Studentische Bewertung und Präferenz von Hochschulprüfungen mit Aufgaben im offenen und geschlossenen Antwortformat

Compared to constructed response (CR) items, multiple-choice (MC) items play an increasing role in university exams. This study investigates format-specific expectations and preferences of students which may influence their self-regulated learning behavior (assessment drives learning). Three-hundred-fifty students rated MC and CR exams on multiple dimensions. As hypothesized, there were significant (p ≤ .001) differences: Students expected a lower workload (d = 1.22), higher success of test-wiseness strategies (d = 0.70), a higher objectivity of test results (d = 1.47) and more fairness (d = 0.27) in MC exams, whereas they perceived a greater potential to showcase their knowledge in CR exams (d = –2.53). We found no overarching global preference, but individual preferences for each format; these could be partially explained by format-specific expectations. Implications for higher education exams are discussed.