Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations

Abstract

The Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations (Feldhusen, 1961) is a 13-item, multiple-choice psychological instrument developed to quantify and evaluate college students’ attitudes and behavioral responses concerning the use of open-book examinations. This measure assesses student reactions to both open-book and closed-book conditions across objective and essay test formats.

The scale items are designed to explore various facets of the open-book testing environment, including perceived performance, changes in study habits (such as memorization and general review), emotional impact (like test anxiety), and beliefs about academic integrity. Importantly, the original development article provides no comprehensive psychometric information, such as reliability coefficients or validity evidence, indicating that the measure was primarily observational or exploratory in its initial application.

Keywords

College Students, Open-Book Examinations, Teaching Methods, Test Development, Testing Methods, Attitudes toward Testing, Test Anxiety, Educational Measurement.

Authors

Feldhusen, John F.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the scale is to systematically assess and document college students’ subjective experiences, preferences, and attitudes when faced with open-book examinations. Developed during a period of expanding educational research into testing methodologies, the instrument sought to provide empirical data regarding the pedagogical effectiveness and psychological impact of this specific testing format compared to traditional closed-book methods.

The measure specifically aims to capture student perceptions regarding critical educational outcomes, including the effect of open-book tests on preparation strategies, the role of rote memorization, and the perceived influence on academic ethics, such as cheating behavior among peers.

Construct

The core psychological construct measured by this instrument is Attitudes toward Testing, specifically as it relates to testing format variation (open-book versus closed-book). This construct encompasses various cognitive and affective components, including perceived fairness, preference for testing style, and the emotional response (e.g., tension or worry) associated with test preparation and execution.

The 13 items operationalize this construct by probing specific dimensions such as self-reported performance relative to usual standards, perceived changes in study habits (review and memorization), and beliefs about the impact of the test type on both learning promotion and academic ethics.

Validity

Information regarding the validity of the Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations is not explicitly provided or discussed in the original development article by Feldhusen (1961). Consequently, evidence for standard validation methods—such as construct validity, criterion validity, or content validity—is unavailable in the foundational literature.

Researchers utilizing this scale should recognize that while the scale possesses strong face validity given its clear focus on student response behaviors, formal empirical evidence supporting its claims to measure the intended construct reliably is absent from the initial documentation.

Reliability

The original publication detailing the development of the scale does not indicate or report any measures of reliability. Standard reliability statistics, such as internal consistency estimates (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability, were not calculated or presented by the author at the time of publication.

The lack of reliability data suggests that the instrument should be treated as an exploratory tool for descriptive research rather than a highly standardized measure suitable for high-stakes assessment or rigorous correlational studies without subsequent psychometric evaluation being conducted by later researchers.

Factor Analysis

No factor analysis was indicated or reported in the original 1961 article describing the development and application of the Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations. Therefore, the underlying dimensionality or structure of the 13 items remains empirically undefined based solely on the foundational research.

Without factor analytic evidence, the instrument is typically utilized as a single, multi-faceted measure of attitudes toward open-book testing, rather than a composite of distinct, empirically derived sub-scales relating to specific elements like ‘study habit change’ or ‘test anxiety reduction’.

Instrument

Test Type: Test

Format: The instrument uses a 13-item, multiple-choice format, administered via paper-based methods.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Typically 18-24 years (College Students)

Population Details: The measure was developed and initially tested on a sample of College Students.

Test Methodology: Paper-based administration utilizing a forced-choice response format across 13 distinct items. The measure is designed to evaluate reactions to both objective and essay test formats under open-book conditions.

Keywords

College Students, Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations, Teaching Methods, Test Development, Testing Methods, Academic Evaluation, Educational Psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not applicable (1961 publication)

Affiliation Email addresses: Not applicable

Correspondence Address: Not applicable

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The scale is generally permitted for use in Research/Teaching purposes, given its age and academic origin. Users should cite the original 1961 reference.

Fee: Not applicable (Academic use).

Test Year: 1961.

Reference’s

• Feldhusen, J. F. (1961). An evaluation of college students’ reactions to open book examinations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 21, 637–646.

Items of the Measurement of Student Responses to Open-Book Examinations

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

• 1. How well did you do on the open-book exams?
  a. Better than I usually do in other courses with closed-book exam.
  b. About the same as usual.
  c. Poorer.
• 2. How often have you encountered open-book exam in other courses?
  a. Seldom or never.
  b. Occasionally.
  c. Frequently.
  d. Most of the time.
• 3. In terms of long range retention or eventual use in teaching, how important or useful is it to memorize or
  “cram” for the exams?
  a. Very important or useful.
  b. Moderately important or useful.
  c. Unimportant or useless.
• 4. What effect does the open book exam have on the amount of memorization of factual material you do in
  preparation for the examination?
  a. Reduces it.
  b. Has little effect.
  c. Increases it.
• 5. What effect does the open-book exam have on the amount of general reviewing you do for the
  examination?
  a. Reduces it.
  b. Has little effect.
  c. Increases it.
• 6. What effect does the open-book exam have on the total amount of review you do for the exam?
  a. Reduces it.
  b. Has little effect.
  c. Increases it.
• 7. What effect do you feel the open-book exam has on cheating (of others, not yourself)?
  a. Increases the tendency to cheat.
  b. Makes no difference.
  c. Reduces the tendency to cheat.
• 8. What effect do you feel the open-book exam has on the opportunity to cheat?
  a. Makes it easier to cheat.
  b. Makes no difference.
  c. Makes it harder to cheat.
• 9. What effect does the open-book exam have on the amount of worrying you do before an exam or the
  amount of tension you feel before or during the exam?
  a. Eliminates or reduces worrying or tension.
  b. Makes little difference.
  c. Increases the amount of worrying or tension.
• 10. How effective is the open-book exam in promoting learning through review for the exam?
  a. Better than closed-book exams.
  b. No difference.
  c. Not as good as a closed-book exam.
• 11. How effective is the open-book exam in promoting learning during testing?
  a. Better than a closed-book exam.
  b. No difference.
  c. Not as good as a closed-book exam.
• 12. Which type of exam would you prefer to take?
  a. Open-book.
  b. Don’t care.
  c. Closed-book.
• 13. Which type of exam will you use most in your own teaching?
  a. Open-book.
  b. 50-50.
  c. Don’t know, but intend to try both.
  d. Closed-book.