VIEW OF HIGHSCHOOL STUDENTS ON

EXAMINATION TECHNICALITIES

A Research Paper presented to the Junior High School Department

PHILIPPINE SCHOOL OMAN

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements

for Grade 10

Nathan Gerard B. Callang

John Kenneth B. Hermoso
Reian Ahmed M. Mustafa
Nathan Jeffrey P. Pondang

April, 2019
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Examinations are a standard set by every school and college to assess the performance
and knowledge of students in a given area or subject. Although it may be difficult for some,
there are students who find exams a challenge. For them, it is an opportunity to show how good
they are academically. The lessons taught throughout the school year must be checked, and the
effectiveness of teachers’ teaching methods must be measured. For this purpose, exams are
taken every year.

According to Deepti Das (2018), exams give students something to aim and strive for.
It enhances students’ understanding of the subject. Exams also stimulate the students’ brains
through their revision of the subject. They teach students how to manage their learning process
under the given time period, as well as stress management. Exams also help students express
their thoughts coherently.

Exams are the most popular sort of assessment that has been practiced throughout the
world. (Chowdhury, 2014). They are usually administered on paper or on computer, and
require the taker to obtain as high a score as possible within a set time limit. Nowadays, exams
have become a staple in the lives of students. To be able to proceed to the next grade level,
students must go through a series of exams. For this reason, students give a lot of value to
exams. Students of Philippine School Oman (PSO) undergo four (4) sets of exams every school
year.

Exams affect the students in multiple ways: physically, mentally, and even
psychologically. “A student under optimal stress does bring out his or her best, however
extremes of stress can result in stress induced disorders and deteriorating performance.”
(Malathi and Damodaran, 1999).

Exam technicalities are the technical aspects of the examination. Such as the time, date,
number of items, types of tests, paper color, exam length, number of exams per day, breaks
between exams, etc. These technicalities affect what the students feel and undergo during their
examinations.

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 In Philippine School Oman (PSO), exams are administered three in a day, for three
consecutive days. Students take these exams in the morning, from 8 A.M. until 12:30 P.M.,
with a 30-minute recess break after the first exam. The three days in which the exams take
place are preceded by regular school day/s (8 A.M. – 3 P.M.). Exams are administered on quiz
paper, with questionnaires printed on white colored bond paper. The common types of tests
that appear on PSO’s exams are: matching type, multiple choice, simple true or false, modified
true of false, essay, analogy, problem solving, short answer essays, identification, fill in the
blank, and graphic organizers.

This study aims to explore the view of PSO students on exam technicalities.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM / RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study aims to find out the view of High School students in Philippine School Oman
in the school year 2018-2019 on Exam Technicalities. This research paper will find out the
following:

1) View of students on Exam Technicalities BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER

exams.
2) Advantages and disadvantages of the current exam technicalities for the students.
3) Students’ preferred type of test.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

a. Examination – a formal test of the student’s knowledge and/or skill in a certain

subject area

b. Examination Technicalities – the technical aspects of examinations; i.e. (date and

time of exam, number of exams per day, etc.)

- In PSO, exams are administered three in a day, for three consecutive days. Students
take these exams in the morning, from 8 A.M. until 12:30 P.M., either 1 hour or 1 and a half
hours per exam, with a 30-minute recess break after the first exam. Exams range from 50-80
items and it is printed on while colored paper. The three days in which the exams take place
are preceded by regular school days (8 A.M.– 3P.M.).

2
SCOPE AND DELIMATIONS / LIMITATIONS

The study is focused on the JHS students at the Philippine School Oman in the
academic year 2018-2019, and how they view the current exam technicalities. In this study,
the collection of data from grades 9-10 will be done through self-made questionnaire.

A self-made questionnaire was used and the participants are students from grades 9-10
from school year 2018-2019. This excludes the students who are no longer enrolled for the
school year 2018-2019 at Philippine School Oman.

The researchers have no control over the participants’ attitude with their responses to
the questionnaire, the willingness of the participants to answer honestly, and their punctuality
in finishing the questionnaire within the given time frame.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to determine the perception of students about the exam
technicalities and mechanics. Exams are a staple in students’ lives nowadays, and the
researchers aim to find out what they think about the technical aspects of exams. With this
study we would be able to find the advantages and disadvantages of the exam technicalities,
which can be utilized to improve and develop more. The information from this study may also
be used by the school administrators to improve the school system. Furthermore, the results of
this study can be used by students as a guideline on improving their study habits and exam
preparations. Lastly, this research study can be used by researchers, as a guide and as well as
a related literature.

3
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents related researches and articles after the thorough search done by
the researchers. It contains summaries of the researches and articles, including their
methodology, and their scope, in order to better know and understand the research to be done.

