Title : The effects of exam question formats on teenage neurodivergent student performance
Abstract:
As of 2024, up to 30% of teenagers worldwide are neurodivergent, not even including comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. This study investigates the impact of different exam question formats on the academic performance of neurodivergent teenagers compared to their neurotypical peers, aiming to understand how traditional standardized testing may not adequately account for the diverse cognitive processing styles of neurodivergent individuals, as defined by the DSM-5. Neurodivergent students, especially those with comorbid conditions, often face significant challenges in academic settings where standardized tests are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach. This can lead to inaccurate assessments of their abilities and increased levels of stress and anxiety. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that neurodivergent students would perform differentlydepending on the question format, with the expectation that they would score lower on traditional formats such as multiple choice and passage-based questions due to the misalignment between their cognitive processing styles and the standardized nature of these questions. To explore these issues, a fully HIPAA compliant quantitative research design was employed, recruiting high school students aged thirteen to eighteen via social media and community platforms. Participants were stratified into neurodivergent and neurotypical groups, each with a minimum of thirty participants to ensure a representative sample. The experiment involved a three-part process: a pre-survey to gather demographic information and control for confounding variables, a timed digital exam via Jotform featuring fifteen questions in various formats (multiple choice, true/false, passage-based, etc), and a post-survey to capture participants' subjective experiences, including perceived performance, comfort with question types, and stress levels. Participants had twenty-two minutes and thirty seconds to complete the exam, with timing consistently enforced across all participants. Anonymity was ensured through unique IDs and secure data storage. Pilot testing was conducted to refine the instruments and ensure reliability and validity, with adjustments made based on participant feedback. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, employing factorial analysis to examine the interaction between question format and student type while controlling for confounding variables. Initial analyses included tests for normality and outliers to ensure data suitability. The results supported the hypothesis, revealing that neurodivergent students scored significantly lower on multiple-choice and passage-based questions compared to their neurotypical counterparts, with p-values (p < 0.05). In contrast, the performance gap was less pronounced for true/false and multi-select questions, indicating these formats may be less cognitively demanding for neurodivergent students. This interaction between question format and student type underscores the need for a more inclusive approach to standardized testing, as current practices may disproportionately disadvantage neurodivergent students, particularly those with comorbid conditions. By identifying more accessible question formats, this study contributes to a broader understanding of how educational assessments can be designed to accommodate diverse cognitive profiles, ultimately leading to more equitable academic outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of re-evaluating traditional standardized testing methods and suggest incorporating a variety of question formats to create a more inclusive testing environment that accurately reflects the abilities of all students.
Audience Takeaway Notes:
- Understand how different exam question formats impact neurodivergent teenagers' performance.
- Learn about cognitive processing differences in students with ADHD, autism, andanxiety.
- Discover strategies for designing more inclusive standardized tests. Apply these findingsto create more equitable and effective educational assessments.
- Use the research as a basis for further studies in educational assessment and neurodiversity.
