The impact of test anxiety on children’s wellbeing is of increasing concern to educationalists (National Union of Teachers/Exam Factories, 2015). In addition, the impact of SATs on children’s well-being is currently at the heart of much media interest (refer to articles in The Guardian 30.4.17 and The Independent 1.5.17). Despite a growing research base, the focus has been largely on the experiences of secondary or college students, and has primarily been investigated using quantitative approaches. The aim of the current study was to develop an understanding of the emotional impact of national assessment on primary aged children, and to explore how the construction of children’s identities might relate to these experiences. Initially twelve children from two schools were identified with Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) on the basis of them representing a range of social backgrounds, and emotional and cognitive abilities. A total of eleven children were interviewed twice. The data from five children from year six and a child from year two were then further analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four superordinate themes emerged from analysis, each with a number of subordinate themes. The theme ‘Support from others’ illustrates the way in which the children’s learning was situated within a social context, from which testing created a rupture, as described in the theme ‘Tests create anxiety’. Children described a tendency to keep negative feelings about testing to themselves, creating a split between the private and the public self. Performance in tests informed children’s sense of value, beyond the confines of the target ability (‘Self-evaluation from feedback’). The theme ‘Who I want to become’ captures a process of negotiation as children became immersed in reflection on their identities, negotiating a compromise between self-evaluation on the basis of the tests and possible future selves. Due to the research method and size of this study, implications from the results have to be treated cautiously. However, it would seem advantageous for schools to address the potential negative effects of testing on emotional well-being, identity and aspiration. Suggested ways of achieving this are increased opportunities for children to express their private anxieties with regard to testing, including discussion with adults in non- teaching roles, and specific interventions that promote well-being and self-esteem in relation to test anxiety and the implications of results. In addition, policy and practice should consider ways to minimise the rupture to learning created by testing.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instructional Studies at the University Of Zululand, 2018 / The purpose of this study was to understand the efficacy of the implementation of Annual National Assessment (ANA). In this study, the researcher chose King Cetshwayo District and Mthunzini circuit as a field of investigation. The investigation was conducted using a mixed method approach which was driven by both qualititave and quantitative approach. In this case, the Intermediate Phase schools were the main target to select a sample of 75 participants. All these randomly selected educators answered a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions while five Heads of Departments (HoDs) and five educators were purposively selected to participate in the in-depth interview session. The main objectives of the investigation were to: (a) explore teachers’ views about the implementation of ANA in the Intermediate Phase; (b) find out teachers’ perspectives of on the use of ANA as diagnostic assessment tool; and (c) find out about the impact of ANA on learner performance in English First Additional Language. The findings revealed that the majority of educators complained about lack of training, administration including time in which ANA is written, exposure of underperforming schools and methods of teaching which encourage rote learning. Most educators were unhappy that their district officials were not supportive during the administration phase. Educators raised concerns that Grade 4 learners have difficulty in understanding the questions since it is their first year of using English as Language of Learning and Teaching. Some educators indicated that they have not been sent to ANA workshops yet they are expected to administer the assessment. Based on the findings, the researcher realised that the objectives of the implementation of ANA were not achieved in some schools due to the negative attitude displayed by educators towards ANA. The inconsistency of the test questions makes it difficult for the Department of Basic Education to ascertain whether or not there is any improvement in ANA results. The researcher recommends that in order for ANA to be successfully implemented, the school management teams and the subject advisors have to work closely with Intermediate Phase educators and provide necessary resources and support.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-265). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Susan Carol Losh, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

