Teaching to the Test: Approaches to Teaching in Senior Secondary Schools in the Context of Curriculum Reform in China

Abstract

It has been proved in the past half century that high-stakes tests hinder more than promote instruction. The College Entrance Examination (CEE) in China has thus been in widely questioned. When it comes to curriculum reform this century, the question becomes how has curriculum reform been implemented in the classroom? What role does the CEE play in it? A qualitative study of three high schools of different levels in a city of central China shows that transmission classes emphasizing teachers' cramming and students' passive memorizing are predominant in classrooms, with about one-third of comprehensive classes based on constructivism. Transformative classes calling for students' positive inquisition and comprehensive development are still highly unusual. The CEE is a "ferocious" controller of teaching and learning. Though instruction is, in some way, promoted by CEE reform, it still has a long way to go to break itself out from a test-oriented predicament. It is, then, necessary to launch a structural reform of the CEE, change the teachers' beliefs and develop their competence in curriculum implementation.

Influence of Secondary School Inspection on Lesson Planning in Western Uganda

“…Examination-oriented teaching stifles teacher innovativeness since teachers only put much emphasis on the art of answering questions in an examination. Examinations, and not inspection seem to be the most powerful determinant of classroom activities, with teachers teaching to the test (Habyarimana et al, 2017;Popham, 2001;Sayed & Kanjee, 2013;Styron & Styron Jr., 2012;Volante, 2004;Zhao et al, 2016), without regard to the needs of the students.…”

“…According to Volante (2004) and Styron and Styron Jr. (2012), due to pressure from stakeholders for teachers to produce high test scores in highly publicised tests, there is a tendency for teachers to skew their teaching plans focusing only on the activities that are assumed to lead to attainment of high scores on the test. These maladaptive preparation strategies tend to hinder more than promote effective preparation since teachers predominantly plan for teacher-centred pedagogies (Zhao, Mu, & Lu, 2016). Most of the instructional time is used to prepare for and administer tests, while abandoning the approved curricula.…”

The impact of high-stakes testing on the teaching and learning processes of mathematics

“…Barnes (2005) stated that instead of increasing the quality of education, highstakes testing caused students to focus on the parts, which would make students successful in tests and ignore the other parts in the course syllabus. In a study by Zhao et al (2016), it was revealed that high-stakes testing had a ferocious control over learning and teaching and students in the class were passive learners and memorizers of facts. In studies where the impacts of high-stakes testing were investigated, it was found that high-stakes testing increased students' levels of stress and anxiety, while it decreased their levels of intrinsic motivation and self-oriented learning (Ashadi & Rice, 2016).…”

Investigating the Alignment of the Lebanese National Mathematics Tests with the Curriculum Foundations at the Secondary Level. (2022)

“…At the macro level, washback is related to the effects that testing has with the society including policy makers, school administrators, etc. (Zhao et al, 2016), while at the micro level, it refers to the influences that testing has inside the classroom on instruction and learning (Chapman & Snyder, 2000). A great debate takes place in literature on whether high stake tests have positive or negative washback effects.…”

“…High-stake tests can improve instruction and enhance students' achievement (Okitowamba et al, 2018;Chapman & Snyder, 2000). High-stake tests can lead to the innovation of new teaching materials and methodologies that influence positively students' learning (Chapman & Snyder, 2000;Zhao, 2016).…”