Abstract

One of the most common technology-enhanced items used in large-scale K-12 testing programs is the drag-and-drop response interaction. The main research questions in this study are: (a) Does adding a drag-and-drop interface to an online test affect the accuracy of student performance? (b) Does adding a drag-and-drop interface to an online test affect the speed of student performance? In three different experiments involving fourth, sixth, and eighth graders, respectively; students answered reading comprehension questions presented in conventional (i.e., paper-based design) or drag-and-drop formats. The tests consisted of four-sentence ordering items in Experiment 1, four graphic organizer items in Experiment 2, and two cloze tests and two graphic organizer items in Experiment 3. The conventional and drag drop groups were compared on test performance (i.e., accuracy) and efficiency (i.e., response time and number of mouse clicks). Across the three experiments, the conventional and drag drop groups did not differ in mean performance, but the drag drop group responded more efficiently than the conventional group (faster response time, d = 0.62, and fewer mouse clicks, d = 1.13).