New Perspectives in Science Education

This research was part of a larger study into student performance in senior chemistry with regard to question type and content. This paper examines student perceptions about question type and context and compares these perceptions to actual performance. How students perceive different types of questions and how it influences their self-belief and motivation were the focus of this study. Student responses to different styles or types of questions have been well researched over time. In this study Year 11 chemistry students were quizzed about their preferences to Multiple-Choice questions and Open Response question types and how the presence of each type was likely to influence their test performance. Student's perceptions were then correlated to their actual performance on sample chemistry tests. Students generally preferred Multiple-Choice questions and believed they were likely to perform better on these questions regardless of the topic. Test results did not always support this confidence. Students of lesser ability most strongly preferred Multiple-Choice questions whereas students of higher ability showed a stronger preference for Open Response questions. Suggestions for further research are also made.