Student Course Performance and Collaborative Testing: A Prospective Follow-On Study

Student Attitudes, Satisfaction, and Learning in a Collaborative Testing Environment*

“…As reported in the authors' previous studies, quiz scores for the collaborative cohort were again substantially higher than those for the solo cohort. 9,10 Although the authors previously posited that collaborative testing may better prepare students to complete unit examinations as individuals, results of this study do not concur. 9,10 Paradoxically, the control cohort of the current project scored significantly higher on the second and third unit examinations.…”

“…9,10 Although the authors previously posited that collaborative testing may better prepare students to complete unit examinations as individuals, results of this study do not concur. 9,10 Paradoxically, the control cohort of the current project scored significantly higher on the second and third unit examinations. The significant increases in the control cohort examination performance may indicate a reverse Hawthorne effect.…”

“…9,10,42 These inconsistent significant differences between the two cohorts regarding the quizzes and the unit examinations relative to the subsequent final examination may be related to the length of the final examination, higher stress level for the perceived difficulty of a "final," total course points prior to final examination, or length of the academic term. 10,11 Researchers have also opined that as students' overall scores increased during the term based on the collaborative testing, there may have been a tendency for students in the collaborative testing groups to prepare less for the final and study for other courses instead. 10,42 In this project, the cohorts were members of two separate classrooms, as similar as availability permitted.…”

“…10,11 Researchers have also opined that as students' overall scores increased during the term based on the collaborative testing, there may have been a tendency for students in the collaborative testing groups to prepare less for the final and study for other courses instead. 10,42 In this project, the cohorts were members of two separate classrooms, as similar as availability permitted. Due to this nonequivalent design, the groups could not be assumed to be demographically equivalent and MANCOVA was used for analysis of the pretest/final exam/delayed posttest data.…”

“…23 As previously noted, collaborative testing has also been noted for its value as an educational method of enhancing critical thinking skills and developing a higher-level knowledge of material. 1,[5][6][7][8][9][10][12][13][14]18 The collaborative environment encourages students to become active learners and may positively impact students' attitudes regarding the clarity and importance of course material as well as enhance critical thinking skills and depth of understanding. 5,6,14,15,18,29 Peer collaboration may also play a role in reducing the competitive nature of testing (and the educational experience as a whole) as well as serve as a conduit to improve interpersonal skills and critical thinking.…”