Preferred Name
Jon Henriques
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
ORCID
0009-0002-4721-2724
Date of Graduation
5-15-2025
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Brian Leventhal
Abstract
In the context of low stakes testing, where students have no benefits or consequences for their performance, test-taking effort becomes a central validity concern. Recent research has explored how shortening tests might improve effort. With modern planned missingness designs, it is possible to reduce the length of the test for the student without compromising the validity and reliability of the test. In this study, I investigated the impact of test length on effort using rapid guessing, a more contemporary technique that has not been applied to this research area. I randomly assigned students to one of three conditions: the full test (66 items), the first half of the test (33 items), or the second half of the test (33 items). I recorded effort through rapid guessing, the Student Opinion Survey, and a motivation check item. Results showed no significant differences in effort or performance between the full test and first half only conditions. However, students in the second half only condition exhibited significantly higher effort and performance compared to those in the full test condition. These findings suggest that while shortening a test does not uniformly impact effort, it can reduce the effects of fatigue and disengagement that emerge later in a test, ultimately enhancing both effort and performance.
