The Effect of Conceptions of Assessment upon Reading Achievement: An Evaluation of the Influence of Self-efficacy and Interest

Abstract

Self-regulation of learning requires that students conceive of assessments as a means of reflecting upon and guiding their learning. The relationship of student beliefs about the importance, usefulness, or purpose of assessment to self-efficacy and interest and their joint effect on reading performance has not been investigated. In the context of a large nationally representative survey of New Zealand secondary school students, participants completed either Form 1 or 2 of the Student Conceptions of Assessment (SCoA) inventory version 2, a brief inventory on self-efficacy and interest in reading, and a standardised reading achievement test. Measurement models for both forms of the SCoA were established using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. A structural model relating conceptions of assessment to reading performance for each version of the SCoA inventory was established. Invariance of the models for students with high vs. low levels of selfefficacy or interest in reading was tested. Only two conceptions of assessment had statistically significant relations to achievement (i.e., assessment makes me accountable and assessment is useless). Metric equivalence was found for all groups and forms, except version 2A interest. Accountability effects were generally small and not statistically significant, while effects from useless were stronger and negative. Differences between levels of interest and self-efficacy were small. These results suggest that students with lower and higher self-reported interest and self-efficacy can be treated similarly, with a focus on reducing the maladaptive effects of believing assessment is useless.

Manipulating the consequences of tests: how Shanghai teens react to different consequences

“…The stronger the general conception of test as improving learning, being related to external attributions, class climate and personal emotions, the more students thought tests were important, stimulated greater anxiety, and exerted more effort. It is noteworthy that the SCoA influence was through a general factor rather than the subordinate independent factors as seen in previous studies with New Zealand high school students (Brown & Hirschfeld, 2008;Brown & Walton, 2017;. This may arise because of the extensive usage of summative testing in Shanghai rather than the more formative uses of standardised tests in New Zealand.…”

Student Conceptions of Assessment: Regulatory Responses to Our Practices

“…Through a series of iterative studies, Brown developed a self-report survey questionnaire (Brown, 2008) over a number of years. The research with New Zealand secondary school students attitudes toward assessment has been reported in multiple studies and linked those beliefs to performance, interest, self-efficacy, assessment types, and levels of schooling (Brown & Harris, 2012;Brown & Hirschfeld, 2007, 2008Brown & Walton, 2017;. The SCoA has eight first-order factors that relate to four superordinate conceptions of assessment (i.e., assessment is for improved teaching and learning, assessment is irrelevant, assessment supports classroom climate and personal emotions, and assessment evaluates schools and individuals).…”

Does positive feedback support the stronger and weaken the weaker? The effects of supervisors’ positive feedback on newcomers’ task performance in the first 90 days

“…On the other hand, because of motivation, some individuals experience overconfidence and want to be better than others in regard to different issues, such as honesty (Brown, 2011), and being accepted by others (Zuckerman & Jost, 2001). Alicke and Govorun (2005) also argue that overconfidence is promoted by the motivation within a person, but is not causally linked to intrinsic motivation.…”