Changing our Methods and Disrupting the Power Dynamics: National Tests in Third-Grade Classrooms

Abstract

This article reports on a research project relating to the newly implemented mandatory Swedish national mathematics tests for third-grade students (nine and ten years old). The project's main research concerns the students' ideas about and reactions toward these tests and how the specific test situation affects their perception of their own mathematical proficiency. Drawing on theories that suggest identities are more fluid than static, we want to understand how students with special needs are "created." The specific aim of this article is to discuss how our research methods have been refined during the various phases of data collection and report on the resulting implications. It discusses issues surrounding child research and how methods involving video recording and video stimulated recall dialogue (VSRD) can contribute to research on children's experiences. Particular attention is given to methodological and ethical issues and how to disrupt power relations. In this article, we argue that the context of the test situation not only impacted upon the students but also affected how we changed, developed, and adapted our approaches as the project evolved.

Classroom bodies: affect, body language, and discourse when schoolchildren encounter national tests in mathematics

“…All children who wanted to participate were interviewed about the test situation and their experiences and feelings about it. The video cameras helped to capture critical incidents such as expressions through body language or gazes during the testing situation, a situation when children are otherwise expected to be quiet (for more information about the data production see Silfver, Sjöberg, and Bagger 2013).…”

Assessing ethics education through national tests—an advantage or not?

“…Swedish students taking (more) tests Silfver, Sjöberg and Bagger (2016) (see also Silfver, Sjöberg & Bagger, 2013) have studied how the macro-trends of performativity filter down to the mathematics classroom and affect grade three children's understanding of themselves as test-takers, their proficiency in mathematics, and their relationship to the teacher in relation to tests. Some children understand themselves as 'appropriate' test-takers, others less so.…”

Are all Pupils Equally Motivated to do Their Best on all Tests? Differences in Reported Test-Taking Motivation within and between Tests with Different Stakes

“…As a part of this, national tests have been introduced in more subjects and ages than before (Eklöf & Nyroos, 2013). Although the national tests constitute a significant part of pupils' schooling, there is still limited research on how the pupils perceive these tests (see, however, Eklöf & Nyroos, 2013;Nyroos & Wiklund-Hörnqvist, 2011;Silfver, Sjöberg, & Bagger, 2013).…”