I understand. I tend to see that people who have a lot of self confidence and good work ethics tend to do better with tests. People with insecurities seem to do worse. Makes you wonder if it has something to do with how we are challenged as children by parents, teachers and individuals we meet as we grow and what kind of encouragement we receive from them in areas of problem solving. I am sure there have been studies done in this area, I just haven't researched it. I will look into it more closely. Thank you for raising my curiosity in this area.
Medhin, what are some of the techniques you use in your classroom to properly prepare students for the various tests you administer? Since we agree that tests create some level of anxiety, how can we as educators remove some of the stress?
Regards,
James Jackson
Thanks for your feedback Harold. Just as a way of continuing this discussion a bit further, do you have any thoughts with respect to personality traits that tend to be better test takers than others? Resources used to measure such skills could include Myers-Briggs, DiSC or other instruments.
Another way of getting deeper into this discussion would be to ask if all students of all learning types should be successful as long as they follow the prescribed curriculum?
Not looking for a correct versus incorrect methodology, rather looking to deepen the discussion on this interesting topic.
Thanks for any information or other comments you can provide.
Regards,
James Jackson
Donald, sounds like you are dealing with the extreme case of conditional testing. Cause and effect is at a very high point when not passing an exam results in loss of opportunities. Brings up a very interesting point about the purpose of assessment. Is assessment to be used to sift out a certain population of students or should it be used as an educational tool? In your case, it is obviously used to qualify some and disqualify others. Do you know if any studies or research that has been done with respect to measuring any loss of potentially qualified candidates that did not test well but otherwise would have been good candidates to move forward within the selection process? The results of such a study may reveal that 100% of those that do not test well are not qualified to move on in the selection process. Would be interesting to review such a data set.
Thanks for any information you can provide to the group.
Regards,
James Jackson
In the industry sector that I teach in testing is a part of the employment process. If the graduate can not pass the test given by the employer he/she will not be hired. this could be used as a threat to the student that if you don't pay attention and do well on my tests your ability to be employed may be in question. This helps the class to self discipline to some extent.
In my profession the fear associated with quizzes / tests in my opinion is due to the student’s lack of proper preparation or not understanding fully the instruction they were given and failing to communicate to the instructor their lack of understanding. I am not so sure that the threat of an upcoming test is so inappropriate either. The reality of an upcoming test, I feel brings the student a sense of urgency to their situation and may inspire them to seek the answers to the instruction they do not understand. After all isn’t the ultimate goal for them to achieve their desired results?
I agree, tests/quizes can create anxiety for some students to the point that can not motivate to perform the test/quize. Eventhough, minimal anxiety can reenforce learning.
Tammy, I tend to agree with you but I do feel there is some interesting discussion here. Some of the feedback could be getting confused based on how different individuals interpret the words used or the implied intent. I can see some good discussion on a couple different fronts.
(1) Any type of assessment can cause stress in students. What efforts are undertaken early in your classroom to lighten the stress level with respect to assessments?
(2) If more rigor by means of added assessments is added to a class that is having discipline issues, what results can anyone share that this method has merit?
We may not all agree on this topic and how each of us would make use of testing but there will be many answers that are neither totally best practice and others that will be great things to try by others. Experimentation is the key and when all else fails, try something different and see how it goes. Plan effectively, measure accurately, and implement based on what works.
Thanks for the feedback Marlene. I am very interested in hearing from others on this topic. What is the appropriate use of assessment when the desired outcome is better discipline?
The threat of a pop quiz can help to modify disruption issues in a classroom.
Some times the threat of a quiz will motivate students to read their text and employ more study strategies.
Kathryn I just want to make sure I understand your post here. Are you saying that you feel it is appropriate to use a quiz as a means of punishment? If the students were cooperative and participating in class they would not receive as many quizzes as a class that may have a student or two that is causing a disruption? Please clarify so I can make sure I understand your post and then can provide my feedback.
Kindest regards,
James Jackson
There is a significant fear associated with quizzes and tests. Unlike the others who have posted, I think it is entirely appropriate to remind students that they will be quizzed over the material presented if there are discipline issues in the classroom during the lesson.
Test and quizzes already create enough stress and fear without their being a threat attached to it. I personally would never use a quaiz/test as a way to deiscipline my students.
I work in an environment where threats, intimidation, and attempts to cause fear are used to control. Not only is it ineffective but it also crushes morale. Taking tests is already stressful for most students. If you mix the two together, the learning process will be hindered and student retention will become a challenge. Learning assignments and disciplanary actions should always be seperate issues. As instructors, we need to remain focused on the learning process and what will be the most effective way to teach and maintain control of the classroom.