The research article written by Jamie L. Jensen, Dane A. Berry, and Tyler A. Kummer
in August of 2013, titled “Investigating the Effects of Exam Length on Performance and
Cognitive Fatigue”, explores the effect of exam length on students’ performance and cognitive
fatigue in an undergraduate biology classroom. The researchers administered an exam to two
sections of students with more than 70 people each. To ensure as much group equivalence as
possible, they used identical classrooms, course materials, books, resources, and curriculum.
The same instructor taught both classrooms with equal treatment. The first group of students
were administered three unit exams consisting of 50 multiple choice items each. While the
second group of students were administered three unit exams consisting of 100 multiple choice
items each. Students were electronically admitted and discharged from their University Testing
Center, where exams were proctored on campus. Time spent taking each exam was recorded
and averaged for each treatment condition. The researchers showed the results of the exam and
provided their analysis.

The results of the study showed that there were very little difference in reasoning ability
between the two groups. Furthermore, students who took the longer test outperformed the other
group of students in the biology exam. Lastly, the results showed that the length of the exam
had little to no detrimental effect on students’ cognitive ability. Though one of the drawbacks
is that it took the second group of students one and a half times longer to complete the exams.

The researchers stated at the end that given the results of this study, it appeared that
additional items and longer tests actually benefit students and give a more accurate assessment
of knowledge.

4
 Another research article entitled “The Effect of Test Anxiety and Time Pressure on
Performance”, conducted by Shauna Orfus in 2008, tackles how Test Anxiety and Time
Pressure intertwine to affect the student’s performance in a test. The test was conducted on 32
undergraduate students at the University of Western Ontario. They were divided in to two
groups consisting of 16 students each, one group with the time-pressure condition and the other
without it. The cognitive test for the subjects consisted of 12 basic math problems. The time-
pressured group were constantly reminded of the limited time to inflict the needed pressure,
while the non-time pressured group were told to relax and take their time in answering the test.
Right after they finish the math test, they were told to take the Test Anxiety Inventory
(Spielberger, 1980), which is used to measure the level of test anxiety. The results show that
subjects with lower levels of test anxiety performed significantly better than those with higher
levels of test anxiety, as predicted by the researcher. Furthermore, there was no significant
differences observed in the performances between the Time-Pressured group and the non-Time
Pressured group. The researcher concluded that Test anxiety indeed plays a role in the
performance of students, whilst Time-Pressure alone has no effect, unless paired with high
levels of anxiety.

In addition to that, the research study made by Oli Ullah Chowdhury, titled “Are the
exams effective in making students actually learn and is there a generational difference
in views on this issue?”, aimed to find out whether exams are effective in making students
learn or not, as well as if there is a generational difference in views regarding this issue. The
researcher used a self-administered questionnaire containing 13 questions with 4 options for
each, as well as collecting information from various websites, and online encyclopedias. The
respondents were split into two groups: the middle-aged group (ages 35 and older), and the
young age group (ages 25 and below). The researcher hypothesized that the young-aged group
will not think that exams are effective. Furthermore, he also hypothesized that the middle-aged
group will think that exams are effective, but will want adjustments in order for it to improve.

The researcher presented the results of the survey questionnaires by way of graphs,
which were also presented in percentage value. The researcher gave his analysis for each
question, and later summarized the research findings. In his study, there was no difference in
views between the two groups. Both agreed on the fact that exams are effective. There was no

5
big gap between the answers of the two groups. A majority of the respondents suggested that
the general exams can be taken by changing the pattern or format of the question for example,
giving case related questions for business students and include more practical knowledge. The
greater the practical knowledge will be there, the more the students will be able to learn and
can show their talent. In conclusion, the research proved that exams are a good and effective
form of assessment, although some adjustments are needed in order to make it better.

Another research article by Yasuhiro Ozuru, Stephen Briner, Christopher A. Kurby,

and Danielle S. McNamara, titled “Comparing Comprehension Measured by Multiple-
Choice and Open-Ended Questions” (2013), examined whether the different formats of
questions, specifically multiple choice and open-ended questions, assess different aspects of a
student’s comprehension. The goals of the analyses were to examine: (a) the contributions of
the quality of explanations and level of prior knowledge to performance on multiple-choice
and open-ended questions, and (b) relations between participants’ performance on multiple-
choice and open-ended question. The tests were executed on 40 undergraduate student
participants from University of Memphis. The order of the questions in the exam was that each
of the students answer open-ended questions first, then answer multiple-choice versions of the
previously given open-ended questions. The students were tested in small groups, so that the
students could analyze the questions carefully and answer at their own pace.

