Test Preparation Practices 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.

EFL Students' Test Preparation Practices in the Nepalese context

EFL Students' Test Preparation Practices in the Nepalese context

Towards Understanding Test Score Pollution in Ghana: Test Preparation Practices, Test Administration Situations and External Factors as Predictors

Background: Test score pollution explains how multifaceted factors affect the truthfulness of a test score interpretation. The pressure to raise test scores has resulted in practices which pollute the inferences we make from these scores. Issues of accurate testing remains relevant in the space of any testing environment in Ghana and beyond. This study explored the different sources of test score pollution considered test preparation practices (teacher factor), test administration situations (testing environment), and external factors (parents and community pressure). Methods: The study was nested into the quantitative approach using descriptive survey. Basic school teachers (n=353) and parents (n=123) were selected from three districts (South, North and Central Tongu) in the Volta region using G*Power software. A validated and standardized instrument (with alpha coefficient of .783 and correlation coefficient of .823) was used to obtain the data. The obtained data was analyzed using SPSS v.25 and interpreted with linear multiple regression after the data had met all the required assumptions. Findings: The results revealed that all the predictive factors that is test preparation practices (t=4.73, Sig.=.007, CI95%), test administration situations (t=4.20, Sig.=.006, CI95%) and parents and community pressure (t=2.69, Sig.=.000, CI95%) predicted test score pollution in the selected districts. However, among all the predictor variables, test administration situations (testing environment or conditions) were identified as having much influence on test score pollutions in the districts (R2 =.652, 65.2%, Sig.=.000, ꞵ=.616, CI95%). Conclusion: The study concluded that due to test score pollution, most test practices in Ghana are not at its optimal best. Clearly, the demand and the pressure to raise test scores results pollute and contaminate the interpretations, inferences and decisions that are made from these test scores.

Prepping for the TOEFL iBT Writing test, Gangnam style

This study reports on four Korean students’ test preparation practices for the TOEFL iBT Writing section and their perceptions of the effectiveness of direct test preparation in improving their test scores and overall writing skills. In-depth interviews with the participants indicated that it is commonplace among prospective Korean test takers to seek commercialized coaching services from hagwons—private cram schools—in which experienced teachers undertake two major tasks: (1) providing formulaic writing models and feedback on pupils’ writing and (2) imparting ideas for the Independent Writing task. Cramming for the test takes place systematically, with the teachers in the hagwon industry using an optimized instructional scaffold—templates. The findings are discussed in relation to the test-wiseness strategies of learning templates by rote and engaging in writing tasks almost on autopilot and their potential to affect the validity of TOEFL iBT Writing section scores.

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.

Preparing for the higher education admission test: preparation practices and test takers’ achievement goal orientations

Of the many possible institutional and individual factors bearing on test preparation, one is how individuals go about choosing their achievement goals. Yet, the literature on the relationship between the two phenomena remains slim. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, it explores the range of test preparation practices exercised by test takers in preparing for the English module of the Higher Education Admission Test in Iran. Secondly, it investigates how individual goal orientations mediate test preparation. A goal orientations scale was translated, validated and administered to the participants, who were 357 test candidates, a convenience sample. The participants also completed a test preparation questionnaire with two underlying factors including desired and undesired test preparation practices. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests revealed that preparation for the Higher Education Admission Test entailed a mix of both detrimental and beneficial practices, with the frequency of the former being significantly higher. It was also revealed that mastery goal orientations are associated with educationally defensible test preparation practices. Findings carry implications for testers, test preparation instructors and educational policy makers.

Test preparation: an international comparison of test takers’ preferences

ABSTRACT Test preparation has been shown to affect educational test scores to varying degrees. In language testing, however, there are no cross-regional studies that consider the effects of gender and age on test preparation practices. This study represents an attempt to remedy this situation. Questionnaire respondents to a global survey were tasked with indicating their preferences for test support activities by rank ordering twelve options identified by the research team. Respondents were then grouped into three geographical areas: East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Central and South America. Results of Principal Components Analysis indicated that there does not appear to be a hugely different approach or preference to test preparation across the globe. While there are some differences in how important the different elements are seen in different regions, it is likely that similar preparation materials and strategies will be applicable regardless of the region.

