The characteristics of comprehension and knowledge application questions in tests designed by Serbian language teachers

Abstract

Contemporary teaching is geared towards creating conditions for students to develop comprehension of the subject matter and apply the knowledge they have acquired. Knowledge tests administered in class are accordingly expected to include questions that test students' level of comprehension and ability to apply knowledge. The aim of our study was to establish to what extent comprehension and knowledge application questions are represented in Serbian language tests, and also to establish and compare their characteristics, using the descriptive-analytical method and the techniques of interviews and content analysis. Twenty-four teacher-made tests were analyzed, comprising a total of 226 questions. The findings indicate that there are similarities between questions of comprehension and knowledge application in terms of the subject areas they cover, their wording, the most common types of questions and certain aspects of formatting. Questions differ in their difficulty in relation to educational standards. The findings draw attention to the fact that there are teachers who equate the level of knowledge tested by a question with the level of achievement referenced by the question according to educational standards. There is little variation in the types of questions and in the use of technical features to enhance the directivity of questions. In certain aspects of question construction, teachers rely on questions from books of problems for matriculation exam practice. Overall, there is room for improvement in teachers' skills in constructing subject matter comprehension and knowledge application questions.

Keywords

• knowledge test
• test question types
• levels of knowledge
• Serbian language instruction
• primary school