*ESSAY QUESTIONS

Presenter Name

Presentation Date

Essay Questions

Group no. 5

Sonam Dorji

Choney Dorji

Deepak Sharma

Khandu Wangmo

Karma Letho

Group No. 8

Phuntsho Choden

Tshering Dema

Sherab Jatsho

Namgyel Wangchuk

Jigme Wangchuk

OUTLINE

*Definitions

*Types of essay questions

*Guidelines

*Advantages

*Disadvantages

*Conclusion

*References

*"A test item which requires a response

composed by the examinee,. . .

. . .usually in the form of one or more

sentences, of a nature that no single

response or pattern of responses can be

listed as correct, . . .

… and the accuracy and quality of which

can be judged subjectively only by one

skilled or informed in the subject."

Definition:-

An examination or test questions that requires an

explanation and analytical answer in a sentence,

paragraph, or short composition .

Essay

There are two major purposes for using essay

questions;

First purpose is to assess students' understanding of

and ability to think with subject matter content.

Secondly it is to assess students' writing abilities.

However in general essay questions are most suitable

for the purposes such as

To assess students’ understanding of subject-matter

content

To assess students’ abilities to reason with their

knowledge of a subject.

Asses high order thinking ability.

Types of Essay items.

Norman E. Gronlund (1985)

classified into :

1.Restricted Response Questions.

2.Extended Response Questions

Restricted Response Questions

*The RRQ places strict limits on the

answer to be given. The boundaries of

the subject matter to be considered

are usually narrowly defined by the

problem, and the specific form of the

answer is also commonly indicated (by

word such as “list”, “define” and “give

reasons”)

*Contd. . .

Examples :

1.LIST two reasons why the director had

planned to install a fake elephant?

Explain how he executed his plan.

(BHSEC)

2. Outline the Concept of Giant Chromosome

with respect to chromosome discovered by

Ruckert.

Extended Response Questions

*The ERQ gives students almost unlimited

freedom to determine the form and scope of

their responses.

*Although in some instances rather rigid

practical limits may be imposed, such as

time limits or page limits, restrictions on the

material to be included in the answer and on

the form of responses are held to a

minimum.

*Provides for the creative integration of

ideas, the overall evaluation of materials,

and a broad approach to problem solving.

Examples :

1.After reading the essay, how did the essay affect you? Write down your feelings. (BHSEC/01II/2013 )

2.Euthenics and Eugenics are known to be science which helps in proper human race propagation. Enumerate the statement with essay describing the necessity of this science in ideal human race

1. Never use essay questions simply to

measure knowledge of facts.

Example:

Poor

item:

What do you think would happen if mitochondria

had a structure like lysosomes?

Better

item:

For a cell and its organelles, structure and

functions are intimately related, If one is changed

,the other is affected. What do you think would

happen if mitochondria had a structure like

lysosomes? Give details in your discussion.

2. Clearly define the intended learning outcome

to assessed by the item.

Sometimes questions are so broad and unfocused that it is

difficult for students to know how to respond.

Poor: Discuss the migration habits of birds.

Better: State two hypotheses about why birds migrate south in the fall.

Summarize the evidence supporting each hypothesis and defend one

you believe is most accurate.

3.Questions that ask students to draw a judgment

should be evaluated based on Strength of their

arguments not on whether they agree with their

position.

Example:

World is today in badly need of GNH principle. Do you

agree or disagree. Support your answer with relevant and

validated reasons.

4. Specify the word limits and the approximate

time limit in clear directions.

helps students allocate their time in answering several

essay questions because the directions clarify the

relative merit of each essay question.

Without such guidelines students may feel at a loss as to

how much time to spend on a question.

When deciding how much time should be spent on a

question, keep the slower students and students with

certain disabilities in mind.

5. Preview and Review

a. Predict student responses.

b. Write a model answer.

c. Ask a knowledgeable colleague to critically review the

essay question, the model answer, and the intended

learning outcome for alignment.

d. Review student responses to the essay question.

6. The task can be written as a statement or

question.

In essay questions, the task can be presented either in the

form of a direct question or an imperative statement.

If written as a question, then it must be readily translatable

into the form of an imperative statement.

Question How does the use of chemical fertilizer affects the yield and

quantity of crop?

Imperative

statement

The use of chemical fertilizer increases the yield and quality of

crop. Justify.

7. State the criteria for grading

Students should know what criteria will be

applied to grade their responses.

The content of all of your responses to essay

questions will be graded in terms of the

accuracy, completeness, and relevance of the

ideas expressed.

The form of your answer will be evaluated in

terms of clarity, organization, correct mechanics

(spelling,

punctuation, grammar, capitalization), and

legibility.

8. Develop a list of the main points that should

be included and develop a scoring system.

To be fair and accurate it is essential to prepare a scoring

key that specifies

• The major points to be included,

• The amount of credit to assigned for each major point.

9. Minimize the influence of extraneous factor

Random checking or reshuffle

Evaluate same question at a time of all the student.

Use ID number instead of name or teacher should prevent

knowing who’s answer sheet it is.

10. Avoid the use of optional questions

The use of optional questions should be avoided for the

following reasons:

1. Students may waste time deciding on an option.

2. Some questions are likely to be harder to answer than

others. This could make the comparative assessment

of students' abilities unfair.

3. The use of optional questions makes it difficult to

evaluate if all students are equally knowledgeable

about topics covered in the test.

Note :-

This tip is not always true if you want to test high thinking

ability of student.

*Advantages

Assess higher-order or critical thinking skills.

Evaluate student thinking and reasoning.

Provides a more realistic task for the student.

Relatively easy to construct

Reduces guessing.

*Disadvantages

Time consuming.

Students may complain about subjectivity in scoring.

Difficult to measure a large amount of content.

Generally has low test and scorer reliability.

Can encourage bluffing.

*Conclusion

Essay questions are one of the most commonly used

methods for assessing student learning.

Essay items challenge students to create a response

rather than to simply select a response.

Essays have the potential to reveal students' abilities

to reason, create, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate.

Cont….

Essay exams are good to use when trying todetermine what students know about a few broadtopics. Essay exams typically consist of a smallnumber of questions to which the student is expectedto demonstrate his/her ability to:

recall knowledge

organize knowledge

present the knowledge in a logical, integrated answer

Students should be given the criteria used to gradethe exams in advance to help them prepare for them.

MCQ can be best compliment for essay but cannot beadequate substitution for essay question.

*References

Blaine R. Worthen, K. R. (1999). Measurement andassessment in schools. Boston: Addison

Wesley Longman.

Borich, T. K. (2007). Educational testing and measurement. Danvers: Jay O'Callaghan.

Brown, G.T.L. (2008).Conceptions of assessment: Understanding what assessment means to

teachers and students. New York: Nova Science.

Essay items; Hope you can write (2005). Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/updata/6429_Chapter_7__Salkind_(Tests)_I_Proof_3.pdf.

Gredler, M. E. (1999). Classroom Assessment and learning.South Carolina: Addison Wesley

Longman.

Lin,R.L &Rronlund, N.E.(2003). Measurement and Assessments in Teaching. Singapore.Pearson

Education,Inc.

Reiner, C.M, Bothell, T.W, & Sudweek, R.R. (2002). Preparing Effective Essay Questions; A

Selfdirected Workbook for Educators. Retrieved from https://testing.byu.edu/info/

handbooks/WritingEf ectiveEssayQuestions.pdf

THANK YOU