The results state and conclude that the open-ended questions are more sensitive, and
the quality of self-explanation was stronger on these questions than that of the multiple-choice
questions. This is because they had to generate meaningful ideas and information to be able to
support their answer and to be able to perform well. On the other hand, multiple-choice
questions were found to be more dependent on their topic-specific knowledge, as predicted by
the researchers. The study also concluded that the answers to the open-ended questions weren’t
related with that of the multiple-choice questions, as they observed little similarities between
the answers, even if the questions were the same, just different in format. Therefore, the
different formats of questioning indeed assess different aspects of comprehension, even with
the questions being the same.

Furthermore, the research article by Ilanit R. Tal, Katherine G. Akers, and Gordon K.
Hodge at the University of New Mexico, which was published in 2008, titled “Effect of Paper

6
Color and Question Order on Exam Performance” aims to find out whether paper color
and the order of questions in exams had an effect on students’ exam performance. They
conducted two experiments. The first one was conducted with 594 undergraduate psychology
students. They took a 40-question multiple choice exam based on textbook and lecture content.
The exam was printed on either white, red, blue, green, or yellow paper. Within each color,
questions appeared in random order, leading to ten different exam versions. They conducted
the second experiment using similar conditions. They used a different group of 681
undergraduate psychology students. Exams were printed on either white, pastel pink, pastel
yellow, pastel green, or pastel blue.

The results of these experiments found that printing exams on the red, blue, yellow,
and green papers affected exam performance. In addition to that, printing exams on pastel
colors did not affect exam performance. Furthermore, students performed better on exams
printed on white-colored paper. It also found that students performed worse on blue-colored
exams papers. Lastly, the study found that question order did not affect exam performance.

In addition to that, a research article by Ellen B. Mandinach, Brent Bridgeman, Cara

Cahalan-Laitusis, and Cathrine Trapani titled “The Impact of Extended Time on SAT Test
Performance” which was issued last December 1, 2005 tackled the duration of exams,
specifically the standard time (1 and ½ hours) with and without specified section breaks, and
double time without specified section breaks on the verbal and mathematics sections of the
SAT. The research article also examined the differences among ability, disability, and gender
groups. The results gathered indicated that time and a half with separately timed sections
benefits students with and without disabilities. It also shows that some extra time improves
performance, but too much may be detrimental. Extra time benefits medium-ability and high-
ability students but provides little or no advantage to low-ability students. The effects of
extended time are more pronounced for the mathematics sections of the SAT. The SAT test
made shows the benefits and disadvantages of the time extended and the standard time
according to the capabilities of the students.
Lastly, according to shoaibraza134, the author of the article titled “Advantages and
Disadvantages of Exams in Points for Students”, exams may be tough for students and lead
to both advantageous and disadvantageous effects on students. shoaibraza134 stated the

7
advantages of exams are: (a) students find themselves in a competitive environment. This
competition can push students to exert more effort, thus resulting in better performance. (b)
Practical exams make students feel more confident. According to the article, reading and
learning technical lines from the book can make the student think that they are ready to face
challenges. (c) Lastly, exams improve students’ memory. By repeatedly studying a particular
thing, such as memorizing formulas or a set of technical definitions, the student exercises
his/her memory skill. As for the disadvantages, he stated the following: (a) Exams bring
tension and anxiety. The pressure of getting high marks can be too stressful for the student,
and too much stress can lead to health issues. (b) Decreased effectiveness. According to the
writer of the article, in order to get good scores, students ignore the concept itself and just
memorize instead. Although the students score high, after a few days, most students forget
what they learn, and the school’s effort is wasted. (c)Unfair judgment. Exams measure how
the student performs on a day; it is not an accurate depiction of the student’s intelligence. A
student may do well the whole quarter but can fail the exam due to an external force. (d) Lastly,
it leads to comparison between students. A low scoring student is likely to be compared to a
high scoring student. This section reminds us that different students have different learning
capacities. To sum up, the article shows the advantage and disadvantage of exams to students.

8
 CHAPTER III

In this chapter, the researchers outlined the research design, the research strategy, the
research method, the research approach, the selection and description of the samples, the
method of data collection, the research process, the instrument used in the study, and the
statistical treatment applied to the data gathered.

RESEARCH DESIGN

In order to gather the necessary data, the researchers used a quantitative approach,
making use of numbers and statistics from the data collected. The study is non-experimental,
particularly descriptive-evaluative. This type of research evaluates or measures the results
against a standard. Descriptive evaluative type of research method allows the researchers to
gather data from the respondents which may be through mails, observations, interviews, and
questionnaires.

The descriptive-evaluative type research was useful in evaluating our conclusion based
from the gathered data. This type of research was more reliable in terms of gathering data in
that it specifically described the characteristics of the population, which led to more accurate
results.

RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY

Our target population are the Grade 9 and Grade 10 students of Philippine School
Oman, in the School Year 2018-2019. This excludes the Grades 9 and 10 students who are no
longer enrolled for the school year. The total population is 110. The researchers utilized
stratified random sampling.

