II. Types of Selected Response Items
E. Matching
Matching questions are a type of test question where test-takers are given two lists of items and must pair them together. These questions are often used to test understanding of relationships between concepts and require students to correlate data. To use matching questions effectively, one must understand their nuances and potential applications.
BASIC Information
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Extended Matching Questions: An Alternative to Multiple-choice or Free-response QuestionsTwo Lists: Typically, one list contains premises and the other contains responses.
Direct Association: The task is to link each item in one list to its counterpart in the other.
Efficiency: They can quickly assess knowledge across various topics.
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Quick Tip: Best Format for Writing Matching QuestionsREAD
Zubair Amin, Yap Seng Chong, Hoon Eng Khoo. Practical Guide To Medical Student Assessment.INTERMEDIATE Information
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The Scoring of Matching Questions Tests: A Closer LookUniform Material: Ensure that items within each list are of a similar type or category.
Logical Grouping: Group related items together, like diseases and symptoms or drugs and indications.
Distractors: Include more responses than premises to make the task more challenging and reduce the likelihood of correct guesses.
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Multiple choice questions are superior to extended matching questions to identify medicine and biomedical sciences students who perform poorly.Coverage: They allow broad content areas to be assessed quickly.
Limitation: They assess recognition over recall, making them less challenging than free-response questions.
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Creating Matching Questions using Google FormsImagine a PA student learning about drug interactions. A pertinent matching question might be: Match the drug to its primary side effect:
Aspirin A) Tinnitus
Furosemide B) Dry cough
Lisinopril C) Hypokalemia
ADVANCED Information
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A descriptive analysis of extended matching questions among third year medical studentsComplex Scenarios: Incorporate clinical scenarios where students must match conditions to treatments or symptoms to diagnoses, requiring a deeper understanding.
Avoid Overloading: While matching allows for multiple items, avoid overwhelming students with excessively lengthy lists, as this can be counterproductive.
Feedback Mechanisms: Especially in digital formats, provide instant feedback for both correct and incorrect matches. This can highlight the rationale behind each correct pairing, enhancing the educational value.
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Item format statistics and readability of extended matching questions as an effective tool to assess medical studentsHierarchical Knowledge: Use these questions to assess understanding of hierarchies or sequences, like steps in a clinical procedure or stages of a disease.
Avoiding Pitfalls: Be cautious of inadvertently providing hints through the order of the items or creating matches that are overly obvious.
Visualize an advanced PA student focusing on clinical diagnostics. An intricate matching question might be: Match the symptom presentation to the most likely diagnosis:
Dysphagia, heartburn, regurgitation A) Gastric ulcer
Epigastric pain, relieved with food B) Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Hematemesis, melena C) Esophageal spasm
This scenario requires the student to demonstrate deep knowledge of gastrointestinal pathologies and their corresponding clinical presentations. Correct answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-C.