Students performed better on oral measures than written measures in comparison studies¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Multiple comparison studies found students performed better on oral measures than written measures. → Fenton 2025

Evidence¶

Fenton 2025¶

Fenton, A. (2025). Reconsidering the Use of Oral Exams and Assessments: An Old Way to Move Into a New Future. Educational Researcher, 54(7), 430-436. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X251333638

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review's synthesis of comparison studies, citing Burke-Smalley (2014) and Roecker (2007), reports students performed better on oral measures than written measures. No effect sizes are printed; the review attributes the finding to the cited studies.

"Many studies have compared written assessments to oral ones and found students performed better on oral measures than written measures (e.g., Burke-Smalley 2014; Roecker, 2007)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Proposition 4: evidence gathered through distinct demands supports capability claims better than multiple records of the same performance — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• No evidence found that particular student groups are disadvantaged in oral versus written assessments — related
• Oral assessments can induce more anxiety than written ones, yet many students still prefer them — related
• False beginners read passages aloud significantly better than true beginners despite equal written-test scores — related
• Moving oral assessments online reduced required support staff hours from almost 8 days to 3 days