Since the research is probability study, the researchers used Calmorin’s formula. With
a margin of error is 1%, the researchers came up with a sample size of 102. This is illustrated
in the equation below.

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 The researchers used stratified random sampling. The respondents were grouped by
grade level; 54 Grade 9 students and 56 Grade 10 students. Afterwards, the researchers
randomly selected 51 from each group (see Table 1 and Table 2). This was done by assigning
a unique number for each student’s name, then using Google’s random number generator (a
program that generates numbers that cannot be reasonably predicted better than by random
chance) to choose which students we used as respondents.

Table 1. Number of Respondents per grade level

Grade level Number of Respondents

Grade 9 51
Grade 10 51

Table 2. Number of Respondents per section

Grade level and section Number of Respondents

Grade 9 – Courage 26
Grade 9 - Fortitude 25
Grade 10 – Endurance 26
Grade 10 - Perseverance 25

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INSTRUMENT OF THE STUDY

The researchers used a self-made, structured questionnaire that utilizes a Likert Scale.
It contains recognition-type questions, as well as a Likert Scale. There are two recognition type
questions and 19 Likert Scale questions, with a total of 21 questions. All of which give useful
data which cannot be found elsewhere, and which help answer the research problems.

The second part of the questionnaire was divided into three categories: Before, During,
and After exams. This was done to generate a clear response from respondents about exam
technicalities before, during, and after exams.

The questionnaire requires 15-20 minutes to complete.

DATA GATHERING

Our research team conducted a survey regarding the research topic, “View of High
School Students on Examination Technicalities”. The researchers used a self-made
questionnaire which contained Likert Scale and recognition type questions regarding the
students’ views on Exam Technicalities. It was administered to 102 selected respondents from
Grades 9 and 10. The survey was distributed to the respondents during homeroom guidance,
recess, and lunch. The researchers gave the respondents 15-20 minutes to complete the survey.
Afterwards, the researchers tallied the results of the survey, to be used as bases for analysis
and interpretation.

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STATISTICAL TREATMENT

After the surveys were collected, the researchers took the weighted mean for each
question. The weighted mean is a type of average that is calculated by multiplying the weight
associated with the five available choices, then adding all the products together. After that, the
sum of the products will be divided by the number of respondents. The formula for the
weighted mean is:

Where “x” represents the weighted mean,” Σ “ means “sum of”, and “w” represents the
weights. In layman’s terms, the number of people who chose a certain option was multiplied
to the value assigned to that option. This was done for all of the five options, and their products
were added together. Lastly, the sum of those products was divided by the number of
respondents, which resulted in the weighted mean. This method was used for every question
in the survey.

The following is the verbal interpretation for the weighted mean:

Table 3. Verbal interpretation of weighted mean

Range of Values Verbal Interpretation

4.5 - 5 Strongly Agree
3.5 – 4.49 Agree
2.5 – 3.49 Neutral
1.5 – 2.49 Disagree
1 – 1.49 Strongly Disagree

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 CHAPTER IV
This chapter discusses the data analysis and findings of results from 102 questionnaires
completed by the students of Philippine School Oman from Grades 9-10. The purpose of this
study was to identify the views of high school students on the exam technicalities at Philippine
School Oman.

The information presented in this chapter documents the thoughts and views of the
junior high school students on exam technicalities. This information comes from answered
survey questionnaires, which were administered by the researchers.

The following are the results of the survey. Placeholder letters have been used in the
header rows so as to save space, wherein S.A. stands for “Strongly Agree”, A stands for
“Agree”, N stands for “Neutral”, D stands for “Disagree”, S.D. stands for “Strongly Disagree”,
W.M. stands for “Weighted Mean”, and V.I. stands for “Verbal Interpretation”.

13
 TABLE 1.VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON EXAM TECHNICALITIES
BEFORE EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1) W.M. V.I.

I think that the preparation/review 10 39 25 23 4 3.27 Neutral
time given before the exams is enough
I think that passing of requirements 39 41 15 2 4 4.79 Strongly
should be two weeks before exams, to Agree
make more time for students to review
I am fine with passing of requirements 4 38 34 18 7 3.14 Neutral
one week before the exam
I think that the regular school days 37 39 16 8 1 4.02 Agree
prior to exams (Sunday & Monday)
should be shortened so students have
more preparation time
I believe that taking three exams per 19 50 23 7 2 3.76 Agree
day is manageable
I would prefer if there were only two 21 22 32 24 2 3.32 Neutral
exams per day
I would prefer if there was only one 14 8 26 35 18 2.65 Neutral
exam per day
I think that having exams for 10 49 29 11 2 3.53 Agree
consecutive days is manageable
I would prefer if exam days had rest- 25 28 31 14 3 3.57 Agree
day intervals in-between
Overall Mean 3.56 Agree

According to the results, 39 students agreed that the review time given to them before
exams is enough. Furthermore, many of the students think that passing of requirements should
be two weeks before the exam, with “Agree” and “Strongly Agree” having 41 and 39 votes,
respectively. Those were the two most picked choices for that item. 79 students also think that
the regular school days before exams (Sunday and Monday) should be shortened, in order for
students to have more review time, while 9 students disagree. 69 students also think that three
exams per day is manageable. And lastly, 59 students agree that having consecutive exam days
is manageable, while 13 do not agree.