Toward Appropriate Preparation for Standardized Achievement Testing

Standardized achievement testing has become a pervasive feature of schooling in Canada. Unfortunately, the pressure to do well on these tests has facilitated teachers' utilization of inappropriate test preparation practices. This paper distinguishes between appropriate and inappropriate test preparation by examining three key issues: time spent directly on test preparation, content of preparation instruction, and the teaching of test-taking skills. Steps are proposed for test developers as well as individuals at the policy, district, and school level, to help facilitate teachers' utilization of appropriate strategies. The latter are essential if we are to promote authentic learning and strengthen the validity of standardized achievement measures.

Clinical instructors' perceptions of virtual reality in health professionals' cardiopulmonary resuscitation education.

Objectives:Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is lifesaving. Yet, cardiac arrest survival remains low despite CPR intervention. Education has been highlighted as a strategy to overcome this issue. Virtual Reality technology has been gaining momentum in the field of clinical education. Published studies report benefits of virtual reality for CPR education; yet, perceptions of CPR instructors towards virtual reality remain unexplored. CPR instructors are key stakeholders in CPR education and their perceptions are valuable for the design and adoption of virtual reality-enhanced learning. The purpose of this study is therefore to understand the perceptions of CPR instructors towards using virtual reality for health professionals’ CPR education. The aim was addressed via three research questions: (1) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards current health professionals’ CPR education? (2) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards features of virtual reality ideal for health professionals’ CPR education? (3) What are the perceptions of CPR instructors towards the potential role of virtual reality in health professionals’ CPR education?Methods:A total of 30 CPR instructors were surveyed on their views towards current health professionals’ CPR education and the use of virtual reality for health professionals’ CPR education, before and after interacting with a CPR virtual reality simulation. Responses were analysed using interpretative thematic analysis.Results:CPR instructors perceived current health professionals’ CPR education as limited due to unideal test preparation (resources, practice, motivation, and frame of mind) and performance. They perceived fidelity, engagement, resource conservation, and memory enhancement as features of virtual reality ideal for health professionals’ CPR education. Virtual reality was viewed by CPR instructors as having potential as a blended learning tool, targeting both ‘novice’ and ‘experienced’ health professionals.Conclusion:The study highlighted the gaps in current health professionals’ CPR education that can be addressed using virtual-reality-enabled learning. Future research could investigate virtual reality simulations with features desirable for CPR education of target populations.

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.

“He's More like a ‘Brother’ than a Teacher”: Politicized Caring in a Program for African American Males

Background/Context The link between care and teaching is well accepted, and positive teacher-student relationships are known to benefit students’ in-school experiences and academic success. Yet, positive teacher-student relationships are not the norm for African American males and African American male students’ experiences and performance in schools remains an issue. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study What characterizes the teacher–student relationships within the all-Black, all-male classes of this district-sponsored program? Moreover, how do the instructors for the program enact these characteristics in their classrooms? Setting This study examines a project of the Office of African American Male Achievement in Oakland, CA. The Manhood Development Program was an elective class in the high schools and an after school program at the middle schools that sought to improve Black male students’ academic success and school experiences, and teach students about their cultural and community histories. MDP classes were offered to Black male students and taught by Black male educators. Population/Participants/Subjects Based on support from and communication with the MDP facilitators and school administrators, the participants in this study include MDP instructors and their students at three high schools and one middle school within an urban school district where there are persistent, racialized disparities in rates of discipline and in levels of academic success. Research Design This article reports on a qualitative case study of the teacher–student relationships within four classrooms that were part of a program for African American male adolescents within an urban school district. Data Collection and Analysis During one academic year, four of the MDP classes were observed at least four times and videotaped at least twice. Interviews were completed with three of the class instructors and with 41% of students across the four classes. The observations and videos were analyzed for instances when teacher–student relationships were leveraged towards specific pedagogical ends. Micro-ethnographic analyses were conducted of the video instances to highlight the dimensions of caring exhibited in the teacher–student interactions. From these analyses, one interactional segment was chosen to illustrate the existence and nuances of a politically intentional form of caring. Findings/Results The MDP instructors’ sociopolitical consciousness impacts and shapes their relationships with their MDP students. MDP instructors articulate and enact specific goals around how to construct caring teacher–student relationships that stem from their intention to positively influence the lives of Black children, push back against the racialized and hegemonic institutional structure of schools. MDP instructors teach in a way that is fundamentally connected to the local community in Oakland and make a concerted effort to know, rather than stereotype, each student and to develop each students’ full potential. These relationships are intentional, political, and visible acts of care by MDP instructors that are interactionally coconstructed within their classrooms. Conclusions/Recommendations This case of politicized caring questions the premise that education and schools are, and should be, narrowly focused on developing test preparation, career-readiness, or content-specific practices. Instead, this case illustrates the alternative educational ideologies and practices of four Black educators that allow them to reclaim their social and political responsibilities and create effective, nurturing, antiracist schooling environments for Black students. This microanalysis of one of these classes offers an example of a type of caring and pedagogy that currently exists and that could be more widely available to Black students.

