Test Item Formats in Finnish Chemistry Matriculation Examinations
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Chemistry matriculation examination questions, Classification, Constructed-response items, Selected-response items, Test item formatsAbstract
Summative assessment plays an essential role in the chemistry education. This paper presents an analysis of Finnish chemistry matriculation examination questions according to test item format, and some examples of the analysis and examination questions. The research data consisted of 257 chemistry questions from 28 matriculation examinations between 1996 and 2009. Qualitative approach and theory-driven content analysis method were employed in the research. This research was guided by the following question: What kinds of test item formats are used in chemistry matriculation examinations? The research indicates that summative assessment was used diversely in chemistry matriculation examinations. The tests included various test item formats, and their combinations. The majority of the test questions were constructed-response items that were either verbal, quantitative, or laboratory-related items, symbol items, or combinations of the aforementioned. The studied chemistry matriculation examinations seldom included selected-response items that can be either multiple-choice, binary-choice, or matching items. The classification framework developed in the research can be applied in chemistry and science education, and also in educational research.
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