Full Lengthy Research Paper
Students’ Opinion
Regarding Online and Face to Face Examination: A Comparative Study
Dr. Saroj Yadav1[*] and
Abhishek Pandey2
1-Associate
Professor, Department of Education, University of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh,
India.
2-M.Ed.Department
of Education, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj,
Uttar Pradesh, India.
Corresponding
Author: Dr. Saroj Yadav Key
words: Online Examination, Opinion , Face to Face Examination, Under Graduate.
ARTICLE DETAILS ABSTRACT
Educational
activities have gained new and different perspectives as technology has
advanced and courses are delivered via internet. Internet based learning
and teaching activities have almost entirely replaced not in schools and
colleges but also in all other sectors. As a result, the exams are
conducted in both online and face to face mode to assess the students. This
is a preliminary study to assess the opinion of students regarding online
and face to face examinations among Under Graduate students of the
University of Allahabad. The methodology of research used is Survey Method
of Descriptive Research. The population of the study includes all UG
students of University of Allahabad. The sample consisted of 120 UG
students drawn randomly from the University of Allahabad. Self-prepared ‘Opinionnaire regarding
online and face to face examinations’ was used as a tool for the collection
of data. t–test
was employed for the analysis of the data.
- Introduction
In
India, the examination system has a long and detailed history. It is believed
that the first examinations were held in ancient times, during the Vedic
period. The purpose of these exams was to test the learner’s knowledge of the
Vedas and the sacred texts.
The
Chanakaya’s Arthashastra is
the first known treatise that established the exams for requirements for public
servant recruitments. In the modern era, Henry Fischel
was the first person who invented exams and has credit for inventing the
concept of studying for test; he established the first examination in China,
the Imperial Examination. This examination aimed to test a candidate’s
knowledge of a subject much like how it is today. An examination is a formal
test administered to people to test their knowledge in a particular subject or
to acquire a classification. Exams examine student’s ability to comprehend what
is taught in the classroom and it is an effective way to carry out learning
evaluation.
The
modern Indian examination system can be traced back to the British rule in
India, with the introduction of examinations; a new era of standardized testing
began in India. It helped in standardizing the quality of education across the
country. It helped in creating a merit-based society where people were judged
on their merits rather than their social or economic status. The first ever
modern examination at the university level in India was conducted by the
University of Calcutta in 1857. Since then, examinations have become an
integral part of the Indian Education System and in different modes, examinations are conducted to evaluate the learners’
knowledge.
1.1 Objectives of
the Study
• To find out the difference between the
opinion of male UG students and female UG students regarding online and face to
face examinations.
• To find out the difference between the
opinion of Science UG students and Arts UG students regarding online exam and
face to face examinations.
• To find out the difference between the
opinion of General UG course students and Professional UG course students
regarding online and face to face examinations.
1.2 Hypothesis
• There is difference between the opinion of
male UG students and female UG students regarding online and face to face
examinations.
• There is difference between the opinion of
Science UG students and Arts UG students regarding online and face to face
examinations.
• There is difference between the opinion of
General UG course students and Professional UG course students regarding online
and face to face examinations.
2.
Methodology
The methodology of research used is Survey
Method of Descriptive Research. The independent variables in this study are
streams (Science and Arts) and type of courses (General and Professional). The
dependent variable in the study is the opinion of students regarding online and
face to face exam. The population in the study is all Under Graduate students
of the University of Allahabad. The sample size is 120 and has been drawn
randomly from the University of Allahabad. The tool administered was
self-prepared titled ‘Opinionnaire regarding online
and face to face examinations’ and consisted of 25 close-ended items. The
response was recorded on a three-point scale namely yes, undecided and no. The
data collection was done through offline mode. The statistics used for data
analysis is t-test.
3.
Results and Discussion
Table 1: Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-ratio showing the difference inopinion
of Male and Female UG students regarding online and face-to-face examination.
|
Group |
N |
Mean |
Standard Deviation |
t – ratio |
Significance (df=119) |
|
Male |
61 |
49.73 |
6.68 |
0.5593 |
Not
Significant |
|
Female |
59 |
49.41 |
5.15 |
Table
1 shows the value of t-ratio (=0.559) is not significant at 0.05 level of
significance as the value of t-ratio is less than the table value (1.960) at
0.05 level of significance. Thus, the null hypothesis that “there is no
significant difference in the opinion of Online and
Face-to-face mode of examination among male and female students” is
accepted which signifies that opinion of Online and Face-to-Face mode of
examination is not affected by gender difference.