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.

Test Takers’ Beliefs and Experiences of a High-stakes Computer-based English Listening and Speaking Test

Test takers’ beliefs or experiences have been overlooked in most validation studies in language education. Meanwhile, a mutual exclusion has been observed in the literature, with little or no dialogue between validation studies and studies concerning the uses and consequences of testing. To help fill these research gaps, a group of Senior III students in Guangdong Province, mainland China, were interviewed concerning their views of the high-stakes Computer-based English Listening and Speaking Test (CELST) and their experiences of preparing for and taking the test. The data analysis indicated that the students had a distinct understanding of the CELST validity and also tentatively suggested a relationship between the students’ views of the CELST design, their test preparation practice and their test taking process. These findings provided information useful for sharpening a computer-based English listening and speaking test and for generating positive washback on English learning.

Influence of accountability pressure on Science, Mathematics and English Language teachers’ classroom practices in senior high schools in Ghana

In this study I investigated the sources and influence of accountability pressure on science, mathematics and English language teachers, and suggested ways teachers could better adapt their teaching without yielding to teaching to the test practices with its resultant narrowing of the curriculum. The research was conducted within the midlands of Ghana (Ashanti Region) with a cosmopolitan feature. High schools in the Region attract students from all parts of the nation and nearby regions in West Africa. A large sample of teachers (N = 251), made up of 208 males and 43 females were involved in the study. The distributions of teachers in the three core subjects were 87, 88 and 76 for science, English language and mathematics respectively. In this study, the researcher analysed the sources and effects of accountability threats to the various aspects of science, English language and mathematics teachers’ practices in the classroom with means, standard deviations and ANOVA. In the findings, there was pressure on teachers in the three subject categories to increase the performance of students in WAEC examinations. These pressures often came from school administrators, students and parents. It is recommended that school administrators should focus attention on holistic supervision of teachers to develop a well-informed and educated citizenry instead of leading teachers to achieving students’ gains in performance in external examinations. Also, teachers have to be self-efficacious in their day-to-day practices in the classroom and develop proactive attitudes to learning in students rather than drilling and prepping them on test preparation practices.

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.

Does Test Preparation Work? Implications for Score Validity

This article reports an empirical study that examined the pattern of test preparation for College English Test Band 4 (CET4) and the differential effects of test preparation practices on its scores, thereby drawing implications for CET4 score validity. Data collection involved 1,003 test takers of CET4. A pretest was administered at the beginning of a 2-month test preparation period; a posttest and a test preparation questionnaire were administered about 9 weeks later. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling were used in data analysis. The study found that test preparation pattern was better explained by the perceived functions of strategy use in improving test scores rather than the information processing mechanism underlying strategy use. Test preparation did improve test scores, but the effects were primarily from preparation practices via narrowing the curriculum, especially drilling. Although the effects were small in absolute terms, they represented almost one third of the effects from the pretest. Findings of this study suggest that the extrapolation validity of CET4 scores may warrant special attention in future validation studies.

