Test Preparation Activities Research Articles

Memorizing and fabricating? Uncovering online writing test preparation

With high-stakes decisions relying on standardized language tests (Chapelle, 2021a), many test takers seek test preparation from commercial ‘cram schools’, including TOEFL iBT writing (E.-Y. J. Kim, 2017; S. Kim, 2021). Despite a $1.2 billion market for online test preparation courses in Korea, previous studies have primarily focused on in-person classes through interviews and surveys, neglecting online courses. This study analyzed ten prerecorded online lectures from two popular cram schools, applying Messick’s (1982) taxonomy of test preparation to code instructional content. The analysis revealed that three types of instructional activities: three Type 1 (enhancing construct-relevant factors), four Type 2 (reducing construct-irrelevant factors), and four Type 3 (enhancing construct-irrelevant factors) test preparation activities were identified. Type 1 activities primarily covered vocabulary, grammar, and organizational patterns. Type 2 focused on teaching test formats, TOEFL trends, time management, and topic choice. Type 3 addressed templates, fabricating examples, gaming the scoring system, and cramming tips. Notably, students were encouraged to utilize memorized templates and fabricate examples. However, these practices may undermine support for the explanation and consequence implication inferences of the validity argument of TOEFL iBT. This study provides valuable insights into language testing preparation, applicable to various contexts with different tests.

Study Habits of Undergraduate Medical Students in Bangladesh

The study habits of students are the most important factors that influence the performance of students. Poor study habits are considered one of the main causes of students’ academic failure and can have an important impact on their education and their occupational prospect. Currently, no time bound and elaborative research is found to identify the study habits of undergraduate medical students in Bangladesh. This descriptive-type of cross-sectional study was conducted in different medical colleges with the objective to find out the study habits of undergraduate medical students of Bangladesh. It also aimed to find out if there is any difference in study habits between the students with high, average and below-average grade achievers in professional examinations. Data were collected from 586 conveniently selected students from 10 government and 9 private medical colleges of Bangladesh within the period of one year. A pretested semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Study habits were assessed in seven domains namely textbook reading, note-taking, memorizing lessons, paying concentration, exam /test preparation, time management, and classroom-related activities. With regards to study habits, it was revealed that undergraduate medical students have an average study habit score in textbook reading (3.54±1.14), note taking (3.33±1.17), memorizing lessons (3.35±1.17), preparation for the test (3.53±1.18), time management (3.40±1.18) and classroom related activities (3.22±1.2) domains. There is a significant difference in study habit score of high grades and below-average grade achievers in professional examinations. This average score of study habits was below our expectations. This study recommended that teachers should make an effort to develop or improve the study habits of medical students by acquainting them with good and poor/ bad study habits. So that students can identify their poor study habits and can take the appropriate remedial measure. Teachers can guide weak students to develop effective study habits so that students’ learning can be enhanced. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.14(2) July 2023: 45-55

Edukasi Pajak Kaum Millenial Berbasis Web Games

WEB GAMES-BASED MİLLENNİAL TAX EDUCATİON. This Community Service Activity (PkM) aims to provide solutions for the Subject Teachers' Conference (MGMP) on: 1). declining interest in learning for high school students during the pandemic; 2). lack of attractive tax teaching support facilities and infrastructure at the high school level; 3). lack of knowledge and skills of teachers in technology-based learning, especially taxation subjects. In addition, to support partner programs as well as the government's national program in creating a tax-aware golden generation in 2045, the PkM team utilizes research on tax assistance activities, tax education, and the use of tax technology that has been done previously by: (1) formulating two types of easy games and already known by students, namely Snakes & Ladders and Tax Uno Cards, have become web-based games to make them more attractive; (2) direct introduction of the two web games to accounting teachers and develop input from teachers, in order to improve the program including facilities and infrastructure; (3) direct socialization to students in a series of Web games for the Tax Awareness Gold Generation which were made interactive, competitive and interesting. The results show an increase in the learning interest of 100 students involved, obtaining support for facilities and infrastructure, and increasing teacher knowledge and skills in technology-based learning in taxation subjects by more than 70%. Participants feel that web games-based tax learning is more fun as enrichment material and test preparation activities are more fun and more competitive than the usual practice questions.

