Multiple-Choice Quizzing with Plausible Alternatives and Feedback¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 quant-synthesis), q3–q4 · 1 of 2 report an effect size

Description¶

The chapter concludes that "For practical purposes, multiple-choice questions produce positive effects on learning", and that the risk of picking up erroneous lure knowledge is dramatically reduced when students receive feedback. Constructing competitive, plausible incorrect alternatives may add benefits when questions lead learners to reason about why alternatives are incorrect.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Provide feedback, immediate or delayed, by having students study correct answers after answering.
• Construct alternatives that are plausible, so learners must retrieve reasons why other options are wrong.

Constraints¶

• When initial retrieval success is low, more alternatives increase selection of incorrect responses, which are remembered later.
• Without feedback, students may retain incorrect lures they selected.

Target Learners¶

• College students
• Middle school science students

Target Learning Goals¶

• Retention of tested facts
• Performance on related questions not directly tested

Related Strategies¶

• Feedback Enhances Retrieval Practice [+M]

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Karpicke, J. D. (2017). Retrieval-Based Learning: A Decade of Progress. Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference, 2nd edition, Volume 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21055-9