Satisfaction and Reduce Anxiety. PLOS ONE. 2013;8(2):1-10. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055956
- 5.
- Caleon IS, Subramaniam R. So Students Know What They Know and What They Don’t Know? Using a Four-Tier Diagnostic Test to assess the Nature of Students’ Alternative Conceptions. Res Sci Educ. 2010;40:313-337. DOI: 10.1007/s11165-009-9122-4
