University Students' Perspectives toward Different Testing Methods

Students’ attitudes toward different test item types influence the face-validity of the measurement instrument and thereby affect the students’ performance on them. Therefore, knowing about such preferences is essential for test writers and users. The present study aims at exploring Hungarian university students’ attitudes and preferences with regards to multiplechoice and essay-type tasks. For this purpose, the paper first introduces basic concepts in educational assessment, then proceeds by reviewing the relevant literature about the field. It does so by first comparing the two test types from an objective point of view and then studying previously conducted research bearing relevance to the aims of the research. Using a pre-tested attitude inventory for measuring students’ preferences on testing methods, the author collects empirical data from university students. By analyzing the data, the author observes a general preference for multiple-choice test types in the case of most dimensions measured. The study also investigates and discusses the effects of participants’ gender, university program level, and judged academic performance on their attitudes toward the two test types