Influence of distractors on student’s performance and confidence in single choice quizzes

Abstract

Single choice questions are a substantial part of exams in various fields, in particular in mathematics. However, few studies have examined how the provided incorrect answer options (the so-called ‘distractors’) in mathematical questions are affecting the achievement of the students. In this paper we describe a study designed to investigate not only the effect of distractors on the performance, but also which kind of distractors make students uncertain or, on the contrary, lull students into a false sense of security.