The Effects of Pre-Lecture Quizzes on Test Anxiety and Performance in a Statistics Course

Abstract

Many instructors administer quizzes after covering small amounts of material to give students an indication of their proficiency before taking a more comprehensive exam. However, previous research on the effects of quizzing on exam performance has produced mixed results. For example, Tuckman (1996) found that students who completed quizzes performed significantly better on exams than students who did not complete quizzes. However, Grover, Becker, and Davis (1989) found no difference in performance between frequent (chapter-by-chapter) and infrequent (4-chapter units) testing, and Graham (1999) found that quizzing may only benefit mid range students. Beaulieu and Frost (1989) found that frequent quizzing might actually have a detrimental effect on long-term exam performance. Furthermore, students often view frequent quizzing as a form of punishment (Graham 1999), and unannounced quizzes have been shown to increase test anxiety (Saigh 1984-1985). An alternative way of using quizzes is to administer them before the instructor covers the material in lecture. The goal of this method is to use quizzes to promote learning, rather than just assessing it, by encouraging students to keep up with course readings. Student compliance with reading assignments has steadily declined over the years (Burchfield & Sappington 2000; Clump, Bauer, & Bradley 2004), and completion of assigned readings before a topic is covered in lecture has been shown to increase students' understanding of the material and in-class participation (Ryan 2006). Relatively few studies have examined the effects of pre-lecture quizzes on exam performance; however, the findings thus far are promising. For example, Johnson and Kiviniemi (2009) found that completion of pre-lecture quizzes related to improved exam and overall course performance in a social psychology class. Furthermore, Narloch, Garbin, and Tumage (2006) found that students who received either matching or fill in-the-blank pre-lecture quizzes, compared to no quiz, in a sensation and perception class performed better on both multiple-choice and essay exams. Students who completed pre-lecture quizzes also rated the lectures as clearer and better organized. Quizzes, in general, have also been found to help reduce test anxiety (Sporer, 2001). The purpose of this study was to examine whether the benefits of pre-lecture quizzes extend to a statistics course. We were also interested in whether pre-lecture quizzes help reduce test anxiety. Some researchers suggest that periodic quizzes may produce a desensitizing effect for test-anxious students (e.g. Thome 2000). Based on previous findings, we expected pre-lecture quizzes to relate to improved exam performance, increased student attendance, students' feeling better prepared for exams, and lower levels of test anxiety. Method Participants Students (N = 70) from two sections of an introductory statistics course taught in the spring semester served as participants in this study. Participants were predominately female (81%); however, there was no significant difference in the number of men and women between each section, [chi square](l, N = 70) = 0.18, p = .67. Design The course included a lecture and a lab component. The first author taught the lectures for both sections in back-to-back sessions. Students in each section used the same textbook, completed the same homework assignments, and took the same exams. All assignments and exams related to material from the textbook and the lectures. The first author graded all quizzes, assignments, and exams using an answer-key. To remain as objective as possible in grading, partial credit was not awarded. Students met for lab immediately after lecture. A different doctoral-level teaching assistant instructed the lab for each section; however, the lab activities and material covered were the same for both sections. The only difference between the two sections was that students in one section (n = 36) completed pre-lecture quizzes and students in the other section (n = 34) did not. …