Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique Promotes Learning and Corrects Inaccurate first Responses

Abstract

Multiple-choice testing procedures that do not provide corrective feedback facilitate neither learning nor retention. In Studies 1 and 2, the performance of participants evaluated with the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF AT), a testing method providing immediate feedback and enabling participants to answer until correct, was compared to that of participants responding to identical tests with Scantron answer sheets. Performance on initial tests did not differ, but when retested after delays of 1 day or 1 week, participants evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated higher scores and correctly answered more questions that had been initially answered incorrectly than did participants evaluated with Scantron forms. In Study 3, immediate feedback and answering until correct was available to all participants using either the IF AT or a computerized testing system on initial tests, with the final test completed by all participants using Scantron forms. Participants initially evaluated with the IF AT demonstrated increased retention and correctly responded to more items that had initially been answered incorrectly. Active involvement in the assessment process plays a crucial role in the acquisition of information, the incorporation of accurate information into cognitive processing mechanisms, and the retrieval of correct answers during retention tests. Results of Studies 1-3 converge to indicate that the IF AT method actively engages learners in the discovery process and that this engagement promotes retention and the correction of initially inaccurate response strategies.