Teacher and student washback on test preparation evidenced from Taiwan’s English certification exit requirements

This study explores the extent that a policy requiring university students in Taiwan to attain a minimal score from an approved list of EFL proficiency tests has resulted in test-driven instruction and changes in student study patterns. Data from 160 teacher and 1,415 student surveys as well as interviews with 25 teachers and 38 students indicate that test-related instruction and test-driven student study patterns were more prevalent at schools with English proficiency exit requirements than their counterparts. However, this policy appears to have had minimal impact on student learning because it seems clear that many students did not devote substantial time to preparing for the exit exams after class. Moreover, the majority of teachers did not turn their regular English classes into certification-test coaching sessions. Although many students seemed to want more test-preparation instruction and practice in class, teachers in general spent only a small amount of class time on such activities.

Meaningful Practice: Test Prep in a Third‐Grade Public School Classroom

Preparation for high‐stakes testing, while unavoidable, may become meaningful, these authors argue. The article illustrates the case of a third‐grade classroom in a metropolitan public school, where test preparation was approached as genre study. In addition to examining the specific unit of study, the authors describe the efforts of the classroom teachers to make test preparation useful for their students, who participated in such testing for the first time. The analysis of test preparation practices is combined with the teacher's perspectives on what was effective in the particular context. The authors provide insights into effective test preparation and argue that success on testing depends also on the unique ways teachers—and schools—invent to make such curriculum relevant and meaningful to their students. The article concludes with thoughts on the ways this example may inform test preparation instruction.

Assessing changes in performance and monitoring processes in individual and collaborative tests according to students' metacognitive skills

This study assessed students' test performances and metacognitive processes in real classroom settings. Psychology undergraduates were categorised according to their metacognitive skills (high vs. low) and had their test performances and monitoring processes in two different types of tests (multiple-choice and short-answer tests) compared in individual and collaborative test conditions. Students' test preparation practices, attributions, and regulatory processes during test-taking were also compared by using open-ended questions. In the collaborative tests, three types of metacognitive pairings were made (high/high vs. high/low vs. low/low). Results showed that: (1) in individual tests, high-metacognitive students presented better performance and higher confidence levels due to their more effective test preparation practices and regulatory skills; (2) Differences in performance and confidence levels due to metacognitive skills disappear when students take tests collaboratively; (3) Over time, collaborative testing had particular positive effects on the low/low metacognitive pairings. Results are discussed focusing on their educational implications.

Confidence judgments in real classroom settings: Monitoring performance in different types of tests

During testing, students have a valuable opportunity to exercise and improve their self-regulatory skills. However, the extent to which they profit from those experiences may vary according to some personal, test-related, and environmental factors. This study investigated the effects of metacognitive skills and test types on students' test performances, confidence judgments, and on the accuracy of those judgments. A sample of 129 psychology undergraduate students (50 men and 79 women, mean age = 18.9 years) were categorized according to their metacognitive skills (high vs average vs low) and had their test performances and monitoring processes in two different types of tests (i.e., multiple-choice and short-answer tests) compared throughout one academic term. Their test preparation practices, along with their attributional and regulatory processes during test-taking, were also compared by using open-ended questions. The results showed that: (1) high-metacognitive students presented more effective test preparation practices, better test performances, and superior attributional, regulatory, and monitoring processes than their counterparts; (2) differences in performance and judgment accuracy were significantly larger in the short-answer tests than in the multiple-choice tests; and (3) over time, students' performances and confidence levels varied in specific patterns according to the type of test being taken. The results are discussed, focusing on the educational implications of the interactions observed and on how they may determine what students can learn from test-taking experiences. In addition, based on the results obtained, specific suggestions on how to increase the metacognitive awareness of university students through instruction and on how to improve their academic assessment are provided.