Studenters upplevelser av examinationen - Högskoleverket

Summary
Tests are a factor that greatly influences the studying and learning of students
(Marton et al, 1977; Ramsden, 1992). However, there is relatively little
research into how different forms of examination affect students’ strategies
(Bessman et al, 1985). This degree project has been carried out in cooperation
with the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education with the purpose
of elucidating testing from the perspective of the student, or rather, from the
perspective of former students. The paper is part of the National Agency for
Higher Education’s national project ”National Assessment of Testing in
Higher Education.” This study has focused on how former students
experienced various forms of examination and how their experience is
related to the students’ studying strategies. Data were collected using two
methods, questionnaires and interviews. A total of 184 former students from
programs in law, psychology, theology, and applied systems science at
Uppsala University were included in the questionnaire study. The response
rate turned out to be 83 percent, which means an external non-response rate
of 17 percent. Furthermore, 9 former students from various programs at
Uppsala University were interviewed.
The analysis of the interviews yielded two distinct manners of viewing the
ideal examination. It turned out that testing can either be seen from a control
perspective, in which such factors as fair and objective assessment are of
primary interest, or from a developmental perspective, in which the central
concern is that the examination should be an opportunity for the student to
learn something. Moreover, two distinct strategies emerged regarding how
to study for a test in an examination hall. The first strategy, the memorization
strategy, consists largely in trying to memorize details with the aid of study
sheets, mind maps, and rigmaroles, etc., whereas the second strategy mainly
involves trying to understand contexts. Virtually all interviewees agreed,
however, that they were characterized by adaptation, which was also
corroborated by the results of the questionnaire: 85 percent maintain that
their strategy for studying was more or less influenced by the form of the
examination.
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