MSC-thesis-1977-Upton.pdf (2.72 MB)
Download fileSome aspects of objective testing in mathematics within the field of further education
educational resource
posted on 2012-12-11, 12:16 authored by Neville K. UptonThe dissertation reviews the role of objective testing in
mathematics at institutes of further education in the United Kingdom.
The possibilities of usefully expanding this role are also discussed.
Within typical further education classes, students exhibit a
wider variation in age, maturity, and mathematical ability than is
seen in school classes; because of this, testing in colleges is
more important, and serves a greater range of purposes, than in
schools. The variation in mathematical ability is particularly
pronounced in courses where mathematics is a service subject, and
any means of rapidly locating areas of weakness early in the course
are most valuable. In many colleges, the bulk of the mathematics
teaching is of this type, and it may be partly for this reason that
further education teachers of mathematics show at least as much
interest in objective testing as do those of any other subject.
The discussion of the potential role of objective testing with
further education students in mathematics is, based, largely on the
published findings of prominent researchers in educational assessment
methods. The literature, however, covers the wide field of
education generally, and evidence based on the writer's own experience
at Birmingham Polytechnic is therefore included; a brief
account is also given of the practices and attitudes at certain
other colleges.
Suggestions are offered regarding the use of objective tests at
the beginning of, and throughout, each year of a course and proposals
are also made for introducing such methods into the formal end-of-
session examinations, where at present they appear to be little used. The complete replacement of conventional methods of
examining is not suggested, but rather a combination of the two
so as to exploit the various strengths of each method.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Mathematical Sciences
Rights holder
© Neville Keith UptonPublication date
1977Notes
A Master's Dissertation, submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the award of the Master Of Science degree of Loughborough University.Language
- en
Qualification name
- MSc
Qualification level
- Masters