What students should learn in school and therefore also what teachers should teach is an important issue worldwide. Mathematics teaching (and teaching in other subjects) is often regulated by some form of governing text in a written curriculum communcating a set of standards. Another common mean through which policy is communicated is assessments, which for example can convey policy by communicating desirable outcomes in student learning. A common problem with regulating what teachers do through policy means is that it often is difficult to achieve intended changes. This study investigates the impact of a national reform in Sweden initiated in 1994, introducing mathematical competency goals by communicating them through the national curriculum and national assessments. The study is based on analysis of data obtained from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (SSI), which conducted a quality review of upper secondary school mathematics teaching. During this quality review, the SSI collected data on a representative sample of 145 upper secondary mathematics teachers through interviews, observations, and surveys. This was done in 2009 and 2010, which means that the reform from a time perspective has had ample time to exert influence on teachers. In the study the data obtained from the SSI was analyzed in order to answer two questions:  have teachers changed their beliefs about the goals of upper secondary school mathematics in line with the intentions of the reform, and why have, or have they not, changed their beliefs about the goals of upper secondary school mathematics in line with the intentions of the reform? In research on teachers’ reception of policy messages, similar to the one introduced in Sweden, it has been found that a common response to these messages is that teachers are positive to the message. However, although positive, teachers have often been found to only adopt superficial properties of the reform while still maintaining a highly traditional view of teaching and the goals of teaching, not consistent with the intentions of the reform. Therefore, the questions in this study were examined by using a model that can explain why teachers, when confronted with a reform message, change their beliefs in profound or superficial ways, or not at all. Through analysis of the SSI-data, measures on constructs of the model were obtained, and with statistical means it was examined whether the model can account for the changes in teachers’ beliefs about the goals of upper secondary school mathematics. The results of the study suggest that the Swedish reform has had a relatively small impact, and that the model can give an explanation to why some Swedish upper secondary teachers of mathematics have changed their beliefs in line with the reform, some have changed them in superficial ways, and some have not changed them in any discernable way. Whether teachers perceive the reform as entailing an important and non-trivial change for them seems to be of utmost importance. The results of this study suggest that if teachers do not perceive this, they will not process the message deeply, which by the results of this study suggest that there is little chance for them to change their beliefs in a profound way. If they however do perceive the message as entailing an important and non-trivial change, this study suggests that chances are greater that teachers will change their beliefs in line with the reform. Teachers’ interest in the subject and their perceptions of the usefulness of the documents communicating the message are then in this study suggested to be important factors influencing whether teachers will process the reform message systematically, which in turn heavily influences whether they will change their beliefs in a profound way. One practical implication, suggested by this study is that when policy communicates a new and non-trivial message with the intention of influencing teachers, it is important that the message is communicated clearly. Such clarity makes it more difficult for a teacher to superficially interpret the message as being in accordance with the teacher’s earlier beliefs, and thus not entail any need for change. However, to attain such clarity of a complex message is not an easy task to accomplish.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress data to identify the relationship between calculator use and student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Assessment. This general purpose includes several sub issues. In addition to being interested in the overall relationship between use and National Assessment of Educational Progress achievement (including the effort to control for spurious factors), this study examined the contextual factors that moderate the impact of calculator use. Similarly, it analyzed the relationship between calculator use and student performance on calculator-allowed and calculator-restricted items, as well as the ability of students to recognize whether the use of a calculator was appropriate when responding to a math problem. Findings indicate that significant differences in achievement exist between students who regularly use calculators and those who do not use calculators. Even when controlling for various contextual factors that moderated this relationship (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status, parents' level of education, students' National Assessment of Educational Progress achievement level), it was found that the more frequently students use a calculator the higher their scores tend to be. The results also show that when not allowed to use calculators, the more frequent calculator users continue to score higher than those who do not use calculators. Finally, using calculators does not automatically equate to calculator dependence, and, in fact, the more often students use a calculator the more adept they are at applying it properly and withholding it when inappropriate. Based on the findings of this study, the use of a calculator in mathematics classes should improve students' ability to learn mathematical concepts and apply calculator technology in an appropriate manner when solving mathematical problems.

