Quizzes have become an integral part of learning and testing students’ knowledge. The development of digital technology has further increased their use: it allows students to take online assignments that are checked automatically, thereby saving teachers’ time. There are many types of quizzes: the fill-in-the-blank quizzes and the short-essay quizzes are the most popular. However, short-essay tests are considered more effective tools for the repetition of educational material since they help students not only remember data but also develop writing skills and express their ideas.
The short-answer quizzes are proven to be a way to remember a pretty large volume of information for a long time. Researches from Iowa State University consider that “frequent quizzes with immediate instructor feedback help students succeed in the classroom” (Iowa State University, 2020, para. 15). Lyle and Crawford conclude that 75% of students who took the short-essay quizzes throughout the year pass the final exams much better than those who had no quizzes (as cited in Moreira et al., 2019). Moreira et al. (2019) also think that the short-answer tests are more effective than assignments where students fill in gaps. Therefore, the short-essay tests can benefit students more to deeper learning, especially if the teacher’s feedback accompanies them.
Although the fill-in-the-blank quiz is not the most effective type of assignment, it can help students take a short-essay test. This practice “seems promising since it is easy to apply and it is not time consuming” (Moreira et al., 2019, p. 7). This kind of task is more accessible: to fill one word does not cause so many challenges in students as writing the complete answer. Therefore, the teacher can offer students to do it before the short-essay test.
It would be wrong to claim that the fill-in-the-blank quizzes are more helpful in learning than the short-essay ones. The short-answer tests contribute to the repetition of material and develop students’ ability to formulate precise answers. However, the fill-in-the-blank quizzes are significant and useful for studying since they help refresh knowledge and remember learned data. They also can be utilized as a warm-up before a more difficult task.
References
Iowa State University (2020). Quizzes improve academic performance. ScienceDaily. Web.
Moreira, B. F., Pinto, T. S., Starling, D. S., & Jaeger, A. (2019). Retrieval practice in classroom settings: A review of applied research. Frontiers in Education, 4(5). Web.