Lower and Higher Cognitive Skills as Predictors of Students’ Test Taking Skills
Elisa N. Chua, PhD.
Laguna State Polytechnic University
San Pablo City Laguna, Philippines
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54476/iimrj344
ABSTRACT
The study sought to find out the correlation between the cognitive skills and the test taking skills of college students. Using a descriptive method of research, three sets of tests that undergone reliability and validity, were utilized. To identify the relationship between the variables, regression analysis was used to consider domains of test taking skills accounted for by the cognitive skills of the students. Results revealed that the students ‘need improvement’ in the lower cognitive skills as to remembering, understanding, and applying; are approaching proficiency in the higher cognitive skills as to evaluating and creating, but ‘needs improvement as to analyzing. The test taking skills of students in concept formation, simplicity of explanation and objectivity of observation is approaching proficiency. Furthermore, there is a high to a very high correlation between the students’ cognitive skills and test taking skills: cognitive skills as to understand and analyze are predictors of test taking skills as to factual recognition; cognitive skills as to remember and evaluate are predictors of test taking skills as to concept formation; and cognitive skills is related to testing skills as to critical thinking. It can be inferred that it is imperative that the students’ proficiencies in areas as to remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating be further developed in all aspect of the teaching and learning process, since cognitive skills are correlated to test taking skills. Test taking skills should be deliberately utilized by teachers in assessing learning too.
Keywords: Cognitive skills, Test Taking Skills, Science teaching, and Students’ Performance