This qualitative study investigated the washback of performance-based assessment used by three English language teachers in Hokkaido, Japan, each of whom implemented their own course-specific assessments. The study employed qualitative research of an in-depth interview with 15 students and a self-reflective method from 3 teachers. Teachers…

The current study aimed to investigate the problems of English language teaching in Turkey from the perspectives of pre-service English language teachers. For this aim, qualitative data were collected from fifteen 4th year preservice language teachers. Reflection papers and semi structured interviews were used in the data collection process. Based…

As validity pertains to test use rather than the test itself, using a test for unintended purposes requires a new validation program using additional evidence from relevant sources. This small-scale study contributes to the validation of the use of originally academic language tests--the International English Language Testing System and the Test…

The application of high-stakes tests to choose students for higher education in Turkey has been considered as a reliable and effective way of assessment for so long. However, the application of a multiple-choice test in testing various skills could bring a number of side-effects with itself. This study aimed to investigate the backwash effect of…

Students' perceptions of their classroom English tests play a crucial role in affecting their performance. Hence, the present study is interested in soliciting college students' perceptions of their classroom English tests to find out the reasons behind test difficulties. Participants were 585 female college students chosen randomly from all grade…

ESL students struggle to represent accurately on tests what they know. Understanding what constitutes equitable testing practices in university settings for ESL students poses a significant challenge to educators. This study reports on the content analysis of semi-structured interview data obtained from 13 university-level ESL students on their…

This chapter outlines the concept of test anxiety and its impact on performance, manners in which to diagnose and provide accommodations for the disability, and many means by which to reduce the impact of test anxiety. Overall, it bears repeating that although the concept of test anxiety is relatively simple, understanding how it affects a given…

American schools face pressure to increase their students' test scores. Research reports have shown American students to be particularly stressed over test taking partially because of other outside interests in their lives that also take up time. This paper offers tips to help students relieve stress arising from the testing situation. Students…

This paper reviews the differences between two interpretations accounting for the poor test performance of high anxious students: (1) that anxiety interferes with retrieval of prior learning; or (2) that, due to study skills deficits, the initial acquisition by anxious students is less thorough than by those lower in anxiety. Research results…

Item-response changing as a function of test anxiety was investigated. Data supported the hypothesis that high test-anxious students make more item-response changes than low test-anxious students. Also, both high- and low-anxious students profit to a similar extent proportionally from answer changing. (Author/GK)

To reduce test anxiety, students should know that apparently no correlation exists between student rankings on examinations and the order in which students completed those examinations. Although the first paper completed usually ranks higher than the last, it is not necessarily the best paper, nor is the last the worst. (SB)

The roles of humor and anxiety in test performance were investigated. Measures of trait anxiety, state anxiety and achievement were obtained on a sample of undergraduate students; the A-Trait and A-State scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Half of the students received additional humorous items in the achievement test. The…

The Sarason Test Anxiety Scale was administered to students immediately after a course examination and to other students after a regular class period. A significant relationship between test anxiety and examination scores was obtained for the former group, and no significant relationship was found when intelligence was partialed out. (Author)

This paper describes the PEACEful assessment process for testing anxious gifted children. Steps include: (1) Preparing the test setting; (2) Encouraging the child's exploration; (3) Acclimating the child to the testing process; (4) Conducting calm and unhurried assessments; and (5) Evaluating and adapting interactions with the child. A case study…

The effects of test anxiety on reading comprehension were studied in two experiments. In the first experiment, 75 college students completed a test anxiety scale and the McGraw-Hill Basic Skills System reading comprehension subtest. The low anxious students in this experiment showed higher reading comprehension than the high anxious students. In…