Different Learning Levels in Multiple-choice and Essay Tests: Immediate and Delayed Retention

• Main Authors: Mahnaz Saeidi, Maryam Soleimani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch 2009-05-01
• Series: Journal of Applied Linguistics
• Subjects: Multiple-Choice Questions; Essay; Remember an Instance; Remember a Generality; Use a Generality; Immediate and Delayed Retention
• Online Access: http://jal.iaut.ac.ir/article_524146_8df81569e5535885cbe0913fac7549b8.pdf

This study investigated the effects of different learning levels, including Remember an Instance (RI), Remember a Generality (RG), and Use a Generality (UG) in multiple-choice and essay tests on immediate and delayed retention. Three-hundred pre-intermediate students participated in the study. Reading passages with multiple-choice and essay questions in different levels of learning were given to the participants to investigate the effects on both immediate and delayed retention. The findings revealed that to evaluate immediate retention, multiple-choice questions at remember levels are effective, but for enhancing delayed retention, essay questions, especially at UG level, are more effective. The results of the study suggest that tests can be used as aids to retention beyond their primary evaluation function.