Table
2: Mean,
Standard Deviation and t-ratio showing the difference in opinion of Science and
Arts stream UG students regarding online and face-to-face examination.
|
Group |
N |
Mean |
Standard Deviation |
t – ratio |
Significance (df=119) |
|
Science |
60 |
50.13 |
5.57 |
0.6455 |
Not
Significant |
|
Arts |
60 |
450.62 |
5.81 |
Table
2 shows the value of t-ratio (=0.6455) is not significant at 0.05 level of
significance as the value of t-ratio is less than the table value (1.960) at
0.05 level of significance. Thus, the null hypothesis that “there is no
significant difference in the opinion of Online and Face-to-face mode of
examination among students of Science and Arts stream”
is accepted which signifies that opinion of Online and Face-to-Face mode of
examination is not affected by stream difference.
Table
3: Mean, Standard Deviation and t-ratio showing
the difference in opinion of Professional and General stream
UG students regarding online and face-to-face examination.
|
Group |
N |
Mean |
Standard Deviation |
t – ratio |
Significance (df=119) |
|
Professional |
59 |
50.27 |
4.72 |
0.9813 |
Not
Significant |
|
General |
61 |
50.29 |
6.28 |
Table
3 shows the value of t-ratio (=0.9813) is not significant at 0.05 level of
significance as the value of t-ratio is less than the table value (1.960) at
0.05 level of significance. Thus, the null hypothesis that “there is no
significant difference in the opinion of Online and Face-to-face mode of
examination among students of Professional UG and
General UG course” is accepted which signifies that opinion of Online and
Face-to-Face mode of examination is not affected by difference in type of
course being pursued by the students.
The
findings of the study revealed that there is no significant difference between
the opinion of students regarding online and face-to-face examinations on the
basis of their gender, streams, and type of courses. It is seen that there are
chances of the use of unfair means in both modes of examinations. The online
examination is able to assess the students on similar parameters as the
face-to-face mode of examination does. The learning outcome is effectively
measured in both modes of examination and the evaluation in the online
examination is in concordance with face-to-face examination. It is revealed
that the students are comfortable in giving both the modes of examination and
their performance is not impacted by the modes of examination provided that
there is a conducive environment and no leak of
examination papers.
The
findings of Qdah and Ababneh
led to indirect support for the present findings. Their study indicates that
the type of exams i.e., paper and online and the type of questions used in
exams usually do not play a significant part in the performance of students but
rather students’ preparations and amount of study were major factors in
obtaining positive results in the exams conducted. The present findings draw
support from the findings of Ural and Takaoglu whose
study shows that using online exams during the pandemic as an alternative to
face-to-face exams in normal processes did not make a significant difference.
The study also draws support from the findings of Ita et. al. which revealed
that students had similar kind of performance in online and offline
examinations.
However,
few pieces of research contradicted the above-mentioned findings. The findings
of Lim et. al., Hochlehnert et. al., Hussain, Mumtaz, Khan et. al. and Naoples revealed that the
online exam has many advantages over the face-to-face exams.
On
the other hand, the study conducted by James et. al. and McClelland showed that the students performed better
in the face-to-face mode exams as compared to the online exams.
- Conclusion
The present study
has various educational implications for the teachers, educational institutions
and students. The educational institutions should provide training to teachers
and students to acquire computer proficiency in order to take online
examinations. The teachers should use similar evaluation method in the
assessment of online and face to face mode of examinations. The evaluation in
online examination should be in concordance with the face to face examination. Online examination increases
screen time thereby affecting the heath of students, especially their eyesight.
So, it is utmost necessary for the students to be focused on their health and
use blue filter lights while giving the examinations. The opinion of both
teachers and students should be taken in regards to improve online and offline
mode of examination. The educational institutions should be focused that there
is no leak of examination papers both in online and offline exams. Also, these
institutions should be focused that there is no security issues while giving
online exams. The teachers as an invigilator should be very supportive to
comprehend the instructions in online and face to face mode of examinations. The
educational institutions should provide a conducive
environment for the conduct of online and face to face mode of examinations and
should use latest anti cheating technology to effectively curb the use of unfair
means in online examination. Teachers should construct the question paper to
know the clarity of concepts of students. Also, the spirit of competition and realization
of self-analysis will lead to the student’s personality and confidence. The
students who give good performance in the examinations should be given
scholarships and awards.Online and face to face mode
of examinations also measure a teacher’s skills and flaws and it helps in
making decision if any subject should be re-taught or explained differently.
Examination ensures effectiveness on the part of
both the teachers and learners, and ascertains the level of knowledge
acquisition in the learners. The opportunity for the feedback should be
provided to the students to enhance teaching learning process.
5. References
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