Students' Expectations and Their Answer-Changing Behavior

Abstract

Answer-changing data were collected on 100 multiple choice test items from a course in statistics and research methods taken by a class of professional school students. After the course 92 of the students responded to an instrument assessing their reasons for revising answers and beliefs relative to the consequences of answer changing. A majority (86%) indicated that their response changes reflected decisions based upon reconsideration; however, the remaining subjects cited other motives. Most subjects incorrectly expected answer changing to result in a loss of test score points. Subjects' beliefs regarding the consequences of answer changing did not influence their behavior in test-taking.