Using Student-Generated Multiple-Choice Questions and the Chemistry Achievements of Science High School Students

Multiple-choice questions (MCQ) are commonly prepared for summative assessments. However, involving students to efficiently generate their own for formative evaluation can also be a study method and a valuable learning activity. The objective of this study is to examine the use of student-generated MCQs, through the online tool PeerWise, and its possible contributions to the chemistry achievement of science high school students in the Philippines. Eighty-three (83) Grade 9 students were asked to participate in authoring and answering MCQs and creating comments. PeerWise generated a reputation score that defines the overall level of student engagement in the MCQ activities. A positive and significant correlation between the PeerWise reputation score and final exam score was determined, indicating that high engagement in the use of PeerWise can potentially contribute to exam performance. The same significant correlation between final exam score and the quality rating of comments was observed. This suggests that the quality of outputs is a defining factor that may have contributed to students’ understanding of the lessons. However, evidence did not support that students who have participated in the MCQ activities will perform better compared to those who did not. Results of the perception survey show a generally positive feedback on the use of MCQ activities to help students in the learning process. Overall, the use of student-generated MCQs in PeerWise can be an innovative activity that can potentially engage students to improve learning of content in chemistry