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Ateneo Science Educators and Researchers in Virtual
Engagement (SERVE) 2020 Ateneo de Manila University
School of Science and Engineering
MS Science Education Program of Biology Department

Four-Tier Multiple Choice Test Questions: A Proposed Formative Assessment Tool in Chemistry

b
a*
Glenda P. Dy, MSc , Armando Victor M. Guidote Jr., PhD , and Cornelia C. Soto, PhD c

a b
Jose Abad Santos High School, DepEd Manila Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Engineering,
c
Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Manila University- School of Social Sciences
* Corresponding Author: glendady@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Science teaching should facilitate learning, improve conceptual understanding, and develop the
students’ capacity to reason scientifically. Determining the strength and weaknesses of the learners is
important to improve the teaching-learning process. Formative assessment is an important tool in
determining the strength and weaknesses of students. It may provide information about how well students
learned.
This study aims to propose an alternative to traditional multiple-choice tests that may assess students’
conceptual knowledge and reasoning by using a Four-tier multiple choice test (FTMCT) as a formative
assessment tool. The four-tier multiple choice questionnaire is composed of the following: the first-tier, a
knowledge question, the second-tier, the student's level of confidence to the answer on the knowledge test
question, the third-tier, inquired for the reasoning used to answer the first-tier response, and the fourth tier
asked for the level of confidence to the answer on the third-tier by the participants. It is expected to uncover
the students' understanding of the core concepts and their reasoning about the concept used to arrive at
the first-tier response.
The FTMCT was prepared by the researcher. To ensure the validity of the test, the FTMCT was validated by
five science and chemistry teachers. The test was conducted among the grade 12 students who took
Chemistry 1 in the previous year and the grade 11 students who are currently taking Chemistry. Item
analysis was made to aid the researcher modify the test to suit its purpose. The item difficulty and item
discrimination were determined.
The result shows that students find it easier to answer the knowledge question with confidence but with
difficulty answering the reasoning question with confidence. The paper concludes that FTMCT is a necessary
tool as a formative assessment in determining the conceptual knowledge and reasoning ability of the
students which may equate to deep understanding.

Keywords: Four-tier multiple choice test, Formative assessment, Knowledge, Reasoning

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