Kolomitro Klodiana, MacKenzie Leslie W, Lockridge Mackenzie, Clohosey Diandra
Office of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University Kingston Ontario Canada.
Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Queen's University Kingston Ontario Canada.
Health Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 3;3(4):e209. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.209. eCollection 2020 Dec.
Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) in the anatomical sciences are often perceived to be targeting recall of facts and regurgitation of trivial details. Moving away from this assumption requires the design of purposeful multiple-choice questions that focus on higher-order cognitive functions as opposed to rote memorization. In order to develop such questions, it was important to first understand the strategies that students use in solving multiple-choice questions. Using the think-aloud protocol, this study seeks to understand strategies students use in solving multiple-choice questions. Specifically, it seeks to uncover patterns in the reasoning process and tactics used when solving higher and lower order MCQ in anatomy. The research also provides insights onto how these strategies influence the student's probability of answering questions correctly.
Multiple-choice questions were created at three levels of cognitive functioning based on the ideas, connections, extensions (ICE) learning framework. The think-aloud protocol was used to unravel problem-solving strategies used by 92 undergraduate anatomy students as they solved multiple-choice questions.
Sixteen strategies were identified through the oral and written think-alouds that students used to solve MCQ. Eleven of these have been described and supported by the literature, while the rest were utilized by our students when solving MCQ in anatomy. Domain-specific strategies of visualizing and recalling had the highest use. Personal connection was a strategy that allowed students to achieve success in all ICE levels in the oral think-alouds and in the I and E levels in the written think-alouds.
This research argues that it is upon us as educators to make learning visible to our students, specifically through the use of think-alouds. It also raises awareness that when educators facilitate the process of students making personal connections, it aids students in new knowledge being integrated effectively and retrieved accurately.
解剖学领域的多项选择题（MCQ）常常被认为只是考查事实记忆和琐碎细节的复述。要摒弃这种观念，就需要设计有针对性的多项选择题，使其侧重于高阶认知功能而非死记硬背。为了编制这样的题目，首先了解学生解答多项选择题所采用的策略至关重要。本研究运用出声思维法，旨在了解学生解答多项选择题时所采用的策略。具体而言，试图揭示在解答解剖学中高阶和低阶多项选择题时所使用的推理过程和策略模式。该研究还深入探讨了这些策略如何影响学生正确回答问题的概率。
基于观点、联系、拓展（ICE）学习框架，编制了三个认知功能水平的多项选择题。运用出声思维法，剖析92名本科解剖学学生在解答多项选择题时所采用的解题策略。
通过学生解答多项选择题时的口头和书面出声思维，确定了16种策略。其中11种已被文献描述和支持，其余则是我们的学生在解答解剖学多项选择题时所采用的。可视化和回忆等特定领域策略的使用频率最高。个人联系策略使学生在口头出声思维的所有ICE水平以及书面出声思维的I和E水平上都取得了成功。
本研究认为，作为教育工作者，我们有责任让学生看到学习的过程，特别是通过出声思维法。这也提高了人们的认识，即当教育工作者促进学生建立个人联系的过程时，有助于学生有效地整合新知识并准确地检索知识。