14
 The highest weighted mean is 4.79, which signifies that a big portion of the respondents
think that passing of requirements should be two weeks before the exams, so as to give more
time for students to review. Consequently, the lowest weighted mean is 2.65, which reveals
that only a small portion of students prefer to have one exam per day. Most of the students do
not want to have only one exam per day.

TABLE 2. VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON

EXAM TECHNICALITIES DURING EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1) W.M. V.I.

The current grouping of subjects 1 38 37 21 4 3.11 Neutral
per exam day is satisfactory for me
The time provided for taking each 9 28 33 25 6 3.10 Neutral
test is enough
The number of items per test is 13 46 35 4 3 3.61 Agree
satisfactory for me
I would prefer if teachers provided 46 35 14 5 1 4.19 Agree
their own answer sheet
I am fine with using quiz paper as 9 30 40 14 8 3.18 Neutral
an answer sheet
The font size that is used in exams 43 50 7 1 0 4.34 Agree
are readable to me
The font style that is used in exams 37 50 8 6 0 4.17 Agree
are readable to me
I prefer colored paper over plain 7 7 25 31 31 2.29 Disagree
white paper for the exam
questionnaire
I am fine with plain white bond 37 41 8 12 3 3.96 Agree
paper used for the questionnaire
I prefer colored paper over quiz 7 7 18 40 29 2.24 Disagree
paper for the answer sheet
Overall Mean 3.42 Neutral

According to the results of the survey, most students would prefer if teachers provided
their own answer sheets. The students also agree that the font and font size in the questionnaire
is readable to them. Students were fine with the current grouping of subjects, as well as the
number of items per test.

15
 Among the items, the one with the highest weighted mean is 4.33, which denotes that
for most students, the font size used in the exam questionnaire is readable. On the other hand,
the lowest weighted mean is 2.24, which shows that most students prefer the standard quiz
paper as answer sheets over colored paper.

On the topic of the paper color of the questionnaires, most students would rather have
plain white paper than colored paper, which can be related to the research article by Ilanit R.
Tal, Katherine G. Akers, and Gordon K. Hodge on the effects of paper color to the student’s
performance, which concluded that students indeed perform better with questionnaires printed
on plain white paper. Lastly, the overall mean of 3.42 signifies that the general concord of all
students on the topic on the technicalities during exams is neutral.

TABLE 3. VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON

EXAM TECHNICALITIES AFTER EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1) W.M. V.I.

The 30-minute recess is enough for 23 25 21 25 7 3.32 Neutral
me
I think that there should be recess 30 39 19 11 2 3.83 Agree
breaks between all exams
I would prefer if students were 38 33 22 5 3 3.97 Agree
given one day break after exams
The current exam flow is 8 36 43 11 3 3.35 Neutral
satisfactory for me
Overall Mean 3.62 Agree

According to the results, students would prefer if there were recess breaks between all
exams. The weighted mean regarding this item is 3.83(Agree), which solidifies the statement.
In addition to that, some students preferred a 30-minute recess while others did not agree with
a 30-minute recess break. The students also preferred that there should be a one-day break after
exams, with a mean of 3.97 (Agree). According to the survey results, the students are mostly
in agreement to the exam technicalities after exams.

16
 The highest weighted mean is 3.97 which signifies that most of the respondents agreed
to have a one-day break after exams; moreover, the lowest weighted mean is 3.32 which shows
that in general, the students are neutral on wanting to have a 30-minute recess break or not.
Lastly, the overall mean shows that students are leaning towards an overall consensus of
“agree” to the after-exam technicalities.

CHART 1. ADVANTAGES OF THE CURRENT EXAM

TECHNICALITIES

20%

34%

19%

16%
11%

The groupings of subjects per exam day are balanced

I have enough time to review
I am able to answer properly without pressure from limited time
The time allotted for taking the exam is enough
The font in the exam is readable for me

Of the 102 respondents, 47 students or 20% agreed that the groupings of subjects per
exam day are balanced. Next, 45 students or 19% say that they have enough time to review. 25
students or 11% say that they are able to answer properly without pressure from limited time.
Additionally, 37 students or 16% agree that the time allotted for taking the exam is enough.