Drawing on repeat test takers to study test preparation practices and their links to score gains

A key concern of washback research in language testing is with the value of test preparation for facilitating learning and improving test performance. Although test takers may draw on a wide range of preparation activities, the majority of research studies examining test preparation have taken place in classroom settings, leaving self-access approaches largely unexamined. The aim of the current study was to (a) explore possible links between self-access test preparation activities and improved test performance and (b) examine how repeat test takers adjust their test preparation activities from test sitting to test sitting while preparing for the Pearson Test of English (Academic). The study involved the collection and analysis of interviews from 60 recent repeat test takers. The interview data were coded for themes and sub-themes and analyzed for the kind of test preparation activities in which learners engaged, and how these changed over time. The interviews showed that the test takers were strategic in their preparation, by changing their approaches depending on their previous test results. The largest number of significant improvements was identified for speaking, where test takers engaged in a variety of strategies, some of which were construct-irrelevant. The findings are discussed in relation to test validity and washback.

Test Preparation Beliefs and Practices in a High-Stakes Context: A Teacher’s Perspective

ABSTRACTPolicy makers worldwide are increasingly using high-stakes tests for accountability purposes. This practice has resulted in a considerable rise in test preparation activities in different instructional contexts. The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ test preparation beliefs and practices in a high-stakes assessment context in Egypt. For this purpose, 200 secondary school teachers completed a questionnaire targeting different aspects of test preparation. A follow-up interview with a small sample of teachers was conducted for an in-depth analysis of relevant issues. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques were used to answer the research questions. The results of the study showed a wide range of test preparation activities used in Egyptian schools. The teachers reported both useful and harmful effects of test preparation activities. When prompted about perceived appropriateness, the teachers agreed that test preparation activities are generally appropriate. In addition, the results showed that external pressures on teachers can lead to negative beliefs about test preparation. However, only self-efficacy was found to be significantly contributing to positive beliefs. The authors call for adopting a reconciliatory approach that can alleviate the tension between accountability requirements and language learning, an approach that considers the reciprocal relationship between learning and assessment.

The National Standardized Test Policy for English Subject: Students’ Perception

The present study was part of a larger study concerned with examining whether students perceived the use of the national standardized test policy was taking the teaching and learning English at schools in the right direction. A total of 267 completed questionnaires received from year 1, 2, and 3 students enrolled at a public university English education program, Indonesia and answered a questionnaire addressing test preparation activities, controversial testing practices, and the use and accuracy of the national standardized test. This study shed light on our understanding of how participants perceived the national standardized test policy had changed the process of teaching and learning English in the classroom.

Preparing for the Speaking Tasks of the TOEFL iBT® Test: An Investigation of the Journeys of Chinese Test Takers

AbstractLanguage test preparation has often been studied within the consequential validity framework in relation to ethics, equity, fairness, and washback of assessment. The use of independent and integrated speaking tasks in the TOEFL iBT® test represents a significant development and innovation in assessing speaking ability in academic contexts. Integrated tasks that involve synthesizing and summarizing information presented in reading and listening materials have the potential to generate new test preparation strategies. This study investigated the experiences of over 1,500 Chinese test takers and 23 teachers who were preparing for the TOEFL iBT speaking tasks. It examined the frequency of use of a number of different test preparation activities and materials, reasons, and expectations for taking preparation courses and the features of preparation courses. In addition, we examined the usefulness of test preparation from two perspectives: students' and teachers' perceptions as well as the relationship between test preparation and performance. Data were collected via questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews with test takers and teachers, and classroom observations. The data showed that (a) test preparation was a hugely complex, multiple‐components construct, and teaching and learning test‐taking strategies compose the most prominent feature of intensive preparation courses; (b) there were significant age‐related differences in students' preparation activities and focuses, although with small effect sizes; (c) there was a high agreement between teachers and students in their views on the usefulness of test preparation activities; and (d) there existed only a weak relationship between test preparation and performance. The only significant predictor of students' test performance was the frequency of their use of the TOEFL Practice Online TPO® practice tests. The findings of the study can enhance our understanding of the pedagogical practices that characterize test preparation programs and contribute to the ongoing validity argument for the TOEFL iBT Speaking test. The implications of the findings for test publishers, test takers, teachers, and test preparation schools are discussed with reference to the instructional, learning, and affective aspects of the multifaceted construct of test preparation.

