An investigation into the effectiveness of multiple choice tests, structural communication grid and concept maps technique on the students' success in the aspect of measurement process and students' views about these techniques

The aim of this study is to analyze how the multiple choice tests, structural communication grid and concept maps techniques, which aim to test the same construct, affect the students? success and to determine the students? view about these techniques. The research was carried on 147 fifth grade students in a primary school in Üsküdar district of İstanbul province in 2007-2008 education years. The study was prepared according to the first four topics of unit "Let's Travel and Recognize the Creatures" which is part of 5th grade Science and Technology curriculum. 20 multiple choice, 20 structural communication grids and 2 concept maps were used. A survey, which contains 6 open-ended questions, was developed to take students' ideas about these different techniques. Tests in order of multiple choice, structural communication grids and concept maps were applied to the students. After the applications had been carried out, the students' thoughts about the techniques was determined by applying the survey which contains open-ended questions, in order to get qualitative data. In the research, quantitative data is analyzed by variance analysis and correlation technique; qualitative data is resolved by content analysis. At the end of research, it is observed that different kinds of tests don't create meaningful differences on students' success. It is observed that gender does not create meaningful differences on the achievement scores of students in any of three technique that used in the research. It is observed that students have positive thoughts and attitude about multiple choice tests and structural communication grid techniques. They haven?t positive thoughts about concept map techniques. It is observed that 63% of students most technically likes to multiple-choice, 45% they were the most difficult technical concepts as a map; 66% success with the highest expectations as the technique to multiple-choice, at least 39% of faced as the type of exam structured grid, most frequently faced by 82% as the type of multiple-choice exam, they want to be used in examinations will be 63% technically stated prefer multiple-choice items.