17
And lastly, 79 students or 34% of the respondents say that the font in the exam questionnaire
is readable for them.

Moreover, one of the results of this survey matches the findings of a research done by
Tami Katzir, Shirley Hershko, and Vered Halamish in 2013. In their findings, they state that
decreasing font size impairs reading rate and accuracy in young children. Consequently, for
older children, decreasing font size did not affect their reading rate and accuracy, but it
enhanced their comprehension. This is one of the probable reasons why students approve of
the exam font that is currently utilized.

CHART 2. DISADVANTAGES OF THE CURRENT EXAM

TECHNICALTIES

3%

22%
24%

20%

31%

The groupings of subjects per day are not balanced I do not have enough time to review
I feel pressured by the limited time allotted to me I always find the need to ask for time extensions
The font in the exam questionnaire is unreadable

Among the 102 respondents, 49 students or 22% of the students state that the grouping
of subjects per day are not balanced. 44 students, or 20% say that they do not have enough

18
time to review. 70 students, or 31% say that they are pressured by the limited time.
Additionally, 55 students, or 24% say that they always find the need to ask for time extensions.
And lastly, 6 students or 3% of the population say that the font in the exam questionnaire is
unreadable.

The data collected from this survey matches the findings from the article “Advantages
and Disadvantages of Exams in Points for Students”. In his article, the writer stated that one
the disadvantages of exams is that it brings tension, pressure and anxiety. This statement
matches with the many students, 70 to be exact, who said that they felt pressure from the
limited time allotted to them.

Additionally, the research article made by by Jamie L. Jensen, Dane A. Berry, and
Tyler A. Kummer in August of 2013, titled “Investigating the Effects of Exam Length on
Performance and Cognitive Fatigue” also relate to the same thing. The conclusion of this
research article was that extended time benefitted students, but excessive time extensions may
be detrimental.

19
 Table 4. Types of tests

Type of test No. of people

Matching Type 13
Multiple Choice 30
Simple True or False 16
Modified True or False 6
Essay 11
Analogy 1
Problem Solving/Computation 2
Short Answer Essays 1
Identification 8
Fill in the Blank 0
Performance Test 5
Oral Recitation 2
Hands-on Test 3
Graphic Organizers 0

According to the results from the survey conducted, the number of students who
preferred matching type is a total of 13. Next, 30 students preferred multiple choice than the
other types of tests, which makes multiple choice the most preferred type of tests for students.
16 preferred simple true or false. 11 students preferred the essay type of test. 8 students
preferred identification. The number of students who picked modified true or false is 6. 5
students picked problem solving/computation. 5 students also chose performance tests. 3 of
the students preferred hands-on test, and 2 preferred oral recitation. There are students who
preferred analogy and short answer essays with 1 each. Lastly, among the 102 respondents, the
least preferred type of test are graphic organizers and fill in the blanks. Both of which were not
chosen by any of the respondents.

The type of test with the highest number is “Multiple Choice” (30), showing that 29.7%
of the respondents prefer multiple choice. This information can be correlated to the research

20
done by Yasuhiro Ozuru, Stephen Briner, Christopher A. Kurby, and Danielle S. McNamara
titled “Comparing Comprehension Measured by Multiple-Choice and Open-Ended Questions”
in 2013. The results state that different formats of questioning assess different aspects of
comprehension. The study found that multiple choice questions were found to be dependent
on topic-specific knowledge, as opposed to open-ended questions which were found to be more
sensitive and had a higher quality of self-explanation. Furthermore, the researchers found that
answers between multiple-choice and open-ended questions were not related and had only a
few commonalities. In addition to that, according to the article “Advantages and Disadvantages
of Different Types of Test Questions” written by Maryellen Weimer, PhD, it is stated that
multiple-choice questions are quick and easy to score, can test a wide ranger of higher-order
thinking skills, and can cover a lot of content on a single exam and still be answered within a
reasonable time frame. Consequently, it is also stated that multiple-choice questions provide
unprepared students with opportunities to guess, and possibly take credit for things they don’t
know. It can also expose students to misinformation that can influence subsequent thinking
about the content.

Following that, the type of test with the second-highest number is “Simple True or
False”(16), which is 15.84% of the respondents. This is almost half of the highest value.
According to the article “Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Types of Test Questions”
written by Maryellen Weimer, PhD, true or false tests are quick and easy to score. On the other
hand, they are considered to be one of the most unreliable forms of assessment. And they are
often written so that most of the statement is true, except for one bit of trivial information that
makes the whole statement untrue. It also encourages guessing and rewards the student for
correct guesses.