Test Preparation in the Accountability Era: Toward a Learning‐Oriented Approach

The article introduces a learning‐oriented approach to test preparation that could help in easing the tension between learning and assessment. The first part of the article discusses the different concepts that are usually used in the context of test preparation. The second section reports on the literature pertaining to the effects of test preparation on teaching, learning, and test performance. The article also attempts to differentiate between appropriate and unhealthy practices and show the intricate differences between these concepts. In conclusion, the author suggests a number of guidelines for different stakeholders about how to conduct test preparation activities effectively and how to avoid the common pitfalls when carrying out this task. These guidelines focus specifically on how to develop and carry out test preparation activities that are learning‐oriented, how to develop assessment tasks that discourage inappropriate test preparation practices, and how to use strategies for promoting professionally sound test preparation activities.

The impact of teacher attitudes and beliefs about large-scale assessment on the use of provincial data for instructional change

In the quest to improve measured educational outcomes national governments across the OECD and beyond have instituted large-scale assessment (LSA) policies in their public schools. Controversy almost universally follows the implementation of such testing, related to such topics as: a) the uncertain quality of the tests themselves as psychometrics measures; b) the uses to which the data can and should be put; c) the unintended consequences of test-preparation activities and resulting score inflation; and d) the effects of high-stakes tests on students. Debates of this nature naturally involve and impact the attitudes and opinions of teachers related to their collection and use of these data. This paper examines the impact of these attitudes using both the qualitative and quantitative data from a large-scale research study on Canadian provincial assessment. Data were collected from nation-wide teacher surveys as well as interviews with teachers, administrators and district-level staff. Results show that teacher attitudes about these assessments are strongly correlated to classroom-level instructional change. Three attitudinal factors have significant effects on teaching (to) the provincial curricula, yet none significantly affects the use of less constructive instructional strategies also known as ‘teaching to the test.’ Specifically, the belief that large-scale assessment data have more appropriate uses and the belief that these data could lead to school improvement were significant factors in facilitating change. The implications of these findings are profound in that large-scale assessment policy cannot succeed even by its own standards without more buy in from teaching professionals.

Korean Test Takers' TOEIC-Speaking and OPIc Test Preparation

High stakes English speaking tests have been used for evaluating applicants’ language proficiency in academic contexts or in the work place. In these situations, most Korean college students prepare for tests such as TOEIC Speaking or OPIc test in order to get better jobs. Although high-stakes tests pressure students and teachers to raise scores, there is little research about how test takers prepare for English speaking tests in cram schools. One aim of this study was to examine and compare TOEIC Speaking and OPIc test preparation activities in a cram school. Also, I aimed to investigate why and how test takers choose test preparation, the characteristics of test preparation, and how they are influenced by test preparation from the test-takers’ perspectives. Various types of data were collected through observation, interview and documentation. The results indicated that activities in the cram school mode were not significantly influenced by test type. Thus, test takers’ activities may be influenced by teacher’s instruction. The study raises awareness of the importance of instruction by a teacher for appropriate test preparation, and its impact on a test taker in the field of language teaching and testing.

Do component weighting and testing method affect time management and approaches to test preparation? A study on the washback mechanism

Abstract This study utilized Structural Equation Modeling to investigate the washback mechanism, focusing on two design aspects of an English language proficiency test: component weighting (weight assigned to different test papers) and testing methods (item format), and their washback on test preparation. Two months before taking the test, a large sample of test-takers (N = 1000) were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the two design aspects and their test preparation activities. Their official test scores were collected when they were available. Data was analyzed to estimate the washback effects of perceived changes on test-taker time management and approaches to test preparation, and their test performance. The study found that test-takers spent more time on the papers with higher weight and less on those with lower weight. Reporting component scores seemed unable to adjust this tendency. Meanwhile, favorable perception of test validity was associated with a higher level of engagement in both desirable language learning activities and focused test preparation (drilling and cramming). This suggests that favorable perceptions may not be able to reduce negative washback, but may be able to promote positive ones.

