Cortright Ronald N, Collins Heidi L, Rodenbaugh David W, DiCarlo Stephen E
Department of Exercise and Sport Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
Adv Physiol Educ. 2003 Dec;27(1-4):102-8. doi: 10.1152/advan.00041.2002.
We recently reported that collaborative testing (i.e., group test taking) increased student performance on quizzes. It is unknown, however, whether collaborative testing improves student retention of course content. Therefore, this study was designed to test the hypotheses that collaborative-group testing improves student retention of course content. To test this hypothesis, our undergraduate exercise physiology class of 38 students was randomly divided into two groups: group A (n = 19) and group B (n = 19). During exam 1, students from both groups answered questions in the traditional format as individuals. Immediately after completing the exam as individuals, students from group A answered a randomly selected subset of questions from exam 1 in groups of two (1 group had 3 students) to test the effectiveness of collaborative-group testing on test performance and level of student retention. On the next exam (exam 2, 4 wk later), students from both groups answered questions in the traditional format as individuals and responded to the same subset of questions from exam 1. The subset of questions was analyzed to determine the level of retention of the original test material. In addition, immediately after completing the exam as individuals, students from group B answered a randomly selected subset of questions from exam 2 in groups of two (1 group had 3 students). Finally, on the next exam (exam 3, 4 wk later), students from both groups answered questions in the traditional format as individuals and responded to the same subset of questions from exam 2. This protocol followed a randomized crossover design to control for time and order effects. Student retention of course content was reduced when students completed the original examinations individually. In sharp contrast, student retention was improved (P < 0.05) when students completed the original examinations in groups. Results suggest that collaborative testing is an effective strategy to enhance learning and increase student retention of course content.
我们最近报告称，合作测试（即小组一起考试）提高了学生在小测验中的成绩。然而，合作测试是否能提高学生对课程内容的记忆尚不清楚。因此，本研究旨在检验合作小组测试能提高学生对课程内容记忆的假设。为了验证这一假设，我们将38名本科运动生理学课程的学生随机分为两组：A组（n = 19）和B组（n = 19）。在第一次考试中，两组学生都以个人形式回答传统格式的问题。在以个人形式完成考试后，A组学生立即两人一组（有一组为3人）回答从第一次考试中随机抽取的一部分问题，以测试合作小组测试对考试成绩和学生记忆水平的有效性。在下一次考试（四周后的第二次考试）中两组学生都以个人形式回答传统格式的问题，并回答与第一次考试相同的那部分问题。对这部分问题进行分析以确定对原始测试材料的记忆水平。此外，在以个人形式完成考试后，B组学生立即两人一组（有一组为3人）回答从第二次考试中随机抽取的一部分问题。最后，在下一次考试（四周后的第三次考试）中，两组学生都以个人形式回答传统格式的问题，并回答与第二次考试相同的那部分问题。该方案采用随机交叉设计以控制时间和顺序效应。当学生单独完成原始考试时，他们对课程内容的记忆会降低。与之形成鲜明对比的是，当学生分组完成原始考试时，记忆得到了改善（P < 0.05）。结果表明，合作测试是增强学习效果和提高学生对课程内容记忆的有效策略。