Lastly, the types of test with the third-highest number is “Matching Type”(13). This
counts for 12.8% of the total respondents. This can be connected to the article “Matching Test
Items: Getting Them Right” by Michael Treser in 2015. The article states that the advantages
of matching type questions are that it allows flexibility and accuracy in counting the learner’s
scores, it gives an objective assessment of the learner’s knowledge, useful when dealing with
facts, and it gives the least chance of guessing the correct answer when compared to other
question types. Consequently, the drawbacks of matching type questions are: it is ill-suited for

21
learner’s higher understanding, answering a matching type test is time consuming, and
introducing too many options can lead the questions to test the ability to search first, relevant
knowledge second.

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 CHAPTER V
This chapter concludes this research. A summary of the research is presented, and
findings of the study are discussed and interpreted. Recommendations for students, the
school, the teachers, and for future research end the chapter.

The following conclusions are applicable only to students of Philippine School

Oman. Thus, if applied to other situations, these conclusions may yield varied assumptions.
Nevertheless, these conclusions are relevant to the progressive development of the school
and the students.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

This study observed the “View of High School Students on Examination

Technicalities”. The literature review was concentrated on various exam technicalities and
how it affected students’ performance. As mention in Chapter I, the main objective of the
study was to explore the views of PSO students on exam technicalities. The research study
is non-experimental, particularly descriptive-evaluative. The respondents are 102 students
from the Grades 9 and 10 of Philippine School Oman in the Academic Year 2018-2019. The
researchers used stratified random sampling to choose the respondents. The survey was
conducted from March 24 until March 28. The research instrument used was a self -made,
structured questionnaire, which needed 15-20 minutes to complete.

1) View of Students on Exam Technicalities BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER

exams.

With a mean of 3.56, students had an overall view of “Agree” with regards to the
technicalities before exams. Following that, with a mean of 3.42, they had an overall view
of “Neutral” regarding technicalities during exams. Lastly, the students had an overall view
of “Agree” with regards to technicalities after exams, with an overall weighted mean of
3.62.

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 2) Advantages and Disadvantages of the current exam technicalities for the students.

The second objective the study was to determine what the advantages and
disadvantages of the current exam technicalities were for the students. The survey yielded
the following results: 47 students agreed that the groupings of subjects per exam day were
balanced. While 49 say that they are not balanced. Moreover, 45 students say that they have
enough time to prepare and review, while 44 students say that they do not. Furthermore, 25
students say that they are able to answer properly without pressure from limited time, while
70 students say that that they are pressured by the limited time. 55 students say that they
always feel the need to ask for the time extensions, while 37 say that the given time is
enough. And lastly, 79 students say that the font in the exam questionnaire is readable for
them, while 9 students say that the font unreadable.

3) Students’ preferred type of test.

And lastly, the third objective of the study was to discover what the students’
preferred type of test was. The results of the survey showed that most of the students
preferred multiple choice, with 30 students (29.7%) picking such. The second highest value
was that of simple true or false, with 16 students (15.84%) picking that choice. The third
highest value is 13 (12.87%), under matching type. On the other hand, none of the students
preferred fill in the blank and graphic organizer.

CONCLUSION

The researchers therefore conclude that the students’ views on the exam
technicalities are the following: (1) The students think that passing of requirements should
be two weeks before exams, (2) The regular school days (Sunday and Monday) should be
shortened in order to give students more preparation time, (3) Having three exams a day is
manageable, (4) Having exams for consecutive days is manageable, but (5) students prefer
if exam days had rest-day intervals in-between. (6) The number of items per exam is
satisfactory, (7) Students would prefer if teachers provided their own answer sheet, (8) The
font size and font style of the exam questionnaires are readable, (9) The students prefer
white paper over colored for the exam questionnaire, (10) Students do not prefer colored

24
paper over white paper for the answer sheet, (11) Students think that there should be recess
breaks between all exams, (12) The students would prefer if they were given an extra one-
day break after the exams.

Furthermore, the researchers conclude that the following are the advantages of the
current exam technicalities for the students: (1) Most students state that they have enough
time to review, and (2) The font in the exam questionnaire is readable.

Consequently, the following are the disadvantages of the current exam technicalities
for students: (1) The groupings of exams per day are not balanced, (2) Students feel
pressured by the limited time allotted to them, and (3) Students always feel the need to ask
for time extensions.

Lastly, among the Grade 9 and 10 respondents of our study, majority of them chose
multiple choice in the final segment of our survey. Simple true or false came second, and
matching type came third. Therefore, the researchers conclude that the students prefer
multiple choice most, then followed by simple true or false and matching type.

RECOMMENDATIONS

 Students

This study may be used by students to observe and analyze the effects of exam
technicalities on their own academic performance. This way the can improve on how
they deal with examinations, improve their study habits, and improve their overall
performance.

