Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital of Würzburg, Oberdürrbacher Str. 6-8, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
Institute of Medical Teaching and Medical Education Research, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 5;12(1):20982. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-25481-y.
Testing based on multiple choice questions (MCQ) is one of the most established forms of assessment, not only in the medical field. Extended matching questions (EMQ) represent a specific type of MCQ designed to require higher levels of cognition, such as problem-solving. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the suitability and efficiency of EMQ as an assessment method. EMQ were incorporated into the end-of-semester examination in internal medicine, in which 154 students participated, and compared with three established MCQ types. Item and examination quality were investigated, as well as readability and processing time. EMQ were slightly more difficult to score; however, both item discrimination and discrimination index were higher when compared to other item types. EMQ were found to be significantly longer and required more processing time, but readability was improved. Students judged EMQ as clearly challenging, but attributed significantly higher clinical relevance when compared to established MCQ formats. Using the Spearman-Brown prediction, only ten EMQ items would be needed to reproduce the Cronbach's alpha value of 0.75 attained for the overall examination. EMQ proved to be both efficient and suitable when assessing medical students, demonstrating powerful characteristics of reliability. Their expanded use in favor of common MCQ could save examination time without losing out on statistical quality.
基于多项选择题（MCQ）的测试是最成熟的评估形式之一，不仅在医学领域。扩展匹配题（EMQ）代表了一种特定类型的 MCQ，旨在要求更高水平的认知，如解决问题。本次评估的目的是评估 EMQ 作为一种评估方法的适宜性和效率。EMQ 被纳入内科学期末考试，共有 154 名学生参加，并与三种已建立的 MCQ 类型进行了比较。对项目和考试质量进行了调查，以及可读性和处理时间。EMQ 的得分略难；然而，与其他项目类型相比，项目区分度和区分指数都更高。EMQ 明显更长，需要更多的处理时间，但可读性得到了提高。学生们认为 EMQ 明显具有挑战性，但与已建立的 MCQ 格式相比，他们认为 EMQ 具有更高的临床相关性。使用斯皮尔曼-布朗预测，仅需要十个 EMQ 项目就可以重现整个考试获得的 0.75 的克朗巴赫α值。EMQ 在评估医学生时既有效又合适，表现出可靠的强大特征。扩大 EMQ 的使用，而减少常见 MCQ 的使用，可以节省考试时间，而不会降低统计质量。
