“THE FIRST YEAR, THEY CRIED”: HOW TEACHERS ADDRESS TEST STRESS
Abstract
Grade 3 teachers in Ontario must administer the Primary Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics to their students. In this study, we analyze how four teachers framed and addressed the problem of the stress some of their students experienced when sitting the test. The teachers framed the problem in different ways: as related to students‟ perceptions of the test, students‟ preparation for the test, teachers‟ attitudes about the test, or the developmental appropriateness of the test administration instructions. Their approaches to addressing the problem were related to how they framed the problem and whether they believed the test administration instructions must be strictly followed. We believe it is important for educational policy makers and test developers to understand the problem of test stress and to engage teachers in finding ways to address it.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
