PRESERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’
PRESERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ OPINIONSON E-EXAM
ABSTRACT
With the developing information technologies in the new century, changes are experienced in every area of life and its reflections are seen in different areas. One of its reflections in the field of education is the E-exams, which have been used as an alternative to paper-pencil exams for years. Academic studies are needed for the integration of e-exams in the field of education and training. Thus, this new technology can be used efficiently in the field of education. Students’ views, which are at the center of education and training, are of special importance for the proper use of the e-exam. In this study, how the student views on E-exam applications in science education is examined. The study was carried out with students studying science at higher education level. As a data collection tool, a prepared questionnaire form was used. As a result of the findings obtained, it was revealed that student views towards E-exam in science education were significantly positive and that E-exam instead of K-exam was positively welcomed by the student.
Keywords: E-exam, Science instruction, Internet
INTRODUCTION
Evaluation and development of education and training are on the agenda of all countries as an important issue. Within the education itself, the level of attaining the determined goals is constantly evaluated by making different evaluations at different levels. Evaluation is carried out at every stage, starting from the basic level of education to higher education. The purpose of higher education is to develop student qualifications professionally. Evaluation of this development is necessary to evaluate the level of achieving the set goals. Evaluation, learning, and reasoning is an important area in higher education (Joughin, 2009). Measurement and evaluation in higher education, supporting the learning process; It provides benefits on important topics such as evaluating students’ success in lesson needs and maintaining the standards of the profession or discipline in which students are prepared (Joughin, 2009).
As a measurement tool, exams allow students to evaluate their performance in a particular area by comparing them to a certain standard or by comparing them to other students (Woolfolk, Hughes, & Walkup, 2008). In education, two types of exams use in student assessments. These are norm-based evaluation and criterion-based evaluation (Evers & Walberg, 2004). In norm-based exams, evaluation use based on a previously accepted norm. Norms determined here; These are the norm groups in the classroom or throughout the school, provincial-district and finally nationwide (Woolfolk et al., 2008). Small diameter as the norm, while all students in the class to determine the top three students in a class, group norms in determining the successful students in higher education are the students who pass the exam that tests throughout Turkey. In another type of assessment criteria-based exams, it is revealed what the examinees can or cannot do in a specified area. Instead of comparing with any group, there is a predetermined criterion. Evaluation is made according to this criterion (Woolfolk et al., 2008). For example, if students who take a higher education course have to take at least seventy to pass the course, the determined criteria are sufficient and the student is considered successful or unsuccessful according to this criterion.
The types of questions used in exams where evaluations based on a criterion are made; There are many variations such as match type questions, questions with multiple-choice items, right-wrong type questions, open-ended questions (Borich, 2013). The course teacher evaluates students according to various question types, and a determined success criterion. These exams are usually held face-to-face in a specific classroom setting and at schools. However, as a reflection of the results of the development in technology, measurement and evaluation processes have started to be performed without the need for a specific place, time and a special examiner or supervisor. It is possible to examine in two categories: exams in the field of education, exams performed in a certain time and place (K-Exams) and electronic exams that do not require a special time and place (E-Exam). Since E-Exam is a type of exam held in the computer environment, it is the types of exams that can be performed repeatedly in different computer environments and at different times.
It is predicted that E-Exams, which will take place in the measurement and evaluation system of the future, will replace K-Exam (Wise, 2019). The increase in computerization, especially in the social and education systems, indicates that this can happen earlier than expected. In order to provide this transition appropriately depending on the desired goals, the academic studies conducted and to be done provide significant knowledge. When the relevant literature is examined, recently E-Exam applications in education; It is seen that it has been used in different fields and for different purposes, and a wide variety of useful information has been obtained. Some studies in this area are presented below.
Online evaluations have a positive effect on student learning strategies (Zlatovic, Balaban, & Kermek, 2015). In a study carried out at a university as an innovation step in education; As a result of interactive online evaluations, students were shown to perform better academically, and even students with low motivation levels used this technology (Ibabe & Jauregizar, 2010). The number of questions in online exams can be changed at any time. Interactive multiple choice tests can be used as an alternative to written tests, especially considering the time spent (Karl et al., 2007). Computerized tests have several advantages such as ease of timing, instant scoring ability, and advanced security (Vrabel, 2004). The comfort of students in computer exams is related to computer experiences. However, neither computer experience nor anxiety shows any significant correlation with the performance in computer testing. While the students performed much better in the paper test than the computer test, it was revealed that there was no statistical difference in the ranking in the two evaluation forms (Lee & Weerakoon, 2001). This shows that the online exams can be used as an alternative rather than paper and pencil exams. As a result of another study, it has been seen that using computer-based assessment with constructive and fast computer-based feedback reduces the difference in success of new generation digital students (Helfaya, 2019). In particular, the age of getting acquainted with the technology of each new generation can be considered being at a higher level, as a result of the interaction with earlier and newer technologies. Another result from the same study revealed that many participants valued the E-media study compared to the K-exam assessment and appreciated the timely and constructive feedback feed they received (Helfaya, 2019). Whether there is a significant change in the performance of the students depending on the screen in the E-Exam is another subject examined. In paper-pencil tests, students perform reading, writing, and problem solving in a certain area. In E-Exam, this field is the computer screen. In a study examining the effect of the size or size of the screen on student performances; There is no significant evidence to support the positive impact of a large, high-resolution display on students’ performance (Chen & Perie, 2018).
