The Effects of Test Question Order on Task Persistence

Ronald Miller & Maureen Andrade   |    Volume Fifteen  |   

Technology use is increasing in higher education, particularly for test administration. In this study, Capaldi’s (1994) sequential theory, which postulates that the specific order of reinforcements and nonreinforcements influences persistence in the face of difficulty or failure, was applied to online multiple choice testing situations in regard to easy and difficult questions. Preliminary data appear to confirm that the order of easy and difficult questions on a test has an impact on student efforts in completing the test. These data may be especially important in the context of online learning, where the teacher is physically absent, as well as in situations where tests are administered through technology-based learning platforms. In all cases, test performance plays a role in student motivation.

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