 The school and faculty

The school can use the results of this research as a reference on where to improve
the current exam technicalities. This way, students’ performance will be at its best,
and they may have a better outlook and attitude towards exams. The teachers can
also use the results of this research as a guide on what to put or what to change in
their exam questionnaires for optimal student comprehension.

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 Future research

This study was conducted with a small sample size and limited time, so this study
cannot be generalized for the whole school. If given the chance, the researchers
suggest that future researchers conduct a similar study on a wider range of grade
levels with a larger sample size for better and more applicable results. Furthermore,
future researchers may also tackle other exam technicalities such as time setting and
order of questions, so as to get the students’ views on more aspects of exam
technicalities. In addition to that, future researchers should also look for more related
literature that applies to the exam technicalities, in order to further strengthen the
results of the surveys. And lastly, this research article may serves as a related
literature for future research studies.

26
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Advantages and disadvantages of exams in points for students. (2018). Retrieved on February,
2019, from the website: http://www.meritsdemerits.com/advantages-disadvantages-
exams-essay-points-students/

Advantages and disadvantages of Different Types of Test Questions. (2018). Retrieved on

April, 2019, from the website: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational
-assessment/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-different-types-of-test-questions/

Chowdhury, Oli Ullah. (2014). “Are the exams effective in making students learn and is there
a generational difference in views on this issue?”.

Jamie L. Jensen, Dane A. Berry, Tyler A. Kummer. (2013). “Investigating the effects of exam
length on performance and cognitive fatigue”. Universidade de Brasilia, Brazil.

Mandinach, Ellen B., Bridgeman, Brent., Cahalan-Laitusis, Cara., Trapani, Cathrine. (2005).
“Impact of extended time on SAT test performance”. The College Board, New York,
USA.

Matching test items: getting them right. (2015). Retrieved on April, 2019, from the website:
https://elearningindustry.com/matching-test-items-getting-right

Orfus, Shauna. (2008). "The effect test anxiety and time pressure on performance," The
Huron University College Journal of Learning and Motivation, Ontario, Canada.

Ozuru, Yasuhiro., Kurby, Christopher A., Briner, Stephen., McNamara, Danielle S. (2013).
“Comparing comprehension measured by the multiple-choice and open-ended
questions”. University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska. University of Illinois, Chicago,
USA. Grand State Valley University, Michigan, USA. Arizona State University,
Arizona, USA.’

Tal, Ilanit R., Akers, Katherin G., Hodge, Gordon K. (2008). “Effect of paper color and
question order on exam performance”. Wayne State University, Michigan, USA.

US National Library of Medicine. (1999). Stress due to exams in medical students--role of

yoga. Bethesda, Maryland: US National Library of Medicine.

27
 APPENDIX A – Raw Data

VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON EXAM TECHNICALITIES BEFORE

EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1)

I think that the preparation/review time given before 10 39 25 23 4
the exams is enough
I think that passing of requirements should be two 39 41 15 2 4
weeks before exams, to make more time for students
to review
I am fine with passing of requirements one week 4 38 34 18 7
before the exam
I think that the regular school days prior to exams 37 39 16 8 1
(Sunday & Monday) should be shortened so students
have more preparation time
I believe that taking three exams per day is 19 50 23 7 2
manageable
I would prefer if there were only two exams per day 21 22 32 24 2

I would prefer if there was only one exam per day 14 8 26 35 18

I think that having exams for consecutive days is 10 49 29 11 2

manageable
I would prefer if exam days had rest-day intervals in- 25 28 31 14 3
between

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 VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON EXAM TECHNICALITIES DURING
EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1)

The current grouping of subjects per exam day is 1 38 37 21 4
satisfactory for me
The time provided for taking each test is enough 9 28 33 25 6

The number of items per test is satisfactory for me 13 46 35 4 3

I would prefer if teachers provided their own answer 46 35 14 5 1

sheet
I am fine with using quiz paper as an answer sheet 9 30 40 14 8

The font size that is used in exams are readable to me 43 50 7 1 0

The font style that is used in exams are readable to me 37 50 8 6 0

I prefer colored paper over plain white paper for the 7 7 25 31 31

exam questionnaire

I am fine with plain white bond paper used for the 37 41 8 12 3

questionnaire
I prefer colored paper over quiz paper for the answer 7 7 18 40 29
sheet

VIEW OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON EXAM TECHNICALITIES AFTER

EXAMS

Question S.A.(5) A(4) N(3) D(2) S.D.(1)

The 30-minute recess is enough for me 23 25 21 25 7
I think that there should be recess breaks between all 30 39 19 11 2
exams
I would prefer if students were given one day break 38 33 22 5 3
after exams
The current exam flow is satisfactory for me 8 36 43 11 3

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APPENDIX B – Letter to the Principal

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APPENDIX C – Unanswered Questionnaire

31
32
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APPENDIX D – Answered Questionnaire

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