Processing perspectives on task performance

This study utilized Structural Equation Modeling to investigate the washback mechanism, focusing on two design aspects of an English language proficiency test: component weighting (weight assigned to different test papers) and testing methods (item format), and their washback on test preparation. Two months before taking the test, a large sample of test-takers (N = 1000) were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the two design aspects and their test preparation activities. Their official test scores were collected when they were available. Data was analyzed to estimate the washback effects of perceived changes on test-taker time management and approaches to test preparation, and their test performance. The study found that test-takers spent more time on the papers with higher weight and less on those with lower weight. Reporting component scores seemed unable to adjust this tendency. Meanwhile, favorable perception of test validity was associated with a higher level of engagement in both desirable language learning activities and focused test preparation (drilling and cramming). This suggests that favorable perceptions may not be able to reduce negative washback, but may be able to promote positive ones.

Conceptualizing Teaching to the Test Under Standards-Based Reform

Teacher and school accountability systems based on high-stakes tests are ubiquitous throughout the United States and appear to be growing as a catalyst for reform. As a result, educators have increased the proportion of instructional time devoted to test preparation. Although guidelines for what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate test preparation exist, they are outdated and need revision. The current article proposes new guidelines within the framework of standards-based assessment. It also examines the test preparation practices in 32 third- and fifth-grade classrooms and examines the relationship between student test performance and test preparation activities using a two-level Hierarchical Linear Model. Instruction on tested objectives using items like those presented on the state test, decontextualized practice, and teaching test taking skills offered no student achievement benefit relative to general instruction on the state standards leading us to conclude that test preparation was not beneficial.

Pressure to Improve Scores in Standardized English Examinations and their Effects on Classroom Practices

This study surveys English language teachers’ pressure to improve students’ scores in standardized English examinations and how it has affected their classroom practices. The purpose of this study is to explore the teachers’ level of pressure to improve students’ performance in the examination. This study also seeks to investigate whether there are any differences in terms of classroom practices between teachers who express high pressure and low pressure. In this study, classroom practices are determined by four variables which are; (i) test preparation activities, (ii) mode of instruction during English lesson, (iii) instructional content, and (iv) teachers’ involvement in motivational practices. Responses were analysed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to determine whether there is any significant difference in terms of the four classroom practices variables and the pressure subgroups. This study found that teachers are pressured to improve students’ scores in standardized English examinations. Further, there are significant differences between teachers experiencing high pressure and low pressure in terms of their classroom practices, mode of instruction, instructional content and motivational practices.

Stress Impact on Applicants Trying to Gain Entrance to Public Universities

The pressure youth applicants to public universities feel during the admission process is overwhelming. A course was designed that helps students to prepare explicitly for college entrance examinations and provide support with motivational speeches for combating test anxiety. Questionnaires were answered by the students about the test preparation activities and their perceived feeling of anxiety. Results are particularly informative in light of the stress that students experience during the admission process. The findings suggest that there is a difference in anxiety amount girls and boys that can affect test results. In general, seems to be that girls take school more seriously, are more persistent, and more worrisome than boys. Forty two percent of the students enrolled in this course were admitted to our institution, while the average acceptance rate is about thirty one percent, this increase can be attributed to the technical and emotional support they received during training for admission.

Commentaries: Racial Differences in Test Preparation Strategies: A commentary on Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT and College Enrollment