The purpose of this study is to analyse the significance of the national assessment in highschool education, including what the teachers express about the new instructions currently coming from the Swedish National Agency of Education, concerning a more central control of grading the national assessments. This study also covers the teachers individual responsibility when it comes to grading the national assessments. The purpose of the national assessment is to secure that grading and the education level in the country is equal. This is a qualitative study useing the method of a group discussion intervju (focusgroup intervju). Five highschool teachers took part in the discussion with questions that had been decided beforehand. The aim with this method is to give space for open discussions and reflections within the group. The result of the study shows that the respondants had been influenced by the tention between the new instructions from the Swedish National Agency of Education and the teachers autonomy. The study also elucidates the tendencies that exists in the country of grading too positive. The respondants expressed that they are affected  by the new instructions and that their final grading is controlled by the results from the assessments. / Syftet är att synliggöra de nationella provens betydelse i gymnasieskolan innefattandevad några lärare uttrycker om förändringarna som pågår från Skolverket, angående enmer central styrning av bedömningen av de nationella proven. Undersökningen tar ävenupp lärarnas individuella ansvar i bedömningen av nationella proven. De nationellaproven ska säkerställa en rättvis bedömning nationellt och fungera som rikslikande.Detta är en kvalitativ studie där vi använt oss av en fokusgruppintervju somundersökningsmetod. Fem stycken gymnasielärare deltog i en intervju som utgick frånfasta frågeställningar. Metoden ger utrymme för diskussioner och reflektioner inomgruppen. Resultatet visar att respondenterna har påverkats av spänningsfältet mellanSkolverkets nya direktiv och lärarens autonomi. Undersökningen belyser äventendensen som finns i landet angående glädjebetyg. Respondenterna uttrycker att de ärpåverkade av de nya direktiven och att resultaten från proven styr den slutligabedömningen i en kurs.

<p>The purpose of this study is to analyse the significance of the national assessment in highschool education, including what the teachers express about the new instructions currently coming from the Swedish National Agency of Education, concerning a more central control of grading the national assessments. This study also covers the teachers individual responsibility when it comes to grading the national assessments. The purpose of the national assessment is to secure that grading and the education level in the country is equal. This is a qualitative study useing the method of a group discussion intervju <em>(focusgroup intervju).</em> Five highschool teachers took part in the discussion with questions that had been decided beforehand. The aim with this method is to give space for open discussions and reflections within the group. The result of the study shows that the respondants had been influenced by the tention between the new instructions from the Swedish National Agency of Education and the teachers autonomy. The study also elucidates the tendencies that exists in the country of grading too positive. The respondants expressed that they are affected  by the new instructions and that their final grading is controlled by the results from the assessments.</p> / <p>Syftet är att synliggöra de nationella provens betydelse i gymnasieskolan innefattandevad några lärare uttrycker om förändringarna som pågår från Skolverket, angående enmer central styrning av bedömningen av de nationella proven. Undersökningen tar ävenupp lärarnas individuella ansvar i bedömningen av nationella proven. De nationellaproven ska säkerställa en rättvis bedömning nationellt och fungera som rikslikande.Detta är en kvalitativ studie där vi använt oss av en fokusgruppintervju somundersökningsmetod. Fem stycken gymnasielärare deltog i en intervju som utgick frånfasta frågeställningar. Metoden ger utrymme för diskussioner och reflektioner inomgruppen. Resultatet visar att respondenterna har påverkats av spänningsfältet mellanSkolverkets nya direktiv och lärarens autonomi. Undersökningen belyser äventendensen som finns i landet angående glädjebetyg. Respondenterna uttrycker att de ärpåverkade av de nya direktiven och att resultaten från proven styr den slutligabedömningen i en kurs.</p>

Thèse (Ph. D.)--Université Laval, 2004. / Bibliogr.: f. [127-151]. Publié aussi en version électronique.

This study investigated the effects of teacher background variables on fourth grade reading achievement data collected from the 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) using a causal-comparative research design. Teacher quality variables related to teacher credentials, instructional methods, training, and support were selected from the NAEP background questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used to examine teacher background information and fourth grade reading NAEP scaled scores using measures of central tendency, independent t-tests, analysis of variance, and Tukey’s HSD post hoc analysis. Findings suggest that certain teacher quality variables positively impact fourth grade reading achievement. Significant differences existed among fourth grade reading scaled scores for the following variables: teaching credentials [region (p < .05), traditional preparation route (p < .001), highest degree earned(p < .05), years of experience (p < .001)]; instructional methods [reading aloud by students (p < .01), questioning character motives (p < .01), student selection of reading materials (p < .001), explaining/supporting text (p < .05), identifying main theme (p < .001), time spent on reading (p < .001), primary language arts integration (p < .05)]; teacher support [instructional grade level support/technical assistance by reading specialist (p < .05) and mentoring (p < .05)]. This study expands the current literature on teacher quality by exploring the effects of teacher variables on reading achievement.