Problematising the equivalence of the test results of performance-based critical thinking tests for undergraduate students

Heidi Hyytinen, Kari Nissinen, Jani Ursin, Auli Toom, Sari Lindblom-Ylänne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

This article compares the test results of two different performance-based assessments of critical thinking: a constructed-response task from the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ). These tests ostensibly measure the same critical thinking skills, such as analysing, interpreting and evaluating information and problem solving. The study utilised a mixed-method approach to explore the differences in students’ (n=330) test scores. The results showed that the correspondence between the CLA and the MCQ was fully comparable in 45.5% of the students’ test performances. Ten per cent of the students had completely opposite test results. Explanations for the inconsistent results are discussed in detail.
Original languageEnglish
JournalStudies in Educational Evaluation
Volume44
Pages (from-to)1-8
Number of pages8
ISSN0191-491X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2015
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

  • 516 Educational sciences
  • critical thinking
  • constructed-response task
  • multiple-choice test
  • AHELO
  • performance assessment

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