Using Socrative for Vocabulary Tests : Thai EFL Learner Acceptance and Perceived Risk of Cheating

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in using online quizzes with Student Response System (SRS) for assessment, knowledge and empirical evidence about learner acceptance and risk of cheating are still limited in the literature. Hence, to address such gaps, this study explored Thai EFL learner acceptance and perceived risk of cheating of using Socrative for vocabulary tests. The participants (N = 461, 77.4% female, 22.6% male) attended a General English (GE) course that required them to learn fifty English words every week. The vocabulary tests took place in the first ten minutes of the class for ten weeks delivered by using Socrative. At the end of the course, this study investigated learner acceptance and perceived risk of cheating using a set of survey constructed based on Davis (1989) and collected the data of vocabulary learning outcomes and proficiency levels. The data were, then, analysed by using independent t-test, correlation, and multiple regression analyses. The results indicated Thai EFL learner acceptance of Socrative with the risk of cheating during vocabulary tests. Learner acceptance was influenced by proficiency level and predicted a small amount of learning outcomes. These results have some implications for instructional course designs adopting online quizzes for testing.

EFL Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions of Google Forms as a Digital Formative Assessment Tool in Saudi Secondary Schools

“…The second finding of this study indicates the possibility of cheating during online tests on Google Forms, where the participants confirmed the ease and existence of cheating when completing online tests. This finding aligns with those of the existing literature (King et al, 2009;Rowe, 2004;Özden, 2005;Rofiah & Waluyo, 2020). Despite cheating being a common phenomenon in any environment, it occurs to a more considerable extent in online assessment according to King et al (2009).…”

“…Many students felt more comfortable in online assessments and tended to cheat since what they did during the exam could not be seen (Rowe, 2004). Rofiah and Waluyo (2020) found that EFL students preferred using online quiz tools such as Socrative for vocabulary testing because it was easier to cheat; however, there was a lower probability of cheating among more proficient students. Therefore, although cheating is a common phenomenon in education that cannot be removed from online or traditional assessments, it does exist to a more considerable extent in online environments (King, et al, 2009).…”

“…The framework for the perceived risk of cheating in this study is built on previous studies that have examined the possibility of cheating in online assessments. In several studies, students who experienced using online assessments stated that it was easy to cheat (King & Guyette & Piotrowski, 2009;Rowe, 2004;Özden, 2005;Rofiah & Waluyo, 2020). The data collected through surveys by Özden (2005) suggest that most students agreed with the easiness of cheating in online tests.…”

“…The items of the questionnaire were created by the researchers except for four of them. ; for example, the fifth item of perceived self-efficacy was adapted from Fageeh's (2015) study and modified to meet the aims of this study and the fourth, seventh, and tenth items of the perceived risk of cheating were adapted from Rofiah and Waluyo (2020). The responses were based on a five-point Likert scale ranging from "1-strongly disagree" to "5-strongly agree".…”

“…Before administering the questionnaire, items were translated into Arabic to avoid any confusion that may occur due to variances in learners' English language proficiency and to avoid random responses that may affect survey reliability. An Assistant Professor at the ELI specializing in TESOL checked all the items for face validity except for the three items of risk of cheating adapted from Rofiah and Waluyo (2020). Additionally, a pilot study was conducted on a convenient sample consisting of 35 students, who were relevant to the target population, to determine the feasibility and consistency of the questionnaire items before gathering actual data.…”