A Comparison of Students, Scores in Multiple- Choice and Essay Questions in Mother and Child Health Examination

The method of evaluation in students’ learning affects their studying mode. The aim of this study was to compare nursing students’ scores in essay and multiple-choice questions in Mother and Child Health examination in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. In this study, the final scores of 121 of nursing students in a multiple-choice questionnaire consisting of 40 questions, during four semesters were compared with the scores obtained from an essay questionnaire composed of 40 questions. Difficulty and Discrimination Index of questions were similar in both kinds of questions. Data was analyzed employing paired t-test and Pearson correlation test and P<0.05 was considered significant. Mean and standard deviation of students’ scores were reported 14.72±3.7 in essay questions and 16.53±2.4 in multiple-choice questions and showed a significant difference (P<0.001). A positive correlation was reported between the essay and multiple-choice questions (r=0.93). Students’ scores were higher in multiple-choice questionnaire compared to the essay one. Using multiple-choice questionnaire on its own may lead to the success of those students who do not have the ability of perceive, resolve and apply.