Department of Psychology and Center for Test Development and Diagnostics, University of Fribourg, rue de Faucigny 2, Fribourg, 1700, Switzerland.
Center for Test Development and Diagnostics, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 13;24(1):998. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05971-5.
In Switzerland, the scholastic aptitude test for medical-school selection takes place in three languages. This study examined the effects of two quasi-experimental interventions that aimed to reduce existing differences in test results between the French- and German-speaking language candidates.
Between 2018 and 2023, the population of applicants to Swiss medical schools consisted of N = 18'824 German- and French-speaking individuals. Based on a quasi-experimental design, we examined the effects of two interventions regarding preparatory material, in these cohorts. The first intervention (2022) consisting of practice trials in baccalaureate schools in the canton of Fribourg enabled French-speaking candidates primarily from the canton of Fribourg to prepare more intensively with official tasks. Practice trials enable future candidates to complete a published test version under original conditions and thus prepare how to approach the real test. The second intervention (2023) released new preparatory material in all languages for one group of tasks for which differences between the language groups were more pronounced than in the other tasks. The test provider offered this material for free download together with existing preparation materials and thereby enabled more intensive preparation.
After the first intervention, the initially small to medium-sized mean differences in z-transformed test scores between French-speaking candidates from Fribourg and German-speaking candidates were nearly eliminated (from 0.39 to 0.05). Also for French-speaking candidates from outside of the canton of Fribourg, the mean differences were smaller than before the intervention (0.48 before, 0.39 after first intervention). After the second intervention, particularly the mean differences in test scores between German-speaking and French-speaking candidates from outside of Fribourg were further reduced (to 0.24).
The two interventions regarding material for preparing to participate in the aptitude test affected candidates' test scores. They reduced the gap between German- and French-speaking candidates showing that the additional benefits of commercial offers for test preparation are limited. Hence, offering comparable official preparation material to all language groups enhances test fairness.
在瑞士，医学院选拔的学术能力倾向测验以三种语言进行。本研究考察了两项准实验干预措施的效果，这些措施旨在缩小法语和德语考生之间现有考试成绩的差异。
2018 年至 2023 年，瑞士医学院申请者的人群由 18824 名讲德语和法语的个体组成。基于准实验设计，我们在这两个队列中检查了两项干预措施（准备材料）的效果。第一项干预措施（2022 年）包括在弗里堡州的高中进行模拟考试，使主要来自弗里堡州的法语考生能够更深入地进行官方任务的准备。模拟考试使未来的考生能够在原始条件下完成已发布的测试版本，从而准备如何应对真实考试。第二项干预措施（2023 年）以所有语言发布了一组任务的新准备材料，这些任务的语言群体之间的差异比其他任务更为明显。考试机构免费提供了这些材料与现有备考材料一起下载，从而使备考更加深入。
第一次干预后，法语考生（来自弗里堡州）和德语考生之间最初较小至中等程度的 z 分数标准化测试成绩差异几乎消除（从 0.39 到 0.05）。对于来自弗里堡州以外的法语考生，差异也小于干预前（干预前为 0.48，干预后为 0.39）。第二次干预后，特别是弗里堡州以外的法语考生和德语考生之间的测试成绩差异进一步缩小（至 0.24）。
关于参加能力倾向测验准备材料的两项干预措施影响了考生的考试成绩。它们缩小了德语和法语考生之间的差距，表明商业考试准备材料的额外好处是有限的。因此，向所有语言群体提供可比的官方准备材料可以提高考试的公平性。
