Norman G R, Smith E K, Powles A C, Rooney P J, Henry N L, Dodd P E
Med Educ. 1987 Jul;21(4):297-304. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1987.tb00367.x.
The study compares two popular forms of written tests; the multiple choice test (MCQ) and the Modified Essay Question (MEQ). Two factors were varied in the experiment: the format of the questions (multiple choice, directed free response, or open-ended free response) and the context of the questions (in a patient problem or in random sequence). Six problems were developed in each version, and administered to a total of 36 medical students at three educational levels using a Latin-square design. The results showed a significant effect of each factor in the design, amounting to a difference of 8.7% between MCQ and directed free response, 4.2% between directed and open-ended free response and 4.3% between problem and random context. However, the correlation of scores based on content across the formats approached unity after correction for attenuation. A process score, based on the style and presentation in the undirected format, correlated more strongly with the free-response questions. The results suggest that, although the MCQ and MEQ may assess different skills, there is a very strong relationship between content scores derived from the two formats. The free response formats may present the opportunity for assessment of other factors related to presentation if scoring procedures are modified. Finally, the effect of randomizing questions is a deterioration of performance when compared to placing questions in the problem context.
多项选择题（MCQ）和改良简答题（MEQ）。实验中改变了两个因素：问题的形式（多项选择、定向自由回答或开放式自由回答）和问题的背景（在患者问题情境中或随机排列）。每个版本编制了6个问题，并采用拉丁方设计对三个教育水平的总共36名医学生进行测试。结果显示设计中的每个因素都有显著影响，MCQ与定向自由回答之间的差异为8.7%，定向自由回答与开放式自由回答之间的差异为4.2%，问题情境与随机背景之间的差异为4.3%。然而，在对衰减进行校正后，基于内容的不同形式得分之间的相关性接近1。基于无定向形式的风格和呈现方式得出的过程得分与自由回答问题的相关性更强。结果表明，虽然MCQ和MEQ可能评估不同的技能，但两种形式得出的内容得分之间存在非常强的关系。如果修改评分程序，自由回答形式可能为评估与呈现方式相关的其他因素提供机会。最后，与将问题置于问题情境中相比，随机排列问题的效果是成绩下降。