Claudia Buchmann, Dennis Condron and Vincent Roscigno s study, titled Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT and College Enrollment, demonstrates that vigorous use of expensive test preparation tools, such as private classes and tutors, significantly boosts scores on standardized exams such as the SAT or ACT. This preparation, in turn, promotes access to more selective institutions. Because access to preparation varies according to social class, it turned out to be a key lever in the social transmission of privilege. One of the noteworthy findings in the BCR study is the racial and ethnic differences in the use of test preparation: blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites from comparable backgrounds to utilize test preparation. The black-white gap is especially pronounced in the use of high school courses, private courses and private tutors. The Hispanic-white gap is more modest, and is limited to the use of private tutors. The black-white gap in test prep is surprising given blacks' lower levels of social and financial capital and the well-documented test score gap. In 2006, for example, the black-white test score gap was about 200 points, a decline from a gap of 250 points three decades ago (The College Board 2006). Consequently, in this comment, I wish to delve into the black-white variation in test preparation strategies in order to better understand its patterns and consider its relation to the edge black applicants receive in admissions at selective colleges and universities with affirmative action policies. My main objective is to outline a theoretical framework that will shed light on the racial and ethnic disparity in test preparation. In the interest of parsimony, I focus here on the pronounced black-white differences, yet the data indicates that the patterns for Hispanics and Asians are similar to those for blacks and whites, respectively, which strengthens the generalizability and relevance of the proposed framework. The analytical strategy I use conforms to the BCR study in terms of the dataset, multiple imputation, analytical weight and sample.1 Like BCR I use an indicator of highest-level test preparation but also constructed a variable that counts multiple test preparation activities. Unlike BCR, a distinction is made between private (private courses and tutors) and public (books, videos, software and high school courses) types of test preparation. This distinction is theoretically important because private preparation is not only more effective in raising

Can high stakes testing leverage educational improvement? Prospects from the last decade of testing and accountability reform

This article examines major trends in testing and accountability reform in the United States over the past decade. The review covers the apex and decline of the national experimentation with a range of alternative assessments and the rise of test-based accountability as a central policy initiative. These trends signify that testing has become a widely utilized instrument for educational reform in America. Research on these trends indicates that high stakes testing does motivate teachers and administrators to change their practices, yet the changes they motivate tend to be more superficial adjustments in content coverage and test preparation activities rather than promoting deeper improvements in instructional practice. Further, the information provided by large scale assessments is primarily useful to measure school and system progress, but of more limited utility for instructional guidance. Most problematic is that the high stakes testing system in America has been repeatedly promoted as a substantive reform in itself. However, high stakes testing is a relatively weak intervention because, while it reveals shortcomings, it does not contain the guidance and expertise to inform response. The article concludes with suggestions on how to capitalize on the strengths of high stakes testing while minimizing its shortcomings.

JTst – An Automated Unit Testing Tool for Java Program

Software testing is an integral part of software development lifecycle. Lack of testing can often lead to disastrous consequences including lost of data, fortunes, and even lives. Despite its importance, current software testing practice lacks automation, and is still primarily based on highly manual processes from the generation of test cases up to the actual execution of the test. Although the emergence of helpful automated testing tools in the market is blooming, their adoptions are lacking as they do not adequately provide the right level abstraction and automation required by test engineers. JTst is a Java based automated unit testing tool that addresses some of the aforementioned issues. The main novel features are the fact that JTst automates the test preparation activities, facilitates the test data generation through recombination, and allows concurrent execution of test data, in order to encourage higher product quality at lower testing costs.

Quieting Educational Reform... With Educational Reform

The authors report on an evaluation of a comprehensive school reform initiative in one elementary school intended to provide meaningful and sustainable structure, substance, and support to the school’s critical need to improve students’ standardized test scores. Serious implementation and communication problems during the year of the evaluation suggested that the reform itself was misdirected. Teachers’ accounts of their participation in the initiative suggested that some experienced it as a confusing set of external programs they were required to implement without adequate training or support. Sometimes, the reform programs actually conflicted with test preparation pressures and activities, and even with one another. The authors struggled as evaluators to find ways to connect to the dynamics of this complicated context, especially ways that could enact their evaluative commitments to responsiveness, the public good, and ethical practice. They were thwarted by apathy, withdrawal, and silence. This article offers the authors’ reflections on the contours of evaluative commitments in challenging contexts.

The Sources Are Many: Exploring History Teachers' Selection of Classroom Texts

In this paper, we address the issue of how teachers select primary and secondary texts for classroom use by focusing on two New York state middle school history teachers. Our field studies show that, although they teach diverse groups of students, each teacher chooses a wide variety of sources to develop classroom units and test preparation activities. The high–stakes testing environment both teachers work under influences their decisions, but so, too, do their subject matter knowledge and their views of their students. We know from previous research what is typical in social studies classrooms. By cataloging these teachers' text selections, we offer a glimpse into what is possible.