Standardized Educational Tests

Berends, Mark; Boerema, Albert

doi:10.1002/9781405165518.wbeoss248

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Standardized tests are tests administered under controlled conditions and designed to compare individuals' knowledge or skills (Berends & Boerema, 2007). Although standardized tests purport to measure of skills, achievement, or ability, in a manner uninfluenced by family background, evidence suggests otherwise.…”

Section: The Role Of Anxiety In Accounting For the Social Class Test Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%

The social class test gap: A worldwide investigation of the role of academic anxiety and income inequality in standardized test score disparities.

Claes,

Smeding,

Carré

et al. 2024

Journal of Educational Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We conducted three preregistered studies using the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data to provide a worldwide estimation of the standardized test gap between students from lower and higher social classes. We investigated: (a) the degree to which academic anxiety contributes to this gap and (b) the role of country-level income inequality in widening this gap. In Study 1, we used PISA 2003 data (250,000+ students from 41 countries) and demonstrated that anxiety accounts for approximately one-fifth of the performance gap between students with less educated parents and those with more educated parents. Unexpectedly, the social class test gap was weaker in more unequal countries than in more equal countries. In Studies 2a and 2b, we used the PISA 2012 and 2015 data (totaling over a million students from 65 countries and 72 countries, respectively) and differentiated the cultural dimension (parental education, cultural capital) and the economic dimension (economic capital) of social class. Regardless of the dimension, anxiety again accounted for between one-tenth and one-fifth of the performance gap between students from lower and higher social classes. Moreover, (a) the culturally based social class achievement gap was weaker in more unequal than in more equal countries, and (b) the economically based social class achievement gap was larger in more unequal than in more equal countries. Unexpectedly, we also find a robust association between national income inequality and academic anxiety across all three studies. Results are discussed in relation to the multidimensionality of social class and literature on the psychology of income inequality. Educational Impact and Implications StatementStandardized tests purport to measure of skills, achievement, or ability, in a manner uninfluenced by family background, although social class remains a robust predictor of test performance. Analyses of three Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment data sets (750,000+ students from a total of 70+ countries observed in 2015, 2012, and 2003) showed that academic anxiety contributes to one-tenth and one-fifth of the social class test gap. In addition, national income inequality impacted the social class test gap, in the opposite direction for cultural and economic capitals, as well as increased students' academic anxiety. This research supports the intricate interplay between microlevel socioeconomic factors, macrolevel economic features, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach in interventions aimed at addressing the social class test gap, including both individual processes and broader societal considerations.

show abstract

Section: The Role Of Anxiety In Accounting For the Social Class Test Gapmentioning

confidence: 99%