These studies are analyzed, e-exam applications provide different kinds of benefits, but it is seen that there are specific situations related to the application within each subject area. In order to make the transition from K-exams to E-exams, the specific conditions of each field should be examined in detail. In this way, it provides the opportunity to obtain the necessary information in the creation of the appropriate e-exam system or systems by making different applications in different types of courses in the educational levels. In this context, e-exam application in the field of science education at higher education level and evaluation of the results obtained are important for the transition to the e-exam system in the future or for the use of these exams in case of need in the existing system. The applications made in science education, which is one of the usage areas of the e-exam, can be determined specifically whether these exams require field-specific differences.
In this study for this purpose; In the field of science education, the opinions of students about the E-Exam at the level of university education were investigated. The question for which an answer is sought; What are the students’ views on E-Exam application in science education? Determined as. Within the scope of this research question, answers to the following sub-questions were sought.
– How are the opinions of the students towards E-Exam in science teaching in terms of practicality and usefulness of the exam?
– What kind of affective effect does the E-exam have on students in science teaching?
– Since the e-exam is conducted electronically, how is the reliability of the exam evaluated by the students?
METOD
This study, in which student views were evaluated for the use of E-exams in science education, was carried out with a special working group at higher education. The information about the working group, data collection tool, data analysis and how to apply the exam are given below in detail.
E-exam application
Exam application was done in one step, at the end of the subject, in the school and classroom environment. Students participated in the exam with their mobile phones. For the required internet connection, wireless internet access was provided in the classroom, thus providing the necessary infrastructure for students without internet package to connect to the internet for free. Before the concept test was done, a few sample question-answer applications were carried out so that students could get to know the system, and the guidance that was needed provided the students. To the students before the e-exam; “Each student will be asked the same questions, but the questions that come to you each instant will differ. For example, while a person sees the question number 3 on the screen, their friend will see the question number 9. However, you will answer the same 20 questions in total”. “Socrative” software was used for the exam application interface. The students entered the system by writing their school student numbers and answered the questions. After the exam, the opinions of the students about the E-exam were collected with a questionnaire applied.
Participants
Application participants in this study, Turkey’s eastern area, recently established a new university, studying Faculty of Education Science Education Department and “Special Teaching Methods” consists of lessons from the total of 17 students. 6 of the participants are Male and 9 are Female. One participant did not give information about gender status. In the sample selection, purposeful sampling from non-probability techniques was used (Gürbüz & Şahin, 2014). The reason for choosing Special Teaching Methods course; In order to evaluate critically the use of E-Exam exams, which can be considered as new with paper and pencil tests in traditional education, students must have a certain level of pedagogical knowledge (classroom management, assessment and evaluation, learning psychology, teaching planning, teaching methods, etc.). Thus, the students were aimed to make more qualitative criticisms while evaluating the e-Exam application with their pedagogical knowledge. The study was conducted with all students who took the course.
Data Collection Tools
Two measurement tools were used for this study, which was carried out for student views and exam evaluation regarding E-Exam application in science education at higher education level. The first of these is the questionnaire of students’ opinions about the E-Exam exam prepared by (Ö. Yılmaz, 2016). The survey evaluates an E-Exam with three sub-factors. These factors are; Practicality and usefulness (α = 0.88), Affective effect factor (α = 0.82) and Reliability (α = 0.81) are given. The cronbach alpha reliability coefficient calculated for the questionnaire containing 17 items in total is α = 0.87. The measurement tool, which has a high coefficient for reliability, was used to examine student views. The second measurement tool is the “element” subject comprehension test in the science field. This test consists of 20 questions. There was no reliability and validity study for this test prepared by the teacher. The exam is not prepared for general evaluation, of course. The test was used to determine the level of comprehension of the students about the subject of the teacher. In the distribution of the question, 4 questions in the test, which includes multiple choice and right and wrong type questions, were prepared in the form of 16 other image question type (IQT). It is easier to prepare image question type in E-exams than K-exams. The use of IQT is limited, especially since there is a limited area for questions in K-exams. While there is an opportunity to use IQT without any limitation in the E-exam, the number of questions is kept low since it is intended that students have an exam application similar to the current K-exams.
