Comprehending a text involves constructing a coherent mental representation of it and deep comprehension of a text in its entirety is a critical skill in academic contexts. Interpretations on test takers’ ability to comprehend texts are made on the basis of performance in test tasks but the extent to which test tasks are effective in directing test takers towards reading a text to understand the whole of it is questionable. In the current study, tests based on multiple choice items are investigated in terms of their potential to facilitate or preclude cognitive processes that lead to higher level reading processes necessary for text level macrostructure formation. Participants’ performance in macrostructure formation after completing a multiple choice test and a summarization task were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Task performances were compared and retrospective verbal protocol data were analyzed to categorize the reading processes the participants went through while dealing with both tasks. Analyses showed that participants’ performance in macrostructure formation of the texts they read for multiple choice test completion and summarization task differed significantly and that they were less successful in comprehending the text in its entirety when they were asked to read to answer multiple choice questions that followed the text. The findings provided substantial evidence of the inefficacy of the multiple choice test technique in facilitating test takers’ macrostructure formation and thus pointed at yet another threat to the validity of this test technique.

中文翻译：

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通过多项选择测试任务可能无法评估的内容

理解文本需要构建一个连贯的心理表征，而对文本的整体深刻理解是学术背景中的一项关键技能。对考生理解文本的能力的解释是基于测试任务的表现，但是测试任务有效地指导考生阅读文本以理解全文的程度是可疑的。在当前的研究中，对基于多项选择项的测试在促进或排除认知过程的潜力方面进行了调查，这些认知过程导致形成文本级宏观结构所必需的更高水平的阅读过程。在完成多项选择题测试和总结任务后，对参与者在宏观结构形成中的表现进行了定量和定性分析。比较了任务的执行情况并分析了回顾性口头协议数据，以将参与者在处理这两项任务时所经历的阅读过程进行分类。分析表明，参与者在完成多项选择题测试和总结任务时所阅读的文本的宏观结构形成方面的表现存在显着差异，并且当他们被要求阅读以回答随后出现的多项选择题时，他们无法全面理解文本文本。这些发现提供了多项选择测试技术在促进应试者宏观结构形成方面效率低下的实质性证据，因此指出了对该测试技术有效性的又一威胁。