Higher retention after a new take-home computerised test

A new computerised testing system was used at home to promote learning and also to save classroom instruction time. The testing system combined the features of short-answer and multiple-choice formats. The questions of the multiple-choice problems were presented without the options so that students had to generate answers for themselves; they could click for the options when they were ready, and could choose one of the options within a brief, specified time period. One hundred thirty-eight Korean sixth-grade students (12-year olds) were divided into two groups: the experimental group took the intervening test on social studies using the new computerised testing method, and the control group used a computerised version of the traditional multiple-choice method. A few days after the intervening computerised test, a recall posttest was given in paper-and-pencil format. The mean posttest score was greater for the experimental group than for the control group. Implications of the result are discussed.