Data Analysis
In the questionnaire, which includes three sub-factors, some questions are straight and some questions are inverse question type negative. While performing the analysis, corrections were made for the reverse question types. While the correction was made, since the scoring interval for the survey items was 1-5, the correction was made as 6-X (x; scoring given to the statement). Thus, for the questionnaire, it has been turned into a data that determines 1 minimum participation and 5 maximum participation levels in all items. In the scoring interval, 3 midpoints and qualitatively indecision were determined, the score at the bottom of this value was evaluated as a negative opinion, and the value at the top was considered as a positive opinion. Since the sample is a single group, a single sample t-test (one sample t-test) was performed while performing statistical analysis. SPSS computer software was used for statistical analysis. Again, in order to make sense of the data, percentage, frequency, average and standard deviation parameters were used.
RESULTS
The findings obtained in this study, in which students’ opinions are evaluated regarding the E-exam application in science education, are given below.
As seen on Table 1, more than half of the participants are female 56.3%. However, in general, the proportion of females and males is close to each other in the study group. As a sample, it is seen that the group of participants is suitable. The participant age range is 20-24 and the average age is 22. As final year students, the age range and average are at the expected level. The cronbach alpha reliability coefficient calculated for the survey is α = 0.86. This value shows that the survey is reliable.
In the Table 2, it is seen that student opinions differ significantly among the three sub-factors in the survey. Students generally have positive views towards the E-Exam. In addition, in Table 3, where the students’ opinions are analyzed on the basis of items, it is seen in which fields the opinions of the students differ significantly.
The findings obtained after the one sample t-test regarding the items at which students’ opinions differ significantly are shown in Table 3. In Table 3 are analyzed, it is seen that all items received an above average score. It is a conclusion from Table 3 that all opinions are positive. Again, after the t-test in which the significant difference was investigated, it was seen that there was a significant difference (p <0.05) in all the items except for five items. Within the scope of science education course, the views of science students regarding E-exam are positive.
In the Table 3, five items were examined closely, it was revealed that there was no difference at the p <0.05 significance level. (about students’ preference for the online exam over paper-pencil exam (item 2); about asking for all exams to be on the internet (item 4); about the questions in the online exam to measure learning better (item 6); choosing the online exam instead of the paper-pencil exam about (item 8); about feeling that the online exam is more stressful than the paper and pencil exam (item 9)). On the other hand, when the answers given to the other items are examined (at the significance level of p <0.05), it is seen that the online exam can be used in science lessons, and in this context, students do not have a negative opinion.
DISCUSSION
The opinions of the students towards E-exam in science education are examined, some important results have emerged. Student opinions about the E-Exam are generally positive. Most of these views are statistically significant. With the widespread use of the Internet, it seems to be an expected situation, considering that not only students but also teachers are positive about the online learning environment (R. Yılmaz, Gümüş, & Okur, 2005). However, there is an indecision in students’ opinions about E-Exam (Çiğdem & Tan, 2014). It is seen as an important factor that students expressing negative opinions do not feel comfortable enough in using technology (Başol, Ünver, & Çiğdem, 2017). However, considering that there may be university-based differences in student opinions regarding that online education applications will have positive results (Tanyıldızı & Semerci, 2005), it is seen that adapting to this new technology is the most important factor to achieve the desired positive effect in e-exams.
Questions asked online can be asked at the most appropriate point of teaching. It can be tried at any time in any field in which the student is trained (Jordan, 2013). However, regardless of the field, students should firstly solve the adaptation problem for this new E-Exam technology. At the solution point of this problem; Considering that each new generation is compatible with technology better than previous generations, it does not seem to be a problem to be observed recently. In addition, providing diversity in the use of E-Exams, which are supported by students with positive opinions and are often preferred to K-Exam is necessary in order to reveal in detail the factors that cause negative opinions. In terms of academic success, the fact that the students are more successful in the E-exam compared to the K-exam (Yağcı, Ekiz, & Gelbal, 2015) shows that the E-Exam has the potential to replace the K-Exam recently. It shows that there is a high potential for science education and students studying in this field to be ready for such a change in the near future.
CONCLUSION
With the developing information technologies in the new century, changes are experienced in every area of life and its reflections are seen in different areas. One of its reflections in the field of education is the E-exams, which have been used as an alternative to K-exams for years.
The purpose of the current study was to determine students views towards E-exam in science education. The students view significantly positive and that E-exam instead of K-exam was positively welcomed by the student.
Although e-exams have the potential to replace the usual K-exams as a measurement tool, the integration of the new exam system in the field of education should be ensured by using it together with the K-exams for a while.
Considering that users should be a certain level of technology literate for e-exams, it seems that students do not have a significant problem in this field. In particular, the introduction of each new generation to technology at an early age shows that they will get better in this field. However, new academic studies are required for teachers to adapt to these new technological developments and use them effectively.
Note: In this study; The concept of “E-Exam” is used for the exam types in the literature where questions such as E-Exam exam, computer assisted exam, online exam, electronic exam… are asked through a technological tool and their answers are given through the technological tool. The concept of “K-Exam” was used for the type of exam, which was made using paper and pencil, where questions were asked on paper and answers were given on paper, in order to provide integrity in the general writing flow and to be more understandable.
